Member Reviews
(3.5) Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy. The poetry is beautiful. I think the subject matter (specifically the sections about romance and heartbreak) and more colloquial style of poetry are not to my taste usually, but I did enjoy reading it, and if this is something you enjoy then you will probably love this collection. 'In Nostalgia' and 'In Hope' were my favourite sections/rooms.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing for the ARC of this book of poems.
Ok I admit, poetry is not my genre. I just don't understand poetry, but I gave it a try....I have to admit, I liked it. Some were painful and heartbreaking. I really can't say much more but for a person who doesn't like poetry all that much, I liked it. Even if some were painful for me.
This collection has been thoughtfully put together in a structure that appealed to me. Many of the poems are heartfelt.
Thank you to the publisher and poet for an advanced copy.
Trigger warning: Some poems in this collection reference alcohol use, sexual abuse, suicidal ideation and possibly other difficult topics.
Makenzie Campbell’s raw and poignant third collection, ‘Rooms of the Mind’, includes universal themes, rooms furnished with loneliness, fear, abuse, heartbreak, nostalgia, love, and hope.
She dives deep into her psyche in order to confront her experiences, to share her vulnerabilities with the world, the ones we all face.
In the last ‘room’ of her mind, ‘hope’, Campbell exhibits the understanding of her self-worth as she steps into her power. She writes to encourage others, to let them know that they are not alone. I have no doubt that she will continue to be an inspiration to her growing audience.
*
What if you grow tired?
What if one day
you sit down at breakfast
and I see dark circles pooling beneath your eyes
and I ask about them?
You might say you didn’t sleep well,
although I didn’t feel you tossing and turning.
Maybe that one sleepless night turns into many
and each morning, the circles darken
until finally
Tired is done sneaking up on you
and hits you at full force.
And maybe then,
maybe then I won’t ever feel you toss and turn again,
I won’t ever be with you again.
Every night, I pray you won’t grow tired of me.
*
A huge thank you to @NetGalley and @centavepub for an ARC of ‘Rooms of the Mind: Poems’ by Makenzie Campbell.
‘Rooms of the Mind: Poems’ can be pre-ordered right now through Amazon.
This was a cleverly put together poetry collection that I read in one sitting. The poems are beautiful, thought provoking, and some I related to so much it was like a punch to the gut. Thank you so much to the publisher, author and Netgalley for a chance to read and review this fantastic book.
This book was a beautiful exploration into the many houses in which we store our emotions- loneliness, fear, love, hope... we all experience these in some form, and this collection of poems is an honest and raw look into another's experience.
There were some moments, some passages, that caused me to truly pause and sit with the thoughts it stirred. I felt seen.
This is one I would recommend for people who enjoy Rupi Kaur or Nikita Gill.
Thank you so much to Makenzie Campbell and Central Avenue Publishing for allowing me to read this incredible book. You can find my review on Goodreads, along with Instagram (@samwisereads).
I really enjoyed Makenzie Campbell’s third poetry book “Rooms of the Mind”. It’s really relatable as she’s a young author and experiencing similar things in life to me. This is very similar to all those other insta poet books but a few poems really stood out so it’s made my recommendation list for sure!
Another poetry book by Makenzie Campbell means another heartfelt book. If you have been following Makenzie's books, you'll notice that this book have a different premise. Rooms of the Minds is a realistic, timely, matured, and an eye-opener to everyone who silently battling their inner demons.
It explores the timeless tales of love and loss. Campbell's words are still vibrant. Her artistic way of writing will never fade. I love how my emotions reacts to every words she say, it feels like she's been living in my head rent free.
Rooms of the Minds is my new favorite poetry book. Makenzie Campbell grew from being a teen with a love lost tongue to an adult with an experienced exquisite mind.
And I am proud I have witness Makenzie's growth.
First off, LOVE a content warning. So thoughtful of authors.
Second, this was a fabulous book of poems.
Incredibly emotional, vivid and deep.
This will do well!
