Self Portrait is a beautiful and haunting collection of poems that forced me to look in the mirror, but for the better.

Went about 92 pages into it, had to DNF it because I was unable to connect with it. Mostly, it was a sad poetry, all about heartbreaks but never about moving on.

Thank you to NetGalley and Central Avenue Poetry for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

I found this poetry collection to be rife with cliches, and rambles instead of deep and authentic explorations of some of the themes presented, such as grief and growth. Poetry is, of course, subjective, so I'm glad it resonates with others, but it was unfortunately a miss for me.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Self Portrait is a collection of poems and essays about different experiences the author has been through and learned from. The collection speaks like a canvas built up of different brush strokes (poems), all adding to a personal portrait of the authors navigation through her 20s. I loved the personal essay at the start of each chapter and felt it brought more insight into the author herself. The illustrations were a great addition to the collection, too. Some of the poems resonated with me from my own experience of my 20s and brought back memories of things I've not thought about in years.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5 stars)

Many thanks to NetGalley, Central Avenue Publishing | Central Avenue Poetry, and the author, Makenzie Campbell, for providing me with an ARC of Self Portrait.

Makenzie Campbell’s Self Portrait is an intimate, raw, and emotional exploration of love, womanhood, and the messy, beautiful journey of self-discovery. This collection of poems and essays takes readers on a deeply personal voyage, navigating the twists and turns of growing up and finding oneself in the complex, often chaotic, world of one’s twenties.

What makes Self Portrait stand out is Campbell’s ability to capture the deeply relatable, unfiltered emotions of young adulthood. Each poem feels like a brushstroke in the larger painting of her life—portraits of heartbreak, self-reflection, empowerment, and the confusing yet thrilling experiences of falling in and out of love. Her words have a way of connecting with readers on a profound level, inviting them to reflect on their own journeys and feel seen in their own struggles.

One of the strengths of this collection is how Campbell blends poetry with personal essays. Each essay provides a glimpse into the stories and emotions behind the poems, giving readers a deeper understanding of the experiences that shaped her writing. It’s a beautiful combination that adds a layer of vulnerability to the collection, making it feel less like a distant work of art and more like an intimate conversation between friends. You feel Campbell’s heartbeat in every line, her words serving as both a release and a mirror.

Campbell’s themes of love, loss, and personal growth are universal, but they are also distinctly feminine, weaving in the nuances of what it means to grow into womanhood. Her poems explore the intricacies of romantic relationships, the pressures of societal expectations, and the joy of reclaiming one’s identity—all told with a poignant and honest voice that never shies away from the pain or beauty of it all.

If there’s any critique, it’s that at times the collection can feel a bit repetitive in its themes. While each poem and essay is beautifully written, the emotional terrain covered doesn’t vary as widely as it could have. Still, the raw honesty and relatable nature of Campbell’s writing more than make up for any repetition, as each piece speaks to different facets of the same journey we all face—learning to love ourselves amidst the noise.

Overall, Self Portrait is a heart-stirring collection for anyone in the process of finding themselves, making peace with their past, or learning to embrace the beautiful chaos of life. Campbell’s poetic voice is both tender and powerful, offering comfort and insight to readers who might be navigating their own personal odysseys. For fans of modern poetry and self-reflective writing, this is a must-read—a soulful collection that reminds us that even in our most uncertain moments, we are never truly alone.

A deep and honest poetry and essay collection, on love, self, and self discovery. I felt pangs of nostalgia reading about childhood and siblings, and the pieces on love, growth, and self discovery pulled at the heart.

A beautifully written poetry and prose collection. There are many illustrations throughout the book and passages written in creative formats which give it a nice touch. The book is divided in several sections, and my favourite was Womanhood. I feel like it was the one which spoke to me the most.

It talks about love, heartbreak, hopes, dreams, and disappointment. I could sense the feelings and emotions put into these pieces, and I could connect with the author. I really enjoyed reading it and wished there was more.

Thank you Central Avenue Publishing and NetGalley for this Advance Readers Copy ebook in exchange for my honest review.

This was my first attempt at reading a collection of essays along with poems and it read like someone’s journal, feeling very personal which I’m assuming was the authors purpose.

As a black woman Veteran in my thirties, I honestly don’t think I’m the target audience to enjoy this book. Poetry is art and is subjective. Although I can appreciate this writing’s beauty, I personally couldn’t relate to any of it. I found myself skimming through the essays.

I’m sure the right people will enjoy this book. I give a rating of 3 stars because I love the author’s vulnerability, but I guess I wanted a little bit more strong minded, self loving woman depiction. A previous review stated this book reads like a Taylor Swift album and I find that very accurate….unfortunately I’m also not a T Swift fan.

This collection was so beautiful.
The writing was so lyrical almost like you could feel the motion and movement of the pros.
This will definitely be one I keep coming back to.

