First of all, the title of this book drew me in because it is me in a nutshell. I’m always apologizing to everyone for not texting back in a "timely manner" so I was really excited to read this.

This is divided into Side A which are the regular poems and Side B which are blacked out poems, showcasing specific words or phrases from the poems on the first side.

From the first one I was like uhhhhh I don’t know if this is for me, but I kept reading because I don’t tend to read much poetry so I thought it was just me not being used to it. I liked the "Currently listening to" bits at the bottom of each poem, it gave a little bit more of interaction to the reader. I felt like she was listening to everything that was going on in my head, things I was never able to put into words or never cared to were written here. The mental health representation made me feel heard and seen and like I'm not alone and there are other people going through similar battles as mine.

Howeveeeer, it felt very repetitive at times and like it was just dragging on for too long. Like I said I identified with a lot in this book but I felt like I was reading the same thing over and over again and the Side A was way too long in my opinion, because of how repetitive it became. Side B went by a lot faster as the author emphasized a couple of word on each page.

Overall I really enjoyed this collection and I'm glad I pushed through my initial hesitation. If you want to catch a glimpse of some of the things that go through the mind of someone with anxiety or depression or if you want to put into words some feelings you’ve never been able to, I encourage you to pick this book up, it might help someone out there feel heard. 💖

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This poetry collection hit me in the feels! I loved Alicia Cook's rawness and simplicity in describing her emotions.

I found the mixtape concept really original and fascinating and I especially liked the "remixes", where the author reconstructed the poems to create something else completely!

I could totally related to the poems about anxiety and depression and it felt so good to be seen. I also loved that the author included the songs that inspired her poems.

I really enjoyed this collection and I believe that anyone, poetry lover or not, can find inspiration and solace in Alicia's words.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an early copy.

I looooved this poetry collection, it is one of my all-time favorite ones now. There wasn't a poem in here that I didn't enjoy. But I especially loved those about depression and anxiety, whose hit deep. The songs listed at the end of each poem added another layer of enjoyment to my reading experience and i added some of the songs to my playlist. The list of trigger warnings at the beginning of the book was a thoughtful touch and more books should do that.
Huge thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

I loved the inclusion of the "currently listening to" with each poem. I thought it gave an added something special to the collection and a way to further connect with the pieces. However, I just didn't enjoy this one as much as Alicia Cook's previous works. It felt like it took longer to pick up and I found myself getting distracted from reading quite often. Still a lovely collection, but not my favorite.

I got this eARC copy in exchange for a review, and TBH Alicia Cook is one of my favourite modern poets that is considered an IG poet. Although she has developed a format of stylizing her poetry (which can be considered her personal brand) through the mixtape and remixes of poems, I find that though with many poets, it could be considered a trick pony move to discuss the same themes/ topics she’s probably one of the few who manages to spin something new every time she publishes.

Particularly this collection does not fail to have a fresh take. While her first collection introduces the style of her poetry/ found poetry and her second collection incorporated other collaborations in creating lyrical poems into some recorded songs, this particular anthology as a whole collectively was the most cohesive in terms of reliability in discussing mental health -which is near and dear to my life. I always enjoy her lyricism to her words and found that she really played around with the form of found poetry in not only remixing her poems from Side A, but visually made it an engaging experience to follow along and recommend this book.

“This is still a love poem even if I don’t love you anymore”

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All of the opinions are my own and this did not affect my review in any way.

I requested this collection because I have been a huge fan of the authors work on Instagram and I was excited to read a full collection of her work. I started reading it without really knowing about the format or the subjects it dealt with and I am so happy to say that I loved this collection.

Sorry I haven´t texted you back is a poetry collection that touches upon themes such as love, grief, heartbreak and hope while doing it in a fun and creative format.

Over the last 2 years I started reading more and more poetry so it is safe to say that I have read a fair share of collections and because of this I have been less blown away by poetry because I know what to expect. However, this collection is so different from every other collections I have read (and I mean this in a good way) and it was exciting to read something outside of the box.

I was really moved by this collection, each poem made me feel something and I was able to relate to most of them. I was truly blown away by the depth and writing of each poem, each word served a purpose and I was very quickly emotionally invested in it.

I really enjoyed the blackout-poetry, I loved how the author took a poem we had already read and gave it a totally new meaning, and the songs she recommends after each poem are unique and I really like that is allows you to put yourself in the place of the author even more.

This collection took a fun, new and creative concept and executed it perfectly.

Overall, I truly enjoyed this collection, I think this collection is very well written and I believe this collection is perfect por almost anyone, I think all of us can relate to some aspect of what the author is writing about and I think the execution is flawless.

“Be like water. Fill every space like it was made just for you, like you belong there. […] Don’t be afraid to leave behind a mark”

The poems were wonderful and very astute on living with depression. The soundtrack was also a lovely touch. However, I felt it took far too long to pick up. The blackout poetry was my favorite part. I found the doodles interesting and unique. It added a lot of character to the book.

I'm not sure I'm capable of writing a coherant review to this poetry collection because oh gosh, this really hit me. I finished it all in one sitting, but I'll definitely be ordering a copy and I know it's one I'll be reading many times. I found myself bookmarking almost every poem in part 1 ("Side A: The Poems"). I really didn't think it could get better until I got to part 2 ("Side B: The remixes"), which is a collection of strikeout poetry made up of the poems from the first part. The poems are so personal and hard-hitting; I found myself deeply relating to a lot of them and I absolutely loved the author's style. Having songs linked to each poem was a really nice touch too. I can't recommend this book enough - please get your hands on it when it come out in October/November 2020 (in the US/UK, respectively, I believe)!