The best poetry book I've read so far this year. This book was a roller-coaster of emotions, I honestly have no words. It was so profound and sad, but also very sweet and hopeful. Being able to read this poetry collection right now simply warmed my heart. Each section ("room") talks about a different feeling, and I just have to say that all poems are beautiful - I can't even pick a favourite section.
I would like to say thank you to the publishers of this book who allowed me digital access via NetGalley. I cried while reading this book, relating to the author’s pain. I connected more with the first half of the book, but the wide variety and range presented in this book allows for everyone to connect. The set up of this book makes it a collection easy to navigate. Depending on someone’s mood or life circumstances, they can quickly locate poetry to help them feel seen. I hope to read more of the author’s work in the future.
This is a pretty good collection of poetry! I thought it was well laid out and the divisions of poems based on rooms was really interesting but also made a lot of sense to the flow of the collection. The only reason I'm giving it 3/5 stars is that I really couldn't connect to a lot of the poems; some of them were really beautiful and hard hitting but so many of them were just not my thing or really didn't speak to me. Obviously that is just personal preference so even though this wasn't my cup of tea doesn't mean it won't be other peoples! However, the poems I did enjoy I loved! They were beautiful and heartbreaking and you could feel the pain or love or nostalgia in the poems which made them even more magical. While this may not have been for me I think a lot of others out there will appreciate this!
Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy.
Rooms of the Mind is a lovely collection and I connected with many of the pieces in a way that I did not when I read Campbell's Nineteen. This collection shows significant growth and I very much enjoyed it.
Was an interesting take on poetry. I think we’ve all felt everything she felt in all of those rooms and you can tell it was therapeutic for her.
Este poemario lo estoy leyendo en un momento crucial en mí vida. Lloré y me tocó el corazón como no pesaba que lo haría, me conmovió un montón y creo que tiene frases muy memorables. Me parece una lectura ideal para quienes se rompieron con los trozos rotos de otras personas.
Uno de mis favoritos del año.
Rooms of the Mind by Makenzie Campbell
Full feature for this title will be posted at: @cattleboobooks on Instagram!
Rooms of the Mind is a delightful book. The words danced with light feet across the paper and the pouring out of one's own heart is evident to the reader. I imagine myself in a cozy space where there's grass under my legs and yet a bed to rest while I read. I enjoyed how the book is split into different parts, ranging from heartbreak to hope. The colloquial tone of the poems makes them feel more relatable. The prose and poetry style mixed together is wonderfully structured, and Makenzie Campbell does a great job at bringing up memories and images such as Hot Wheels and paper fortune tellers. Though not everybody may relate to each poem, overall this is a beautifully put together book and there is something for everyone within the pages. Kudos to the writer and the production/publishing team that went behind making this book. I look forward to seeing more work coming from this writer in the near future.
I would like to thank the publisher of Rooms of the Mind by Makenzie Campbell for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy through NetGalley.
I read this poetry collection in one sitting. Beautiful poems about heartbreak ("I'm always running back to you, pouring myself into you/ thinking if I can just give you a little more this time, you/ will finally be able to love me the way I wanted), falling in and out of love (" Before I met you/I had a lion within me/I used to demand things I deserved/And then I met you/ and a soft spot opened inside me/my claws retracted/my teeth turned dull), resilience (" I am more than the wars I've lost with myself/I know because despite losing/ I am still here.), mental health (Know healing isn't linear and there is not one way to do it/Learn how to stop associating the world "love" with their hands.) and hope (" I promise one day I will be the ocean/I will be the ocean).
I followed the poet's journey from the beginning until the end and I could relate with many of her poems.
I love a good poetry collection, but find they are very hit and miss. Personal taste plays an important factor in whether or not you resinate and feel connected with the collections or not.
I really really enjoyed this. The prose really connected with me. It felt so incredibly honest and mimicked my own views and experiences throughout.
I really loved this!
This Poetry Collection is the first I’ve read from this author and from the beginning it completely captivated and entranced me in the beautiful writing. I couldn’t put it down even for a moment. I loved the way everything was talked about and approached, and reading it just made me feel a little bit of everything. Every room was unique and my attention never drifted I hung onto every word never wanting it to end. Highly recommend to anyone thinking of reading this you won’t be sorry
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