I wanted to start reading nonfiction, and this was my introduction. It included essays, texts, emails, etc.
I really enjoyed it. I love getting to know people and learning about their relationships.
Polyamory has always been something I’m curious about. I’m glad I got to know a bit more about it from Alex’s point of view. I liked getting to know their life’s journey thus far.
It is very complex and not for everyone, but it works.
I’m looking forward to more of Alex Alberto’s works.

PS. Alex and Don are everything. Thank you.

For those who're curious as well as for those who have experience, this essay collection is for you!

Told in multiple formats and an interesting mix of genres, these essays really convey the process of learning about yourself and living a not so conventional life.

At times funny and at others aching with feeling, this collection is something I'm going to revisit again and again.

It's made me question what I believe about intimacy and monogamy when it relates to myself, which is a win for this work.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an Arc of this book. All opinions are my own

Polyamory is not something I have learned about before picking up this book. It absolutely gave me a lot to think about and I believe it is a must read.I think this was an incredible exploration and depiction of love in all its forms. The structure of each of the essays were used to explore narrativity and the impacts the way a story is told can have on readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quilted Press for the ARC! This book is so lovingly written, I didn't want it to end. It honestly took me longer to finish than I imagined — every essay felt compelling and necessary, every word needed to be savored and turned over in my mouth.

Alex Alberto writes with such adoration and spirit that it's nearly impossible to set this book down. Alberto entertains a variety of structures and narratives throughout each essay (even crafting a family conflict over the holidays into a briefly striking play). I was surprised that this was their first book — Alberto absolutely thrives in playful formats, which is a genuine testament to how their creativity accentuates the raw feelings of grief, pleasure, and wonder that overflows from this collection.

Over anything, what I admire most about this book is the openness and hope that it leaves in its wake. If there is one thing to remember from this book it's that love is not a finite resource; for centuries we've been raised and indoctrinated with solely monogamous ideals to the extent that we can only conceptualize heteronormative relationships and relegate anything outside of that form as deleterious. But love is formless and abundant, we have so much of it and are constantly wondering where to put it. Alberto illustrates not only that these relationships can exist but how to explore and build and cherish them. In equal weight, I learned from this book as much as I enjoyed consuming it. Just reading through Alberto's experiences with their partners allowed me a better understanding of my own feelings of jealousy / scarcity, the ways it can be communicated, and how to address my partner's and my own needs.

To be able to read other people's experiences with polyamory + relationships in general is such a privilege that I feel incredibly grateful to have in this lifetime. Alberto is a lovely writer and I look forward to reading more from them!!

This was a lovely nonfiction series of essays about experiences with polyamory. I felt very seen while reading this, and I learned some new things along the way! Each essay/chapter takes a different format, which worked well for some, but not as well for others. But overall I loved this and I think it should be shelved as an excellent poly resource right up there with the classics (Polysecure, The Ethical Slut, More Than Two, etc.).

4.5 rounded up!

🌈Queer rep: nonbinary author, NB/M + poly relationships with M/F/NB people.

This was a nice collection of essays.

My favorite section was “blockbuster tropes reimagined with polyamorous characters.”

I absolutely loved this book and needed it a lot.

Fictional books that have polyamorous romance I have read quite a bit by now. But as expected all of those tend to end in a happily ever after, and the coming together is usually fairly smooth. I picked up this ARC as I wanted to read a story grounded in reality, showing all sides of polyamory and not only the ideal endings. This book delivered exactly that and it was amazing.

This book is full of essays that tell the romantic life story of the author. Some read as love letters, others are a bit more factual. There were multiple styles of essays, there was one written as a play, and the first is a bulletpoint timeline of their life. I really enjoyed it that the styles changed throughout the book and definitely made it fun to see so many different ways of telling a story.

Together these essays made a picture of a life that is being enjoyed en fully explored. It was great to see the authors perspective in life and everything that they went through. The story of their life was shared with the right amount of detail but was never too dense with information. But above all the emotions of the author and the people around them was thoroughly felt by me and I experienced every emotion they felt as well.

In my own life I am realizing more and more I might be polyamorous too, and I have been escaping in polyamorous romances as a consequence. But to read about a lived life felt immensely more valuable in exploring myself than that any other fictional book ever did for me. It showed me the factual possibilities of dating multiple people, and gave a clear example of one such life. Of course there are a million ways to live a polyamorous life, but to read about one of those was already enlightening.

Concluding I would recommend this book for anyone interested in having a peek into the authors love life, especially if they like many styles of writing an essay and feeling emotions deeply.

This essay collection is candid, brave, hopeful, and full of heart. We need more conversational and complex queer reads on the shelves of every bookstore! So glad to have Alberto as an emerging voice and I look forward to their future works!

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley and Quilted Press for providing me with a digital ARC. You were the first ones to grant me a look at your work, and a massive thank you for that.

