Love Letters and Pocket Knives

by J.J. Celli

Embark on a raw and intimate journey through love, resilience, and self-discovery with J.J. Celli's debut poetry collection, delving into the delicate balance between tenderness and toughness, told from a queer perspective.

In Love Letters and Pocket Knives, J.J. Celli opens the window to her soul, inviting us to take a close and intimate look at the raw and unfiltered moments. Through evocative imagery and heartfelt storytelling, these poems explore the myriad shades of love from the euphoria of new beginnings to the bittersweet ache of farewell.

In this autobiographical collection, each poem reads like a mini-memoir, weaving together the threads of trauma, intimacy, love, and resiliency. These poems stand strong with brave vulnerability confidently confronting those experiences in life that haunt us so we can quit ghosting ourselves.

As the title suggests, Love Letters and Pocket Knives explores the delicate dance between tenderness and toughness. From the gentle caress of a love letter to the sharp cut of a pocket knife, we are reminded it is this beautiful complexity and balance that continues to encourage these human hearts to love.

Genres: Poetry, Queer

128 pages, Paperback

Published May 13, 2025

Reviews

[Ezras Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't usually read poetry and I requested this because I felt like it sounded like an interesting way in.

A lot of the poems were so raw and unfiltered I could feel a lot of the emotions. I feel like a lot of the poems were strong, but it could probably have been edited a bit more to really cut deep at the very emotional parts.

I especially enjoyed Tossed and Be Her(e) again.

Thank you NetGalley and the author for this ARC.

[Settare · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very moving, raw, emotional collection of poetry, finding me at a time in my life when I really needed it.
This one hit me the hardest:

They can tell you I had gender dysphoria paired with rage,
up to almost two packs of Camel Wides a day.
All the painkillers
in orange-labelled containers.

Therapy on Wednesdays.

They can tell you I'm strong on the outside,
body of muscle and ink, obsessed with protein grams and calorie
intake
(How contradicting, these judgements we make.)

Inside, I am fragile too.
I hope they also tell you that truth.
How I did my best to open myself up.
...

From "Neurotic"

It's been a year of poetry for me, a lot modern queer poetry, and wow.

[Dannielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I loved about this collection of poetry is the openness & reflection within the writing. Even though I haven’t personally experienced all of the events that Celli went through, I am appreciative of the sincerity with which the experiences are shared in order to give a voice to those that have gone through this kind of intimate partner violence and the lingering effects it has. I believe this collection gives insight to a viewpoint that is important for people to hear about and understand, even if they haven’t experienced it themselves. I feel many readers can learn from this book because it gives way to a voice that may be different from their own, which benefits building an insight into others’ experiences. I also think many readers can find healing and connection from this book too. It was beautifully written in a raw, real way, that takes a lot of courage to share with the world.

Thank you to Central Avenue Publishing & NetGalley for providing an early copy for me to read!

#LoveLettersandPocketKnives #NetGalley

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, this poetry collection centers around a very interesting and sad topic, the poet being shot by her partner and grappling with all of the feelings that ensue. It was very emotionally raw and transparent, and I felt that I got to know the poet in a way, which is great work on their part.

Related to the title, the collection starts off by ascribing feelings and meaning to four different pocket knives, each of which corresponds to one of the four different parts of the collection. This is an interesting approach, but I think that piece might have been more impactful if it were broken up as introductions or concluding pieces to each part. It's a bit of spoiler in the beginning, and by the time I got to the butterfly knife, I'd forgotten the specifics of what the butterfly knife meant. But perhaps the concept overall didn't speak to me.

There were a lot of very strong pieces, but I think this could have been edited down to be shorter, as I didn't feel like every single poem really needed to be there.

But still, I think if you read the synopsis and find it personally resonate, you should check it out and might enjoy it more.

Thank you NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing for the advanced copy!

[Dingske · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes the passion can burn, at other times it leaves you with second-degree burns.

