4.5 stars. I hadn't heard of Tarriona "Tank" Ball before this, but this brief collection has made me a fan. She has a really nice sense of metaphor and a nice rhythm to her lines. These poems and prose pieces are about an older relationship that burned bright and then ended....poorly. the poems, like "Sun and Moon Folk" are all about understanding and learning from that:

I used to call you Sun
And I, your Moon
We gave each other such important names
So early in the day
Maybe I can see why you turned eclipse

Never thought that the names would become bigger than the sky
that carried them
I guess you
Didn't want the responsibility of brightening my day in that way
Didn't know that you never wanted to gleam like that
But you should know
I didn't call you Sun with the intent for such a responsibility
I called you Sun because when I saw you...
I shined

I both read this and listened to the audiobook; if you get a chance, listen to Ball read her work. Her emotion and pacing (especially on the prose pieces) are really good!

4 stars for the print book
5 stars for the audiobook

This collection lives up to the title, putting the author's experiences on full display. Many of them were relatable, particularly in references to relationships with broken people. The poems range in lengths from a few lines to pages, so there's something for all readers. I didn't connect with many of the pieces, but I usually enjoy more visual poetry (metaphors, symbolism, etc) rather than stated facts in a poetic form - just my personal taste, though. The entire collection fits together and flows well, regardless of style.

I listened to the audiobook (read by the author) which heightened my enjoyment. These poems read like journal entries turned into poetry. Overall, some are successful and others feel forced.

I really didn't get on with this one, and I wish so much that I could've. This just doesn't work for me as written poetry at all. There's no attention paid to rhythm or rhyme, the phrasing is clunky and awkward and often juvenile (the amount of times the word 'freaking' was used made me cringe) and all the emotions are so surface level that I just didn't feel anything. There's no depth of feeling or language here. It was like reading a stranger's diary.

As for the structure, I liked the idea of having interims where the poet talked confessionally about how the poems came to be and gave some context to each of them, but in actuality they were just repetitive, jarring and read like filler to make up for the fact that there weren't enough poems to warrant a collection. It felt like a missed opportunity.

I can absolutely see how these poems might have been cathartic for the author, and I can see how they would possibly work in a slam context, with the atmosphere and the author's delivery giving the emotional weight to the poems that the words themselves don't quite convey on the page, but this just doesn't work as a collection of poetry for me. Perhaps it could have been pruned and published as a chapbook, or as an accompaniment to one of the poet's shows, but not in this format.

Vulnerable AF by Tarriona "Tank" Ball is a beautiful collection about relationships and heartbreak. Her poems/stories are relatable I enjoyed her reflections on the contradictions in relationships. Ball narrates the audiobook phenomenally. She has such a beautiful, expressive voice that really brought her words to life.

Thank you Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing this audiobook and ebook ARC.

In Vulnerable AF, Tarriona Bell discussed her experience with relationships and love. I would recommend this one for young women dealing with a recent break up.

This collection of poems grabbed my attention from the punchy title. The blurb really intrigued me due to the slam potery element but I think because of this the format would have been better spoken or listened to as an audio book rather than written down. I think I would have enjoyed it more hearing the poet speak it.

Overall the poems were lovely, some really resonated but a lot were about the same person and I found myself not as invested. The poem about fishing and also her sisters were my favourite.

I'll keep an eye out on this author for sure.

Thank you for the arc.

The title says everything about this collection of poetry. Tarriona "Tank" Ball spared nothing and bared her soul while writing these cohesive verses, and the reader is welcomed in to this post-breakup world. Her betrayal and pain and blame are palpable and I just want to offer her something to punch and a hug to let her know she is worth so much more than the way she has been treated. My only criticism would be that the poems can feel a bit repetitive if read in one sitting since they are truly a cohesive collection. Be on the lookout for this debut coming in early June! Thank you Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for this free advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review. 4.5/5 stars

The debut poetry collection from Grammy-nominated recording artist and slam poet Tarriona "Tank" Ball about infatuation, love, and heartbreak.

How to review such a personal poetry collection when one does not fall in love with it? This is what I wonder as I keep starting and deleting yet another review. This book wasn't terrible and I can imagine some might enjoy it but sadly it wasn't me. I couldn't connect to most of the poems (key word connect NOT relate) nor did I enjoy my time reading this book. I get I am very picky about poetry but this did not fill my well. THAT BEING SAID do not stray from reading this work it you have enjoyed the author's work previously. Reading poetry is such a personal experience that what works for me might not work for you. My recommendation is to try it out for yourself.

A BIG thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc.

