The third and last of a mixtape poetry series, The Music Was Just Getting Good is 184 poems paired with songs. There are 92 poems and 92 blackout poems, divided between Side A and Side B.
The poems deal with heavy material such as domestic abuse, death, grief, mental health struggles, and others.
I loved that the poems were paired with songs and that there were different songs for Side A and Side B.

I absolutely loved this poetry collection. This is the first time I’ve read Alicia Cook’s work, and she has quickly become my favorite modern day poet. Her writing is so honest and raw; I felt immediately connected to her and felt myself heal through her words. The music paired with each song felt like a playlist I would have made myself, and I discovered some incredible new music because of these poems. I cannot recommend it enough and I am very excited to read the first two installments of her mixtape series that this collection concluded.

The music was just getting good in a celebration of poetry and music simultaneously. By creating a playlist and poems to go along, Cook emphasizes what each song means to her and gives the reader an overwhelming amount of emotion with every track.

I throughly enjoyed the concept and message within this book ! The poems presented feel raw and genuine. the messaging will strike a true cord with those who feel misunderstood or struggle with loneliness. I am very grateful to Andrews McMeel Publishing , Alicia Cook and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review of this book.

This is a wonderful poem collection which rattles your heart with its verses, stanza and the emotions you will find from line to line. I love the combination of making this feel very much like a mixtape you usually put on your radio or a walkman. Each poem comes with a song. A story within a story. It is incredible.

Cook has grown a lot as a poet, and I feel this collection showcases her at her best. Writing on grief in its many forms (and causes), these poems are highly relatable. Her language and imagery is accessible, which makes her work appealing to a wide audience. This is definitely my favorite of all of her books, though admittedly some pieces are stronger than others. She has a mix of "I'm so sad" vibes and "it gets better" vibes--though I felt her "it gets better" poems often came across as bland and ingenuine. Still, there are some really special pieces in here. The way she writes about depression and grief gives voice to feelings most of us struggle to put into words--there were several times when I found myself nodding along and thinking "yes, that's exactly it!"

The second half of the book is blackout poetry created from the pieces in the first half. Honestly, I could have done without those altogether. I know it's part of the concept of these mix-tape books, but the poems in the second half are nothing special--most of them sound like pseudo-poetic things you might find in graphics on Pinterest. It's possible that blackout poetry just isn't for me, though--if you love it, maybe you'll find some gems I missed.

Overall, I'm happy to have this book in my collection (I both read a digital version from Netgalley and purchased a physical copy for myself) and will likely revisit my favorites often.

Another stunning collection from Alicia Cook. As with any collection, some of these were duds, but the great majority were stunning, and even the poems I didn't quite love had some lines that had me going back to them. I would love to keep revisiting this, as well as to get my hands on a physical copy to highlight and flick through,

Full disclosure: I had the pleasure of interviewing this author, Alicia Cook, on the By Her Shelf podcast when this collection was still in process. I read this book on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Music Was Just Getting Good by Alicia Cook is the third and final poetry book in the author's mixtape collection. The title poem of the second book in the series, Sorry I Haven't Texted You Back, went viral before the collection came out and again during the pandemic.

Cook's signature brand of incisory observations of everyday occurences and emotions is on full display in The Music Was Just Getting Good. The final product is a mesmerizing examination of the many griefs and losses we suffer—whether through the death of a person or the death of a relationship. Cook delicately peels back the layers of complicated emotions and interactions, juxtapositioning images of loss with those of hope in a way that doesn't pander to her audience or seem repetitious. The second half of the book, the remixes, feature blackout poetry just as poignant as the original works.

The Music Was Just Getting Good deals with sensitive subject matters. The trigger warnings for the collection's content can be found in its opening pages.

If you’re looking for a poetry collection to read for a reading challenge, or are feeling introspective about grief and loss, this may be the perfect book for you.

