Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group Dutton for approving my request to read this lovely collection! And thank you to Sabrina Benaim for writing it.

Here's the thing: I cried on page one. Sabrina Benaim pulls zero punches and has zero guard around the heart in her poetry. As someone that has a degree in creative writing, I find myself irritated by poems that feel too academic or insincere. Poems that lack backbone and are all head, no heart. That is not what I Love You, Call Me Back is.

The collection is tender. Daily tasks are often discussed: taking her dog Mabel for a walk, taking a bath, texting/sexting, remembering to eat, doing a facemask, going to the store. Reading ILYCMB feels like reading a friend's diary pages.

I loved Depression and Other Magic Tricks and think this is an AMAZING follow-up collection. Truly, I can't gush enough.

The cover of "I Love You, Call Me Back" is attractive, but its contents are not the least bit interesting. Benaim's book is part diary, part poetry collection. The language she uses in many of the journal entries and poems is not complex, nor is it minimalistic in a purposeful way. Her writing is just overly simplistic and repetitive. It feels like she didn't put much thought or effort into her work, and if she did, maybe she just lacks talent. I can't really tell her poems apart from the works of writers like R.H. Sin or Amanda Lovelace. It's just not engaging or unique. Some of the situations Benaim writes about are serious and heartwrenching, but her poetry doesn't really convey that. As someone who has dealt with mental health issues and loss, I would like to stress the fact that I fully empathize with the author's difficult life experiences, and I wish her well, but her writing just doesn't appeal to me.

I Love You, Call Me Back was an eye opening experience for anyone who has never dealt with the press of depression. This book can help many young adults and adults realize that they are not alone if they are dealing with similar emotions. This is a perfect book for anyone who works as a school counselor or social worker. The author doesn’t simply write out her emotions, but writes them in a way that a reader feels her emotions.

Sabrina Benaim does it again. I Love You, Call Me Back is a tender, soul-bearing collection of poems that evokes an almost unbelievable range of emotions that we have come to expect from Sabrina.

This collection explores things such as the never-ending work that goes into mental health recovery, the author further explores the affects of depression and being medicated. She explores her own healing through beautiful, hopeful poems about her good days and the good people, as well as through poems about the sometimes mundane everyday effort that goes into healing.

A large theme in this collection was grief of the author’s mother, who was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm. It is a unique kind of grief to grieve for someone who is still here, and this was heartbreaking but beautiful. These poems are vulnerable and honest and I feel better for having read them.

4.5/5🌟: I absolutely adored this book so much. I mean her debut collection will always have a special place in my heart but this one hit different (for those that understand what that means). This poetry collection was so strong in terms of soundwork and imagery. I loved how it flowed more than the average collection. Like a general poetry book has overarching themes but sometimes the poems feel a little bit of a mix bag i.e random but this one really felt cohesive. But all the poetry was amazing on it's own as well which is crucial when reading poetry for them to be standalone. So this is an impressive feat to have a collection be so in sync yet solid (if that makes sense).

I also really enjoyed that while some of the poetry had titles, the author had each of them dated. At first, I was a little confused but the dates actually serve a nice purpose that is conveyed well to the reader. The themes of grief, fear, depression, and the bond of a mother and daughter shined throughout the entire piece. My personal favorite poems were "Red Dress", "On Progress" and "Voicemail from my Mom". I loved it, would recommend to anyone a fan of poetry and their mom.

If her first book didn’t break my heart this one sure did. I became a mother this year to a child with CHD. At two months old she had to have open heart surgery and it was terrifying. The relationship between a mother and a daughter is so strong, I felt that fear and anxiety immensely. Sabrina always seems to capture our heart strings.

A beautiful collection of poetry that explores loneliness, anxiety, and longing, while finding peace and joy in unexpected places. This was a touching collection of poems and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I would highly recommend this for anyone who enjoys poetry and exploring emotions in poems.

*Thanks Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton, Plume for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Sabrina’s sadness and loneliness was well thought out and written across each page. The reader was able to understand her struggle living her day-to-day life knowing circumstances with her mom could take her away instantly.

Summer 2021 (August);
~ Netgalley Arc

Thank you to Sabrina Benaim, Penguin Group Dutton, Plume, and Netgalley for this free arc for an honest review.

I was amazingly delighted when I found Sabrina would be putting out a new book. A big fan of both her spoken word button poetry performance, and her first publication, [book:Depression & Other Magic Tricks|34594982], I absolutely ran for this one when I saw it. Sabrina's work remains sharp and deep, unflinching about the problems, needs, and wants one faces amid depression.

The surprise of this book was the flowering fullness of seeing the deep relationship between Sabrina and her mother. How supportive of each other they are, how often they talk, how hard it is to maintain that close relationship in the wake of terrible news from doctors that could cause a death at any moment between being told and the time of treatment. It, also, gives us some beautiful glimpses into her friendship with those who know and support her process with depression.

I see so much growth in her work from the first publication to this one, and I hope she goes on putting out even more poetry volumes.

Another great collection of poems by Canadian spoken word poet Sabrina Benaim about her struggles with mental health, anxiety, panic attacks, depression and dealing with her mother's health condition. Her range and the breadth of topics covered were impressive. Highly enjoyed this newest collection and recommend for poetry fans and anyone struggling during the pandemic. Much thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for my advance review copy.

While I am not the biggest fan of poetry, some poets have caught my attention and Sabrina Benaim is definitely one of them. The cover and title called to me, but I loved the words written inside. This was such a beautiful collection of poems and I can't wait to add it to my shelf when it publishes.

I unfortunately struggled with this one and couldn't connect. Most of it for me felt like series' of words strung together and I couldn't connect the puzzle pieces. I think it's a style thing for me and this particular style just isn't something I connect with,.

Favorite Poems:
"On Progress"
"Poem Written from the Bath"
"From Belle to the Beast" & "The Beast's Response"
"Whitney"
"On Hope"
"We Mean the Same Thing"
"On Anger"
"Shane"
"Excerpt from this Morning's Phone Call"

Benaim's style meshes really well with mine, and I appreciate the themes tackled in her poetry. I'll absolutely be recommending this to other poetry lovers.

"I feel like I am living myself back alive."

Thanks for making me cry on a Saturday afternoon at work, Sabrina. No really, thank you.

I loved the format of this collection and being on a journey with Sabrina over the course of 31 days. These poems are just as relatable and full of heart as every piece I have read and heard from Sabrina before them. The struggle with mental health and grappling with loneliness and the end of a relationship are so universally felt—there is something for everyone to hold onto on these pages.

For me, it was the pieces about her mother's diagnosis that struck me. As someone who has faced the possibility of losing my mother, I know that specific fear and anxiety so well. I felt Sabrina's words deeply and found myself back in those moments when I felt like I was drowning in anticipatory grief. I still have my mom. I made sure to tell her I love her today.

Thank you to Plume, Sabrina, and NetGalley for the ARC.