diary of a romantica, vol. I: lovers forgotten

by Celia Martinez, Martin Martinez (Illustrator)

We present the debut poetry book from the viral social media phenom, Celia (ceis) Martínez AKA diaryofaromantica (on Instagram) and powerhouseofthecel (on TikTok). From the head and heart of the hopeful romantica Yale alumna, "diary of a romantica, vol. I" brings to life part one of the poetic journey of falling in love.

Genres: Poetry, Romance, Love, Romantic, Nonfiction, Erotic Romance

164 pages, Paperback

Published February 10, 2023

Reviews

[Gwen Gillham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like the Taylor Swift of the poetry world

[Sahar Jennah · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I say I’m a hopeless romantic these poems describe it perfectly!!!

[Ellaryn Kraak · Rating 5 out of 5]

I seriously felt like “that girl” reading this collection of poems. It reads like a full story of heartbreak, longing, and falling deeply in love. I didn’t expect to relate to this as much as I did, but it was so incredibly empowering. It’s beautifully written and really captures emotions of what it’s like living as a hopeless romantic in a world where it seems impossible to find love. It explores loving someone you’ve never meet, someone you’ve lost, and yourself. I will say I’m not a Spanish speaker so a few of the poems I didn’t understand because they were in Spanish, but I definitely will just translate them online. That didn’t bother me much though, and it wasn’t enough of an inconvenience for me to dislike this book in the slightest. I will definitely be reading this over and over again. Beautiful.

[Indy · Rating 5 out of 5]

In love with these poems. They are so amazingly written. Let me just put my favourite here:

""
If I was a book
Do you think you'd read all the pages?
Come back and take notes?
Would you love me at all my stages?

Would you judge my first draft?
All the words I circled red?
Would you ask about the ripped chapters?
Or the drops from the tears shed?

Would you want to rewrite me?
Change all the words somehow?
Remove some of the characters?
Or maybe even add some back in now?

Would you judge me by my cover?
The one God so carefully drew?
Or would you fall in love with it?
In the same way
I...
Fell in love with you
""

[Chabely · Rating 3 out of 5]

It didn’t really meet my expectations. I love watching the way she reads her poetry but I found several phrases to be very repetitive. The title is lovers forgotten but it sounds like some of these lovers are experiences she’s waiting to have. More on the upbeat side and positive note of love which I appreciate but I wanted some poems of heartache. You would think that based on her title she would write poetry about her prior relationships. It seems like she has more of a positive view on it. I can’t tell if she’s waiting for the right guy to come around or if she’s had good experiences with someone who she felt was the right guy but it just didn’t workout. It’s like she didn’t take the time to process her emotions during the end of a relationship. Also not a big fan of the art pieces, I would’ve preferred for her to either draw it out or not have art at all. Still deciding if I’ll purchase her second volume :/

[Chelsea DeVries · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are anything like me, you read poetry to feel something. To feel sad, to feel angry, to resonate with the feeling of heartbreak expressed in a piece. Rarely ever, do I find romantic poetry a genre that I vibe with these days. That is until I happened upon a poet climbing the social media ranks named Celia Martinez.

What struck me most was the absolute effortless delivery with which Martinez delivers her poems, almost like she’s just saying what first comes to mind, and in terms of poetry and the complexity of language barriers, that is a rare find.

Her poetry reads like diary entries but follows a rhyme scheme with themes ranging from future love, past love, love as a concept, romance, fictional men, heartbreak, and themes of anxiety and depression as well.

The absolute best thing about Martinez’s collection is her imagery. You can literally picture two people meeting in the street, the young woman carrying bread. How she blushes when the man speaks to her, wondering if he’s actually addressing her or someone else entirely. It’s like paintings of romantic storylines come to life, and it fills the readers soul with such wonder, curiosity, and even dare I say, fulfillment similar to that of a romance novel you can’t stop reading.

I finished Martinez’s collection in two days simply because I had trouble putting it down like an insatiable romance novel, and that to me is poetry done absolutely right in a time of social media and short attention spans.

Thank you Celia for reminding us all that love is possible even if it hasn’t been returned to us yet.

[meggyam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this because i really enjoy her spoken word on insta and her podcast is great but so much is this book is extremely repetitive. Also the title doesn’t make much sense because almost every poem speak of future not the past. Still debating if I want to read the second volume

[Hanna Conn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is perfect for a Taylor Swift Lyric enthusiast who has been hurt, is dreaming of love, but hasn't found it.

[Laura C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely beautiful! It’s been a long time since I’ve read poetry, and this was perfection for my lover girl heart ❤️

[Cassidy Lloyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly didn’t expect to ever get a poetry book, however I enjoy the poets spoken word content and so finally got the book and it didn’t disappoint. Simple wording yet beautiful and touching. I wish I understood Spanish well enough to really appreciate her Spanish poems. Was too short so looking forward to getting more of her books :)

[eileen ♡︎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

celia, there are no words to describe the way you use words ❤️‍🩹

[Besad · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a world full of responsibilities, objectivity and running time there is still place for poems like this and hopefully for more hopeless romantics like me and Celia Martínez

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have watched plenty of Celia Martinez' IG videos, I therefore I was excited to read this poetry collection. It centres around love and is therefore extremely romantic in nature. If you feel that you are a hopeless romantic, who has been burned one too many times, then this is the poetry collection for you.

