This was a bit difficult to review because it is poetry. I personally couldn’t relate to the author’s poems, but I did try to imagine how I would feel if I were in her shoes. Most of the poems were heartbreaking and sad. They were all about a guy who she loved that broke her heart. This was a quick read, but I took my time reading the poems. I wish that she wrote a few other poems that was not necessarily centered on the man who broke her heart. Overall, it was a read.

5 stars.

"when they leave you, do not forget that you are still here. even if part of you went with them, you are still here."

There's something about poetry from the heart that just brings out a visceral reaction in me. I find it to be so beautiful, so moving and this book was no exception. I think we can all relate to the feeling of wanting closure so badly but knowing that we'll likely never get it. Or, worse, never get any satisfying version of it. There are just human shaped demons out there that will hurt you and walk away without one concern. and years later when you're lying in bed thinking about it, they'll be sleeping soundly.

Doesn't seem fair right? yeah I thought so too. I had my own version of this longing, and the only healing (as the author and I agree on) is slowly allowing yourself to move on, and come to peace with yourself and the fact that you may never get it. The author does a great job at showing and FEELING all the emotions and translating them beautifully to paper.

this book is raw and cuts right through the heart. This bundle really got me back into poetry,
I fell in love with it right at the beginning where it is described how to be a poet;
"1. rub salt in your wounds,
2. Watch them bleed.
3. Call it art".
wow;
I also loved "I would've bloomed regardless" so beautiful. and "when they say you've grown". Incredible. These are just a few I loved because it is all so meaningful. I'm happily married but still felt all the heartbreak that was in this book.
Thank you Catarine for sharing your emotions in this book and being so open,

Really beautiful poetry. Love how she does her poetry. Really lovely work done about trying to be your own person after a bad love.

I would like to thank the publisher of this book for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Beautiful and relatable poems about falling deeply in love, losing yourself and getting deeply hurt.
I would definitely recommend Catarine's poems to teenagers and young adults who are experiencing how it feels to fall in love.

A collection of poetry that spoke to the depths of my heart and dark corners of my soul. Some poems will speak to readers, depending on each individual and their experiences and interests.

"sometimes i fall asleep thinking about you" is one of the first poetry books that I've read and probably wouldn't have read it if I had realized it was poetry beforehand. But I'm so glad that I did in fact read it because it was a wonderful trip.

When you're a Wattpad reader like me, it can get hard to read something that feels new to you and that sucks you completely into the story, which is exactly what this book did for me. I read the whole book in two days and used every spare minute I had to keep reading, I just couldn't let it go. I became really invested in the story behind the poems: the story of a girl working to get over a horribly difficult, sad and hard breakup. I needed to know if there were any changes, I needed to see how she felt now, because these poems are so real that I felt as if I was reading something my best friend was telling me. All I want to do is a standing ovation in honour of how familiar and close to her Catarine's writing made me feel.

Are there things to improve? Sure. I've got to admit that there were times when understanding the sentences without comas was very tricky, but I still enjoyed every word of it and those pages with different formats, resembling handwritten notes, just made the whole reading experience even better and warmer.

When I first ran across this poet on TikTok, I saw a kindred spirit in the way she works through her emotions in words. This collection is clearly an exercise in healing and grief after heartbreak, and you can see where the edges of her hurt have become scars she retells as opposed to active, bleeding wounds. I will warn you that this collection has more weight than hope to it, but I think that can be cathartic to read if you're in the right mood.

I previously picked up Shades of Lovers and found it unique, but quite indulgent and repetitive. I find this to be the same; but the uniqueness has sloughed off.

This poetry collection is generous. There are quite a large amount of poems compared to the average collection, but sadly they are essentially the same poem told in a variety of different ways. The entire collection is an angry or emotional commentary on the damage a previous partner has caused. Whilst the intention is clearly stipulated, an unnecessary number of times in fact, and that is catharsis and coping for the author rather than a deliberate attack. It still feels quite aggressive; perhaps deservedly so, but that isn’t really my thing.

If the collection was half catharsis and half something else I think I could have appreciated it more, because a number of the poems were nice to read and were impactful. But an entire collection of the author saying a guy broke her heart and ruined her life and it’s resultantly, and understandably, taken her a crazy amount of time to be able to deal with that pain is just a little too much to be considered enjoyable. I read for enjoyment, and this was too “same-y” throughout to hit home for me.

ARC provided from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow... this was something that I thought wouldn’t be so much as relatable to me but beautiful to read. The beauty of the authors thoughts that shown through each word as well as the emotions that you could feel from the poems was amazing. I’ve never had a love that has crushed me but some of the poems reminded me of another person in my life which made certain things difficult to read. This was gorgeous and I sincerely recommend. I did only give it three stars because I personally could not relate but rather appreciated the honesty of the author. I will definitely pick this up in the future again because there are some poems that are still engraved in my mind.

