Poetry collections always speak to me in a multitude of ways. Ever since I took a poetry class and subsequently unlocked and released my inner poet, I’ve been obsessed with what I refer to as “modern poetry”—poetry that manipulates form and discusses modern topics as we know and face them. And, who doesn’t love sitting down and immersing oneself in a sea of poetry, only surfacing once you’ve reached the far book flap?

That is what happened with me and Conlon’s The Surrender Theory. I won’t lie and say I picked this book out of the NetGalley sea because I felt a connection to the story—though that came about in surprising ways—but rather because I felt the cover was awesome. I judged this book by its cover and it TOTALLY paid off. Imagine my surprise when I begin to read and find minor experiences of my life mirrored in the words in front of me. All the way down to thinking someone making you pasta means you’re destined to spend together forever.

What Conlon has done best in The Surrender Theory, to me, is successfully woven a myriad of poems, that present in different styles and odes to other poets or media subjects, into a fluid arc. I could feel the darkness so present in the first half of the book lifting the further along I read. As cliche as it sounds, said darkness is replaced with a hopeful sensation. Conlon and her poetry don’t necessarily replace or hide away the depression and the hopelessness of past feelings and trauma, but rather highlight how you can successfully move forward away from them, even if they are always haunting nearby.

I recommend this collection wholeheartedly. I believe there is something in this collection for everyone, even if it’s small and a single direct poem or as large as topics such as grief, shame, and depression. So excited for this to publish and so excited to see what else Conlon has to offer.

thank you netgalley and publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

now… where do i even begin. caitlin has a way of taking you with her into a memory, to the point where you almost feel as if you’ve lived it yourself.

throughout the entire book, i never felt as if grief was absent. it was always there, even if it was just lingering in the back. that was one of my favourite things about the surrender theory, just the reality of finding a way to live with losing someone instead of overcoming the hurt.

the surrender theory was so much different than cavity, but i loved that it still included some poems about heartache. i feel like it missed the anger that cavity had, but that is a good thing, even if i will miss the (sweet) bitterness. instead of angry poems about a boy who left, caitlin wrote about a boy who stayed. and i think those might be my favourite ones, if only because her writing makes me want to join her in her joy. it’s impossible not to feel the love she has after reading these poems.

i have always believed that good writing is all about the feelings you get as a reader, whether it be poetry or something else, and caitlin always makes me feel everything. i experienced joy, heartache, love, grief, sadness, loneliness, nostalgia and despair throughout this book. i can’t wait for this to release so i can hold it in my hands.

Caitlin uses words to captivate emotions some of us only wish we could understand, you can feel the grief spilling off the page in the way she describes the loss of her grandmother and her first heartbreak. She has a rare gift for using the English language to absolutely stop you in your tracks and make you reconsider everything you’ve ever thought you knew about loss and heartache. I expect big things from this poet in the future.

The Surrender Theory is an incredible and emotional collection of poetry. It covers many dark topics, including grief, mental illness, and heartbreak, and I found myself relating to many of the poems in this collection. I don’t typically read poetry, but I absolutely loved reading about Conlon’s experiences and I will continue to read anything she writes. Thank you Netgalley for this ARC!

I AM BARELY HOLDING IT TOGETHER
but, miraculously, i'm whole. and i don't know what
this says about the nonlinear nature of growth or
whether i'm doing a good job at maintaining
the world i've cultivated despite mental illness
but maybe not everything needs to mean something.
maybe i can have days where

I AM BARELY HOLDING IT TOGETHER
and focus on the fact that still, still,

I AM HOLDING IT TOGETHER.


While the collection itself may be on grief, the book itself doesn’t give you any. While I wasn’t a huge fan of the illustrations, Caitlin Conlons collection itself had some really interesting pieces that show that the writer has potential.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read and review this ARC!

This collection is absolutely stunning. There were lines that made me gasp out loud. Grief is complicated to write about but Conlon does it beautifully in this collection while interspersing poems about love, body image, (even dry shampoo!) throughout. If you like long poems that make you think, this is a great book for you.

I love a good poetry collection, and Caitlin Conlon's writing is right up my street.
This book has a real range of different styles, and different topics.
There was so much in here that I could relate to.
Conlon's writing style was really heartfelt and left me 'feeling the feels' when reading.

Definitely recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley for access to this book in exchange for a honest review!

This collection covers grief and mental illness very well in my opinion, and I appreciated the ones covering these topics very much.

I know since I read an e-arc of this that this (hopefully) will be something fixed in the final copy, but I found the spacing of the written portions to be very off and practically impossible to read. This wasn’t something that was a large part of the book, but when it would occur it’d take me out of the author’s way with storytelling because I wouldn’t know what she was getting across.

At times, I personally found a few poems to be a bit too lengthy to where I’d have to go back and remind myself what had been said so I could stay on track with what the author was sharing.

All and all, I enjoyed this collection and really liked the author’s writing style.

