This collection was interesting in theory, but the execution left me underwhelmed. The poems felt very simplistic in form and surface level in terms of content. I can understand that love and heartbreak are themes people can relate to and so this collection is perhaps meant to be accessible to a variety of poetry readers, but the collection felt incredibly superficial to me.

Little love letters that I didn't know I needed ❤️ This book was very in depth, allowing the reader to feel the feelings of the author.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

I really enjoy poetry about love and this book covered it from all aspects! The author did a great job at keeping some poems light and humorous, others were deep and thought provoking, some made me want to cry and rip my heart out. If you have been in and through love this book covers it. Sweet and sexy, sad and angry.

The moment I saw the stunning cover art, I knew I wanted to read this collection. The imagery is both simple but heart wrenching which represents the emotional journey of life: bold, intimate, and profoundly human.

True to its title, the collection is structured as a chronological passage through separate sections: lovers, exes, and soulmates. I did appreciate the author’s willingness to bear their truth throughout each section. You sense the real-life experiences behind the words: broken hearts, complicated relationships, grief, and occasional joy. I do think everyone will be able to relate to something in this book whether you’ve endured a painful breakup or are in the midst of falling in love, you’ll find something that speaks directly to your heart.

However, the subject matter is well worn in contemporary poetry. While honest and heartfelt, the themes are familiar. In addition to the topics not being unique, I did not feel like the format was unique either leaving me wanting more from one or the other.

Overall, I did enjoy about four of the poems in entirety and highlighted a number of one off passages, but the remaining pieces, while good, didn’t leave as strong an impact. When comparing to the amount of content in this collection, I found myself wishing for a few more signature poems that would resonate louder. If you’re seeking relatable expressions of relationship-lifecycle emotions, this book is well worth exploring. Just don’t expect groundbreaking form or groundbreaking insight.

Elison Alcovendaz's "Lovers Exes Soulmates" was easy to read, and moved quickly. The language leans into the romantic, and rather than the contemplative depth I was looking for, I did feel the poetry lacked what I generally prefer, and I did not finish this collection.

Despite this, I think there are others who would enjoy this collection--I am just not the ideal audience. I tend to lean towards a different rhyme scheme and a less idealistic outlook in my poetry, but believe that others who prefer sweeter and softer language will enjoy this work.

A special "thank you" to Central Avenue Publishing for allowing me to read this as an Advanced Reader Copy!

Each poem in this was so heartfelt, emotions were felt throughout. Each page felt like a piece of life that had been lived and felt in some way shape or form! I found myself thinking of people in my past and experiences I’ve had while lost in the pages! If you’re looking for poetry that makes you feel something I highly recommend!

for the longest time i wanted to get more into poetry and netgalley provided me with one that sounded right up my alley. i'm not the best at reviewing them yet, but i can tell that this one was absolutely worth it.

if you're dealing with heartbreak, loss of your partner, low self-esteem or you just simply love someone completely - this poetry collection will be for you, i promise. the author put his thoughts and feelings into this book and i could tell that from the start!

this is the list of my personal favourite poems:

from lovers section: storytime, the purpose of a mouth, reading, three little words, dictionary, all you have to say, flavors of you

from exes section: 8:18, the medicine cabinet, ice cream, moving, reincarnation, auction

from self-love section: broken, be a child, the person of your dreams, lucky penny

from soulmates section: what the universe wants, the one, binge, why, forever, us, lightning and thunder

whether you love poetry or not, i still highly recommend picking this up if you wanna read about things i've mentioned above. you'll definitely find something relatable here. 🩷

I have very mixed feelings about this collection, but that’s the beauty of poetry. Well, art, in general. It’s subjective. Some poems hit deep in my soul, some were quirky and cute, some fell a bit flat, some felt too repetitive, some seemed too similar to other poetry I’ve read before. I feel like the shifting of the tone throughout threw off the vibe overall, and the publisher should have split this up into different collections for the author. One of quirky and cute love poems, and one of deep, emotional poems. Would have rated this three stars, but decided on four stars simply because I respect the author’s creativity. Thank you NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing for an ARC.

thank you to Netgally and Central Avenue for the digital ARC.

