2.5 Stars

I got about 20% of the way through the collection and decided no to finish the book. While I did enjoy a few of the poems I read, a lot of them had odd formatting and some of the poetry just didn’t make sense. Some of them just felt like they were trying too hard.

Firstly, I would like to thank NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for an eARC of SMEAR: Poems for Girls, for an honest review.

I started this anthology really excited to read on because the first few poems by Katherine Vermillion were really relatable and I felt like I was finally reading real poetry rather than 'Insta Poetry' which has become such a big trend. It was a shame that this didn't last because a lot of the poems after this were confusing. I have read a few other reviews that have stated an amount of confusion because of the way some of the poems are written. I understand that you don't always understand the meaning of poems straight away but you always have to consider your readers when publishing. The fact that this anthology was such a mix bag of poetry made it very hard for me to enjoy reading it. It became a chore to read on because I wasn't sure whether I would be reading a poem I liked or disliked next.

I want to take a moment to mention the poets that I did enjoy because I think they deserve to be noticed. Greta Bellamacina (who is actually the editor of the anthology), Camille Bennett, Sarah Roselle Khan, and Sofia Mattioli. A few of the poems that stood out are 'Songs my Enemy Taught Me by Joelle Taylor, Girlhood Guns and You by Susan Bradley Smith, On Loss by Adanna Egu, and The Commandments of Woman by Billie Partridge-Naudeer.

The layout of the book was very neat and clean which is really appealing to me. I can't say I'm the biggest fan of the front cover. They covered a huge range of topics to do with growing up as a girl and womanhood. Overall, this book was a very mixed bag. I couldn't rate it more that 3 stars because of this.

A powerful and sincere anthology of pieces from many incredible female poets. The poems here cover a range of important themes and strike the heart on every page.

What an equally fun and serious collection of poetry!  Where there is fun to be found in being a girl, there are equal amounts, if not more, of serious moments of grave dangers and unfortunate situations.  What do we make of the time when we get our first period?  Or the times when our boyfriend doesn't take us seriously?  Or even the times when we get cat-called in the streets?  What then?

These poems are a response to such times, and evoke an empowering, strengthening mood.  At least, they were quite empowering to me.  They reminded me of the poetry I used to identify with back when I was a teen and young adult, of the times where I felt like I could do anything.  And we (read: I) need more of that feeling.  That being said, this is the perfect teen poetry read for 2020.  It's fiery, passionate, and wants nothing more than to fight with and for the girls reading it.

100 stunning poems from many women from different countries, backgrounds and styles of prose. Very well curated and thought provoking.

Great for fans of poetry, especially for feminists who are interested in hard-hitting subjects. I would recommend it as a quick read.

"I was a virgin
And you were writing poems painting me as a whore
Because that was your immature response to not getting any.
...
I'm thinking of all the women "slut-shame"
Because they said yes AND because they said no
That fragile, fragile male ego...
...Isn't women's responsibility.
This society is so fucked up
And I'm so fed up with male entitlement.
Back then, I was a virgin
And you... acted like a complete dick, to be honest.
You never hurt me more than that before
And I never let you have the chance to hurt me since then."

Smear is a feminist collection of all female poetry, including themes of objectification, abortion, early motherhood, first kiss, body image, depression...and more.

Some poems, in this collection, are light, soft and hearty; some are dark, gloomy and a cry for help but then there are some which are so powerful that it can shake your ground and land you on your back. This collection symbolizes womanhood just the right way that it really saddened me that it was just out of place in certain places and felt like it would have done better in a different place. I had to skip through some because even though I have no trigger issues, some were just too much for me to go through.

I haven't read an anthology like this before so I am extremely pleased and amazed with the perfection in mastering the style the poems are written in, by the poet/poetess'. Every poet/poetess in this book are immensely skilled to pronounce the strength each one of their works hold beautifully.

I related to very few poems in the book but almost all of it resonated within me except a couple which didn't work out for me/skipped. It gave me a headache but it turned out to be worthwhile!

Recommended: To anyone looking for all feminist collection, go for it but there are so many triggers in this collection. It breaks my heart that the triggers in a collection like this are expected and almost welcoming.

SMEAR: Poems for Girls is a raw collection of poems by various authors. Its purpose is to give perspective and voice to the joys and sorrows of womanhood. I found that it achieves this, and many of the poems featured are wonderfully written and insightful. But my experience was made less enjoyable when a good percentage of what I read confused me. Poetry doesn't need to be immediately understood, but it shouldn't feel frustrating to read, either. The overall message of SMEAR--about feminism, body positivity, and society's unfair expectations of women--is very important, but I wouldn't say that this book is for everyone.

I also review SMEAR: Poems for Girls on my Youtube channel ('Opalescent').

I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

This is a book of poetry for females jam packed with very deep and some a little disturbing, poems.
Some poems I liked and some were just far too heavy for me to get my attention.
Don't let this put you off though as that is just my opinion and preference.
The poems cover many topics related to women and some may relate well to you as an individual.

i love the poems within this novel. I definitely recommend for those in a reading slump and those that love poetry.

This is a great collection of poems for women of any age. I really enjoyed the variety of topics covered. I highly recommend this!