This was a very exhausting read for me.
Before proceeding - this was one of many copies I signed up for, and it wasn’t at the top of my potential reading list. But this was the first (and so far only) request that was approved, so I wanted to jump in with some sense of diligence about it.
Previously, I had no concept of polyamory in my head. I don’t think that’s something I could ever find myself into, and I never really had conceived it as a way of life others could potentially lead. Now I know more.
In general, I find that there exists some sort of boundary to tolerance and acceptance. We look at Lolita far differently than we do at any LGBTQ+ novel, and that’s intuitively correct.
What I’m trying to say is - since I hadn’t had this concept outlined before, I have had quite the struggle figuring out whether this is something and how should I look at it. I am certain I’d have no issue understanding should a friend tell me they’re polyamorous.
Additionally to me having a lot to consider, the author does go through copious amounts of mental gymnastics at times in order to be happy and be in love. And I suppose that also depends on whether you view love as simple or as extremely complicated.

Overall, I found the writing to not be as potent at times. There are moments I really enjoyed, but also a few essays I found to be very expendable. I also found the conjunction of the essays took away from me achieving clear coherence (as they feature temporal distortions) of the story and what the author wanted to say.

But I’m glad I read this. I figure I am better off for it, and while there are a lot of questions unanswered, I would now be much more capable of approaching acceptance should I ever come across a situation where my acceptance is needed or wanted.

*Thanks for the ARC*

This book is so well written and compelling. Each section shed light on a different 'what if' question I have regarding polyamory. And while it is a singular experience, as someone who doesn't know much if anything about non-monogamy, this was such a wonderful way to learn, experience, and contemplate my own feelings about the concept of relationships and love. Truly consumable and honest.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quilted Press. This book was so poignant and thoughtful, challenging readers to deconstruct the fundamental basis of relationships through the author's own experiences. I found myself rejoicing with their wins and breakthroughs and struggling through their grief and heartbreak. The essays were powerful and dovetailed together beautifully, with the author's own voice maturing over the course of the prose. Highly recommend this read for anyone questioning or curious as a beautiful approach to polyamory and chosen family.

More and more, polyamory is becoming a topic of discussion, as an alternative to monogamy. Non-monogamy is characterized by flexibility, change, and openness. There are various forms of relationships as diverse as the individuals who seek connection with others. In their book, the author Alex Alberto invites the reader to become a companion on their journey of relationships and identity, allowing us to question whether non-monogamy is a way of self-exploration.

I have paired the reading of this book with another essay by a Spanish author (not translated into English) titled "Superemocional," where the author writes: "To love is not to surrender but to yield," emphasizing the act of yielding to others, to lovers, to friends, and so on. The essay proposes that loving involves embracing dependency. Both the concept of surrendering and depending on others are present in Alberto's narrative. Characters like Alex, Don, Cara, Aly, Sophia, and Lukas let themselves go, surrendering to their partners and embracing change. However, they also acknowledge the vulnerability that comes with emotional dependency, setting boundaries around jealousy, discomfort, demands, and emotions.

The first essay offers a chronological map to guide the reader through the evolution of the author's partners, their changing relational identities and statuses. The book then allows for flexibility in the temporal organization of the essays. This constant back-and-forth, with its unanswered questions, is what characterizes the book and undoubtedly serves as its greatest strength. In the end, the reader feels as though they have truly accompanied Alex and their partners on this bewildering journey of self-discovery.

I haven't read much theory about non-monogamy, but what I have read is often more focused on the abolition of the traditional family structure, as seen in Sophie Lewis's "Abolish the Family: A Manifesto for Care and Liberation." This is a more political proposition that challenges the organization of the family. While Alex Alberto's book explores the idea of an open, flexible, and changing family, it may fall short in terms of political commitment. Essays like this are based on individual and subjective experiences, but I believe it is important to emphasize the political implications of our personal choices. By emphasizing that monogamy is just as valid a choice as non-monogamy, I believe the political value of choosing non-monogamy is diminished. In this aspect, although I understand its personal nature, the book lacks a theoretical and political foundation to define its approach to relationships.

However, "Entwined" is a fantastic read because it is not simply a collection of stories, but rather, it offers a lesson at the end of each essay. The book is filled with uncertainties, open-ended narratives, and the overarching question of how Alex's family will continue to change, evolve, and expand, as well as their identity as a non-binary or bisexual-pansexual individual. Reading "Entwined" is like walking alongside Alex, learning, questioning, and making mistakes together.

Thanks to Quilted Press and Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

gorgeous set of memoirs about polyamory. i really liked the way this was written. tyssm for the arc.

As someone who has been indoctrinated since birth into monogamy, I could never really understand being with more than one partner at a time. As someone with abandonment issues, crippling anxiety and relationship trauma from the past, most of the tenets of polyamory seemed always painful. Not to forget how polyamory is used as a convenient excuse to avoid commitment by most folks around or get themselves threesomes.

