You Can't Kill Me Twice

I cried at your wedding
because you married someone terrible.

This short poetry collection is pretty good. The poems include a variety of themes, there are some harsh truths, some funny poems and some deep poems about trauma and family.
The illustrations added something more to the poems and I really liked the drawing style.
In the future I definitely would like to read more by this author.

Honest raw emotional real poetry with sketches to add to the emotions.A whirlwind of a poetry collection very much enjoyed.#netgalley#andrewMcmeel.

This was a beautiful and honest poetry book, written with Yi’s whole heart. The poems in this book handle different subjects, like mental health, emotions,... The book also contains a lot of beautiful illustrations, which make the reading experience even better. I definitely think this poetry book was one of the best I have ever read, in my personal opinion.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Another poetry book that I requested on Netgalley and it was beautifully written. Thank you @Netgalley especially the publisher for providing me an electronic ARC.

Charlyne Yi is one of those effortlessly brilliant comedians that immediately make you think, this girl has been through some shit to be this insanely funny. Her collection of poems is a jump off a waterfall and a swim around a mind that has survived some dark trauma.

“My heart’s been avalanched, torched, hanged, shot twenty-eight times by a shotgun; and still I love.”

So many of these poems pack a serious punch and the art makes you linger on the pages a little longer than normal. I can’t wait to get my hands on more of her work!

I loved this book so much! It’s was real, honest and funny. I’m already recommending it to all my fell poetry fans.

"I have learned to hone my darkness.
I have enough darkness to fill the night sky.
I have enough light to turn the night into day.
And I have enough fire
to fill centuries of cold and loneliness
with warmth that will never fade."

I always drop by the poetry section of NetGalley to see if any new books have been added. I also keep my eye out for upcoming books by Andrews McMeel Publishing. Most of my best poetry reads of this year come from this publishing house. The moment I saw this book, I was drawn to it, thanks to the very catchy title! I knew this read was going to be interesting. As soon as I delved deep into this book, I was incredibly amazed and was full of love for this utterly beautiful collection of poetry!

A blend of brutally honest and outright emotional, the poems in this collection is accompanied by dark humour and childish (yet so mature) illustrations which just gives a touch of innocence to the poems surrounding the themes of the uncertainty of love, lingering family traumas and the absurdity of societal expectations. The moment I finished reading this book, my only thought was to hug Charlyne! Every poem in this collection makes the reader contemplate on so many things and even after you finish reading the collection, you can see a strong, vivid print of the poems inside your head, resonating louder and louder as the moments pass by. Every turn of a page increased my love for this book. This is definitely taking the 1st place in my Top 10 poetry reads of this year! Charlyne's style of writing is extremely profound and make's you want more. This book will make any one fall in love with poetry and if one is already in love with it, it makes you fall in love all over again!

I will be reading this again and again for the times to come! The book has left me with so many emotions lingering close to the surface. One of them is a sense of assurance and empowerment. If you didn't love this book, I am coming for you. You wouldn't want that. I am not considering, "Your opinion is yours" when it comes to this book!

Recommended: Everyone out there, just read this collection already!

Every time I see Charlyne Yi in something, I’m always surprised and then delighted. I’m pretty sure I saw her for the first time in Knocked Up, which I didn’t particularly enjoy despite a general good job all around by the actors, but I knew her best for Ruby in Steven Universe. Then, later, she voiced the lead in Next Gen (so cute) and played Lucifer’s nerdy little sister Death/Azrael (seen above, with Death’s fishies). And that’s just the acting side of things, because she’s also a comedian (which I knew) and a composer/musician/artist/writer/director (which I did not know). And then I saw her book come up on Netgalley.

I wouldn’t call this your standard book of poems, although as a musician, Yi can wield a metaphor adeptly. I might rate the book lower, if compared side to side with some of my absolute favorite poets who have left me gasping. You Can’t Kill Me Twice (so please treat me right) isn’t just another chapbook, though. It’s a set of musings, art, and stories. And like the best of all of these, it grows deeply personal.

One thing that Yi does that I’ve not actually seen other poets really do is integrate her illustrations into the meaning of the expression on the page. Yes, you’ll see some interesting pictures here and there in Rupi Kaur and others, but they aren’t critical to the poetry. You can just read the poem and get it. “The Study of Types of Love of Friendship, Family, and Romance” lists types like “The Black Hole” and “The Projectionist” and “The Disassemblist.” Just making a list without the illustrations wouldn’t give us same effect. Later in the book, in between a few lines of a short poem, Yi deploys her illustrations as well as the space of different pages to have a couple dancing and pulling each other back and forth. One of my favorites is the of image those enormous glasses the optometrist gives you, to look between lenses for which one looks right, and Yi punctuates each with a little circular lens with a drawing: Repression, Depression, and Reality. (I like the little ghost, okay.)

