I would highly recommend this poetry collection for fans of the writing of amanda lovelace, rupi kaur and nikita gill. It was refreshing and personal covering topics such as mental health, relationships, family and much more.

I connected with this book so much and plan to return to it. Decent prose and meaningful subjects. I related to his issues and history a lot.

This was such an exceptional collection of poetry. It’s a collection on surviving, mental health, eating disorders, and so much more. There were so many pieces of this work that resonated and I empathized with and I’m so excited to read anything else this author might come up with.

So deeply thought provoking and personal!! This was such a unique read and I loved every page. I couldn’t put it down and rightfully so! I will forever recommend this

I absolutely adored this collection of poetry. It was so easy to connect with and empathize with. It was beautiful, and raw, and real and I felt so much while reading it. Like a foggy mirror that I could see myself in, while still trying to see the views of the author that don't quite meet my own experiences.

thanks to Button Poetry for giving me the ARC trough netgalley in change of a sincere evaluation*
I got here across this book by accident in Netgalley; the duvet stuck my attention and that i thought i was on the comedian/photo novels segment so I request it, whilst in truth i used to be inside the lgbt genre, so once I downloaded and opened the ebook i was surprised to find this turned into a literary ebook of poems no much less, oops.
fortunately I'm now not averse to poetry, goth youngster me favored it very a good deal, but these days i don't approach that facet of literature by myself, to be honest. however, after studying this collection of poems by way of Patrick Roche, who opens the most inclined elements of his existence in a all the way down to earth way so all and sundry can take a peek at the uncomfortable components of dealing with despair, eating issues, developing up with an alcoholic figure, and the innate fear and self-loath of being painfully queer at a completely young age and attempt in no vain to hide it, and the way in the long run, you may nevertheless have a nice appearance out of the future that awaits you, I recognize there's hidden gem stones, queer gem stones, inner poetry that are really worth looking for.
i've examine self-reflecting works about people with mental illness before, and whilst many share the equal struggles, the manner each single one perceives it's far distinctive which makes each study no longer repetitive. Roche's quirky, cutting-edge analogies makes this an unique read albeit sobering and too close to home at times.
excellent discovery, now i am curious approximately his past works.

This was the last book I read in 2021 and I loved it! I love poetry that I can relate to and while I definitely couldn’t relate to every poem in this, there were a lot that I did! This was haunting and beautiful and just everything you could want out of a poetry collection and I’m very grateful for the ARC.

A Socially Acceptable Breakdown is a beautiful collection of surviving. It captivates the reader with true emotion and speaks to real tragedies that many face. I really enjoyed this collection of poems and would recommend this to so many. There truly is something in this book for everyone.

TW: Suicide discussions and mentions, eating disorders.
Thank you Netgalley and Button poetry for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This past year I've acquired a fondness for poetry, 'A Socially Acceptable Breakdown' is one of the best works I've read since then.
Some of the experiences Patrick writes about in his poems are similar to my very own. I think that's one of the things that connect me even more to the book.
Reading Roche's words is like talking to an old friend, knowing all of their most secret thoughts and loves and fears. The author makes you comfortable in the very first pages, makes you committed to discovering more and more about what he wants to say. Then he talks about mental health and eating disorders in a way you feel a rollercoaster of feelings you can't even name. At the same time, you can't even imagine what and how much he felt when he wrote that.
There were some moments the reading became tiring, but I don't think that's the author's fault. I just wasn't really in the mood for reading at that moment.
My personal favorite is named Commit. It even made me tear up a bit, to be honest. So, to finish this review here's my favorite quote from the book:
"I commit to myself and I am committing to myself and I am committing to myself. I commit the holy crime of myself, and if I am guilty, I am guilty of only whatever things I can be
proud of. Like myself."

Harrowing, lyrical, brilliant, cleverly crafted poetry about depression, being queer, and finding and accepting oneself. I loved this book and am grateful to Netgalley and Button Poetry for letting me read it for free in exchange for my honest review -- and I'm extra grateful to Button Poetry for publishing it. Roche does some incredible extended metaphors while keeping every poem real and relatable. I gobbled this one up, despite it's sometimes difficult subject matter.

poetry either really sinks into my heart or it kind of skims off my brain and this collection balances between the two. i definitely felt so much of the emotion and heart behind the poems and it put me in a weird mood and the writing was so lovely

As an outspoken LGBTQ advocate of mental health, the work of the award-winning poet Patrick Roche is widely celebrated by thousands of followers. A Socially Awkward Breakdown (2021) is his debut collection Roche confronts the challenges of his own struggles with anxiety, eating and depressive disorders. As he traces his thought patterns and process—ordinary sounds or situations around him caused severe distress. In one poem, he observed: “Lazurus Taking My Antidepressants” also the reflective: “Self Portrait as a Piranha Plant”- “Self Portrait as an Oppossum”
The metaphorical poetic style continues—the renewal of the season, winter rains that flood the ground bring the cycle of healing and renewal in spring blossoms: “Poem in Which Flowers are Replaced by My Brain” is telling, along with the mental imagery, this provides readers a theme of hope.