Dieser Gedichtband enthält 184 Gedichte, jedes davon kombiniert mit einem Lied. Die ersten 92 Gedichte handeln von Verlust in all seinen verschiedenen Variationen; Verlust eines Partners durch eine Trennung oder durch den Tod, Verlust eines Familienmitglieds o.ä. Die Autorin erinnert sich an Szenen aus der gemeinsamen Vergangenheit, beschreibt ihren Schmerz oder ihren Kampf, jeden Tag aufs Neue zu bestehen. Dabei thematisiert sie auch den gesellschaftlichen Druck, nach einer gewissen Zeit weiter zu leben und nach vorn zu sehen, obwohl man den Verlust innerlich noch nicht verarbeitet hat, und Gefühle wie Depressionen.
Im Anschluss daran hat die Autorin auf der "B-Seite" einen Großteil der Verse der 92 Gedichte unkenntlich gemacht, sodass nur einzelne Wörter übrig bleiben. Jedes Gedicht wird so auf einen Satz oder ein paar wenige Wörter reduziert, welche das ursprüngliche Gedicht noch einmal zusammen fassen, ergänzen oder eine positive Wendung darstellen. Hierzu gibt es erneut 92 neue Lieder.

Mir hat diese Gedichtsammlung gut gefallen. Ich mochte die Thematik und die Kombination von Lyrik mit Liedern, welche meist die Stimmung des Gedichts auffingen. Auch die Idee von "Blackout-Gedichten" war sehr interessant und ich war beeindruckt, wie hierdurch die ursprünglichen Gedichte in einem neuen Blickwinkel erschienen. Insgesamt konnten mich einige Gedichte emotional nicht ganz erreichen. Dennoch hat mir dieses Buch sehr gefallen.

Ich vergebe empfehlenswerte 4,5 Sterne.


In English:

This volume of poetry contains 184 poems, each combined with a song. The first 92 poems are about loss in all its different variations; Loss of a partner through a separation or death, loss of a family member, etc. The author remembers scenes from their shared past, describes her pain or her struggle to survive every day anew. She also addresses the social pressure to continue living after a certain period of time and to look forward, even though one has not yet internally processed the loss, and feelings such as depression.
The author then redacted most of the verses of the 92 poems on the "B-side" so that only individual words remain. Each poem is reduced to a sentence or a few words that summarize the original poem, complement it or represent a positive twist. There are again 92 new songs.

I really liked this collection of poems. I liked the theme and the combination of poetry with songs, which mostly captured the mood of the poem. The idea of "blackout poems" was also very interesting and I was impressed by how it made the original poems appear in a new perspective. Overall, some poems didn't quite reach me emotionally. Nevertheless, I really liked this book.

I give it a recommended 4.5 stars.

I wanted to like this a lot more than I actually did. The concept is brilliant and I loved that each poem was paired with a song (and some excellent songs there are). But the poems just didn't resonate with me. Even the ones about grief, which I'm going through right now, didn't hit the mark for me. The writing is beautiful and I did appreciate its quality, it IS a good read, but I would expect a poetry collection to make me feel something more. Maybe my expectations were too high or maybe at this point in my life this isn't the kind of poetry that touches my soul. It felt a bit too young, a bit too dramatic and a bit too repetitive. In the end this to me was pretty poetry with an amazing structural concept (the songs, the blackout versions) but not poetry that made me emotional which is why I can't give it more than 3 stars.

I had never read Alicia’s work before but after getting this ARC from Net Galley; I’m obsessed. I love poetry and how it can make you feel and bring you to your knees and the format along with each piece tied with a specific song was magical. I couldn’t put it down and I re-read pieces because they were so raw and beautiful. I wish I could read this again for the first time.

My first read of the year.

It proved to be a delightful choice that lived up to its promising book description on Goodreads. Having requested an advance reader copy (ARC) last year, my anticipation was met with a collection of poems that resonated deeply with me.

Last year, I tried to delve into poetry, seeking a channel to articulate the surging emotions and thoughts that seemed to overwhelm me in the final months. It was reminiscent of how, back in high school, writing poetry became my solace when words failed to find an outlet.

This particular book rekindled that creative spark for me even before its official publication. What captivated me most was how each poem was inspired by songs, making them impactful. The inclusion of blackout poetry in the latter section of the book struck me as both incredibly innovative and artistically captivating.

To anyone seeking a fusion of lyrical inspiration and innovative creativity, I highly recommend giving this book a read.

