letters to the person i was

Abuleil's way with words affected me deeply. I'm usually not that into poetry, but I really connected with quite a few of her poems. You can feel that what Abuleil writes about is deeply rooted in herself, and this vulnerability she's showing in her art is touching!

For some reason the ebook version has multiple of the same page, but other than that I loved it. I think there always things we wish we could tell our younger selfs.

You can feel the pain in this poetry collection. You can feel the humanness and the pain of being alive. It’s like Sana Abuleil has let her skin bleed bare and opens. There is bravery and connection in this openness. It is years and their feelings written out on a page. It is healing. The drawings are beautiful and charming, and they reflect the flashes of images shown in this reading process. If you want to be plunged into the pain of the past and the joy of the future, read this.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this.

There's a trend in poetry right now to produce volumes like this, in the same vein of Rupi Kaur or Amanda Lovelace, with intensely personal poem, introspective, reflective, and not terribly structured. These volumes usually come in 3-4 parts, trying to map a journey (but don't always succeed). Sana Abuleil fits within this tradition, including the specific conceit of telling things to her younger self and adding little doodles throughout. Even though Kaur and Lovelace tends to have more gutpunches, I give Abuleil more credit because she doesn't write what I would consider poem "fragments" aka, small lines that are somewhat meaningful but divorced from a fully fleshed out poem.

Her poems are complete (though most are about a page, some longer or shorter), and she puts in more effort to affect poetics in her verse. There are a few very affecting lines, and some interesting extended metaphors (ex. a rubix cube in only black and white). However, a lot of the poems tend to blend together for lack of detail. (She even suggests she knows this in the beginning of one poem, that they are all starting to blur together for her.) I would like for her to draw out the situations more, make them more memorable and graspable. Granted, her audience is presumably herself, but it is also her readers as well. That said, some of the poems toward the end of The Understanding (third section) and a few dated from 2016 stand out as much stronger and bolder.

I think there's a tendancy when you begin writing poetry to let the language hide things you aren't comfortable talking about yet. Furthermore, in this genre of poetry volume, you sort of get an effect of someone writing a diary they don't really want others to read. I'd like to see what her next volume looks like as she grows as a poet. In that she's also an academic (I googled her), there's always that sense of being caught between your self-expression and your presumed employability. I can't say for sure that's related, but it might be.

However, for what this volume is, and the style it is done in, I would recommend this volume to anyone who has enjoyed Kaur and Lovelace and the like, because that's exactly the niche Abuleil is publishing in. In particular, if you have a teenage girl in your life who is learning to love poetry, you might consider this for her.

It's hard to put into words what this was like to read. Heartbreaking and healing. That last section of poetry was so good.

"This book is the way I say "You didn't break me", it's the way I look fear in the eye and tell it, 'I did what you said I couldn't, I did it, and I did it loud"

From it's very first lines, I knew I was going to like letters to the person I was. And it was the case. I fell in love with Sana's writing!
As a lover of words, I must say that I was impressed by the broad subjects she deals with in Letters to the person I was.
It is smart, beautifully writtend, and most of all: so true. The drawing are adding another dimension, more powerful to the poems.
The only thing I regret is the font: it is really uncomfortable to read!

I really enjoyed what this voice in verse had to offer in this collection. I’m glad to share good things about this book as a lover of poetry.

Poetry is so hard to review and evaluate. It’s such a personal journey and if you’re not on the same journey or haven’t been on it it can often be difficult to understand and interpret. This is such a beautiful book of poetry however I think that anyone could relate or appreciate it.

Thank you netgalley for providing the e-arc in exchange of an honest review.
This poem books was in way of a journal , and some of them are so raw that they make you feel the sadness. The book was short and good read. Do read it when it comes out next year!

This was very moving and an important read. I feel that things like this should be read by everyone, as it is one way to truly understand and connect with others. I loved everything about this.

Such beautiful words! I feel like a lot of this is highly relatable to who I was in the past as well. I wish the file would have been able to be downloaded on my kindle, but I ended up being able to read it on my phone.

letters to the person i was by Sana Abuleil is a collection of poetry born of a responsibility to convey that whatever the circumstances we currently find ourselves in, life is, ultimately, always worth living.

The verses flowed through my consciousness and many resonated on a deeply profound level. This is a substantive collection that is worthy of the time invested in ruminating on each beautiful word.

Thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for this ARC.

