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

"There is no progress when we march in different directions"

I really enjoyed listening to this short poetry collection and felt it really moved me when it talked about how we, as women can often be divided when in fact we should stand united against many oppressions. The audiobook was well narrated and easy to listen to, particularly with the musical overlay which added to really poignant phrases.
I thought it was very clever that "Dear Girls' could be interpreted as both a letter to girls and also as a term of endearment. It made it feel as though Aija Mayrock was both speaking to me whilst also sharing personal experiences and speaking from the heart.
This is a beautiful piece that covers topics ranging from the justice system to love for parents to more harrowing passages about sexual violence. I would say proceed with caution if you find any of these subjects triggering, however Mayrock handles them with respect and gives them the space they deserve. If anything I would love for this book to be longer as I could have listened all day.

These poems were absolutely incredible and so very relatable! It didn't take me long to love this book, as the first two poems could've been written right for myself. Of course the fact that Aija narrated the book herself made it so much better. I felt like I was sitting in a poetry reading the entire time. The subjects of her poems were deep and sometimes hitting it right where it hurts. They gave me a feeling of not being alone with the emotions I go through.

This is a really great collection by a wonderfully inspirational author. These poems center the experiences of women and girls to turn toward activism and activist possibilities. A great audiobook!

Dear Girl is a collection of poems on feminism, equality, girlhood, and womanhood. Description of the book says: "Dear Girl is a journey from girlhood to womanhood through poetry...". Younger women and girls will probably like it.

I'll try this one as an ebook, too. It is interesting to hear poetry as an audiobook, especially if the author herself reads it. But it is very challenging to rate poetry. While it resonates with some, with others it won't. The music in the background is beautiful, and I like it. But I think it should be quieter and softer.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to this! All opinions are my own.

This was really fun to listen to. The poetry was beautiful and followed well.
The narration was well done, the voice was soothing, and complimented the poetry well.
I would recommend this to anyone.

This poetry collection packs such a severe punch.

Touching and memorable, Aija Mayrock successfully manages to write about such an array of struggles we women face in so few poems. As with every collection of writing, there will be some sections that resonate more with certain readers. I definitely felt that. Yet, rather than making it fall short for me in a rating sense, it made me want to give it a reread to educate myself on the problems that women who aren't in my position face. This is a collective look at a gender that is often pitted against one another, and yet somehow wraps itself up in a 'we should all be in this together' bow. Beautifully done.

Thank you to Net Galley for this audiobook ARC.

Every girl/woman needs to read this poetry collection. What a beautiful collection of powerful works all about what it is to be a woman and the struggles we face every day. If you are not one for poetry check out the audiobook. It is beautifully spoken with the correct cadence. I would prefer to listen to poetry because you get the true emotion out of the text.

“Dear girl” is more than a poetry collection, is a very relatable journey from girlhood to womanhood. It’s a collection of empowering poems about feminism, sisterhood, healing, and resilience.

Dear Girl is a timely collection of poetry, a love letter to women everywhere. I found the tone to be very refreshing and energizing. Dear Girl imparts hard-learned lessons and generates reflection. This is a meaningful collection, but ultimately this book is a rallying cry to women to be strong and support each other. When the world is exhausting, reading a poem or section from this book would be an excellent respite. I received an audiobook of this poetry collection, which is read by the author herself. Mayrock has plenty of passion and infuses the poetry with the care and emotion that can only be given by the author. The effect is something like going to a spoken-word poetry slam. Dear Girl releases August 25, 2020. Thank you to Aija Mayrock, Andrews McMeel Audio, and Netgalley for a free audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This is a beautiful little book of poetry, focusing on the strength of women - the women we are, and the women who made us. The content can lean into darkness at some points. Maybe not quite triggering, but definitely alluding to the major challenges of modern womanhood, so be mindful.
I listened to it as an audiobook, so the experience is very much like listening to a spoken word performance. I tend to listen while driving and multitasking, and I didn't think this was a great book for that BUT if it's what you're focusing on, or if it fits into something else you're doing, like gratitude and reflection rituals, it could be a good choice.

"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."

☆゜・。。・゜゜・。。・゜★

[4,5]

☆゜・。。・゜゜・。。・゜★

I Liked so much this book. That goes without saying, but the reasons are the most important and please READ this book. Dear Girl is a book that everyone should read to understand many things about many topics, such as feminism and women in general. How to educate a girl to be self-confident when she grows up, how to teach her that her body is hers and that she must both respect and enjoy it.

Dear Girl is a small collection of poems that I listened on the audiobook format and it is narrated by the same author. That makes it very valuable. I love how the author narrates her own words, with a force and power that not just anyone could do. In fact, the first thing that interested me about this book was the fact that it was narrated by the author.

They are simple poems, but with a lot of power and without a doubt beautiful. I will continue reading the following books by Aija Mayrock, as it is a promise for the poetic literature of the future. You should read Dear Girl if you want to start reading poetry, because they are not very complex poems but full of power, strength and love.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. Definitely give it a go and take a read. It has interesting content which keeps the reader intrigued. I really found the book a pleasant read.

‘Dear Girl’ is a brief, empowering collection of feminist poems that document the life from girlhood to womanhood in contemporary society. Some of the subject matter included aesthetic expectations, double standards, and sexual assault. The poems and narration were strong and inspiring at times. I think it would have resonated more with me if the poems were more autobiographical. They were often more about general experiences. It was a good collection, but I wanted more depth and vulnerability.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC.

This book of poetry was put into a 44 min powerhouse of a performance audio read by the poet Aija Mayrock. This book is described as, "a journey from girlhood to womanhood in poetry...a love poem to sisterhood," and wow it really left such a deep impression on me. It starts off talking about motherhood and girlhood and how we as mothers should not silence our daughters and reign them in, while we let our boys run wild. We should teach our daughters that their bodies belong to them, that they have all rights to it and should not be shamed by it. It talks about the sisterhood we all share with other women and how we should support one another instead of allowing our insecurities and childhoods to cause us to lash out at one another or bully/shame each other. It speaks of how your wounds can be worn like jewels in a crown, that they make you stronger not weaker, and so much more. I highly recommend every woman hear this as an audiobook because the poet spoke it so poignantly, and there's also music in the audio as well. If you are looking for poems of solidarity, strength, empowerment, resilence, please read this short book of poems. I received the audiobook from Netgalley in return for an honest review. I enjoyed this so much that I just bought the book as well. Its a powerhouse, please read or give it a listen!!

<i>Dear Girl</i> is a poetry collection about feminism and sisterhood. Similar to <i>Milk and Honey</i> by Rupi Kaur and <The Princess Saves Herself in This One</i> by Amanda Lovelace.

I enjoyed listening to this audiobook. Every other poem or so has some classical music playing underneath the narrator which makes it easier to distinguish the poems from each other. I liked that the narrator was the poet herself which really ensures that the poem is delivered as she wants it to. It also helps that Aija Mayrock is a spoken word performer.