Alicia Cook has offered up a unique poetic experience.

The poetry was thought provoking and emotionally charged. Each poem had a corresponding song that Ms. Cook was listening to during its' completion. I found that to be an added bonus for the reader to assist in coming to a better understanding of the author. I was enamored with both Side A and Side B (although I will say Side B is more visceral). Gut wrenching and honest, you will leave this work feeling like you have lived through the journey along side the author.

I enjoyed reading this work of art. and will look forward to reading more of Ms. Cook's writing in the future. This is worth a read.

Thanks to NetGalley, Andrew McMeel Publishing, and Alicia Cook for a copy of this ARC in return for an honest review.

Thank you publishers and Netgalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

Highly Recommend- This collection will take you on a rollercoaster of emotions and will make you feel understood in ways you never thought possible.

I personally loved this poetry collection, and it is now one of my all time favorites. Thought provoking, undeniably relatable, lovely, and heartbreaking. Already ordered a copy for myself and a few for friends/family members.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Some of the poems here felt very real and captivating, but while the author was talking about some very relatable stuff, I feel like this was not the way these thoughts should've been portrayed. I think Alicia Cook should try to write a story in prose since this would have more cohesion than a collection of different poems that need to do some improvement. A nice addition to this book is that each poem comes with a song, and I found a couple that I enjoyed.

it was really impactful and well-paced, I really liked it. Probably going to buy it for Christmas in paperback because it seems gorgeous

I found this book extremely human and relatable. I've struggled with my mental health for a long time, and to be able to relate to this collection of poetry was quite surprising to me. I did find the whole book a bit long, maybe it's the combination of its length and the heaviness of the topics, I found it a bit tiring by the end of it.

This title was archived before I got the chance to read it. Therefore, I cannot give a competent review for this title. I am disappointed that I did not get the chance to read this one as the cover is beautiful and the story sounded intriguing.

A really interesting and cool idea for a collection. "Side A" is the poems and "Side B" is the poet adjust the poem - blackout parts/circle words/etc.

I really enjoyed this collection of poems, but the best part of this book is the layout of the pages and the whole “mixtape-design”.

TW: anxiety, depression, mentions of suicide

This is it. This is the proof poetry is something incredibly personal.
And you know why I say that?
Because I can confidently say that Sorry I Haven’t Texted You Back is not the best poetry that has ever being published. Hell, it’s not even the best poetry I’ve ever read.
But still these poems. These poems, mate. They killed me.
So many resonated with me; so many hit close to home; so many were relatable and just…right.
Wow, I was an emotional mess.

This was truly lovely and heartbreaking. But it also felt like I was being seen and understood.
I needed this 🥺

***Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
This book of poetry felt like it was written for me! I was positively surprised by how much these words moved me.

What a beautiful poetry book...
this book touched on very sensitive points that made me think for a while.
it's a book that should really be read slowly to allow us to stop and think a little

Deeply personal and emotional, Sorry I Haven't Texted You Back is the latest collection by Alicia Cook. If you enjoyed her previous work, then this will be no different. Its' deeply emotive poetry will make you feel like even the darkest parts of your heart are understood.

I was incredibly excited to read this book because I loved (as in, 5-star rated) Alicia Cook's earlier book, I Hope My Voice Doesn't Skip. I thought it was beautiful and original. This collection had a similar blunt beauty, and I really appreciated the interesting set-up. Each poem was paired with the song Cook was listening to while she wrote the poem, and I felt that was such a cool idea. There were several poems that dealt closely with pain and loss, as well as love and relationships (which is something I tend to expect from this style of poetry). I liked this a lot, though I didn't love it quite as much as my first experience with Cook's writing. While I did feel that the blackout poetry composing the second portion of the collection was the weakest part of the collection, I did appreciate that Cook was seeming to write in those poems what might have been missed when you read the poem in its entirety. I will recommend this collection to people who like poetry, especially young adults.

Omg! What a beautiful book!!
First of all, I love this woman so much! "Stuff I've been feeling lately" amazed me so much that I didn't think other book will take that place in my heart! Second of all, I had this amazing opportunity of reading it earlier. And last but not least, this book was just what I needed it. And I'm gonna leave this here so you can understand a little bit.

{The past is not something we can simply put down on a coffee table or leave behind at an airport. The past is part of us; sometimes for better, mostly for worse, but part of us nonetheless. To think we can simply "let go" of the past is just as silly as thinking we need to offer up we are today as sacrificial lambs in order to become who we will be tomorrow. It's also tethered and rooted that it feels fluid.
We cannot fully "let go", not really. We can't forget, not completely. But we can accept some things will always look more picturesque- seem more serene -from a safe distance, from a faint recollection, and we can move forward. It is imperative that we always move forward.}

I'm trying to move on of an awful event that happened 4 years ago, event which my mind blocked on self-defense and now it feels like is slowly killing me. Everybody keeps telling me I'll get through it, it doesn't make it easier and it won't make it go away. My anxiety and those horrible panic attacks ain't helping either. But I'm doing my best to move forward! And I'll leave this here too and let myself out of the review. Thanks Alicia for writing this beautiful book and for making me feel understood ♥️ Please!! Y'all have to read this!!

{So, when you feel the sadness lingering
remember not every guiding light
will glow bright.
There is a lesson found
in all your days,
even hidden in the
worst ones of your life.

Carry on, carry on.}

♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

A wonderful book, covers great themes and makes you know you are not alone. I would recommend it but not for my classroom as I have younger grades and this would be a little too much for them.