Makenzie Campbell's Self Portrait: Poems & Essays offers readers a glimpse into a young woman's life in her early twenties as she navigates her world. Everyday challenges of love, loss, and longing are shared by Campbell. Her beautiful writings reveal her soul and raw emotions. Typical of young people, she questions who she is as a young woman and what she wants to achieve as an individual. Her most intimate thoughts and feelings growing up, and how they influenced her during her youth and young adulthood, are shared. Her writing is relatable. She writes with openness and honesty, and that is what readers will relate to. As well as the good, she shares the difficult and the painful times as well. In these pages, I see a bit of my own five daughters.

This is such a raw, personal collection of poetry and essays. Makenzie Campbell is a beautiful writer and I love seeing the growth from her previous books to this one. Self Portrait has so much to say on love, girlhood, loss, longing, and growing up. I'd definitely recommend it.

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

Thank you Netgalley for an EARC of this book in exchange for my honest review

Self Portrait is a beautifully written books! Filled with poetry and essays it almost felt like I was reading the author’s private journal. I also loved the photos and drawings, they added a little extra to the book. Would highly recommend! I will probably be reading this book over and over again!

“i am dancing on the edge of throwing it all away”

i loved how all over the place this book was. being a collection of stories, experiences, and poems all in one gave me a new look into this authors life and truly made me want to read more of her work. i loved so many of the pieces in this book. i definitely will need to read it again to truly appreciate all of its beauty.

Self Portrait is a beautifully written books filled with poetry and essays. It felt like I was reading the author’s journal and had a sneak peak inside her life experiences.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing the opportunity to read to read ARC.

ℝ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 𝔽𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕒𝕥: 𝐸-𝐵𝑜𝑜𝓀

ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨: 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐓𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐰𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞, 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤, 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧𝐞’𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟, 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲-𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠-𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫’𝐬 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐈 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐈’𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐫𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐢𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞.

𝐻𝓊𝑔𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓀 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝑜 𝑀𝒶𝓀𝑒𝓃𝓏𝒾𝑒 𝒞𝒶𝓂𝓅𝒷𝑒𝓁𝓁, 𝒞𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓇𝒶𝓁 𝒜𝓋𝑒𝓃𝓊𝑒 𝒫𝓊𝒷𝓁𝒾𝓈𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔, & 𝒩𝑒𝓉𝒢𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓎 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒜𝑅𝒞! 𝒜𝓁𝓁 𝑜𝓅𝒾𝓃𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓂𝓎 𝑜𝓌𝓃.

Mackenzie Campbell's collection of poems and essays is a heartfelt and profound exploration of young adulthood. With grace and vulnerability, Campbell navigates themes of identity, relationships, and the complex emotions that come with growing up.

Her words resonate deeply, offering solace and understanding to anyone on this journey. The honesty in her writing makes it easy to connect with each piece, creating a sense of shared experience and comfort. The way she delves into vulnerability and the search for self-identity is both touching and enlightening, providing readers with a mirror to reflect on their own lives.

Campbell's insights into relationships are particularly poignant, capturing the delicate balance of love, loss, and the strength found in human connections. Her ability to articulate these feelings so beautifully is truly a gift.

Thank you, NetGalley, Central Avenue Publishing, and Mackenzie Campbell, for the opportunity to read this inspiring collection.

This beautiful poetry and essay collection stores a lot of very emotionally tackling and thought provoking topics where I had to take moments to simply breathe and let it sink, let it all just sink in. The verses will make you f e e l, whether you like it or not. I have a few favourite poems stored in the pocket of my heart while reading and I definitely would recommend it for other poem lovers.

I was expecting more about this book. I rated it 3 stars because there were times where I couldn't read it. Don't get me wrong, Makenzie Campbell is such an amazing author. But this book wasn't for me.

In this poetry and essay collection, the author courageously reveals hopes, tragedies, dreams, and disappointments in a free verse format. The style is heartfelt and deeply authentic, sometimes feeling like stream of consciousness or diary entries, other times feeling like the first words after a long silence and a deep breath.

I really wanted to like this collection, and I honestly think it's good. However, the writer continually alluded to passionate feelings of love and attraction, assuming that everyone is allosexual and amatonormative. I am not. If you want me to feel something, you need to describe it, not just tell me you're feeling it. I don't hate love poems, but I hate love poems that just say "I felt in love." There's nothing for my imagination to cling to. Topics like longing, womanhood, and growing up also don't fit very well into my brain, so it was hard to connect with the lack of word pictures in these poems.
Poems are meant to evoke feelings and build connection, but I was further distracted by the fact that there aren't any capital letters. Why aren't there any capital letters? I have nothing against experimental styles, but in this case, I found it distracting instead of a way to enhance the content.

There were certainly more than a few poems that resonated with me, and I hope this book finds its way into the hands of other folks who can more easily find connection and inspiration from these writings.

Thank you to NetGalley and Central Avenue publishing for this ARC. All opinions are my own.