It wasn't the usual rhyming poetry style, it was different, writing a letter, more like a journal expressing feelings in an unstructured way. It wasn't rhyming but it did what it had to do, express feelings, pain, emotions. It spoke about how we try to blame what's not in our control, and try to save what can't be saved. The poet is inspired by her own feelings towards her friend who self harmed herself. It talked about breaking and how its inevitable, but it heals. It talks about the difference between love and what feels like love. It talks about selfish friendships and how in the end you only have yourself to depend upon, yourself to trust. It doesn't talk about family, or career.

Beautiful and sad. The artwork really sparks the book for me. This is such a heavy subject matter and for it to be handled in such a way is really inspiring. The come away the author had and the growth. The ability to learn to stop blaming oneself for others harm. It’s something I think most people can relate to at one time in their lives.

This one was incredibly tough for me to read. I felt a lot of it on a very personal level, and that's part of why I loved it so much. The writing style is one that definitely drew me in, and I loved that it was written as journal entries. To me, that made it feel much more real and raw.

As a poetry lover, I used to review poetry books in my account and help self pub authors. This book is a delight and at the same time a pain. I almost remember some days when I used to feel the same way the author felt. This poems tells a story that would captive every reader's heart. This message came from a girl full of secrets, hope, and faith. This reminds us to break free, let the demon inside swing the doors of our mind and free them. This is honestly beautifully written. May contain explicit content and assault. May this book be the voices of all the people who are still imprisoned by their demons.

"I don't love you like
lungs love air because
I don't love you like necessity
I love you like privilege."

Andrews McMeel has done it again! NO ONE, absolutely, NO ONE gave this book the right to wrench my heart out! I have never read a poetry collection which is utterly raw and honest with the emotions each poem bleeds. This poetry collection explores wounds, healing, forgiveness, reflection, self-love and love. Consisting of four chapters titled "the innocence," "the refusing," "the understanding," and "the growing," the collection is meant to take the reader on a journey of pain and hope, reinforcing the idea that life is still worth living. That life is always worth living.

There were three aspects that I am always critical about in a poetry book: font, length and the metaphors used. I had little issues with font and found it in sync to the theme which is also the title of the poem, "letters to the person i was'. I usually do not enjoy long poems because there are only a few people who are talented enough in keeping the essence of the poem throughout the length instead of giving it a repetitive and incomplete vibe, that just doesn't work out well with me, but Sana has done an explicable job in penning long poems that flow in ease (not so easy mentally.) They feel complete which gives the reader a moment to take in the entirety of the poems and the thoughts firing away in your mind, to calm down. Maybe it is because of the metaphors used which are new in so many ways. There is a uniqueness in every poem in a way that I didn't expect. Each poem is unequivocally thought-provoking and heart-wrenching!

This isn't just the author's letters to her younger self, this is all our letters to our younger selves. The experiences behind each poem must've been different from our own experiences but it unites us with the emotions flowing through them. Sana has done an applaudable job with this collection! I loved this tear-jerking collection and it brought so many personal issues to the right perspective. I will be keeping an eye out for her future works! This book goes straight out to be the second-best read I had this year and the first-best poetry collection!

Recommended: C'mon, my review screams that I recommend it! What are you waiting for? Get this book already! This collection might be the one that you never thought you needed until you read it...

Full of raw emotions. It’s a journey towards self healing and self love. Must have taken immense amount of courage to share something so personal with the world.

Was drawn to this on NetGalley because I saw my name on a book and there was a fellow scarf-clad girl on the cover!

As I read these poems, I found myself feeling Abuleil's sadness and desperation -- how she emotionally drowned herself seeking acceptance from others; these poems really really take you down with them.

And then towards the end, the poems start to pick up -- you can feel the change in the mood, in the words; there is now gratitude and happiness.

I resonated with Abuleil's journey as she grew into the person she is today. It hurt to resonate with it. I choked up a little. Poems with lines like 'i love you like privilege', and "i elephant-sized lion roar you too"...I was a sap for those.

A lot of these poems are simple easy reads while some read like flowery riddles, as poems do. There are cute illustrations too.

Would recommend reading this from start-to-finish if you want to process through any residual/subconscious pain you might've buried with respect to heartbreak or trauma related to close relationships.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

letters to the person i was is a new addition to the "Instagram" poetry group, like Milk and Honey or the princess saves herself in this one. These poems are truly letters that Abuleil has written to her past self, reflecting on hard times.

I really like the letters to a former self premise and, for the most part, the execution. She may be writing to her past self, but when a letter relates to your own struggles, you will feel seen.

However, I found it to be repetitive after a while. It made it hard to keep reading honestly because repeating the same thoughts, metaphors, and feelings gets old and loses its power after a while.

