I won’t pretend to know much about poetry but Bubblegum Heart pulled me in from the very first page and did not let me go.
Quazaye Konkel has captured something I find so hard to articulate; the journey of loving, of losing, and of slowly piecing oneself back together without losing who we are in the process.

The collection feels like a memory box cracked open, each poem a letter folded and tucked away, carrying with it the sweetness, the ache, and the healing. I read it in one sitting, completely hooked, and I found myself drifting into my own memories of past loves, tender beginnings, shattering endings, and the quiet process of rebuilding.
What struck me most is how eloquently Konkel maps out the emotional landscape of a relationship: the dizzying joy, the heartbreak, and the resilience that follows. The poems feel at once intimate and universal, as though they were written from my own hidden corners yet gifted to the world in words I could never quite find. I am in awe, and slightly jealous that Konkel found the words to describe what so many of us feel, yet struggle to describe.

Bubblegum Heart is truly beautifully crafted; lyrical, raw, and deeply human. It is a rollercoaster of love, heartbreak, and healing, and I am in awe of the journey Konkel has led us through.