The book is self-published, which is important to mention, because not only does it mean that the physical quality of the book is slightly lacking (which is totally fair), but I also felt that the book needed an editor. A lot of the poems have one of two issues according to me, either A) it had too many ideas in one poem, meaning it goes in too many different directions all at once, or B) the poem includes one or two verse that goes in an interesting direction, but then stops before getting into it completely. I think an editor would have helped with both these problems, and perhaps her next books will consider benefitting from this.

That being said, I enjoyed the book, and if you enjoyed Martinez' poems online you will probably enjoy the book as well.

[vee · Rating 5 out of 5]

i'm in love. and that's a problem.

this book has been quite a journey for me, much less for the time i spent reading it and actually much more for everything that comes before, during and after.

i've been wanting this book for ages.
one month ago i finally got the chance to buy it on my own and finally achieve my dream of reading celia's poetry. i've always loved her style and her instagram videos where she read poetry were my daily medicine.
the point is, i expected it to be good; to be full of love; to be cute; to be poetic, of course; to shred my soul and have me tearing up. but i never expected it to express my exact feelings, the precise emotions i feel every day. i never expected to relate so much to so many lines. and especially, i never expected it to talk about me in almost every poem.

one thing is relating to words written about love and hopeless romantics, another is finding yourself among letters printed on paper that express your soul in a way that you, yourself, would ever be able to replicate.

thank you celia for this masterpiece.
i can't wait to buy the next one. and i will, hopefully soon!

[Cozette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diary of a Romantica, vol. I: Lovers Forgotten is a book of a collection of poems written by Yale graduate Celia Martinez. The book is a diary of poetry that the author, who is a hopeless romantic, wrote, and it also contains really gorgeous art on it to separate the poems. I loved this book because of how romantic and passionate it is; Celia Martinez has a really good way of words that makes the audience empathize with what she is writing. The writing tugged at my heart in multiple ways and really makes me look at the world in a happier, more optimistic way. Although I may not relate to all of the situations in this book, Celia Martinez makes one feel like they are not alone and opens one’s eyes to a world full of love and happiness. One of the things I also liked about this book and the poems is how Martinez integrates Spanish into her poems; some poems have both English and Spanish in them, and some are poems connected about the same things but in different languages. The variance in the languages and the romance of the Spanish Language provides so much more depth to the art itself. I first found Celia on Instagram when her poetry caught my eye; listening to her poetry helps me end the day happily, and reading this book was definitely worth it for me! This book was one of the first poetry books I wanted to purchase and has made my love for poetry grow. I give this book a five out of five stars and recommend this book to anyone who loves romance and the beauty of poetry.

[Samuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Diary of a romantica, vol I: Lovers Forgotten" by Celia Martinez is a book in the form of poems that mainly talks about love stories and wishes. This is a collection of poems that share different emotions felt when dealing with love. Throughout the book, she sees herself as a hopeless romantic, meaning that she believes that she will never find love. She shares different scenarios and ideas she wishes would happen with her ideal person, who she is deeply in love with. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes reading poetry. This is also a great book for those who like reading romantic books that share different ideas of love.

[Joaquin Casas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diary of a Romantica, Vol I: Lovers Forgotten, by Celia Martinez is one of the best books I've read. I don't really like poetry and tend to avoid but I follow Celia Martinez on social media and this book has been recommended to me before so I figure I would read it for this month. I don't think a book has put me as close to crying as this book. It's filled with so much sentiment and each poem made me feel something even if I couldn't relate to them as much as other poems. I absolutely loved this book and would recommend it to anyone.

[Chiquikieta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Februari 14

'Find me under the stars
as all the clouds start to clear
I'll remind you of your beauty
with little whispers in your ear

Find me in the sunshine
after a long day of rain
I'll help you see a life full of color
when everything seems unbelievably plain

Find me under a warm blanket
on the coldest day of the year
and when love feels too far
I'll show you that I'm already here'

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

the perfect poetry book for someone who is also a hopeless romantic, i’m obsessed

[Acsa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this poem book, one of my wins of this year. 🤍

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

celia is ~una reina~

[Michi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This made me proud of being a hopeless romantic

[Bicha :D · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ bcuz my favorite poem wasn’t in this collection :(

[noelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

if ur a hopeless romantic u HAVE to read this book!!

[Karina · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was the first time I read a poetry book and I really enjoyed it!
the poems are beautifully written.
some I liked more than others, but one of my favorites was "march 1".

[Abbey Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve followed @diaryofaromantica on Tiktok for a while and love her work so I thought it was way overdue to get (and read) her book. What a beautiful collection of poems and art, it was a joy to read 🖤

[Jade (beauty.andherbooks) · Rating 5 out of 5]

2nd Read: ★★★★★

1st Read: ★★★★★
That was some soul-piercing poetry right there.

