Albeit well-meant, it was mediocre and full of platitudes. Most of the time, it felt like the author was trying to include everything about modern feminism ever published on the internet, but she still equated womanhood with wombs and the heterosexual female experience. Very often I felt the book should be titled "Dear boy", because it talked more about men than it did about women. I wouldn't recommend it to any of my friends, because there is more value in some posts on Instagram than in this poetry book.

A must-read for any girl or woman who has faced adversity in their life. Such a powerful message and voice. Aija tells a powerful story in which we can heal the wounds and make positive changes in this world to switch societal standards and raise our children to respect and not lead a double standard to diminish the adversity we face today as women with thoughts, events, and traumas.

I really enjoyed the ethereal vibes and honesty of this audiobook. While some of these poems are a bit overdone or repetitive, there are several that spoke a whole lot of truth. Hearing the lines spoken out loud is empowering - her voice is very powerful, and the audiobook feels like a long motivational speech. The way she describes women talking badly about other women is so important. “If we’re fighting for equality, there has to be camaraderie.” Since we’re taught and trained to compare ourselves and others, we’re born into a need to fight against it. I think all women should listen to this book at least once a year to reaffirm truths about themselves and about other women. “Your past lives with you dear girl, but you are not your past.” So many good quotes that I want to tape up on my mirror to motivate me through tough days!

3 out of 5 - It was ok.

Poetry has never been my thing, but the story being told and narrator were both powerful.

The theme throughout about lives of women and their journey through life was one that did hit close to home with me.

There were times the music was louder than the narrator, which was distracting.

Thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Audio for this advanced copy.

This is the BEST THING I HAVE EVER HEARD. Incredible poetry, incredible reading, incredible poet. I'll be telling everyone I know about Dear Girl. Beautiful, emotional, raw, inspiring - I wish I could go back and give it to my teenage self. Absolutely adored this - amazing publishing.

Dear Girl is a fantastic collection of powerful poetry that focused on uplifting girls and women. The poems were short but you could really tell that each word was carefully chosen. The subject manner wasn’t new. I’ve seen it in other contemporary poetry collections, but there was just something so impactful about Mayrock’s words. They are short but brutally honest and discuss many issues that impact the lives of women around the world. 

"Dear girl,
You ask me what I wish for you.
I simply say -
Never allow any soul to clip your wings
You were not born an ember,
You were born a flame."

The poems are a call to action. They are inspiring, empowering and make you want to rise up and speak out! I experienced this poetry collection as an audiobook and I think that really contributed to this feeling of wanting to do something and take action. The author narrated it herself and spoken word poetry has also been a favourite of mine. Her voice is so emotive and full of power. I felt her sadness, anger, happiness, etc. But more importantly, I felt like I was listening to a close friend tell me about her hopes and dreams. Listening to the author made it more personal. I just planned on listening to the collection while making dinner but ended up finishing it in one sitting. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, that’s how beautiful and powerful the poems were! 

“Dear everyone,
Grab ahold of your voice. 
it is time to make a choice 
to believe survivors
to pay us all the same 
to give women of color equal access and opportunity
to protect the safety of trans girls everyday. 
Make the choice to change the climate. 
Make the choice to not stay silent.
This is not the era of girls, 
this is the future of girls.”

I highly recommend this collection, especially the audiobook, to lovers of spoken word poetry. Also, since the writing and topics are within a similar vein, if you have enjoyed Amanda Lovelace’s poems, I think you’d also enjoy these as well.

Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 2.5/5

Dear Girl is a poetry collection about girlhood and womanhood. I found parts inspiring, but overall it was a bit too generic and nothing new. I wanted something deeper with a bit more insight. This was full of generic things most woman can agree and identify with. I wanted something more personal. Still a great message if you want to check it out for yourselves.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.* What a delightful collection of poems. The collection is a celebration of feminism, womanhood and growing up. Some poems are sad, some inspiring, but all are beautiful. It is also a call to arms in these uncertain times. 'Unite us through persecution' she tells us. 'We've got equality, but public policy shows the contrary..'
I look forward to reading more of Mayrock's work and would definitely recommend her work to fans of poetry and those keen to lift up women.