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Alicia Cook offers words that are honest and relevant. The title of this book captured me as someone who is currently living a life more and more stuffed with screens. Beautiful words, wonderful style.

Umm wow. Poetry has never really been my thing - at least i didn’t think it was until I read this.
Side A swept me up & made me feel all the things, but then I hit side B & I felt all the things on such a deeper level.
This is actually phenomenal & I’m determined to read the rest of Alicia Cook’s poetry.

Www.goodreads.com/ando89

There are some things I really like about this collection of poetry and other things that didn't do it as much for me.
The good: the poems are well written. I liked the "currently listening to" idea with each poem (though admittedly I felt a lot of the music choices were not to my taste in any way). I LOVED the remixing of the poems by doing blackout poetry with the poems from the first half.
The less-good: I felt like we were treading through the same ideas and themes over and over ad nauseum.

I really enjoyed this poetry collection a lot, Alicia always puts so much emotion in each piece, everything is relatable and you say, “oh I went threw that” or “oh, I understand that completely”. They make you think and feel. Unlike some poetry collections this one isn’t just a few sentences with “poetry” labled on it. It gives you depth. Will continue reading her books

Omg, I read this book and was swept away into such a cocoon of real love. I wish my words could describe how beautiful and moving each poem made me feel. This author is someone seriously special. I was moved by each poem. Sometimes I cried, sometimes I laughed, and sometimes I got goosebumps at how it made me feel. I will read ANYTHING she writes until I take my last breath in this world.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for this advance copy of this book.

4.5/5 I loved this poetry collection. There were some poems that made me sad, some that made me laugh out loud, and others that made me nod my head in agreement. And then the remixes...so clever! If you're looking for a creatively and uniquely constructed collection, THIS IS FOR YOU. I feel like everyone can find at least one poem in here that speaks to their soul, even if it's just the sunshine of a one-line remix poem. I paced around my room reading this and couldn't put it down. Every time I came back from something today, reading this is what I wanted to do. That being said, poetry is so personal. In my mind, the flow of this from poem to poem was rather nonsensical. It didn't seem linear, which is something that I think packs the full punch for me in a poetry collection. But, still, an amazing collection that I would highly recommend to anyone searching for a work that they can see their own reflection in.

An interesting group of poems and prose that really show you what it's like to be living with depression. Some of these poems felt like hard pills to swallow but so worth it for broadening my perspective.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

Sorry I Haven't Texted You Back hit me hard in the best way. There were "tracks" or poems that resonated so strong that I had to put my copy down and physically react. I can see this collection being one that I go back to again and again -- almost 100 poems for Side A may seem long, but I felt each poem was unique and had a purpose. Even the order the poems were revealed provided a full picture and a brilliant metaphor Cook's brain, which seemed to be at one with my brain. Side B is beautiful in a different way, taking the Side A poems and modifying them to speak to a singular more uplifting message. The Side B twist was nice on the first read, but I know the reason I will come back to these poems and share them with others will be the depth Cook's poems in Side A.

** eARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review **

A book of modern day poetry. Pretty relatable at times. I love the cassette aesthetic and how all the poems went a long with a song. I also liked how side B of the cassette is "remixes" including black out poetry, doodles and highlighting. Read this quickly but it was longer than I expected it to. I really enjoyed it.

Review to be posted on goodreads and blog two weeks before pub date.

Sorry I Haven’t Text You Back is a powerful set of poems that has poet Alicia Cooks figuratively bleeding on the page. She gives her all in this collection and leaves you in no doubt as to how she is feeling. She takes the theme of mental health and uses poetry to help you understand.

It is a shocking, powerful and moving collection of poems which needs to be digested slowly and allow yourself time to fully digest the meanings behind the poems.

It also comes with a kick-ass soundtrack to accompany it.

Sorry I Haven’t Texted You Back by Alicia Cook is available now.

For more information regarding Alicia Cook (@the_alicia_cook) please visit instagram.com/thealiciacook.

For more information regarding Andrews McMeel Publishing (@AndrewsMcMeel) please visit www.andrewsmcmeel.com.

i really, really loved this. i know there's a lot said about "modern poetry" but i don't care, i still like it.
i specially liked the structure of this. of each track, the pacing. but also, the difference between what side a and side b have to tell, the way they make you feel.
i felt like every track on this spoke to a different part of me, and when i reached side b, i was so moved. i teared a bit with some of these, i felt the sadness and emptiness with others. i found it so relatable.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sorry I Haven't Texted You Back is such a unique take on a modern poetry anthology. With most poems including a "currently listening to" so you can match up your playlist with the author's, this book's a-side feels like reading the author's unfiltered thoughts. Some of her poems rhyme, some don't, and a lot slant rhyme, but they all somehow feel stylistically the same.

I will say, the A side definitely goes on for too long. At almost 100 poems long, things inevitably start to feel repetitive and a of the poems probably could have been trimmed.

This book's B side 'remixes' all the poem's from the first section, using blackout poetry to either highlight, change, or add additional meaning to the poems. It was definitely the highlight for me.