I cannot be good until you say it is a gorgeous poetry collection that touches on themes of Islam, queerness, grief, family, expectations, racism, love and more. As a relatively new poetry reader, a lot of this went over my head, but the beauty of the poems certainly did not. I look forward to Sanah Ahsan releasing more work in the future!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this e-ARC.

These poems were okay. They cover queerness and religion and race, but they don't really have much to say about any of those topics. They're just angsty, and that's no longer what I look for in poetry. There is potential here, but it wasn't executed well enough for me.

Sadly I ended up dnf'ing this book 68% in. I really tried to push and finish it, it covered hard themes that I usually find in poetry I read but this one just wasn't doing it for me. Felt like it was trying to be too much :(

Thoughts:
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This book interweaves so many different themes in such a short collection of poems., tackling topics I relate to such as femininity, psychology and queerness with others that I need to learn more about such as being Pakistani, and being Muslim. I was also amazed at how well Ahsan managed to weave the Quran in the text making it rhyme and also fit in with each poem a quote is used in. Ahsan really makes us feel things with each of her poems, especially those on world known attacks like 9/11 and the Pulse nightclub.

Favourite Quote:
"the whiter we get the closer we are to being good enough to mourn i don't want to be alive an agent of this violence i'm not sure if that means i want to die or i want to belong to forever"

*Thank you to NetGalley for a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

"I am unsure
whether love
is sacrifice
or ruthless discipline"

"I cannot be good until you say it", by Sanah Ahsan, is a beautiful and touching collection of poems focusing on different aspects and topics involving religion, queernes and culture. I'm not a great poetry reader, but I enjoyed this through and through.

I am. Obsessed. Instant Favourite.

This debut redeemed poetry for me. Such beautiful writing, I love the way they handle delicate topics with the relationships with their parents, queerness, homophobia, islamophobia, 'conflicting' identities and love. I found myself returning to rereading my favourites even after finishing the collection, and I know this will be a solid rotation in my reading!

Officially a lifelong Sanah Ahsan fan.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

Incredibly evocative and rich, and though I'm not a fan of poetry, I won't hold it against this book! I felt a real connection to the title which is why I requested it and Ahsan's poetry is so powerful.

'My Dua is Love' was my personal favourite, I re-read it at least 6 times.

I always find judging or reviewing poetry incredibly difficult, as it is such a personal thing, and contemporary poetry doesn't simply align with categories like "good" or "bad", it's more about what resonates with you and what doesn't, which is influenced a lot by your own personality, values and experiences in life. This one was a mixed bag for me, but I enjoyed it for the most part. Will definitely be interested in picking up the author's non-fiction book when it comes out, it sounds interesting!

A fantastic debut collection of poems.

I have only started reading poetry recently so probably missed some of the deeper meanings but still found most of these poems moving in some way.

The collection covers many themes, including queerness, racism, psychology, family, goodness and Islam.
Even though I have little understanding of Islam the poetry did a great job of questioning what it is to be a good Muslim in today’s society. I found this especially thought provoking. I even went on to listen to some of the passages from the Quran the author mentions.

For me this was a great collection to start my poetry journey with. The range of language, forms and formatting and the modern and spiritual themes gave me something I could relate to whilst giving me plenty to think about.

The variety here meant that I enjoyed most of these poems on first read but there is also enough depth for me to want to come back and read again. I’m sure that when I have explored more poetry I will find even more in this collection to enjoy.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for the free copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I don’t read a lot of poetry outside of classic poetry of writers like Emily Dickinson or Shelly but so I’m glad I read this debut poetry collection. Sanah Ahsan highlights themes of religion, spirituality, queerness, and Pakistani culture.

Ahsan writes powerfully and eloquently about all parts of their identity, I have no doubt many people will feel at home within their words.

I cannot be good until you say it by Sanah Ahsan is very reminiscent of If They Come for Us by Fatima Asghar and We Have Always Been Here: A Queer Muslim Memoir by Samra Habib in how it explores being queer and Muslim.

Ahsan writes with beauty and honesty on both parts of their identity - from the softness and belonging found in a lover, to the comforting ritual and hope found in faith. Their writing is evocative and I especially enjoyed how lines from the Quran were embedded within the collection alongside photographic glimpses of family and childhood.

Ahsan's journey as portrayed through this collection is clearly personal, but I have no doubt many will relate to it, particularly because of Ahsan's exploration and questioning of identity throughout.

such an amazing collection of poems, highlighting themes of religion, spirituality, queerness and pakistani culture. i love reading books by muslim authors and seeing what religion means to them — i think it helps open my mind further because sometimes it can mean something completely different to them compared to what it means to me.

i felt quite touched by so many of the words in these poems; the mash up of the pakistani and british culture, intertwined with Islam, was so relatable + really made me scream "omg i get how this feels!" so many times, and i loved that i got so many of the cultural and language references.

i really enjoyed this collection, and a few parts even made me feel a little teary. an absolute must read for people who enjoy poetry.

I cannot be good until you say it is a the debut collection of poetry by Sanah Ahsan, exploring queerness, Islam, racism, and what is good and what goodness might mean. The poems span a range of topics, using a range of language and registers and ways of formatting on the page, and I like the way the poems avoid rigid boundaries of what can go together, feeling part of poetic traditions (and the book is littered with quotations) but also fresh. This is a highly personal collection that explores the self, family, love, sex, religion, and particularly how queerness weaves throughout these, and it really comes together as a full book even as it explores fragmentation of self.

An emotional and powerful collection of poetry. Drawing from a range of themes and motifs, this book is incredible.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC.

I found I struggled to get into this, which surprised me as it should be my cup of tea. There were some poems that I enjoyed more than others, but the beauty of poetry books is you can revisit them/dip in and out and each time you may enjoy a different poem more than you did last time, or think of something in a new light. There were a lot of complex themes explored, this is one I'll need to revisit I think.

This collection felt poignant and liberating throughout and it definitely made me feel reach into the depths of my emotions.

Wow. I loved this poetry collection. I've been picking up many of the works published in this series and Sanah Ahsan's is my favourite to date. The poems span queer intimacy, family, grief, spirituality, racism, and many other topics. Ahsan's style of expression is so rhythmic but also delicate. I found several poems profoundly moving and I've gone back to read more than one several times since I recieved the e-ARC from Netgalley. Certain this will be one of my poetry collections of the year (even though we are only a few days in.)