I was definitely drawn to this piece of work because of the title...I feel like I am apologizing for not getting back to someone at least twice a week - especially in today's anxiety-driven world.

First, I loved that the collection was split into the two sides. Side A was everything I needed to hear/read from someone else; it is always nice to felt seen by a piece of work and, also, by the author. Being able to see others talk about love, anxiety and the difficulty to cope. Additionally, the addition of the songs was so cool - you could really make this a multimedia reading experience if you wanted to!

When we flipped to Side B - again, it was so cool to see the remixes with new meanings; I love how the same words can be used to create a different meaning and purpose!

The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

You Should Read This If You’re Looking For: easy to digest contemporary poetry dealing with depression, anxiety, mental health, suicide, survivor’s guilt, the aftermath of messy breakups, and trauma, etc.

Designed, as the cover suggests, as a mixtape with Side A and Side B. Favorite poems include: tracks 3,4, 6,7,19,25,26,29,32,73,86.

Format, Side A: contains a collection of 92 poems with titles as track numbers.
Each poem also has a song inspiration at the end, with the song title and name of the artist that makes for a fun extracurricular activity if you want to put together a playlist for these poems.

Alicia Cook’s poetry deals with some really heavy themes such as anxiety, depression, suicide, survivor’s guilt, love, messy breakups, trauma, etc. The poems are written in an easy, digestible format that would appeal to readers of Rupi Kaur’s "Milk and Honey" collection. As I’m not a fan of this type of writing, however, this held little interest.

The poems in this collection are mostly literal, with a few scattered easy-to-pick metaphors that have little depth beyond surface level. There is no profound meaning to unearth, unravel, or divine at.

Yet, Cook’s poetry is relatable to the struggles we face in a 21st century social landscape. Especially in light of the pandemic, feelings of isolation, alienation, uncertainty, inability to commit to relationships, and social pressures are all reflected back with comfortable familiarity. I was especially drawn to the hint of depth in poems that deal with grief, depression and suicide; there’s a rawness to these poems that I wish was explored more in depth.

Side B: “Remixes” contained blacked out versions of some of the poems from Side A that I found utterly pointless and pretty banal.

My favorite part of this collection might be the mixtape concept this book is presented as, particularly the cover art and title that feel hopeful, funky, relatable, and original: the potential is there, peaking through in certain poems. I just wish it was more. 3 stars.

I really loved the format which in this book was written. So well done and beautiful. Would drfiently recommend. Also a very quick read!

Sorry I Haven't Texted You Back is beautiful. It's so beautifully written, so relatable, and just what I needed after a long, difficult year. I'm not someone who typically picks up poetry but am so glad I went outside my comfort zone and started this lovely book.

Thank you to Cook, Andrews McMeel Publishing & Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

"We may sleep together,
but my dreams are my own."

Sorry I Haven’t Texted You Back is a collection of poetry in the format of a mixtape, with accompanying songs at each poem and B-Sides of blackout poetry that remix the original pieces. Throughout, Cook describes her struggles with everything from love and loss to mental illness. I received a free e-ARC through NetGalley from the publishers at Andrews McMeel Publishing. Trigger warnings: death, mental illness, depression, trauma, grief.

Tapes were a little before my time. I had some when I was a kid, but they’d mostly been replaced by CDs by the time I was a teenager and iPods by the time I was an adult. I’m still fascinated by the concept of a mix though, of choosing songs and ordering them with intention to send a message, and there are few things more romantic, in my opinion, than giving one to someone you love. My dad made me tapes of my favorite Disney songs when I was little, and I have every mix CD every friend or partner ever gave me, long after we stopped seeing each other. Forget jewelry. Mixes are a love letter. (That’s a lie. Jewelry is cool too. Especially if it’s neon, plastic, and came out of a gumball machine.)

All that is to say that I’ve been wanting to read one of Alicia Cook’s collections for a while, but I hesitated because it’s poetry. I can make a list of songs with good transitions to tell you how I feel, but I struggle with poetry when it isn’t backed by music. I never feel like I “get it,” and since I prefer to keep my emotions at a polite distance whenever possible, I never feel like I’m “feeling” poetry as much as I should be either. Anything that comes after my emotions with a hammer doesn’t have a chance. This book, like a lot of contemporary poetry (that I’ve encountered, anyway), is a hammer. It’s not that I don’t care about Cook’s situation or sympathize with her. I’m just not feeling all the emotions she’s obviously feeling.

My questionable emotional health aside, I did like this collection. I like the way it addresses mental illness directly and tries to give readers an inside look at Cook’s experiences with it. A lot of the poems are love poems, and I enjoyed those too. They remind me of Taylor Swift songs, in a good way. My favorites were tracks three, fifteen, thirty-four, and forty-six, which playfully mixes in a bunch of song titles. I also like the way she pairs each poem with a song, and it’s the kind of book that should come with a link to a playlist. The second half is cool in theory, but in reality, I get less out of blackout poetry than the regular kind. Most of the poems are reduced to pithy little slogans, most of which don’t relate to the original material. Some are hard to read given the scribbles, but that might have been a digital side effect. If it sounds good to you, you’ll probably like it, but I’m just going to go on thinking poetry isn’t really for me, even if it’s wearing its mixtape costume.

Notes on the digital copy: I had major difficulty with the format. I use Aldiko Press to read non-Kindle files, and it does not handle images well at all. Sadly, every. single. page. of the B-sides is formatted as an image. It took up to thirty seconds to load each one, which is no way to read a book. I amused myself by looking up some of the songs on YouTube while I waited, but I was very annoyed by the end (through no fault of Cook’s, of course).

I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.