The themes surrounding family life are covered in Part III: “Ode to My Infant Nephew’s Crying” - the joyous prayers from his mother that encouraged and validated self-love and acceptance. However, the impact of trauma from the ashes of grief were apparent by the loss of his father. Throughout this collection, Roche’s love for the written word and the startling power of magic and metaphor combined with his unmistakable skill as a storyteller are shared to heal and inspire others. **With appreciation to Button Poetry for offering this collection for review via NetGalley.

Some absolutely beautiful poems, and even though some may not hit home for me…I appreciated the poetry. A solid 3.5 bright stars.

An absolutely stunning collection of poetry that covers mental illness, queerness, platonic and romantic relationships, and generally navigating the world. Filled with beautiful and gut-wrenching imagery, Patrick Roche is a poet I'm going to keep looking out for.

I sometimes struggle with poetry because it’s not uncommon that I fail to understand it. However, that didn’t happen with this collection. The language and formatting used were plain enough that the message managed to shine through and I would expect reach more people.

Let’s start with the language, which was easy enough to understand without it being any less beautiful for it. The author perfectly balances the beauty of language with making himself clear enough for a wider audience to understand. I also rather enjoyed the formatting. Sure, I preferred some poems to others, but overall it was a positive experience. A Socially Acceptable Breakdown, because of the nature of poetry, was also pretty short and quick to read.

Nonetheless, I devoted some extra time to it, mostly because some of these poems were especially harsh to read and I had to make sure I was in the right mindset before diving into them. The message of these poems was, more often than not, extremely raw. They depicted a wide range of issues and experiences that the author has lived, and some went to rather dark places. The message transmitted in each one was loud and clear, and together they formed a hard hitting picture. However, the overall tone of the collection was rather positive. It doesn’t leave you feeling in despair, but rather gives you hope for better times to come.

All in all, A Socially Acceptable Breakdown was a very enjoyable read, quite different from what I usually gravitate towards. The message was beautifully backed up by the intelligent use of language and format, which made for a beautiful and raw collection of poetry.

I loved this book of poetry so much, I related to quite a few of the narratives, something that rarely happens in poetry that I read. Defo a read for the modern day.

I liked this book, it was well written and emotive but it didn’t offer any warning and covers many sensitive topics in a way that is not throughly enjoyable to read,

Bleeding human soul, hanging in the open for the public judgment.

Patrick Roches's book 'A Socially Acceptable Breakdown' operates on a personal level, referring to any interlocuter willing to hear. Through the out-of-the-box metaphors and unpredictable comparisons, the author exposes his most terrifying thoughts. Suicidal ideation, depression, dysfunctional relationships, rejection as a queer person; this has been the author's reality since childhood. Music, poetry, and love are the three things that continue to save him against all odds.

The imagination of the author runs wild, unrestricted by the boundaries set by 'normal' poetry. 'Poem in Which Flowers Are Replaced by My Brain' tells the story of the seasonal changes in flowers (brain) along with the changing people's attitudes toward them (it). 'Self-Portrait as Opposum' defies the common motion to see yourself as a warrior, crocodile, or wolverine. The author's key to survival is sleeping for many hours in a row, showing 'the softest resilience.' The poem 'Retcon' rewinds traumatizing events, erasing, changing life in one's mind like these events have never happened.

One of the main themes is controversial family background. While the father figure is distorted and causes distress ('21,' In Which I Meet My Father for the First Time Since His Death'), a mother is the haven of acceptance ('In Which My Mother's Prayers Teach Me about Joy,' 'Siri').

Every poem has an unforgettable footprint of the author's personality. Whenever I see Patrick Roche's poetry, I will instantly recognize his style. Though the lyrics do not follow a strict poetic meter, inner music makes the words sing in hypnotic unison. The best way to read the book is to devour it in one sitting, enjoying - and equally horrified - by its authenticity.

I'd definitely recommend the book to poetry admirers. Topics covered in the book (mental health, gender inequality, etc.) and the author's shining talent are two components that make the book so unique. For me, it's the best poetry release of this year.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book hit right down the middle for me. Not a favorite of mine, but a solid addition to the poetry landscape. I didn't really feel the emotions of the words on the page, which is why I read poetry to begin with. A solid three star book for me.

I loved some of the poems, how they were written (especially the ones side by side, that could be read in three different ways, I really like the idea) but some were just too hard to read. Either because of the formatting or because they were way too personal. Personal poems can be a good thing but there I couldn't really feel anything.
3.5/5