This is a sad book of poetry and short stories surrounding heartbreak and loss. It was written in such a raw and clever way. The short stories gave a bit of a background for the poetry to come.

Adam was my personal favorite and I felt most relatable, as well as the Libra poem, which hit close to him for a personal libra ex.

None of these truly made me emotional, like other poets have in the past, but it was a great set of poems.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Thank you @netgalley and @andrewsmckeelpublishing for an ARC for my honest review.

I was drawn to this by the cover, and while I did love all the illustrations inside, the writing didn't do much for me. I can appreciate the emotion and vulnerability on display, but this feels like something written solely for the poet's sake, not meant for outside readers. The pieces felt more like pages of a diary trying to work things out instead of something that was meant to have an impact on an outside reader - in a lot of the poems there is no effort to present the ideas in an original and interesting way, it's just phrases put on new lines so that it looks like poetry even though it doesn't feel like it. I liked the Tank's Story Times better than the poetry, but they were few.

All that said, I understand that the author is a slam poet, and I think the poems would be way more impactful if heard in her own voice. I can see how in a performance she would create structure in her delivery and add interest to the pieces, but in written form they just don't work so well, at least for me, so maybe the audiobook would be better.

That's not to say I disliked all the poems - my favourites were "Survival guide" and "The cycle".

I wanted to relate to the poetry so bad, but I couldn’t. I felt like the metaphors just weren’t relatable.

just finished this poetry collection and it was such a sad book about being used, heartbroken and hopelessly in love, but yet... healing 🥺 i enjoyed it!
definitely would recommend to people who can relate to being used in past relationships.

Vulnerable AF is
Relatable AF
Real AF
Honest AF
and yes Vulnerable AF!
I felt like this collection was written for my past self. I really enjoyed the unpretentious and openly sincere approach in this. This collection doesn't feel like its trying to be better than you, rather its FOR you. I can not recommend this book enough!

I'll just leave yall with one of my favorite lines from this collection.
"Now forgive yourself for pretending to be a Band-Aid and heal yourself"

Vulnerable AF is a poetry collection from Tarriona “Tank” Ball, Grammy-nominated recording artist and slam poet. I don’t read poetry that often, but I loved this collection. It was raw, honest, and truly showed what it feels like to struggle with the difference between infatuation and love in a complicated relationship. I loved having the mix of “Tanks Story Time” and poetry throughout the book. Some of my favorites from this collection were “Playing Hard to Get”, “Libra Thinking”, “The Cycle”, “Tiny Desk”, and most of all, “Glare”. I don’t know much about poetry, but I do know that this collection made me feel, and I want others to be able to feel strongly when they read it, too. After reading this, I am inspired to get more into slam poetry and read many more poetry collections.

Oh .... this book of poems was so relatable. I’m not currently going through the kind of pain Tarriona writes about, but it definitely brought memories of my own experience to the surface. What a talented writer and individual. I’m a fan.

It’s hard to write reviews for poetry because poetry is so subjective, but this did not really do it for me. I had a hard time really hearing the poet’s voice - and as soon as I thought I had it the poems would shift in form again.

I didn't really enjoy this as it felt more like random journal entries than poetry. A lot of the poems felt like the same rant over and over again about some jerk who broke the writer's heart. Not a bad book, just not for me.

I liked this first experience with slam poetry written by Tarriona Ball. I was looking for something different from my usual reads, and this fit the bill. It came through for me as a heartfelt sharing of the author’s previous relationship. Now I’m curious to read more of this type of poetry to see other examples of it. Advance electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, author Tarriona Ball, and the publisher.

This diaristic poetry collection is full of content that will resonate with anyone who has felt the uneven power dynamics of a messy relationship. Through poems, short pieces, and illustrations, Tarriona Ball brings us into her perspective, laying bare her desires and insecurities. Not everything we want is good for us, but that doesn't make us want it less.

Ball's frankness is admirable but at times inelegant. Its language of intimacy overflows with cliché, which only makes it feel like it's truly by the writer and for herself. Imagery of fishes and playing with fire and a moon around a sun and a stain on the couch. We know the speaker devours romance novels, absorbing their clichés like guides to life ready to face disillusionment in the gritty indifference of reality.

Many of the poems have one or two figurative images that describe how the speaker perceives her lover. It's hard not to see the metaphors coming; the literalizing illustrations between poems offer more provocations. There are few surprises of language, few turns of phrase that throw a reader back to a poem, feverishly re-reading or marveling at what language can do. Perhaps on the stage, these images might sprout life, but on the page, they are pressed flowers, merely preserved.

NetGalley ARC Educator 550974

Tank revealed the emotions of her deepest love (this far), life lessons and shared glimpses of her heart and soul. Not only is she an amazing songstress, she is also an amazing poet.

As the title states, she was vulnerable af and I am grateful. I hope her words inspires other and her lesson become their lessons. A one sitting read that will envelop you like a warm blanket.

Wow. First, I had never heard Tarriona Ball, but thanks to this collection, I've done a deep dive into the internet.

This is a quick read - but not necessarily an easy read. Tarriona is so skilled in telling a story in just a handful of words - you understand the story, the message and the emotions.

I love forward to seeing more of her slam poetry and actually watching her perform!

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. Vulnerable AF is a beautiful thought provoking poem collection. The illustrations are beautiful and compliment the poems nicely.

Vulnerable AF is a collection by a poet who is new to me — but I hope to revisit Tarriona Ball’s work again soon. There is much to enjoy in this amazing voice, and poetry that lives up to the title’s promise.

Vulnerable AF by Tarriona "Tank" Ball is a raw, unfiltered debut that is immensely relatable. The collection of prose is witty, honest, and speaks directly to the process of experiencing infatuation and love, while at the same time remaining in touch with the truest version of ourselves. Ultimately, this collection as a whole is uplifting, empowering, and painfully truthful, and I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone who wishes to introduce themselves to slam poetry.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for an ARC.

Overall, I don’t believe this style of writing is for me - I enjoy poetry but I believe Terriona’s style is more slam poetry, which is harder to deliver well in text compared to speech.

The description said in verse and short prose pieces, but it was primarily in poetry - which I did enjoy more. I didn’t find the book had much cohesion between the stories and poems and overall didn’t seem to be much progress or growth with Tarriona’s feelings as lot of them were saying the same message.

I enjoyed the themes and topics such as how we feel about others in comparison to what they think they owe us, how we only see what we want. Some poems really hit the mark and were well written with a few of my favourites including ‘Survival Guide’, ‘Wires’, ‘Wishing Well’ and ‘Sudden Truth’.

In comparison, I found the writing for a few of the poems and prose to be immature with weak writing. There was a lot of build up in the prose for a small line to conclude the meaning. Additionally, there were one or two poems at the end that added to the in cohesiveness as they were quite graphic and the change of tone was very out of place. But ultimately, only very few lines or ideas stuck with me.

I loved the illustrations and think that the were a great intermission between poems, but thought there were a lot of unnecessary blank pages between the text.

This is a great effort for a debut poetry book, but there is room to grow for future releases.