Alex Alberto's (@thatalexalberto ) book, therefore, is my first ever book for understanding and familiarizing myself with polyamory. And it was absolutely unputdownable.

I'm in awe of Alex's clarity of thought, the ability to articulate those with such lucidity, their charming wit, and disarmingly unflinching candour, even as they navigate through their vulnerabilities and muddled emotions.

The book is a compilation of Alex's essays about their own journey in polyamory, the challenges they faced, the love and positives they experienced, the community they built. The book doesn't follow a timeline, but it follows themes like coming out, polyamory in public places and govt organizations, breakups, attractions, tricky situations etc. Alex also talks honestly about the power of English language in their journey, and about how heritage, culture and the requirement for mother tongues to be inclusive, play such a definitive role in identities.

When Alex narrates the episodes with their partner's parents, one feels the intensity and tension rise upto one's throat. I had to keep the book aside for a while before picking it back up. They make an interesting choice of not capitalizing the Ms and Ps of the words maman and papa for their own parents. I have always seen them written in capital. And that's why it feels intentional. They talk in detail about how difficult it's been for them to make friendships because of their queerness.

They also reimagine popular monogamous movies as polyamorous. It is a side observation that it looks like we root more for only those that have sufficient pain and suffering, and somehow fail to imagine or probably even want to see a world where all parties are truly happy and content.

I've learnt so many new words, I am super grateful for that. Metamour, compersion, polycule, Zuntie. Eye-opening.

I also learnt that there are certain things that enable a successful polyamorous lifestyle. It is way more difficult than monogamous relationships. Monogamous relationships are ok if they're working for you, but most times folks become lazy and bored in monogamy at some point (honestly I've seen way too many extremely problematic monogamous relationships). They start looking for the zing outside, which is a sure shot formula for the relationship to crumble. Alex, therefore, presents a beautiful thought. They implore us to ask ourselves if it's fair to put all the pressures of a good relationship on one single person or to take all that pressure on us. Would this not cause resentment eventually?

Having said, Alex also draws from their own experiences some clear facts that have worked for them.
Knowing yourself well (and sometimes one doesn't know what one wants until one has had to face something one doesn't want), having enough earning to navigate two homes or different cities / states in order to be able to be present for partners, having enough words to have enough conversations about your desires and needs and wishes (this requires immense reading and researching), finding folks with whom you can freely navigate through even the bitter emotions.

It is a bit scary and plenty complicated and not many are brave enough to embark on such a journey. If done properly though, it looks like a great response to capitalism's obsession with individualism.

I am going to explore books on polyamory to learn more - some of them Alex speaks about and some more. I am incredibly thankful to Alex for writing this and would definitely look forward to reading more of them.

This book is a delight.

Polyamory is not a facet of my life, but the desire to find or create deep, meaningful family and community is. Alex recounts their journey of self-discovery in a humble, yet unique voice. Their story is utterly relatable, and I would argue that anyone would be able to find themselves in these pages.

Not only is it a glimpse into a way of living that I have never experienced, it helped me see some of the ways that traditional ideas of love have shaped my own identity and heartbreaks over the years. The discussion of how each different type of love is important, distinct, and powerful is beautifully crafted and essential for us to have.

—Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the chance to review an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this collection. It was my first time reading an essay collection in this topic instead of a fiction based novel. I loved the beautiful writing style. And it was quite informative.

Societal expectations can be a bind. It's possible to say they promote social cohesion, or they confirm the particular requirements of one religion or another, or they inform legal judgements and law making. However, for a noticeable number of people, these constraints dissuade or actively prevent individuals from being themselves and living the life they feel is authentically them.

Being queer is one example (even more so if you're not cis-conforming). Living a life that includes polyamory is another.

In this thought-provoking series of interlinked essays, Alex Alberto examines their life through the lens of what being polyamorous means to them and their partners. Their honesty and openness lays out the joys and difficulties of finding your way, (a way at variance with those societal norms), through love and relationships.

These essays wend their way through a decade of the author's life - each different in form, each looking at another aspect of the polyamorous life. They don't progress through the years in a linear fashion, instead doubling back, then darting forward in a way that's conversational and engaging.

Fascinating and much food for thought.

Beautifully written eye opening look at Polyamory a life style I did not know much but found a fascinating topic in this book.The authors essays are so well written engaging ita times emotional at times fascinating an excellent read.#netgalley #entwined.

This book is beautiful. The author really gives all of themselves, and the result is an honest, gorgeous look at their life.

Alex Alberto’s memoir is a love letter to everyone who has ever felt different. They so sweetly put into words the unspoken questions that tug at my own heart and offer a version of what loving courageously looks like. I am full of gratitude for the opportunity to read a book about polyamory that doesn’t feel like a self-help/how-to. I am also grateful for the portrayal of “Maman” and her own courageous love. As much as we need more positive non-monogamous literature, queer people are craving representations of affirming families.

Thank you Alex Alberto for this gift and thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.