“these words are everything i wanted my fingers to muster up the courage to write when your name came across my phone screen.”

this was my first venture into the poetry genre … ever. i’ve always thought that they’re so beautiful n relatable, but it’s never been something i’ve been super inclined to pick up.

i can safely say this novel changed that.

what i should’ve texted is, well, poetry that’s divided into three sections – fresh wounds, picking at scabs, & visiting scars. it tells the story of someone trying to move on from a toxic relationship while their ex continues to text them. sometimes desperate, sometimes manipulative, always making it harder for them to move on. but eventually, they do. they grow and thrive as they realize they’re strong n ultimately better off without their ex.

the writing was beautiful, as expected. i’ll include some quotes that resonated with me at the end of the review. the portrayal of feelings as well as the journey of moving on from someone you loved was so well done.

my main issue with it, however, is that it gets very repetitive. i do understand that trying to move on from a love often isn’t linear, and can sometimes leave you in a cycle of the same feelings over and over. but seeing it on paper just caused me to lose touch with the story that was being told here.

nonetheless, i really enjoyed this. if you’ve ever had to get over someone that you loved and/or were in a toxic relationship with, then you’ll find all or at least parts of this relatable. even if you haven’t gone through that, i think you’d find some quotes or descriptions that will stick with you.

some quotes that stuck with me:

“my hands feel too small to hold these shattered pieces. i feel broken, though i know i am not. i am not okay. i can only pretend to be.”

“you’re not sorry; you’re simply disappointed that things didn’t end on your terms.”

“the thing with second chances is that it summons a different type of fear.”

“i’ve been doing too much work to lose progress for hope in something that was once hopeless to me.”

“to feel wanted by the person you once wanted to cherish your existence comes with a certain high.”

This was such a fun and unique concept. I could definitely relate to this as it’s super realistic. I enjoyed the writing, but the poetry got too repetitive. However, I loved the overall purpose of the book with the inner thoughts of regrets and healing.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with access to read this book!

I usually enjoy this author but this time I wasn’t as into the message. The poetry lacked the beauty I often found in the past works. It was also very repetitive and didn’t really offer too much besides bitterness. Not for me, but probably cathartic for those as they move through those feelings.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the arc.

We all have inner dialogue when we send a text. This book is a great example of the million thoughts behind a few short words.

2.5 stars ⭐️⭐️✨

What I Should’ve Texted is a cohesive short book of poems that tell a story of regret and healing. The collection is split into 3 parts, each part dissecting a chain of text messages and I think this will resonate very well for those who find themselves deleting everything they write the first time around or sending a loaded message than refusing to look at their phone for hours.

I enjoy clearing my head and sitting down with simple poetry occasionally and Jeanty clearly filled this book with his soul and his writing is beautiful. Unfortunately, it feels like short poetry books are flooding the market as of late and in order for one to hold a place in my heart it needs to either feel incredibly personal to me or be so profound it forces me to think deeply, and What I Should’ve Texted didn’t do either of this things. I enjoyed the first part and then I found it a bit tedious. While the writing was incredibly well done, there is just nothing that will stick with me or encourage me to read this collection again.

Thank you Net Galley and McMeel publishing for this ARC of ‘What I Should’ve Texted’

WOW! A beautifully written book. Gives a realistic and in depth depiction of, as the title states, ‘What I Should’ve Texted.’
As someone who has had my fair share of break ups this book really spoke to me. It showed the process that goes through your mind when trying to distance yourself from someone. All the anger, sadness, hurt and love that is still felt. This book really showed the rollercoaster of emotions that goes along with a break up. Definitely an amazing read.

I love a good book of poetry. And while this one was good, it did feel a little repetitive throughout. Many of the unsent texts seemed to say the same thing. I did like the use of emojis, though—don’t think I’ve ever seen them in a poem before! (Thank you, Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley, for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.)

This was the first time I jumped into a poetry book in a very long time. This is a collection of poems that goes through the aftermath of a breakup. One person is trying to move on and the other is not ready to do so yet. I think we all have that thought "I should've texted that instead," or "I should've said this instead."

I don't know if I'm just shying away from the cluster of "Instagram poets" I previously enjoyed, but this collection just didn't really do much for me. There were a few really great pieces, but the text message transcripts were incredibly juvenile on both ends and I found myself cringing while reading. It made it difficult to enjoy or connect with the poems, even the ones that I believe I would have enjoyed had they been standing on their own.

Great premise, the execution just fell flat.

This collection is split into three sections: fresh wounds, picking at scabs and visiting scars. What follows then is an unraveling of texts, of responses and feelings that should have been said but weren't due to the hurt. From the very first poem to the last, this collection reminded me of 'the break-up,' and by this I mean, of letting go of someone who had become such an integral part of you and they don't even know how much they hurt you for you to let them go.
It's also got the characteristics of a break-up where you call to check up on them, the subtle 'hey...', the text of 'I saw you...' bumping into their photos on social media- keeping tabs on them, who are they with, what are they doing and the likes....it's got all that.
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.

This poetry reached to the bottom of my soul and made me feel. I usually can’t rate poetry books but this one I felt in the core of my heart. It said all the right things I wanted…no needed to hear.

If you can’t get over that one someone, you need to read this.

Thank you, NetGalley, Andrews McMeel Publishing and Pierre Alex Jeanty for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A collection of poems that follows the aftermath of a breakup where one party is trying to move on while the other clings to not close the wound. I really liked the structure of this collection of poems, very consistent with the theme. If you are in this “grieving” stage, this book is just what you need.

Maybe my only “but” is that there are certain lines that feel very repetitive, but at the same time I understand that this is how a breakup is experienced and it is not something linear, it is a constant push and pull.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Reading between the lines of a post-breakup text conversation. Very emotional and easy to connect to if you've experienced a breakup and subsequent text conversations with that person.

Short answers. Long explanations/stream of consciousness of what they *really* want to say to the person. Instead keeping it short and close to the vest.

Why don't you answer my texts?
Because I don't need to,
even though I want to.
Because I have no more words for you.

I'm over you.

Thank you to #NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing me a copy of Pierre Alex Jeanty’s, What I Should’ve Texted, in exchange for an honest review.

#WhatIShouldveTexted is not only the first poetry collection that I have read by the poet, but also is one of only a handful of contemporary poetry collections that I have read by anyone. Despite my preference for older works, the concept immediately grabbed me and I needed see the execution.

The collection is divided into three sections that each begin with the original text message, which serves as the template for single-page poems that fill the remainder of each section and expand upon the original text. The font is bolded for the initial texter. That bolded message becomes the title of a poem. The message from the responder is italicized and is the conclusion of a poem. The subtext or “what the texter should have said” is the poem between the two.

This collection is clearly written from personal experience. Thus, I do not want to tear apart verses that are fragile and hold so much meaning for their creator. Instead, I will state the positives including the format, the fact that the poetry rhymes, and the collection improves with each section. These works may be more effective as slam poetry spoken by the author as opposed to written verse.

As an aside, while not unique to the author or this collection, it is bizarre to see digital references, such as #emojis or #Facebook, in poetry. The author incorporates them seamlessly thanks to the ingenuous format.

The one critique, which can be resolved with minor edits, is that some language is too repetitive throughout a particular section. Certain passages should either be omitted or changed, assuming the omission or change would leave the integrity of a division intact.