Overall, it is a nice read. If you enjoy the style of poetry, you will probably enjoy this collection of letters. But I don't think it is the strongest and most powerful work in this genre.

I was moved and impressed in equal measures by this collection of poetry. I was a bit put off at first because the collection uses a very childish and cartoon-like font which took a few pages to get used to. Once I’d adjusted to this however I found incredibly moving, sad and beautiful poems between the pages. The collection is full of lovely, colourful sketches and images as well. The poems are deep and intense and dealt with some pretty dark subjects without becoming depressing or maudlin.

At 12 years old your closest friend is cutting themselves. Crying out for and needing help. Instead of telling them they are valued, loved, to help them get help, all the things you are scared to say and finally put all down in eloquently beautiful and heartbreaking poetry. Beautifully written.

I recognized myself in a lot of these poems. This was truly written from the heart and the poems really hit me. I loved reading this book. It was a book with which you just had to take your time to read the poems.

Thanks to Andrews McMeel Publishing for the ARC!
A great book for fans of modern poetry. It's beautiful to see how we all feel the same, even if we come from different countries, different cultures... I can relate so much to the author.

Thanks to #NetGalley for the copy of this book. It means so much to me to read a heartfelt poetry collection by a new author and I am so glad I got a chance to get to read this book on time. I am currently going through some similar issues that are mentioned in this collection and I am somehow feeling humane that there are others who feel the same.
Even though I appreciate the themes tacked in this collection is important and need to be discussed and expressed, I felt like most of the lines kept me hanging. Maybe it's just the style of the author or maybe the lines needed to be complete like that.
However, I will be looking forward to more such collections by the author. I could relate so much with her.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was incredible, I loved it. The writing was so raw and incredibly done. It's deeply personal and tough to read at points. I'd add trigger/content warnings but I don't think I could get them all. I'm say, off the top of my head though: depression, anxiety, emotional abuse.

It's written in a string of almost diary entry poetries, and I just have to say for some reason that really worked for me. And I also really liked the split sections. I took it slow, as I do most poetry collections, reading a bit at a time to process it and I'd definitely recommend it for this. Or reading them out loud, they had a good cadence to them that I really enjoyed.

I'll definitely be looking into more by this author.

This is a solid poetry collection with reflections on experiences, emotions, relationships, and self. The poems varied in degrees of rawness. I appreciated my time inside the author’s head, heart, and words. I read this via NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher.

I have no particularly strong feelings about letters to the person i was, that is, I neither adored nor hated this poetry collection. Nonetheless, I found this little book to be quite refreshing: a much-appreciated breath of fresh air from all the romance-centered poetry found in most contemporary collections. A nice, warm hug even.

I really think that I read this collection at the perfect time. Some of the pieces really resonated with me, and I was able to connect with them in ways that truly surprised me. Many of them were centered on self-love and self-healing, and these are themes that are so, so important. I loved the ringing sincerity of Sana Abuleil's works, and I loved the hopefulness shining throughout this poetry book.

Although some of the poems in letters to the person i was fell flat, the collection still boasts some pretty thoughtful pieces that are perfect for self-reflection. letters to the person i was is not the best poetry I've come across, but I do think that it makes a great read if you're feeling blue, if you're feeling lonely, or if you generally just need some comfort.

Recommended!

It was painful to read, but in a good way. Achingly real. I have a friend who is going through these exact troubles it feels and all I could think of was her when I read it. The poetry isn't easy to read, this isn't simple to comprehend, but it's raw. It's powerful. It's worth your attention.

That said, I struggled with the poetic style of "letters to the person i was" and while there are moments that struck me hard such as:

<i>my poems are all
starting to sound the same.
they blur into each other
the way the traffic lights do
when they reflect on the street
after a rainstorm
and the whole city
lights up at night
and it makes sense
because lately it's
been rainstorm after rainstorm
so why wouldn't these words
get washed into each other?</i>

There are many more where I would find myself rereading page after page just because it could be hard to follow when the poems are so long and there's so little punctuation. There's effort involved. I would still recommend it though just for those brief moments that struck hard. Just don't expect this to be a collection that you can read in one sitting.

This collection of poetry was absolutely phenomenal from the time I placed this book in my hands and started reading it I fell in love! The writing really spoke to me in many volumes and I felt like I really could connect with the poet. I loved the bits of artwork that were inside of it as you read it. The writing as a whole inspired me during the time in my life that I’m going through right now. I feel like more people should read it!