Fast read but one that won't leave me anytime soon. Powerful words from a debut poet about women supporting women. While this was a good read, I feel it would have been a five star read if I was younger. Younger readers (teens and early twenties) will probably really connect with this. The audio was brilliantly executed and produced. It made me want to hear this poet speak/perform in person. I will recommend this to all of the younger readers I come into contact with.

I was able to review Dear Girl audiobook for free from Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Audio for providing me with an advanced ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed listening to the audiobook especially since the author Aija Mayrock narrates it herself and this is her debut poetry collection.
The poems are on point and empowering. This collection is about feminism and about becoming a woman. The poems make you think about them, about life, about the world and about everything. This book reminds us women that we need to support each other, believe in each other and build each other up instead of tearing each other down.

I loved this collection of poetry. It's relatable, empowering and very fitting considering all that is happening currently. I would recommend this to all of the amazing women in my life.

“I wrote to find answers; instead I found myself.” This is a beautiful exploration of womanhood, trauma, and shared experience.

I don’t read a lot of poetry. I follow a few poets on Instagram and last year I read collections by Rupi Kaur and Mary Oliver. Those were the first since my freshman college English courses. Mainly, I have avoided poetry because I am an impatient reader and if I have to take too much time to process I usually don’t. However, dipping my toes in the water has been nice and these haven’t bogged me down.
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This book is one I’ve seen around on Instagram in the last few weeks. I got an ARC from Net Galley. It will be released on 8/25/20. It’s quite short. It’s only 45 minutes long. It’s read by the author and she did a wonderful job with the narration.
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These are a collection of anthems for young women and women. They deal with some of the current issues in our society. The Me Too movement, rape culture, pay inequality, etc. You get the drift. It’s very good and worth checking out!

I never read any poetry before and I used to think that it could be complex and difficult to understand but after reading Dear Girl, my opinion changed. It was so easy to read and so beautiful, I really enjoyed it. I picked it up on NetGalley because of the cover that I found really pretty and I did not regret it. The voice is powerful. It is about empowerment and it really is uplifting. I think every girl and woman can relate to most of the poems, they are just so simple and yet so full of truth. As said in this poetry collection, we need to support and help each other, so let’s do it; it’s about women everywhere. The poems are a call for women all around the world to rise up and be heard. This collection is not about reading something you have never heard before, but reading about something you have maybe not been able to formulate before, about something you may have not been told before. I don’t know what I was looking for when I started reading but I definitely feel like I got more strengths after.

I loved the poems in this book, and especially the variety of topics that they entail. They are truely uplifting, playful and serious at the same time. It was great exploring the words.

I had hoped to listen to these poems in audio-form, for what is more awesome than to listen to the author reading these poems aloud? Unfortunately the file never started playing after the first second. On the other hand, fortunately there was the 'normal' e-book copy for me to read, and that was a pleasure already.

Dear Girl is not something that I would typically pick up, but between the pink cover ( my favorite color) and Netgalley’s new audiobook feature, I felt like I couldn’t pass it up. In 2020 I am striving to branch out into a multitude of genres, poetry being one of them.

“You’re cruelty is no match for my spirit.” I need to remind myself of this daily. Sometimes all it takes is one simple act of another to bring me to my knees.

For being quite short, this book produces an impactful punch to the gut. This book hit me in the feels more than just a few times.

“ You are told to quiet down, I hope you grow LOUDER! “

“Equality is not just about calling someone out, equality is about accountability.” This statement could not be any more factual , especially in the world today.

“Leaving someone you love is like leaving home and knowing you can ever return. “ In fact, it’s brutal.

“Your past lives with you, dear girl, but you are not your past.” But, man oh man does it come back to haunt you.

“ I wish I could hold you and say the world will protect you but I know it will not.” This is such a sad fact for our youth; our children.

“...You are alive, not for nothing, you are alive.” Please look in the mirror and tell yourself this every single morning.

