I really enjoyed Trista Mateer’s collection of poetry in Aphrodite Made Me Do It. The art is beautiful, and the prose is quite moving. It’s a quick, powerful read. I definitely recommend it to anyone interested in poetry and feminist works.

Love the art in the book and the different structures of poems, it keeps the flow going without getting boring. Some poems could’ve been developed more but she will definitely grow as a poet.

3/5 Aphrodite Made Me Do It was part poetry but mainly basic twitter advice to young girls. Conceptually I thought it was interesting, but in my opinion, it didn't necessarily work. I was much more interested in the lyrical and often very beautiful poetry from Aphrodite's voice, but when it came to the poet, aside from some vulnerable and heartfelt pieces, I felt like I was reading regurgitated Tumblr lines from earlier in the decade. There is no doubt the author is talented, but here I felt like I was reading two different books and one was much more original and enjoyable than the other. Unfortunately, the book came off messy. Between the mixed media art (which was all beautiful might I add) randomly assigned to pages up until the end of the book, and the cacophonous change in style between the Poet's narration and Aphrodite's, I can't say it's anything especially original or new. I would absolutely adore a series dedicated to Aphrodite's voice alone as those poems were beautiful and held on their own. As a collection though, I can't say this really did it for me.

I'm not usually into poetry collections, but this one was really moving. I loved how Trista Mateer talked about grief and pain with a feminist perspective. I felt like I was reading a personal journey rather than prose, which added to the feeling that this was very personal.

I still don't know how to love a thing
even my mother is ashamed to look at,
but sometimes I grow out all my wild
just to sit alone with it in the dark.

Aphrodite Made Me Do It is a creative and imaginative collection of prose that retells the empowering Aphrodite while also using poetry as a way to heal from trauma. There's so much self-love and self-acceptance and this book is so personal in its trauma (which makes it so hard to give it a rating regardless) you can taste it. I appreciated the bits with Aphrodite giving us her story and her woman strength ... though the ending kind of faltered for me because it didn't hit me as much as I was expecting. Mateer had some hard-hitting/relatable bits (that whole bit that went "I'm afraid of" — woah, so much of what I think about on my day to day #anxiety) but yeah, the ending kind of didn't deliver.

I did like the art that was included, it was very neat & also had nice lines that I thought did well within the whole collection.

An interesting mix of poetry and illustrations. Trista Mateer never dissappoints. The contrast with the goddess point of view is amazing and feels like a refreshing look into feminity

4 stars

*I received an ARC of this via NetGalley, however, this in no way influenced my opinion.*

I haven't really read much poetry but when I heard this was retelling the story of Aphrodite I knew I had to read it. The poetry is beautiful and really thought provoking, I definetely want to read more of this authors work. I loved the illustrations throughout the book, they were stunning and they really added to the reading experience.

I highly recommend it, even if you don't normally read poetry.

Inspired by a recent read, I decided to turn towards more poetry. I wanted something feminist and empowering, and this certainly fit the bill! Mateer creates dialogue between herself and Aphrodite, Greek goddess of love. They cover a lot of topics but mostly focus on the role of women in the world, love and hate, and healing after abuse and trauma. It was powerful and rebellious, but also comforting and I really enjoyed this contrast.

I loved the references to Greek mythology, I'm a big fan of ancient history and especially ancient religion, and so the inclusion of Aphrodite was a big hit with me. I loved Mateer's representation of her, and the way that she made her so strong and warrior-like, yet also gave undertones of hope, love and acceptance. Also, this piece is super quotable! I could find so many wonderful lines in this one.

I think that the main problem with this piece for me came about an hour after reading. I'd forgotten most of it. As much as it's super inspirational and made me want to yell in the streets about the patriarchy while reading, I had a hard time remembering it's content after I'd finished. I think a few rereads would probably sort that out, but I always find that the best works are those that stick with you long after reading.

beautiful poetry - but not what I look for in poetry I think. I rated it 3 stars because I think her imagery is great. I just wasn't totally connected to the way Trista Mateer writes.