I loved the poems, especially the ones themed lovers and exes spoke to me. The plottwist on the last few broke my heart and came utterly suprising.
Elison writes about his love and lover in such a beautiful way, that I was actually suprised when the word "man" appeared, as I thought it written by another queer woman,

A Lyrical Journey Through Love and Loss!!!
Elison Alcovendaz's Lovers, Exes, Soulmates is a breathtaking collection that masterfully captures the complexities of love, heartbreak, and healing. The poems flow with a rhythm that's both soothing and evocative, drawing readers into a deeply personal exploration of relationships. Alcovendaz's prose is not only beautiful but also resonates with authenticity and emotional depth. Each piece feels like a heartfelt conversation, making this collection a poignant and unforgettable read.

Thank you Netgalley, Central Avenue Publishing, and Elison Alcovendaz for sending me this advanced review copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was a really fun book of poetry to read. The little bits of sarcasm and humor were fantastic! It kept my attention the whole time, and I couldn't wait to read the next poem to see what it was going to be about.

This isn't a super deep emotional book, it's more for fun and exploring love without being all tears and soul searching. I'd honestly love to see some of these poems inside greeting cards with snarky cartoons on the front.

I enjoyed the way the collection is organised. Alcovendaz is experimental and playful with his formats. Admittedly, a good chunk are a little too simple in verse and format that it reads as 'minimalist Instagram poetry.' A few offer a nuanced but subtle take on each concept. Nothing groundbreaking here.

Thanks to Netgalley and Central Avenue Publishing for providing me with the e-ARC/DRC in exchange for an honest review.

A lovely collection of relatable, emotive poetry.
It's not quite my preferred style of poetry, it's simple plain speaking type that I feel would be popular on Tumblr or in Instagram caption at times, but still enjoyable to flip through and read nonetheless. Very relatable topics of lovers, breakups, regrets and the various depths of love.

Thank you to Central Avenue Publishing for providing access to this ARC and it's wonderful words.

This was an interesting collection of poetry that I found myself having a harder time connecting with than I normally do. The poems were good - not great, and the flow of poems didn't always make sense to me, I realize they maybe reordered in the official publication. It felt more chaotic than anything, and maybe adjusting the order/flow would help this collection. I feel like it was so close for me but narrowly missed.

While there were a few pieces in here that I really liked, this style of poetry just isn’t for me. I found the prose stilted and the subjects derivative.

2.5/5 rounded down

Poetry is such a subjective medium and is a format I want to read more of. So when I saw this collection on NetGalley I was intrigued.

I enjoyed this book to an extent. I liked how it was split into 3 parts and that the poetry inside reflected each section.

Unfortunately, I feel like this collection lacks depth. It is very surface level and requires little if any interpretation. It also failed to really make me feel anything.

I don't think this is bad per se, just not for me and not what I want from poetry.

Thank you to NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing for providing an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

From the first page this book made me feel all the feels some relatable and beautiful emotive poetry a really great collection that's heart-breaking and so cleverly written the way they're set out into three separate stages of life and romantic relations makes it easy to dip in to and get hooked reading them definitely worth a read!

Thank you Netgalley for providing me an e-arc copy in exchange for an honest review. This poetry collection was really well put together. I liked how it was split into parts and how it explored the themes of love and grief intertwining together. This poetry is very much like "booktok" poetry like Rupi Kaur but from a different perspective of a male poet writing it. I did enjoy this and I would recommend. I would read more by this author.

A book of poems that lets us feel love, betrayal, loss with so many different emotions in between. It takes our passion for the written word and grabs a hold of our heart to make it beat at a crazy rate. It takes a love, strips it down in pieces it back together, piece by piece. What’s an amazing book of poetry the cover is eye catching.

Thank you to NetGalley and central avenue poetry for the arc copy of this book!

This is a very fast paced poetry collection with little interpretation needed to understand the writing. Usually I enjoy when an author just tells the story through their poetry without too much fluff. However, this collection was a bit too simple. It couldve benefited from more imagery and depth. Still, it was n enjoyable read