Love Is a Mental Illness

by Franco Cardiello

Franco journaled during dysfunctional relationships in his turbulent 20’s. He tried analyzing toxic behaviors to learn and mature. He published his self-reflections as an adult. Each section focuses on different stages of relationships. Poems, letters, and vignettes range from gritty to romantic, and sexual to heartbreaking. Intimate pieces form a linear story ending with healing and hope.

Genres: Poetry

129 pages, Paperback

Published March 4, 2022

About the author

Franco Cardiello is a confessional poet from New York. He's a licensed counselor and cathartic writing coach. His self-reflective writing explores trauma, healing, and relationships.

Reviews

[Bri Koch · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a absolute joke lmao. I thought I signed up to read a thoughtful take on love and mental illnesses, not some dude writing poetry about his dick and boiling down “females” to “crazy eyes” and repeated lines about how wild the sex was 🙄🤦🏼‍♀️ 0/10, this is incels of reddit level shit lmao

[Circe Wilkinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I genuinely really really wanted to like this. Desperately. I TRIED OKAY. The fact this was written by a LICENSED SOCIAL WORKER bothers me. Other than like two of the poems in here, this is literally just prideful ramblings and fake-deep poetry. I gave it two stars because the flow and poetry form itself was not bad. It was the content. He literally basically just wrote about using people, objectifying women, and being a not-good person. I think the point of this was about him making a goal to change but that doesn’t make any of the aforementioned things ok😭reading this was harsh for me. I thought I was going to get deep feeling poetry about how someone dealt with toxic relationships but in most of these he WAS THE TOXIC ONE. And I hate making bad reviews. If you liked this I’m not going to judge you as everyone has different tastes. But in my opinion this is just the glorified ramblings of a toxic Reddit f-boy

[Emily R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This hard-hitting and emotionally charged poetry collection delves deep into the effects that love can have on the human mind and spirit.

Cardiello, himself a licensed mental health counsellor, carefully examines unhealthy behaviors and toxic relationships. Through his own experiences and using powerful poetic expression, he highlights the struggles and pain associated with love through the spectrum and the self-reflection needed to make positive changes.

This is an emotional rollercoaster of a poetry collection, universally relatable and hugely compelling.

[Sandra Damiani · Rating 5 out of 5]

A passionate poetry collection about a mental health counselor struggling with toxic relationships. The deep amount of feeling put into every word brings a smooth transition between sensuality and the issues people bring into their relationships. I enjoyed how the collection stirs your emotions while at the same time educates you about the need for self-reflection in implementing positive change. I think that the best part of the whole collection is that it contains parts of the own poet’s life story.

[Willow The Withering Tree · Rating 4 out of 5]

This did take me long to read as each time I read a poem I put the book down and thought about it the whole day, however I did relativity enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who says who wants a easy to read type of poetry. I have a couple favorites in here such as skyscrapers and exposure therapy, because I deeply relate to it. I am not giving this a four star due to the book being bad but I’m giving it a four star to mainly me not deeply moved by it. But I think Franco did amazing with his writing and had me hooked till the end.

[L.B. Autry · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite poems from this collection are Loose Ends and One by One. I enjoyed the imagery of loose ends and the analogy of the relationship being torn apart like a loosely sewn sweater being pulled by its threads. As a person with an affinity to knitted wear, I loved this one. One by One stood out to me, not just because of how the text appears on the page but the message behind it of a recovering lover. Gradually healing little by little. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who needs a something to relate to after being in a tumultuous relationship, or needs to reflect on important aspects of their relationship. This books let's you know that it's okay to let go sometimes and when you do you gain little pieces of wisdom that make you a better person, better partner. Hats off to the author, splendid work Franco 👏

[Dan Bechtold · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great blunt type poetry and dealing with mental illness in a relationship. Franco seems like a genius with the words on the page and great insight to self-reflections. This book made me think and reflect on the world - I highly recommend this book for all to read.

[Veronica Dotson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartfelt

The poetry written in this book is like an opening into someone's soul. Everyone will experience heartbreak in their life, but to share that heartbreak so openly is not something everyone could do. Thank you for giving us a glimpse into your heartbreak.

[Julie Buckberry · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 and 1/2 review. Most of the poetry I have read has been written by women. Not all, but majority. So this was a bit different for me. Overall, it was as raw and impactful as is all poetry. I loved it.

[Barbara Gianquitto · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a gorgeous book! Best one I read in a while!

[Axochitl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some might say real and raw poetry is hard to swallow...this writer is brilliant at explaining his truths. One of my favorite reads.

[Kris]

lol don’t read this when you’re going through a break up.

[Lola Aponte · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not for me