Thank you Netgalley, author Alicia Cook, and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the arc.

Alicia Cook’s third and last book of her poetry collection of Mixtapes, walks into the emotions faced through grief. In this one the author shares about mental health and how grief doesn’t have a timeline. It also shares how you can even grief places, relationships, and experiences.

I felt most of those poems very deeply, all the types and stages of grief. It is a little heavy to read if you’re not prepared to face those emotions, that’s why it has a trigger warning.

With that being said I give this book 4/5.

Thank you Netgalley and Alicia Cook for the ARC.💖

“Listen to me.
I am not the clearing in the forest. I am the havoc and brush that keeps you lost. I am not clear water.
I am zero visibility, and you will drown.“

Each poem in <i>The Music Was Just Getting Good</i> is accompanied by a song that fits the content and vibe. This feature drew me to the book, and I really enjoyed it at first, but after a while, it got tiresome looking up all the songs. Therefore, I continued reading most of the collection without paying much attention to the songs.

There are some gems scattered in this poetry collection, however, I am sad to say that, overall, I was rather disappointed. I think I would have enjoyed it much more if Alicia Cook had split the book into parts for each theme mentioned. Without it, it was hard getting lost between the pages, relating to them, and feeling all the emotions.

I really like the way this poetry collection was laid out. Good, thoughtful poems, but really sad. Made me feel worried about the author’s mental health. :(

I enjoyed this. I like sad poetry.
I'm also a sucker for a cassette tape.

I have read this authors poetry before and really liked it.

I have not read much for poetry that wasn't required for school, however, this book was pretty good. At times, it seemed pretty depressing, but it made me think about everyday occurrences in a new way. Also, I have not read the first two books in the trilogy, so I'm not sure how the other ones stack up to this one or if there are similar feelings and themes. Also, blackout poems are a new concept for me and I flew through those once I was able to grasp what was happening.
Not really sure what else to say since I don't read much poetry, but I did enjoy this book and would read the first two in this trilogy.

Although I didn't personally resonate with this collections... I can certainly appreciate it for what it is! This collection is so beautiful and I think is perfectly written for a younger adult audience.

I love the set up of the mix tape and my favorite part is to see what she's listening too.... I would love to find the time to run back through these and to listen to the music while taking in the work.

Thank you Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for a digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

Alicia Cook’s new poetry collection. I’ve read her stuff before and I liked it but this collection just struck a chord with me. This focuses a lot on themes of grief, depression, adulthood and nostalgia, but also through it all on healing and hope. I kid you not, there wasn’t a single poem out of 184 poems that I didn’t like or that didn’t resonate. I think I just found my favourite poetry collection of all time.
Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Music Was Just Getting Good is the final poetic mixtape by Alicia Cook. But wait—I wouldn't do this justice if I reviewed the new release only. No, this must be done as a collection so you can truly grasp the exceptionally good recommendation.

Structured like old-school mixtapes, "Side A" are tracks paired with an accompanied song at the end of each poem. Have your bluetooth speaker and music streaming app ready! "Side B" are blacked-out remixes of those same poems. This unique structure give the words within a deeper meaning.

In Stuff I've Been Feeling Lately, "Side A" touches on pain, love, grief and growth. Such a great introduction to poet Alicia Cook. The title alone of Sorry I Haven't Texted You Back is so me! I am slow to reply to texts (sometimes days) then pop up like everything is okay. This second mixtape is my favorite of the trilogy. It holds over 90 poems dedicated to mental health and self-help. The sophistication of the poems is evident and oh so relatable.

Finally in The Music Was Just Getting Good, poet Alicia Cook showcases her talent, love affair with wordplay and empathy. I finished with the feeling of being so understood. Themes of hope and recovery are spread across 184 tracks (92 poems and 92 black-outs). You may read it as a standalone; however, I highly recommend reading the entire collection in order.

When I say this collection touched my soul, spoke to my spirit, justified my feelings and related to my personal thoughts...whew! I cannot recommend this soothing balm of a poetry trilogy enough.

Happy Early Pub Day, Alicia Cook! The Music Was Just Getting Good will be available January 9, 2024.

Disclaimer: An advance copy of The Music Was Just Getting Good was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie