I enjoy poetry read like slam poetry. However, there were a few things about the production that I found annoying and distracting: the volume of the music behind the reader and the varying levels of volume throughout the audiobook. I had to keep turning up and down the volume. Overall, I enjoyed the narrator and the overall work.

This is a collection of poems around the central theme of women empowerment.

"I am the woman I am today because my father never clipped my wings. even in disagreement, I hear his voice. all pride and no shame say- "And yes that is my daughter. " "

"Instead of 'How was your day?' messages, we get, 'You up? Wanna come fuck?' "

"Leaving someone you love is like leaving home, and knowing you can never return."

"Heal your wounds, Dear Girl, so your daughter isn't born with the same ones."

"Your boss will tell you to stop giving him eyes "If you want a raise, you gotta compromise. Show me what lies above those thighs." "

This was my first audiobook from NetGalley and was the prefect way to start. It was also my first time listening to poetry read as an audiobook and I am converted.

The narrator( also the author) had a lovely pleasant voice which allowed the poetry to flow. It was also fantastic that the author and narrator were the same as she got to put emphasis on the pieces she wanted to.

The poetry itself was beautiful and it was great to see such topics as LGBTQ+, POC, rape culture and body positivity discussed with such honesty.

Dear Girl very much reflects the contemporary wave of feminism and #MeToo time and will resonate particularly with many young adult listeners, the demographic of the author. Aija Mayrock touches on topics like sexual harassment, rape, body image, misogyny, gender issues, intergenerational trauma, intersectional advocacy, and resilience. The strongest piece in the collection is Dear Boy.

This is not brilliant poetry. There is no shortage of clichés, though there are several strong moments of more original language. The collection is elevated by the young author’s crisp, cadenced, committed spoken-word performance of each short piece. There is an affirmative, inspirational quality to her message and delivery that many will appreciate. And I’m often not fond of music or sound effects added to audiobooks, but it is done quite well in this production.

Fans of Canadian poet Rupi Kaur might also enjoy Dear Girl. And I look forward to hearing more from Aija Mayrock as her work matures. And cheer her on in her advocacy work as well.

I listened to an advanced uncorrected proof of the unabridged audiobook via Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley. My review is unpaid and voluntary.

The narrator/author has a very soothing and pleasant voice. This is my first audiobook for poetry and it’s always strange the way someone will pace their poem is much different than the rhythm I have in my head. My one thing with poetry is I love a poem that invokes some kind of emotion and I didn’t quite get that in this audiobook. Overall, the poems were strong, and had a powerful message.

This audiobook for poetry was okay. The poems reminded me of other poets where their execution was better. I'm not sure why the music was needed between some of the poetry. It was distracting. I think it would be better without the music between each poem. I think these collections of poems may be best for younger readers/listeners or who are just introduced to feminist or women empowerment topics.

Such a great audiobook
Dear girl is a short poetry collection about empowering, wounds healing and the resilience we all share. It’s indeed a journey through poetry.
If you are a mother, a father a brother or a sister, if you are a girl or a boy you should read this novel. Every girl needs to read it. IT was brief yet so empowering and consistent and made me think about a lot of things: about life, about my choices and about myself
I should read more poetry and more about women empowering.

There were a couple of poems in here that I enjoyed but they are quite much of a muchness. Aija Mayrock is very young, which doesn't mean she shouldn't use her life to write poetry, It's just quite obvious that she hasn't got the lived experience to write with much depth or breadth. I also listened to the audio alongside reading this, which is beautifully performed and I will definitely consider picking up poetry collections in this format in future.

I have been falling in love with audiobooks lately, and was beyond thrilled when I saw Netgalley is now offering audiobooks as well. With everything that has been happening in the world this year and the anxiety that comes with it, I have been finding the idea of someone narrating a story to me much more appealing than sitting down and reading for myself. The soothing voice of the narrator, the ability to go on long walks in nature while listening, the occasional background music ~ all of these and more have been making audiobooks a go-to for me. An added plus is always a book narrated by the author, as is the case with "Dear Girl", written and narrated by Aija Mayrock.

"Dear Girl" is a collection of poetry addressed mainly to girls and women. It is a book of feelings, and a book of advice, that calls to girls and women to believe in themselves, to stand up for themselves and each other, to not let their wings be clipped. It touches on a lot of issues, from attitudes towards rape and sexual violence, body positivity, wage gap, to the differences in raising daughters and sons and how those differences ultimately help shape the former issues. The poems are short (the book itself takes about 50 min to listen to) and the narration is full of passion, which makes it all the more empowering and motivational.

My only issue with the book was that I felt that it did not say anything that I haven't heard before. While some poems did, most did not evoke a lot of feelings in me specifically, despite the beautiful narration. Still, perhaps even though these things have been said before, it is worth them being said again and again, until people start to internalize the message.

I received this audiobook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Dear Girl is a book of poetry for women of all kinds. It discusses important topics of the sexualizing of women, the #metoomovement, equality, and how we should look at ourselves and treat other women.
There is nothing about this book that I didn’t like. Every word resonated in my bones and soul. I listened to this one because I have a deep love for spoken poetry and hearing the words has a bigger impact on me and I recommend the audio version of this one for that reason as well.

I couldn’t keep interest I won’t even be able to right a full review the voice kept putting me to sleep it’s just no

I loved this book. It is something to be shared with everyone. Girls are taught so much different then from boys and this really helps you understand that.

Dear Girl // by Aija Mayrock

From the NetGalley description: "From a poet and celebrated spoken-word performer comes a debut poetry collection that takes readers on an empowering, lyrical journey exploring truth, silence, wounds, healing, and the resilience we all share."

Dear Girl by Aija Mayrock is a book of poetry about the female experience. It is a love letter to all women and speaks about the many different situations women have gone through, both positive and negative. It fuses melodies with spoken words in a way that enhances the listening experience. This is one of those books where I am immensily glad to have chosen the audiobook over the print. It is very well done. Having the author read their own poems always also adds another layer of authenticity that in my opinion cannot be had often when another person narrates instead. It blew me away how someone could put this many topics (race, feminism, sexuality, intersectionality, etc.) into such a short book but she did it so well and I feel oddly validated having listened to it. Whether you are a woman yourself or not, this is worth a listen.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing me with this free audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

great audiobook ! I like it when authors read their own work.
book rating ::3⭐
audiobook rating : 4⭐

“Dear girl, you will be believed”
A powerful journey through womanhood. Real powerful and a must read to understand our power as women, cause the future is female. I listen to this audiobook and the power behind the words will forever stay in my mind, in a positive way. As well the music in the audiobook creates such an emotional journey.
Thank you NetGallery for this audiobook.

This is a poetry book for women. It deals with a lot of different topics such as the #me-to0 movement, the right for a woman to decide who she wants to share her body with, as well as, a woman's right to be heard, just to name a few. I really liked that the book was narrated by the author because it made it feel more impactful coming from her the way she wanted it to come across.

4 stars, rounded up from 3.5/5.

This was a good collection of poetry that had an uplifting, empowering message. What kept me from liking it more is that what made the poet stand out, Aija Mayrock's originality and insight, seemed sometimes blocked in by less original thoughts. The effect was that one minute of every ten really caught my attention, while the other nine sounded well-crafted, but like something I'd heard already. If it had all been the latter, I wouldn't have noticed, but the brilliance of that one minute made the other nine seem less so. I'm looking forward to hearing more from Mayrock in the future, especially as Mayrock hones in on what makes her poetry stand out.

Dear Girl is a collection of poems talking about strength, resilience, heartbreaks, wounds, and relationships. They are divided into five parts based on their themes. The audiobook is around an hour-long, read by the author herself. I loved the poems that talk about the importance of gender equality in the current world. The poems provide a definitive yet necessary push to the girls and women thriving in the 21st century. The poems are hard-hitting and impactful. I'm sure each one of the readers will find something relatable in them. The narration is impeccable with added musical effects at apt locations. The overall experience is similar to listening to someone actually perform Spoken word poetry. A great pick for those looking for an easy yet meaningful read.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the arc copy of the book.
Dear Girl by Aija Mayrock was a beautiful collection of poems. I have listened to the audiobook narrated by the poetress herself. It was soothing and a quick read. The words were wonderfully woven but it felt superficial.

Dear Girl is a poetry collection with advice to girls. This poetry collection supports feminism. It mentions important issues like rape, racism, and gender.

This is my first time listening to a poetry book on audio and I know it will not be my last. Dear Girl was quick listen and I really enjoyed it.

The narration by the author, Aija Mayrock was wonderful. You could feel her feelings through the words and hear the emotion in her voice.

Thank you netgalley and Andrews McMeel Audio for providing Dear Girl in exchange for an honest review.