A great read by Elison Alcovendaz.. Emotional, heartbreaking yet hopeful. The author has a a good, flowing writing style. I really enjoyed every page.

Dieser Gedichtband ist in 4 Kategorien aufgeteilt: "Lovers" erzählt von den schönen Gefühlen während des Verliebseins; "Exes" von den Schmerzen, wenn eine Beziehung scheitert oder man sich in einer ungesunden Beziehung befindet; "Interlude: Self Love" stellt die Erkenntnis in den Vordergrund, wie wichtig die eigene Wertschätzung und Selbstliebe ist und dass es nicht nötig ist, eine Beziehung zu haben, um glücklich zu sein; und "Soulmates" schließt mit Gedichten zu Beziehungen, in denen man sich gegenseitig wertschätzt, und mit Hoffnung auf neue Liebe.

Ich mochte an diesen Gedichten sehr, dass viele von ihnen reimende Verse hatten oder sich auf andere Weise wohl klingend lesen ließen. Zudem gab es viele schöne Metaphern, humorvolle Vergleiche oder sehr sanfte, tiefgründige Zeilen. Für mich war das Lesen dieser Gedichte ein wahrer Genuss und ich habe selten Gedichtbände gelesen, in denen mir jedes einzelne von ihnen gefiel. Ich habe mir sofort nach dem Lesen das Buch als Print bestellt und werde die weiteren Veröffentlichungen der Autorin definitiv im Blick behalten. Von mir gibt es hier eine absolute Leseempfehlung!


in English:

This poetry collection is divided into four categories: “Lovers” tells of the beautiful feelings of being in love; “Exes” tells of the pain when a relationship fails or when you find yourself in an unhealthy relationship; “Interlude: Self Love” focuses on the importance of self-esteem and self-love and that it is not necessary to be in a relationship to be happy; and “Soulmates” concludes with poems about relationships in which people value each other and with hope for new love.

I really liked that many of these poems had rhyming verses or were otherwise pleasant to read. There were also many beautiful metaphors, humorous comparisons, and very gentle, profound lines. Reading these poems was a real pleasure for me, and I have rarely read poetry collections in which I liked every single one of them. Immediately after reading it, I ordered the book in print and will definitely keep an eye out for the author's future publications. I highly recommend reading this book!

This was an intense but beautiful poetry collection.
I loved every moment. This is a book of love poems for all the people you loved before.
Lyrical writing and beautiful metaphors!
It’s overall a fast pace read.

Heartbreak is a big muse in the literary world. And when going through something like that it's always good to read about someone else going through it too. This poetry collection is a good friend in the time of need.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this ARC. All opinions are my own.

This is a lovely collection of poems perfect if you are going through heartbreak.

I really enjoyed it.

It was easy to read and able to dip in and out

Thank you for the arc

This collection was interesting in theory, but the execution left me underwhelmed. The poems felt very simplistic in form and surface level in terms of content. I can understand that love and heartbreak are themes people can relate to and so this collection is perhaps meant to be accessible to a variety of poetry readers, but the collection felt incredibly superficial to me.

Little love letters that I didn't know I needed ❤️ This book was very in depth, allowing the reader to feel the feelings of the author.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

I really enjoy poetry about love and this book covered it from all aspects! The author did a great job at keeping some poems light and humorous, others were deep and thought provoking, some made me want to cry and rip my heart out. If you have been in and through love this book covers it. Sweet and sexy, sad and angry.

The moment I saw the stunning cover art, I knew I wanted to read this collection. The imagery is both simple but heart wrenching which represents the emotional journey of life: bold, intimate, and profoundly human.

True to its title, the collection is structured as a chronological passage through separate sections: lovers, exes, and soulmates. I did appreciate the author’s willingness to bear their truth throughout each section. You sense the real-life experiences behind the words: broken hearts, complicated relationships, grief, and occasional joy. I do think everyone will be able to relate to something in this book whether you’ve endured a painful breakup or are in the midst of falling in love, you’ll find something that speaks directly to your heart.

However, the subject matter is well worn in contemporary poetry. While honest and heartfelt, the themes are familiar. In addition to the topics not being unique, I did not feel like the format was unique either leaving me wanting more from one or the other.

Overall, I did enjoy about four of the poems in entirety and highlighted a number of one off passages, but the remaining pieces, while good, didn’t leave as strong an impact. When comparing to the amount of content in this collection, I found myself wishing for a few more signature poems that would resonate louder. If you’re seeking relatable expressions of relationship-lifecycle emotions, this book is well worth exploring. Just don’t expect groundbreaking form or groundbreaking insight.

