I was so excited to receive this book, the authors other books where amazing but this one fell kind of short. Still an enjoyable read but not as good as his previous work.

I actually don't despise poetry, but it definitely isn't my favorite. Especially contemporary poetry. Still, I had higher hopes for this collection since R.H. Sin is a well known poet and I had previously heard of his work. There were some great poems that I really enjoyed at the beginning, but near the middle of the collection it began to get repetitive. For the most part all the poems seemed to be about the same main topic. They were over simplified and I didn't connect well with a majority of the poems even though I agree with him on almost everything. I ended up not even finishing it. The writing style and repetition just weren't for me. AT ALL.

*I received a free ARC of this poetry collection through NetGalley*

Somehow... I can't seem to warm up to contemporary poetry. Sin's collection is an extensive one and I loved the title as well as the minimalistic cover (just look at it!), but to me most of the poems sound like recycled run-of-the-mill text posts shared by teens on facebook. The major theme is breakup, but the patterns did get repetitive after some time, and I ultimately can't remember a single piece that stayed with me for longer than a minute. I'm sorry, but perhaps this one simply isn't for me.

Well narrated and engaging but my least favorite of Sin's collections so far.

Kinda had some problems with this collection. Some of the poems were fine, some were pretty dang good, and both of those camps were primarily poetry dealing with personal topics. The problematic poetry dealt with the topic of women being mistreated/being in abusive relationships and the like. I think that exploring that topic would be fine for a male author to do, possibly in one or two poems, but considering that a good third of the book is dealing with that topic made me feel like Sin was telling women how to live their lives in a way that I wasn't really comfortable with. It was like he was trying to tell women to be empowered and not be in bad relationships, and while I agree with the idea that women shouldn't bow down to negative situations like that, the idea of a man getting up on a literary pedestal and saying it over and over (in a way that was pretty tiresomely repetitive) really didn't work for me. Especially since he does quite a bit of self-congratulating as well, suggesting how great a guy HE is. I just think maybe he's the wrong voice to be expressing this idea.

Overall, many readers will probably find this collection quite enjoyable. But while several poems here stood out for their beautiful prose, I did find that others fell a little flat. Despite this inconsistency in quality though, for the most, these poems remain very relatable, especially for readers who have also loved and lost significant others. I would have liked a little more complexity and depth in the poems though. That being said, I would still recommend this collection for fans of this genre.

From the author of Whiskey, Words, and a Shovel, comes a new collection of poetry dealing with love, loss, heartbreak, and motivation/inspiration. The poems are short with some increasing in length. The wording is not too flowery or frivolous. They can be short and packed with a lot of thought and meaning. As the first work I have read from r.h. sin, I have to say I was not disappointed.
I did feel that some poems were a bit repetitive as if he just rearranged the words to sound different, but that was not always the case. Some poems were repeats, but felt different in a way.
I try not to read other reviews while conducting my own but I felt like this certain aspect needed some attention. One review mentioned romanticizing suicide.
"I loved you
But heaven loved you more
I needed you
But heaven needed you more
I lost you but gained an angel"
-r.h. sin
I can see why that person felt as if it was about suicide, but to me that wasn't the first thing that popped into my head. I connected it to deaths from forms other than suicide. I thought about my grandmother who died from natural causes. I thought of my cousin who died too soon from surgery complications that left him brain dead. It's all about perspective.
Personally, I did enjoy it and I would consider reading more works by r.h. sin in the future.

R.H. Sin has gained many fans over the last couple of years. His Whiskey, Words, and a Shovel sold out and copies were fetching quite a price. Sin made his name with short poems and used language to make words carry their maximum weight. Since the release of Whiskey, Words, and a Shovel two things have happened. First, there are collections of "poetry" flooding the market that are essentially cliches and platitudes, but nonetheless, have been readers professing love for poetry. This dilutes the work of Sin who actually uses language as a tool. Secondly, on this same note, Sin essentially writes on the same subject in all his books. That being said it does take several books before the writing seems to repeat. This is not bad in itself. It happens and sometimes it is very good. For example, AC/DC put out seventeen albums using the same three cords and was/is one of the most popular bands in rock and roll. Familiar subject matter is not always a problem; it just needs to seem fresh.

I do like that Sin keeps increasing the length of his poems. Also, he can bring new ideas into the mix. This collection works well for the fans of Sin's work and also for a newcomer. For the casual reader who has read one or two of his books with only moderate interest, there is really nothing new for you here. I do hope Sin expands his themes and continues to work longer poems. Like his work or not he certainly did create a market for himself.

Available February 6, 2018

I feel like too much of R.H. Sin's work is repetitive. I feel like he could branch out more from just talking about being hurt in past relationships, especially since he's happily married now. I used to be a bigger fan of his, but frankly, his books are just so tiresome now. It's probably because I'm in a much better place now.