This focuses a lot on themes of grief, depression, adulthood and nostalgia, but also through it all on healing and hope. I kid you not, there wasn’t a single poem out of 184 poems that I didn’t like or that didn’t resonate.

not my fav book expected more if a novel layout and was surprised by the tone of the book not the worst read hut definitely not my usual type of book

This book was just alright. It was kind of an against-my-will DNF because I had run out of time and only got about halfway through by that point, but I did end up requesting it from my library (and by the time it came in, I literally had zero interest in picking it back up.) The poems I did read were pretty decent and it was a quick read. There were a couple stand-out poems but for the most part I thought they were just fine. The premise of the formatting of this collection was interesting, and I think that others could really enjoy this collection, It just wasn't really for me.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an E-ARC for review.

This was a fantastic poetry collection. All of the poems were good but my favorite was Track Seventeen. In it, the author talks about how they have an internal monologue constantly talking in their mind and that their partner just has silence. I really relate to this poem because I also have a constant running monologue going on in my head. Overall, I liked this collection quite a bit. I think that I'll go back and read some more of this author's works.

I adore how music was used as a tethered connection to these poems and each had their own song. Music is so powerful and personal. The blackout poetry was incredible and something I've never seen before. 5 star idea 🎶

Rating and reviewing a collection of poems is always a tough call because it's very obviously deeply personal and intimate to the author. As a reader the themes were very easy to spot and grasp but a good majority of the poems felt surface level and shallow. They had a very distinct elementary feel to them, it didn't read like a revolutionary piece of literature.
I wasn't expecting something grand or anything like that but given that this is the conclusion of a trio I would expect a little bit more oomph. This was good but just not great for me.

I wonderful and intriguing collection of poetry. At times it felt a bit long, but that's just me. I think I tend to like shorter poetry collections.

Unfortunately, this wasn't for me. There were more misses than hits and I felt zero connection majority of the poems. The first half was heavy and depressing, though I liked how the author discussed death and loss. The second half was a much faster read but still as unenjoyable. I had to force myself to finish the book and was relived when it ended.

I find reviewing collections of poetry to be difficult because it's so personal. I was drawn to this collection when I found out that Alicia Cook was pairing her poems with songs. However, this collection took me a while to read and get into. There were a few poems that stuck with me and I loved the song choices. There were even a few songs that were new-to-me. I liked that the collection was broken into two parts (or sides...love the play on the sides of a cassette). I was definitely hit with a dose of nostalgia of tapes and mix CDs. The second part of the collection were black out poems made from the poems in the first part.

I really like it.
It was raw, it was sad and it was like reading my own thoughts back to me.
Like the other books by her, I really liked both sides and the format with side A and B.

This collection of poetry really tackled grief and moving on with life in a way I could relate to. I found myself reflecting on my own life, grief process, and whether I am fully living and connecting with the people in my lives.

It was definitely more descriptive, poetic, and complex than Instagram poetry, but doesn't get confusing like poetry of old. I think this is a beautiful gateway into poetry for people, because it is deeply feeling and relatable, but not overly simplified. It allows someone to think and consciously read and connect with the material.

summary: so this a poetry collection featuring topics like motherhood, trauma, greif, womanhood, and loss.

footnotes: there are two sections of this book. the first is regular poetry, adn the second is blackout poetry, the poems are repeated from the first section, but most of it is "blacked out" or highlighted in black so you can't read it. the remaining words make a sentence or phrase, often more cutting than the original poem and offering a second layer of thinking.

thoughts: i think this is by far one of the top 3 poetry collections i have ever read. the poems were short enough that i didn't get bored, but long enough that i got the detail i wanted. the blackout poetry especially helped me gain a new understanding of what the author was thinking and feeling. i felt like i was with my best friend, going through a box of polaroids from back when we were teenagers, the whole time i was reading, the text was never once judgy or harsh, even when the author was talking about mistakes she made, it was in a tone that was reflective, not harsh which i loved so much, it felt like i got a peek inside her brain. truly, one of the best collections out there, i highly highly recommend everyone reads it.

I really enjoyed the poetry. I love that each poem had a song that went with it. The idea of this book altogether makes it a five star review. Plus the poetry was beautiful and I related to many poems.

Thank you NetGalley and Andrews McNeel for giving me the opportunity to give my honest review on this arc.

I loved this! It was such a cute and unique book of poetry. This is the 3rd and last installment in this poetry collection. I enjoyed this so much.
I just reviewed The Music Was Just Getting Good by Alicia Cook. #TheMusicWasJustGettingGood #NetGalley
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Extraordinary. One of the best collections I've read about grief, love, heartbreak, and growing up. The format is great, too, with the poems ending with a song. I've made the playlists and they are brilliant. I saved many of the poems to read when I need to be reminded that the pain doesn't last (at least at the same magnitude). Favourite were Tracks 4 and 86, I'm thrilled to have found this poet via NetGalley, and to be reminded that. we're all a 'long mess of rambling knots'.

As someone whose interest in poetry is generally nonexistent, I was surprised by how well this held my attention.

I love the idea of pairing poems with a related playlist, and though the connection from poem to song is more evident for some tracks than others, the concept is a good one and well-executed.

I thought the accompanying playlist itself was a good one, plenty of variety in terms of genre and era. And while I and I think most people I know use Spotify for streaming, I wish the playlist was on other streaming platforms as well, so that anyone might enjoy the book and its accompaniment regardless of which streaming service they use.

184 “tracks” felt like a bit much, if for no other reason than that it’s so far beyond what would fit on a mix tape. Would that we as teens growing up in the mixtape age (or in my case, mix cd) would have been able to include this many tracks. I also think it waters down the quality to include such a huge volume, though I’m by no means an expert on poetry so I’ll refrain from criticism in that regard.

Overall, great concept structurally, and I love that the playlist pairings make it feel a bit interactive for the reader.

A nice collection of poems. This is the third book (part of a series)

Ideal for any music and poetry reader :)

The third and last of a mixtape poetry series, The Music Was Just Getting Good is 184 poems paired with songs. There are 92 poems and 92 blackout poems, divided between Side A and Side B.
The poems deal with heavy material such as domestic abuse, death, grief, mental health struggles, and others.
I loved that the poems were paired with songs and that there were different songs for Side A and Side B.

I absolutely loved this poetry collection. This is the first time I’ve read Alicia Cook’s work, and she has quickly become my favorite modern day poet. Her writing is so honest and raw; I felt immediately connected to her and felt myself heal through her words. The music paired with each song felt like a playlist I would have made myself, and I discovered some incredible new music because of these poems. I cannot recommend it enough and I am very excited to read the first two installments of her mixtape series that this collection concluded.

The music was just getting good in a celebration of poetry and music simultaneously. By creating a playlist and poems to go along, Cook emphasizes what each song means to her and gives the reader an overwhelming amount of emotion with every track.