Elison Alcovendaz's "Lovers Exes Soulmates" was easy to read, and moved quickly. The language leans into the romantic, and rather than the contemplative depth I was looking for, I did feel the poetry lacked what I generally prefer, and I did not finish this collection.

Despite this, I think there are others who would enjoy this collection--I am just not the ideal audience. I tend to lean towards a different rhyme scheme and a less idealistic outlook in my poetry, but believe that others who prefer sweeter and softer language will enjoy this work.

A special "thank you" to Central Avenue Publishing for allowing me to read this as an Advanced Reader Copy!

Each poem in this was so heartfelt, emotions were felt throughout. Each page felt like a piece of life that had been lived and felt in some way shape or form! I found myself thinking of people in my past and experiences I’ve had while lost in the pages! If you’re looking for poetry that makes you feel something I highly recommend!

for the longest time i wanted to get more into poetry and netgalley provided me with one that sounded right up my alley. i'm not the best at reviewing them yet, but i can tell that this one was absolutely worth it.

if you're dealing with heartbreak, loss of your partner, low self-esteem or you just simply love someone completely - this poetry collection will be for you, i promise. the author put his thoughts and feelings into this book and i could tell that from the start!

this is the list of my personal favourite poems:

from lovers section: storytime, the purpose of a mouth, reading, three little words, dictionary, all you have to say, flavors of you

from exes section: 8:18, the medicine cabinet, ice cream, moving, reincarnation, auction

from self-love section: broken, be a child, the person of your dreams, lucky penny

from soulmates section: what the universe wants, the one, binge, why, forever, us, lightning and thunder

whether you love poetry or not, i still highly recommend picking this up if you wanna read about things i've mentioned above. you'll definitely find something relatable here. 🩷

I have very mixed feelings about this collection, but that’s the beauty of poetry. Well, art, in general. It’s subjective. Some poems hit deep in my soul, some were quirky and cute, some fell a bit flat, some felt too repetitive, some seemed too similar to other poetry I’ve read before. I feel like the shifting of the tone throughout threw off the vibe overall, and the publisher should have split this up into different collections for the author. One of quirky and cute love poems, and one of deep, emotional poems. Would have rated this three stars, but decided on four stars simply because I respect the author’s creativity. Thank you NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing for an ARC.

thank you to Netgally and Central Avenue for the digital ARC.

I loved the poems, especially the ones themed lovers and exes spoke to me. The plottwist on the last few broke my heart and came utterly suprising.
Elison writes about his love and lover in such a beautiful way, that I was actually suprised when the word "man" appeared, as I thought it written by another queer woman,

A Lyrical Journey Through Love and Loss!!!
Elison Alcovendaz's Lovers, Exes, Soulmates is a breathtaking collection that masterfully captures the complexities of love, heartbreak, and healing. The poems flow with a rhythm that's both soothing and evocative, drawing readers into a deeply personal exploration of relationships. Alcovendaz's prose is not only beautiful but also resonates with authenticity and emotional depth. Each piece feels like a heartfelt conversation, making this collection a poignant and unforgettable read.

Thank you Netgalley, Central Avenue Publishing, and Elison Alcovendaz for sending me this advanced review copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was a really fun book of poetry to read. The little bits of sarcasm and humor were fantastic! It kept my attention the whole time, and I couldn't wait to read the next poem to see what it was going to be about.

This isn't a super deep emotional book, it's more for fun and exploring love without being all tears and soul searching. I'd honestly love to see some of these poems inside greeting cards with snarky cartoons on the front.

I enjoyed the way the collection is organised. Alcovendaz is experimental and playful with his formats. Admittedly, a good chunk are a little too simple in verse and format that it reads as 'minimalist Instagram poetry.' A few offer a nuanced but subtle take on each concept. Nothing groundbreaking here.

Thanks to Netgalley and Central Avenue Publishing for providing me with the e-ARC/DRC in exchange for an honest review.

A lovely collection of relatable, emotive poetry.
It's not quite my preferred style of poetry, it's simple plain speaking type that I feel would be popular on Tumblr or in Instagram caption at times, but still enjoyable to flip through and read nonetheless. Very relatable topics of lovers, breakups, regrets and the various depths of love.

Thank you to Central Avenue Publishing for providing access to this ARC and it's wonderful words.

This was an interesting collection of poetry that I found myself having a harder time connecting with than I normally do. The poems were good - not great, and the flow of poems didn't always make sense to me, I realize they maybe reordered in the official publication. It felt more chaotic than anything, and maybe adjusting the order/flow would help this collection. I feel like it was so close for me but narrowly missed.

While there were a few pieces in here that I really liked, this style of poetry just isn’t for me. I found the prose stilted and the subjects derivative.