This was probably the worst book I could’ve chosen to read during midterms because all I wanted to do the entire week was pick it back up. While this is only the second book of hers that I have read, I can see Catarine Hancock becoming one of my favorite poets. Every poem felt personal to me and it’s clear that Hancock put her whole heart and soul into each one. My personal favorite was “sometimes i love you really means help me: a rambling” Even if someone has never experienced the heartbreak that she describes, I would still recommend they pick this up. I know that I will be reading everything she writes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sometimes i fall asleep thinking about you is a brilliantly captivating journey of love and loss, and all the stages one goes through after the loss of a great love. A few of my favorites were “Some Facts About Forgetting” and “Ghost”. These poems talk about how even years later it’s ok to miss that person who stomped on your heart and maybe even want to talk to them even though you know you won’t. It’s ok to miss someone and still know you did the right thing by leaving.

The poems and prose are written in such a unique style that captured my attention instantly. There are beautiful illustrations throughout that make it look as if you are reading from someone’s diary. I especially appreciated the handwritten prose.

I did not expect to have such a visceral reaction to this book but I did! These poems ripped my heart out and made me see things about myself that I hadn’t wanted to look at it but perhaps needed to. I owe this author a debt of gratitude because her poetry provided me with several cleansing cries and validated a lot of things I have been feeling in my own life.

This is a must-read for anyone who has ever loved deeply, loved in a way that was not healthy or who has ever felt as if their heart would never mend. Do yourself a favor and pick up this book when it is released on April 6, 2021.

TW: mentions of emotional and physical abuse, blood, guns and death

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher to sending me this e-arc copy of this poetry collection.

This is a raw, angry journey through heartbreak and love lost after a terrible relationship. The author writes in a way that you feel the way she is feeling - so hurt and so broken. Her words are so honest and gruelling & I’m sure this story is one that many people will find relatable. It’s a tough read.

I’ll start by saying, this hurt to read. That being said, I really needed to read it.

If you, like me, have been through the messy break-up, and the breakdown afterward, you should read this poetry collection. The poems are beautiful and often raw, and they tell a too familiar story — about being hurt by someone who promised you love.

I could actually feel my heartbreaking as if I was the one living in this relationship. It hurt but it also brought out so much light when i could also feel myself rebuild everything that was broken.

thanks to netgalley and the publisher for approving me of the e-arc of this book.

this was a beautiful heart-wrenching collection of poems that told a story of heartbreak and getting through that heartbreak and all the aftermath. i loved every line of it.

the author is so talented, i’m in love with the way they write, the words were so moving i held my breath a couple of times.

although my only criticism is that it gets a little repetitive with this style of modern poetry. nonetheless, the poems themselves were beautiful + the illustrations and calligraphy every couple of pages are stunning!!

Reading this was complicated. On one hand, the poetry really is just mediocre. On the other hand, a lot of it did resonate with me. That’s because of my experiences, though. I’ve read plenty of poetry that had nothing to do with my life that make me go ‘woah.’ That only happened while reading this once or twice, and more because I literally relayed, rather than the poetry was so beautiful it blew me away.

Based off of the description not actually talking about a romantic relationship, and having no prior knowledge of the author, I really thought that there would be more than just poetry about what seems to be the same person, an ex, over and over again. Most of it was so repetitive that it felt like I was reading the same 3 poems over and over again.

I’ve had the feelings the description talks about with an ex of my own, but also I’ve felt that for friends, and for family. I was a little disappointed that it turned out to be exclusively romantic.

I got bored very quickly. If slightly cheesy poetry about a man who cheated on a woman is something that will resonate with you, you’ll probably like this book. It just really wasn’t for me in the end.

Absolutely delightful. I felt as if this collection of poetry was written from my direct experiences. Love, breaking, loneliness, angst all rolled into one. If you find yourself like any of Rupi, you may also enjoy this. Although the styles differ, Catarine has the same knack for connecting to herself and her readers.

If you have ever been in a relationship that has left your heart feeling like it has been run over (perhaps repeatedly) by a Mack truck, this book of poems is for you.

If you have never been in a relationship like this - lucky you. Read the book anyways.

Love, and life for that matter, can be extremely messy at times. I’ve always found that poetry can act as a much needed reminder that we are not alone in our feelings.

Catarine Hancock’s 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙞 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙖𝙨𝙡𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 officially comes out on April 6th, and I highly suggest you watch out for this one.

The collection of poems is a true and honest reflection of heartbreak and healing - what it is like to feel whole and mended some days, and yet surprisingly still absolutely shredded inside on others.

Catarine’s writing holds so much emotion, and her style is rather unique. Unlike most poetry books, there is no real uniformity in the structure of each poem. Instead, it reads more like the raw, unfiltered ramblings of one’s brain have been tossed down on paper and bound together. This is actually the thing I like most about her work. It is exactly what makes it feel so unapologetically real.

Thank you to both NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing for allowing me the opportunity to read a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Did not enjoy this book at all. I was hoping for strong emotions, and that is what I got, but it was the same five poems over and over again. It was very repetitive. There was no uniqueness to it for me.
To me, this doesn't feel like poetry. It felt like sentences telling a story chopped up, except it was just the same chapter over and over again.