“Dear Everyone: grab ahold of your voice, it is time to make a choice, to believe survivors, to pay us all the same, to give women of color equal access and opportunity; to protect the safety of trans girls everyday. Make the choice to change the climate. Make the choice to not stay silent, this is not the era of girls, this is the future of girls.”

I am an ally to everyone and I mean that whole- heartedly. I’m for equality no matter what race, identity, gender or religion you are. I am not here to judge. Therefore, unethical treatment in any way shape or form depresses me to the highest extent. No one can help the way they were born, please stop ridiculing others for things that are out of their hands to control. I could go on forever, in fact I could probably write my own version of “Dear Girl” and maybe call it something like “We are all human.”


A solid 4 ⭐️.

Thank you very much to Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for allowing me to read this book In exchange for an honest review. This book was released on April 07, 2020. I strongly encourage picking it up.

The reason why I couldn’t give this book 5 stars is I feel like the rhyming became a bit unnecessary at times, and wasn’t really necessary. I also wish that their was more of a transition from one topic to the other.

Dear Girl is a powerful feminist collection of modern poetry dealing with a number of issues with lyrical beauty. It muses on gender inequality, rape, and other feminist issues. The poems are unapolagitic and empowering, inclusive, and important.
There is so much truth in the verses, along with a lot of humor and heart- which juxtaposed with the heavy topics is nothing short of breathtaking.
The audiobook is narrated by Aija Mayrock, whose talent in spoken word poetry beautifully brings her works to life. There's so much emotion and power behind her words. I was in awe listening to her performance.
Many thanks to Andrews McMeel Audio and NetGalley for the advance copy.

This audiobook is definitely worth a ponder, worth a listen. It's contents inspire confidence and pride in all that is a woman and introspection to figure out the things that keep us held up. And to band together as women against any and all that advocate our oppression. Short and easy to follow.

I hate even writing a review for poetry because it's someone's heart and soul. Their feelings and emotions bled on the paper. Who am I to critique that writing?
I listened to Dear Girl and I loved that the author narrated her own words. She mixed in music with her poetry and that added to the dramatics of it. It's an added bonus to get to hear it from the author since she knows exactly how she wants it heard and read. Her beat and inflection in her voice carried with her powerful message of empowering ALL women.
With all that said, I felt the Aija had a lot to say about ALL women. From BIPOC women, to LGBTQ+ to survivors of abuse. She covered all her bases and what better time to do it than now when we are fighting for equality for all. BUT, a lot of the verses seemed to be phrases I'd heard before. Somewhat generic if you will. If she got behind some of those phrases and put more of her emotions into it, it could've had that much more power to it.

Overall, Aija Mayrock is a young woman that just completed her debut work of poetry in Dear Girl and put it out there for all to read and I commend her for that. She has a bright future ahead of her and I would like to see where she goes from here. 3.5 stars

****Thank you Netgalley for my audiobook in exchange for an honest review****

<i> One day
I'll be able to read a book of poetry
About existing as a girl
As a woman
As an object
And not have it cater to men who think they're one of us

One day
I'll be able to sit down and listen
To the voice of a girl
Of a woman
Of a poet
And not have to roll my eyes because of
Performative virtue

One day
I'll be able to share what a book has been about
Without an asterisk after the word girl
The word woman
The word female
Because the meanings of those words will be clear again
And no longer obfuscated

One day. </i>

3.5 stars

This book talks about periods, being objectified and made voiceless, rape, rape culture, female socialisation, the very experience of growing up as female. It's pretty powerful stuff. It's a pity transactivism has such a hold on the talented female poets who are coming of age. Womanhood and sisterhood are powerful animals and we don't need to worry about men's feelings in this house.

It's very liberal feminist (i.e. not really feminist at all) which is disappointing, but if you can get past the yay!pornography and frequent delivery of rhythmic single sentences parading as "poems," a lot of it is incredibly poignant. I hope that Aija is able to better explore what a woman IS, that her analysis improves, and that she reads more poetry by radical women, but she's on a good track right now.

I received a copy of this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest, voluntary review.v