The moment I finished this book I had a big "Oh" moment when I realized why the title is The Surrender Theory. This book is a collection of poems about hopelessness, grief, and surrendering to mental illnesses and lastly, acceptance. It is a beautiful collection that I really resonated with. I love the authors references to pop culture and the the art was a nice breather in between deep poems. This book does not shy away from reality. It is crude. It is very real. It FEELS so real. I really loved it.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review. "The Surrender Theory" is a truly astonishing poetry collection. It deals with quite a lot topics and there is a variety of different works. The reader could literally how the author evolves as a poet. There were some references, many of which to pop culture, which made the content of this poetry collection much more relatable and easier to connect with. The poems were quite deep and packed with emotion. I really enjoyed the more simplistic poems as the more complex ones sometimes felt prolonged, and at times the initial idea ended up getting lost, which happens quite often when a person tries to create something absolutely great. The writing style was beautiful and very engaging. The trigger warnings include grief, heartache, death, depression, etc. A wonderful read for everyone who loves intense poetry.

Wow, this was an incredible collection of poetry. It covers themes such as grief, love and mental illness. Although I didn’t relate to every single poem, I found myself connecting to many of them. They were all written so beautifully with the perfect language to convey the subject. This author is definitely one to watch!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for a chance to read and review this book.

Just from the description I was quite certain this poetry would be up my alley and luckily that held true.

Conlon writes with poignancy about the intertwining of grief, heartache, depression, resignation, growing, and acceptance. Using references from philosophy, art, film, music and other pop cultural works she grounds her experiences in a reality that is at once personal and relatable. Conlon never shies away from the pathos and even dipping into the pathetic once in a while.

I highly recommend this book that also evoked the grandparents I’ve lost and miss dearly.

I'm saddened to not have enjoyed this book since I love reading poetry a lot, but this book just wasn't for me. Maybe some other day I will be able to try reading it again.

“grief has always kept a neat house, which is to say
sometimes feelings are so large that there
isn't space for anything else.”

Genre: Poetry
Actual Rating: 5 stars
Content Warnings: Death, grief, and mental health (stated in the beginning of the book, 10/10 for that)

This poetry book looks at the topics of death and grief from a very crude, very recent, very real stand point. I loved the hand-drawn doodles that were there to guide you through the story. I loved the duality of Caitlin Conlon’s writing, as the words were both tender and heartbreaking. I think this book has been my favorite poetry book of 2021. I think Coded Signals is my new favorite poem STOP but, also, Ode for the Girls that Camp Out for Concerts spoke to me so deeply. It’s literally the story of me and my friends and how we waited outside of SNL to see Taylor Swift for two seconds (spoiler alert, we didn’t).

I would recommend this book to anyone who’s still grieving (a death or a heartbreak) even if it’s been years since the loss (but really, only pick it up if you feel you’re ready). I would also recommend this book to anyone who likes the works of Andrea Gibson, as I feel they will absolutely love “The Surrender Theory”.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

p.s. I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy of this book.

p.s.s. I think I’m still in the aftermath.

If you are looking for a beautiful poetry collection about grief, love and heartache this is definitely the book for you! The poems were written so beautifully and from the start you get captivated by those words 😍
I would definitely recommend this book!!!

I have been following Caitlin Conlon on Instagram and have been looking forward to the release of her newest collection. So I was excited when I heard it was available for request on NetGalley. I was not disappointed. I was moved by the journey through heartbreak, love, and grief that her poems took me on. I would definitely recommend this one.

I really enjoyed this poetry collection. This was my first experience with this poet, and I would definitely read more. I thought the poems seemed fresh and interesting. The collection, as a whole, felt strong with emotion flowing freely throughout the pages.

another stunning collection from caitlin conlon from one of my favorite publishers. stunning and thought provoking.

An incredible and powerful collection of poems. I wasn't sure how I was going to like it based off the blurb but I fell in LOVE. While not breaking the mold stylistically, Conlon breaks out of the box of most confessional poetry styles by using metaphor and language to transcend above many others in the same genre. The hidden message poem of "it's easier to think of myself as one big epic poem" is a common practice in poetry but was perfectly executed in this collection.

My favorite poems are: "Figuratively Speaking", "Anxiety as Inheritance", and "In Defense of the Breakup Poems."

Caitlin Conlon is one of my favorite poets; I've been looking forward to this book so much, and it did not disappoint at all. Having finished it, my heart is so full, and tender, and open.

The poems in this book are gorgeous, and I don't know where to begin describing them. I wrote down so many lines from them that I loved, and notes like "'Clairvoyance' destroyed me." Caitlin knows so well how to toe the lines between grief and love and brokenness and healing. Her poetry makes me appreciate all that is soft.

I absolutely loved this book, and I'm so happy more people will be able to read it soon. I would recommend The Surrender Theory to any fans of Caitlin or poetry in general.

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