Trista Mateer's work just isn't for me. I have read her poems before and wasn't able to engage with it back then, and unfortunately, neither am I now. The stories she tells are self-centered in a way that I understand is probably relatable and enjoyable or even beneficial for a lot of people, but something that just doesn't quite agree with me.

i really felt this one.

trista mateer's collection of poetry, prose, and art reads as a conversation between the poet and the goddess aphrodite. through this dialogue, we hear aphrodite tell her story and use her words to give advice to the poet. as well, we see the poet as a complex human with a hard story to tell. the poet discusses her queerness, her experience with trauma, and her mental health in ways that hit hard but are also beautifully poignant. the art that accompanied this collection was a nice touch, and a way to add another dimension to the work.

this was my second of mateer's books, and i got a lot out of it. can definitely recommend!

thanks to netgalley and central avenue for providing me with a free copy for review!

Let me preface this by saying that the format was not really for me. I didn't like the switch between short poetry and long prose.
I did enjoy the artwork a lot. I related strongly to the "I am afraid..." part, but the rest was just difficult for me to get through. I had a hard time appreciating the writing. I guess if this is modern poetry, I'm not a fan of it. It read like a diary more so than actual well thought out poetry. I think it's great to be able to put your thoughts into words and that people going through things can relate to and feel like someone else understand them, but it just isn't something I seek out to read because I have other ways of working on myself.

Such a short, yet powerful story told through words and pictures that display the rawness of healing and growing from something ugly and terrible.

I thought that this was an interesting collection of modern poetry, combined with Greek mythology. I really liked how it combined Aphrodite and the poet's voices, and overall thought it left me feeling both sad and empowered.

4.5 stars

This would be a five-star work if there were more of it.

The work, which is a collection of poetry, prose, and fantastic illustrations, incorporates a mythological perspective of Aphrodite as if she were recording and sharing her thoughts today in 2019. I love the treatment of her queer identity, her trauma, her processing of a number of life events in which she has been silenced or simply not been given a space to voice her experience, and especially her reclaiming of the voice that has been either silenced or derailed.

I am obsessed with the illustrations. They enhance the text notably, and I found myself connecting most to them. Favorites include the protest scene, the inclusive representations of chests (some with breasts and some without - or a combination), and the Tarot additions. Mateer moves Aphrodite from a traditionally represented (mostly by male artists), relatively one-dimensional character, to a modern, inclusive representation of women-identifying folks with a variety of shared experiences.

This is a short work that packs a powerful punch. I am dying for Mateer to create a whole series of related works. Mateer will be one I keep an eye on from this point!

I never really read poetry. Either it's poetry in a style like this and I've let myself be told that this is not what poetry is supposed to be or it is just too intimidating. This time I decided to give it a go.

Aphrodite Made Me Do It was an enjoyable quick read; it almost felt as if I was reading someones personal journal that was nog meant to be seen. I actually finished it in one sitting and loved the use of art in this book. The way the author used Aphrodite in this poetry collection just really worked and the parts centered around her were by far my favorite. I wasn't the biggest fan of the other parts but overall it was a good read. I'll definitely be giving poetry collections like this a go more often in the future!

"All of us are survivors until we are not anymore."

I don't know how I didn't read this sooner. This is such a beautiful poetry collection, it even has full color art! It's so incredibly beautiful and inclusive aswell. I'm ordering the physical copy right away. Thank you NetGalley and Trista Mateer for the amazing opportunity to read it!

The one word I think I would use to describe this is pure.

Pure magic
Pure emotion
Pure Art


From beginning to end this book is filled with so much raw emotion and you feel it all the way through.
It's fierce, its angry, its emotional, its powerful.

I loved the progression of this book and how it goes from Aphrodite's story and back to the narrators
and you can feel the difference in the two. Aphrodite is the fierce 'stand up straight' strong voice and with
the narrator you can feel the hurt, the fear, the hope to find someone to understand.

And I love that Aphrodite is the one who understands.

It is a journey through pain, trauma and finally recovery.
In the pain it perfectly reflects the sadness and that feeling or 'whats the point'
and in the recovery you can definitely feel the growth and its more of a 'who gives a shit' type of voice

Over all I really loved this and I'm giving it 4.5/5

This poetry is something that I connected with on a deep level. Every bit of this was perfection, or perfectly imperfect. It was incredibly moving and it was something that I really needed at this point in my life.

The format of this book was placed together perfectly. The writing that the author used was absolutely beautiful but, also spoke the truth in the way someone could connect. I liked how the pictures were included in the poetry. I will definitely read more of her work.