This was a breath of fresh air.
It was a joy to read, not only humorous but the style it is written it makes it really easy to read while holding your interest.

This isn't my usual type of book, but I'm glad I pushed out of my comfort zone.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book sounded interesting. I was in the book for something a little different, so I downloaded a copy. I’m glad I did. I really enjoyed the stories on offer here. The stories seem to be quite autobiographical but maybe I’m reading to much into it? I loved the fact the stories take place before social medical, smartphones and the digital world we embrace. Can we remember a time before Twitter and Facebook? I liked the language used in the book, quite poetic at times. I’d recommend these.

Interesting and thought provoking book. Coming of age memoir. Although I didn't like a lot of the takes( animal killing) it was a very interesting read.

In Bobby Johnston’s “The Saint I Ain’t”, I found a cathartic book of memories that are specific to a time before smartphones and social media. Rather than the colorfully produced fake memories our teens generate for themselves today, “The Saint I Ain’t” provides a glimpse of an unfiltered past with all of the scars and blemishes laid bare for the reader to see and feel. Having grown up in the same period, each vignette resonated with me, and I found many parallels to my own nearly forgotten experiences. Like so many good books, you’ll continue to think about it long after you turn the last page.

An impressive debut from Bobby Johnston.
Walk a mile in his shoes:
A humorous and harrowing tale of formative years,
A time and place alive with evocative detail,
Full characters and passion
Brought to the page
With poetic precision.
A mile you won't soon forget.

Some of the stories/poems in this short book made me adore them, others disgusted and disturbed me which makes rating this unique book a difficult task. At times I disliked the main voice but at other times found him captivating so because the author was able to elicit such deep feelings from within me, I’m going to go ahead and give this book a good rating.

I read this short work in one sitting, eager to move onto the next piece either because I was enjoying it so much - laughing and arching my eyebrows in surprise - or because I hated what the main character was engaging in, from trapping helpless animals in painful leg-hold traps to shooting them for fun or money. I felt compassion for the boy in the pieces and thoroughly enjoyed seeing him grow and find humor and strength in some pretty messed up situations. Maybe I felt a bit more of a connection to the boy being raised Catholic myself. I’m no longer religious so I found my absolute favorite piece to be elegy for me. Other gems include: bitten, baldy, me and mr. t, and also with you, and ten in the clip.

I’d like to add another trigger warning of abuse and killing of non-human animals.

Thank you to Fomite Press, Bobby Johnston, and #NetGallery for an ARC of #TheSaintIAint in return for an honest review. Review will be posted on NetGallery, Goodreads (goodreads.com/radicalrachelreads) and Facebook.

I enjoyed Bobby Johnston’s poetic voice in The Saint I Ain’t. It’s storytelling and experience captured in verse, brimming with insights and pop culture references. A pleasure to read.

A taste of growing up between faith and poverty.

My only dilemma with this story was that the poems did not evoke a real feeling for the writer. They did not speak in a way that made you want to follow with the story.

The Saint I Ain't is a series of vignettes from an upbringing with quiet, sad, and sometimes disturbing instances influenced by the times (70s) and by experiences with the Catholic church and Catholic school. While many of the stories are attached to a running theme, each of them are unique in the apathy and sadness that accompanied these experiences.

What made it interesting in terms of reading it is that is isn't quite a short story collection, but it isn't quite a poetry collection either. It is a mix that mimics the mix of emotions brought up in each of the stories. While it isn't for everyone, it is an interesting read.

It was very visual which I love but I found it to be unusual and not in a good way. The church reference where oddly disturbing, and the first poem I read was about biting visually I was there but mentally I was horrified. Not my cup of tea at all