Love letters and pocket knives is J.J Celli's debut book of poems. A razor-sharp insight into this writer's heart and past. Hard truth, love, obsession, pain and longing find their place in words and fragments in this book.

Judging someone's poems is always a tricky step, after all, can you equate someone's pain with a number of stars? And doesn't everyone read these poems in their own way?

Not every poem touched me equally or came in as hard. I also noticed that I did not understand everything immediately, but can you understand what cannot be explained? The words are pure, some raw others poetic. Each part and each knife explores another part of the truth and the closing of a chapter.

Important! There are potentially triggering elements in this book! It can be a comfort to those looking for that but also be especially warned. But above all, remember, you are never alone.

This is an ARC ebook thanks to netgalley

[Morgan B · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars! There were some really great poems in this collection. You can tell the author really poured her soul into her writing. I’m sure some of these pieces were very difficult to write while also being cathartic. I felt like I got a deep understanding of the author and her emotions while reading her poems. With that being said, I did have a hard time connecting with some of the writing and I would’ve like the explanation of the different types of knives as an introduction to each section rather than at the beginning. Overall, there are many people that could relate to these poems about love, heartbreak, trauma, and resiliency written in a very vulnerable and heartfelt way. Thank you Central Avenue Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Lana | NotYourNecromancer · Rating 4 out of 5]

"A longing so deep I dare it not to end"

These were so painfully honest that reading them almost felt like an intrusion. Each word was thoughtfully put after the one before it every step of the way. I really enjoyed this - poetry is a fairly new thing for me to read so I never quite know what to expect. But so much of this felt like it had stolen some thoughts from my mind and put them to paper. Really, really enjoyed this.

[Tanisha Paige · Rating 3 out of 5]

This poetry collection is a tragic love story that delves deeply into the feelings of the author in a beautifully heartbreaking way.
As you read you really understand the pain and hurt and love, the combustion of emotions and feelings the author is throwing out to the world. This poetry collection is so unique to the author but despite that I think it’s relatable to everyone in some way and will touch a lot of people’s hearts.

[Catherine Pratt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the author's first poetry collection. All I can really say about this in one word: WOW!!! This is the first time I have read poetry and actually feel what the author was feeling.. This book is AMAZING!! What else can I say about the book? You all need to really read this beautiful collection.

I received a free copy of the book and is voluntarily writing a review

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a powerful poetry collection knowing it is autobiographical. I read it in one sitting and one day later I still and think about how possible to move on from that. I would love to read more about the author's past, perhaps a full on memoir next time or a novel based on all those experiences?

I received a free ARC via NetGalley and leave a review voluntarily.

[C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arc review

I liked most of the poems in here.
You can read & feel the emotions of the author.
Some were a bit hard to follow for me personally but I still wanted to read more of them.
As a debut this is amazing!

I'd give it a 4,5 out of 5.

Thank you so much for everyone involved for the arc!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a powerful collection of poems. J.J Celli is raw and honest in this autobiographical poetry. The writing is so strong and vivid. I think most readers would be able to relate to something in this book. I would definitely recommend and can't wait for her next release.

Thank you NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing for the advanced copy!

[Nicolle Sexton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this and it was a beautiful collection, although I found some of the poems hard to follow at times. I still very much enjoyed reading them and would happily read some of them again but there were some in the collection of poems that I feel didn't fit as well.

[Mini Mo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Soft and gentle then hard and sharp.

This collection of poems will have you feeling all the feels. From sweet love to sharp love and everything in-between. I could really feel J.J. Celli's raw emotional heart throughout this book.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

[Iara Moure · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tbh tuve que pasar varios poemas porque, o eran repetitivos o simplemente eran pesados. Ahora, si hubo algunos qeu se destacaron, pero eran demasiado pocos y no eran memorables.

[Alexa LoSchiavo · Rating 5 out of 5]

a beautifully poignant read