A beautifully honest and raw collection of emotions and stream of consciousness Tarriona Ball has written on one of her past relationships. The themes and emotions she incorporates in her poetry are truly encapsulated in the title ‘Vulnerable AF’, where emotions of heartache, love, anger, resentment, regret, healing, and moving on are articulated through colloquial slang and speech. I personally think many would be able to resonate with the emotions expressed in this collection even if they’ve never been in a failed relationship, because she also touches on themes of manipulation, being taken for granted, toxicity, and raw infatuation and impulsiveness, which many may have experienced in relationships and interactions with other people. I thoroughly enjoyed this collection, particularly how genuine and vulnerable it comes across. As the phrase goes, “I can read them like a book”, the author really said she’ll make something where the readers can do just that.

Well the title of this one pretty much covers everything. Vulnerable AF. The author details how vulnerable you become as you get to know someone and as they learn more about you. She talks about her experience with love and heartbreak. This is raw, honest, relatable, a little sad and best of all - beautiful.

A special thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for this advanced reader copy. The book is to be published June 8, 2021.

I really enjoyed this collection of poems written by slam poet, Tarriona Ball. Mostly centered around the end of a relationship, this poetry is smart, relatable, and, well, vulnerable. The poetry, and short prose pieces felt so much like my own experiences in relationships in my 20s. The illustrations were strange and beautiful, and gave a good visual representation to support the themes of the poetry. This was enjoyable to read, but would be fantastic on audio. I recommend Vulnerable AF to anyone who’s been a relationship with someone who turned out to be no good.

Vulnerable AF is a debut poetry collection focused on love, heartbreak, and self-confidence. Ball is a slam poet and recording artist, and that really shines through in the cadence of most of the poems in this collection. I really appreciated that, because Ball’s being a slam poet is the reason I picked this book up in the first place!

I found the poems in this collection to be incredibly relatable despite containing specific references to Ball’s own life and experiences. Each piece was about her own experiences with love and infatuation and heartbreak, but the way she wrote about these experiences reminded me (and I’m sure other readers) of myself and my own experiences with dating and wanting so badly to be in love that you convince yourself you are. There’s a line in the first poem in the book: “My Infatuation led me to believe that I was in actual love with someone I barely knew”. I’ve re-read that line a few times since I picked up (and finished, in one sitting) this book yesterday.

I absolutely loved this collection, maybe even more than I was expecting to, and I definitely recommend checking it out - especially if you’re in your 20s, single, and struggling to define what it is that you want out of a relationship and love.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the advance review copy of Vulnerable AF!

Vulnerable AF is a debut poetry collection focused on love, heartbreak, and self-confidence. Ball is a slam poet and recording artist, and that really shines through in the cadence of most of the poems in this collection. I really appreciated that, because Ball’s being a slam poet is the reason I picked this book up in the first place!

I found the poems in this collection to be incredibly relatable despite containing specific references to Ball’s own life and experiences. Each piece was about her own experiences with love and infatuation and heartbreak, but the way she wrote about these experiences reminded me (and I’m sure other readers) of myself and my own experiences with dating and wanting so badly to be in love that you convince yourself you are. There’s a line in the first poem in the book: “My Infatuation led me to believe that I was in actual love with someone I barely knew”. I’ve re-read that line a few times since I picked up (and finished, in one sitting) this book yesterday.

I absolutely loved this collection, maybe even more than I was expecting to, and I definitely recommend checking it out - especially if you’re in your 20s, single, and struggling to define what it is that you want out of a relationship and love.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the advance review copy of Vulnerable AF!

Vulnerable AF is... vulnerable AF. Tarriona Ball opens up to readers in her debut poetry collection on subjects so many of us can relate to, specifically the heartbreak of loving someone who is emotionally unavailable. Some of her poems reached out and grabbed me, twisting my heart as I pictured my own previous relationship. Ball is vulnerable and real, and her poetry beautifully reflects her experiences. It is apparent that her talent will keep growing, and I can't wait to see her future collections.

Mostly the whole volume is dedicated to her feelings about her first real love relationship with a guy who turned out to be kind of an asshole. A few poems on him would have been cool but I was hoping for more self-reflection or things about her. I really didn’t love that her first collection of poems was all about a guy. A little disappointing frankly.

I just don't think reading about people's failed relationship in poetry form (or reading poetry at all for that matter) is for me.

This will be very readable to those who like modern poetry, slam poetry. I found it very easy to relate to and enjoyed hearing the poet's experiences through her words.

Vulnerable AF by Tarriona Ball is a collection of poetry that is emotional and heartbreaking. The poems in the book reflect the course of a failed relationship and expose the vulnerable feelings of confusion, infatuation, sadness, anger, and resentment. I thought that there were a lot of great poems in this collection, and they were interspersed with short stories to provide a contextual background for the poems. I found that I really appreciated the "Tank's Story Time" sections and the illustrations that accompanied the poems. As the author is a slam poet, I think that this collection would be more powerful as a spoken word audiobook to help capture the intended rhythm of the poems. I think this collection would resonate with anyone who has experienced a painful relationship trajectory or who is in the middle of a breakup.

I received an advanced copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley which did not affect the contents of my voluntary review. All opinions are honest and my own.