Loved the melody of the prose and poetry interwoven in this book, especially all of the imagery. It was just my personal favorite style but I enjoyed the depiction of grief. If you are looking for a collection that plays with that concept then this is the book for you. On my end, I just felt like though I enjoyed the content given, it felt a bit unfinished. I mean this to say that the poems were missing a little something. I feel like even though I'm a fan of flowery language, the prose held more to figurative language aspect instead of the material.

Since all of my nitpicks are more about stylistic choice, I still would recommend people to give it a try to see if it's a fit for you.

ARC given by Netgalley for Honest Review

3.5/5 stars. Firstly, I'd like to thank Netgalley and Central Avenue Publishing for the eARC for and honest review.

'I miss the you I've been missing out on.'

This is my first book by Zane Fredrick and I thought it was a solid poetry collection. I enjoyed that all the poetry had titles and were formatted well. The only problem I found was that each line had a capital letter even when it wasn't the beginning of a new sentence/line. This made the poetry jarring and caused issues with flow while reading.

'Tell me if peace ever comes after a treaty of trying.'

Almost all the poetry focuses on some sort of unrequited love - we get a huge insight into the feelings and emotions of this relationship but we don't really get anything concrete to help us understand who this person is or what happened between them. This pushes the reader out when really a reader needs to be pulled in. There are a few references to stalking which felt wrong. My favourite pieces were 'Louise's Knees' and 'Acres'. The last 20% of the book was focused on moving forwards, healing and growth which was a nice change from the rest of the poetry.

This was an easy read and I'd probably read more from this author in the future if the opportunity arises.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

This collection feels very--young? I don't want to call it immature because that word seems too negative.

I saved so many beautiful quotes from this book. Frederick discusses so many aspects of how difficult it can be to lose love but all of the hope there is in recovering from heartbreak. This is a book I will happily buy for and send to any of my friends going through a breakup or a tough time related to anything life throws at them. I can't wait to check out what else Zen Frederick writes!

This was my first Zane Frederick book and I generally liked his writing style and look forward to reading more by him. It kept me wanting to turn the page but I wasn't able to connect with his poems as much as I had hoped.

Zane continues to awe and inspire in this newest release, leaving the reader gasping for every breath.

I ended up giving this poetry collection a two out of five stars. I didn't care for it, it didn't make me feel anything. I don't recommend this collection.

This was such a raw and strong poetry collection, and it shows truly how deep and how powerful feelings can take their effect on you. Fear, anxiety and terror is most probably something every single one of us felt at some point, and this book not only that it made me feel seen, but it made me realise I'm not alone

Every poem left me wanting a little bit more. Most of them were love/loss poems addressed to “you,” but after reading the whole book I don’t feel like I got to know that person at all or even how the poet truly felt about them; everything was trapped in figurative language and metaphor.

Often a poem would have one idea like “describe the end of our relationship as a car crash” and then do exactly that without breaking the simple bounds of the metaphor. Many of the poems were very short “instagram” style poetry, where it was more of a shower thought than a poem. I liked the ones that were presented as stylized text images though, as that felt like purposeful use of the short medium. There was never really concrete physical description of a person or place that made me feel like I was somewhere, just connections drawn between ideas inside and outside the poet’s head. It was a bit like floating in a blank void.

That said, I didn’t dislike this collection. It gets a bit repetitive but there were moments where I felt like we were about to get something and didn’t make it, but I also think that there is potential. Often a line wouldn’t be transformative, but I could imagine it being so if it was sung with a lot of feeling in a pop song, and I love pop songs. I wonder if some parts were meant to be lyrics, as there were often pretty rigid rhyme structures. I didn’t mind these either, as they often contributed a good sense of rhythm to a poem. It was just a bit jarring when the rhythm suddenly broke with a line that was longer and not in tune with the rhythm.

I think this collection will appeal to new and young adults who came of age during the pandemic and dealt with a lot of mental turmoil and change during that time. It is definitely a step up from much more successful contemporaries.