Apart from that, there are volumes of poetry that make me laugh, but reading this, there were a lot of little moments of saying “YES!” and outright snorting in laughter. Yi’s ability to move fluidly between roles makes for volume of poetry and art that is ever changing and doesn’t let you settle. It was a quick read, yes, but very enjoyable. Her humor is also a moving target. Sometimes it’s a bitter laugh, and sometimes it’s about an egg going up someone’s butt.

Thematically, Yi does address romantic relationships to a degree, but this is by far not the only focus. It’s hard to pin it all down, but You Can’t Kill Me Twice addresses love, loneliness, mental illness, suicide, identity, racism, political violence and scapegoating, building society on empathy rather than aggression, and the cyclical nature of abuse.

It’s a lot, ya’ll.

At the same time, it’s nice to see books of poetry that don’t just revolve around the rise and fall of a person’s relationships. It’s there, definitely, and I appreciate the themes of needing to be a whole person without your significant other, but that isn’t the beginning and end of what you’ll see here. The book is an interesting ride.

The poems were great! I think she is a promising poet and her writing was wonderful to read. This is a good book for any poetry lovers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for gifting an ebook copy of You Can’t Kill Me Twice in exchange for an honest review.

You Can’t Kill Me Twice by Charlyne Yi is a book of poetry with additions of line drawings for effect. To be honest, when I started this book, I wasn’t sure that I would like it. But then I kept reading and found myself highlighting passages and making notes about my favorites (and there are a lot of favorites!).
Charlyne Yi’s poetry is unafraid to open up about topics on race, culture, relationships, hate, and so much more. Her voice is poetic and strong, leaving a meaningful feeling to the pages.
I read a fair amount of poetry and I really enjoy her writing style and the messages she shares, I will definitely watch for more writing from her.

I love Charlyne Yi's voice in these poems, they are so raw and honest that it's hard not to feel how deeply personal these poems are. There are some great illustrations that are included with a lot of the poems and then there are illustrations alone on some pages that are making a great statement as well.. I would recommend for anyone looking for a great poetry collection.

You Can’t Kill Me Twice (So Please Treat Me Right) by Charlyne Yi

3.75 stars

“A child bangs his head
against a wall,
trying to understand
why the adults supervising this world
need convincing that his father
shouldn’t be murdered because of his black skin.”

Poetry is hard to rate. Particularly poetry that deals with personal experiences and showcases a person’s vulnerability and raw pain. It feels cruel to rate poems like those, but I am a book reviewer. So, I will try to rate this collection as kindly as possibly without being too harsh to her experiences. For that reason, those very deep and personal poems are not factored into my rating because this collection is much harder for me to rate because of those few poems. However, that is Yi’s strong suit—vulnerability. I don’t think I’ve read a collection from a modern-day poet that is raw and vulnerable about her experiences like she is. With that being said, huge trigger warnings for most heavy and triggering topics because it is obvious that Yi has had a hard life, but her poetry is a great reflection of how she will not let the substance of her hardships define her narrative. I wasn’t always a fan of this collection. There are some poems that are just plain ridiculous in the sentimentality of love and pandering, but that’s the be expected of modern poetry. It’s become the norm. I much preferred the raw poetry even if it showed layers of her soul. It reminded of Wintergirls in that respect. Beautifully written, but with sad and hard topics behind those vicious and layered words.


“The humans stared at their screens
as they missed another sunset.
Too bad it was the last.”

Yi has a lot of social commentary poems, which I really like. The good thing about these poems is that they feel like a protest against society which are the poems I generally prefer. If you are interested in a poet who isn’t afraid to pack a punch, then I suggest giving Yi’s collection You Can’t Kill Me Twice a shot. I am greatly impressed by it. It has its issues with being consisted throughout, but there are some striking poems inside. Just not as many as I would personally like.


Whimsical Writing Scale: 3.5

Plotastic Scale: 3.75

Cover Thoughts: I kind of love this cover. The colors and the little drawings of two people walking away. I love how the image doesn’t take up the whole cover. It’s different.

Thank you, Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing, for providing me with a copy of this collection in exchange for an honest review.

Charlyne Yi’s wit and vulnerability is captured so well in this book. I found myself feeling amused and heartbroken, uncomfortable and related to. She knocked this collection out of the park.