2.5 stars.

I absolutely LOVE that this author is shedding light on mental health, and having the same disorders as she does, I really expected to love this book more than I did. The essays are incredibly strong, and I really enjoyed them, the author is clearly very talented. The poems, however, I didn't find to be very strong. While it wasn't horrible by any means, it also wasn't anything that is likely to stick with me. There were no hard-hitting lines that stood out, or any poems that I could point to and say "that one resonated" or "that was a favourite", they were all kind of meh.

That being said, Sadee Bee clearly has a lot of potential and I hope that she continues to write, especially about these topics, as I expect her to only improve, and I know there are others who are bound to love this collection despite it not being for me!

Chilling and captivating.
A collection of poems about mental illness and the pain and strive that come with. Obviously the subject matter is dark but it was very well done.

Slow but unique, it clearly highlighted that for black communities mental illness is still a taboo and thanks to the author's reflections made it more than clear that it is a space to listen, empathizing and learning about the ups and downs of living without good access to mental health.

These are personal poems dealing with mental illness written in a conversational style. I enjoyed Mirrors are my Enemy for its distinct voice and tone which, unlike the other poems, has a note of positivity.
Thank you to the publisher and poet for an advanced copy.

3.5/5 stars

"Duality is necessary
Yet, it is tearing me in two.
The only thing I truly want
Is to fully love,
and to be loved too."

This poetry collection centers around the poet's issue with mental illness. I could definitely relate to some of the poems. I wish there were more positivity with some of the poems because it's pretty dark to read, but overall enjoyed this.

I received this free from Netgalley to review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
This short book is filled with poetry and short essays about the author's struggles with various mental illnesses. She conveys her point that one is not alone in their struggles. I'm not a big fan of poetry so I did get more out of the short essays.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, I wasn't impacted by this book as much as I expected. I appreciated the honest discussion of mental illness, stigma, and suicidal thoughts, which are drawn from the author's own experience. The story is told through a series of poems and short essay-style prose chapters, the majority of which felt stilted and awkwardly written. Metaphors and symbolism seemed thrown in for the sake of being there rather than to impact the storytelling. There were long, repetitive chapters filled with simplistic writing followed by sudden bursts of figurative language (some of which I enjoyed). The ending was also depressing and vague; after being in the narrator's head for 70 pages I hoped for a clearer resolution to her story.