Delightful with a side of sweetness.

Some more enjoyable to me than others book the style and context kept me turning the page to see what was in store next.

Would certainly pick this author up again

I absolutely loved ‘I am tired of being a dandelion’, so couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy of `Itch’, Zane Frederick’s new collection of poetry and prose.

Itch deals with loss, grief and painful memories, developing into forgiveness, growth and healing as the collection progresses.

He has such a beautiful style of writing that you find yourself returning to certain poems again and again - they’re relatively short but really get in your head, making you relive and reflect on your own wounds and healing process.

“Stories like ours weren’t meant to have sequels”

3.5/5
This is the first Zane Frederick poetry I’ve read, and it was great! Loved the writing style, structure, and capitalization! Some of these poems will stick in your head and you’ll go back to reread them several times.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher!

A very lovely and honest collection of poems about grief. Grief comes in many forms and this touched a lot on romance and relationships. The poetry consists of mostly short poems with a small helping of prose scattered about. There were plenty of wonderful poems that stood out to me and even had me feeling gut punched with emotion but they were overshadowed by other poems that could have used more refinement or editing. I would not say they were bad in any way though; Frederick puts his longing and soul into this collection and it shows. I think the imagery that he tried to correlate to feeling could have been improved on in many poems.

My favorite poems are: "Sounding Out", "Dreaming Tree Cabernet", and "Draft of Unfinishings."

This collection in 3 words: Raw. Aware. Relatable.

This is the first book I've read by Zane Frederick and I was hooked. I loved the meter and structure of the entire collection. There are poems which I read once, paused, and immediately read aloud. Love when a piece of poetry pulls you to read it aloud.

It felt like itch was about reflecting on past (and lingering) hurt, healing, and the relationships we foster. Many of the poems were relatable and found a way to fit into my own experiences. Once I finished, there were a few I bookmarked, went back and re-read, and thought about what it meant to me.

All together, a wonderfully honest and real collection. Can't wait to see what people think of this one.

"I have written prologues in your honor, / But stories like ours aren't meant to

'
have sequels."

This is Zane's thirs poetry collection, and the second that I have read, and I enjoyed this one just as much as the second collection. He has a way of writing poems that not only have cleaver rhyming schemes, but also accurately describe the things he sees and the feelings he feels. I find myself drawn to so many of his poems, and they make me reflect upon my own emotions and experiences. Some of my favourite poems in this collection:
- When My Employer Asks What My Weaknesses Are
- Lonely Twenties
- Overtime
- A24 Reject
- Use Me
- Maladaptive Daydreaming
- Warning
- Past Due
- Cable Knit
- "Forgiveness" by Paramore Plays
- Heal in Hell
- Worthy

Ah, I am so thankful to NetGalley, Zane Frederick, and Central Avenue Publishing for granting advanced access to this beautiful collection of poems titled Itch. This collection of prose and proems details the everyday mending process of learning to live and keep breathing without that one person. Frederick projects themes of manipulation and toxicity that accompany being gaslit by the one you love. I felt enamored by the prose in this book, for with every turning page, I felt as though I was growing and evolving along with our narrator. Itch is set to hit shelves on March 7, 2023!

Itch was a so-so read for me. I loved some poems, wasn’t a fan of others. I have read nothing by the author before, so I headed into the book with no expectations. ‘Past due’ was one of my favourites. I’m not sure this collection will stick in my memory. However, poetry is very subjective and I’m sure there will be plenty of people who will enjoy this more than I did. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher, for a chance to read and review this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book. I really enjoy poetry and discovering new authors. I really did enjoy some of his poems; some resonated more than others. I look forward to reading more from him.

Zane's latest collection might be his best yet! Right from the introduction I was hooked, and I found so much in these poems that rang true for me. Zane really knows how to put longing and loneliness into words.

Thank you to Central Avenue Publishing and Netgalley for the chance to read and review this ARC.