I'm so glad I discovered Celia on Instagram. Every time she read one of her poems, I found myself wanting to cry from overwhelming emotion. This book drew out those same emotions, especially as I read most of the poems out loud to myself. I would highly recommend this book if you're a hopeless, yet hopeful romantic at the same time.

"But the thing about love / is it could never be late / and where there is love / there is someone worth the wait" (96)
"But I think I was born in the wrong generation / people don't do that anymore / except if I'm a hopeless romantic / there must exist at least one more" (75)

[Julie Ann Cordero · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, but there is just something about hearing Celia Martinez read her poetry on her TikTok feed.

I did appreciate the English and Spanish versions of some of the poems in the book.

[Kezia Zalfa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diary-likes Poems in Diary of a Romantica Vol. I: Lovers Forgotten by Celia Martínez.

I really like Celia's poems on Instagram. The poems are about love, loss, self-discovery, hopes and longing, also relationships, and I can understand them very well. It's hard to say exactly what I think about her poetry, but I really like Celia's poems collection. Especially her poems in her book series entitled “Diary of a Romantica.” Specifically in the first volume: lovers forgotten, her poems are characterized by its raw and emotional content. Her poems often reflecting on personal experiences and observations which often caught me off guard on how hard it might hit me like it used to in Instagram. Celia’s writing style is intimate and confessional like she inviting me to connect with her on a deeply personal level. What I like the most is that each poem in this books feels like a whispered secret, shared between the poet and the reader, just like reading my own diary.

Celia’s writing style is refreshingly raw and honest, reminiscent of a personal diary entry, making it easy to connect with her emotions on a deeply personal level. Each poem feels like a whispered secret, shared between the poet and the reader. Each poems does not have a specific tittle but using a date, for example like the very first poem in the x poem on page 12, the title is nowhere to be found but a date “january, 11” on it’s page top left corner. I do not expect to relate to this as much as how I wrote my diary, but it her poem collection in this book is so incredibly empowering. In the “january, 11,” it was written, “Love is sooner and Love is later, because love is already here.” (Martínez, 2023). The lines is beautifully written and really captures emotions of what it’s like living as a hopeless romantic in a world where it seems impossible to find love. It is as if she's reading my own thoughts and feelings, putting them into words with a poetic flair that I could never hope to achieve.

I will say I am not a Spanish speaker so a few of the poems I did not understand because they were in Spanish, but I definitely will just translate them online. The inclusion of Spanish poems adds a unique cultural dimension to the collection, and the stunning artwork enhances the overall reading experience. The Spanish poem? That did not bother me much though. Celia really inspired me with her poetry.

To conclude, reading this collection make me feel like the girl which be told inside the poems. It reads like a full story of heartbreak, longing, and falling deeply in love. I saved so many of her videos and I even enjoyed to write some more poems for myself. It is a book that will stay with me for a long time for sure, reminding me that it is okay to feel all the feels, and that even in the darkest moments, there is always hope for healing and growth even in a despair of love and loss.

[Clara · Rating 4 out of 5]

ES:

Nota: 3,75
Descubrí a Celia Martinez el año pasado en TikTok y me encantó cómo recitaba, así que, en cuanto supe que tenía libros de poemas publicados supe que tenía que hacerme con ellos.
El libro en sí me ha gustado. Me enamoré de algunos de sus poemas, como si la autora supiera cómo me siento, conocía otros porque ya había oído a la autora recitarlo, pero otros no y me han sorprendido...aunque algunos me han sido difíciles de entender (el inglés no es mi primer idioma), pero me han gustado. De todas formas he me he dado que me gustaba más oírla recitar los poemas que leerlos yo sola ¡ganan mucho sus textos si son recitados!

Si tuviera que decir algo negativo es la edición en Kindle: la edición en sí no está muy bien hecha, la letra a veces se ve muy pequeña, cuesta leerla y no se puede cambiar (Soy consciente de que este libro es autopublicado, cosa que me parece genial y muy valiente, pero a la vez hablo como antigua editora de libros: Me da pena que la edición no esté a la altura del contenido.
Estoy deseando seguir leyendo a la autora.

EN:

Rating: 3,75

I discovered Celia Martínez last year when I first joined TikTok. I feel in love with the way she recited her work so I decided I needed to read her work.
I love some of her poems, as I had the feeling I was being heard, that she put into words I felt. Some of those texts I already knew as I saw her reciting them on TikTok. However, other were new and surprising, even some of the poems were hard to understand and connect (as English is not my mother-tongue language and I don't tend to read poetry in English). However, I enjoyed her work and I liked how she played with language in this dream-like sense.
I want to point out one feeling I had while reading this collection: As much as I enjoyed reading it, I felt the poems touched me more when it was Celia's voice the one who read them, so an audiobook would be a great idea.

If I had to point out a negative aspect, I would say I was hoping the digital edition was better, as sometimes the letter was too small and hard to read but I could not make it bigger, and sometimes it seems like a PDF. I know it is a self-published work, and I applaud the bravery and dedication to the book, but for future editions, it would be great to have a a better edition (I am a former publisher and editor, so I know I am being extremely picky here).
Would I read Celia again? Of course.