Despite having taken a peek at the existing Goodreads reviews for this title before delving into the ARC, I found myself under the assumption that it would turn out to be somewhat of a “silly” poetry collection, or written in the common modern style popularized by Kaur. There’s nothing wrong with said style, of course, and accessible poetry is critical to the genre — but I was even more pleased to find out that the collection was not only distinct in its style, but hard-hitting in its content.

It managed to wrap crisp ribbons around complex and messy thoughts deeply rooted in childhood experiences that are equal parts unique to these two individuals and collective to our generation as a whole. While I do think there’s a “niche” audience that will enjoy the collection more immediately than some (myself included) due to having these shared experiences, I think everyone could glean something from the words on the pages alone. I saw another reviewer say that “no word was wasted” and I would agree. I also adore the structure, style, and formatting that falls within the authors’ style.

I would love to see the collection be a bit longer and would be excited to see some light illustration or other details in the final version to add to the atmosphere already created by the succinct and thoughtful words.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

“Dear Azula, I Have a Crush on Danny Phantom”, written by Jackson Neal and Azura Tyabji, explores the connections we have with childhood characters. The poets write about and sometimes to these characters, and relate the characters stories to their own lives. Anyone that recognizes these characters will be move by these poems. I don’t think there was one bad poem in this collection. The reason why I am giving these four stars rather than five is that I do not have a connection with someone of the characters they wrote about. I don’t think that made the poems impossible to understand, but they didn’t impact me as much. Overall, I highly suggest that everyone picks up this short poetry collection. It is definitely worth your time.

I enjoyed these pages of poetry because they differed from more common themes and styles. They were based off of popular, well-known kids/teens cartoons and movies such as Avatar: The Last Airbender, Shrek, and more! However, I felt that these poems didn't really touch me very well. They were more like retellings of the stories but in a form of poetry. They made me feel excited, but not quite a the feeling that I usually look for poems to give me. Therefore, I'd say this book is about a 3/5 stars.

Dear Azula was a very quick read. It's been some time since I've read good American poetry, and I must say it was refreshing to see something different from the current Rupi Kaur style, you know. I liked how the poems are inspired by movies and tv shows, and how raw they seem. They carry something dramatic, like thoughts and feelings underneath our skin.

I think it is a very beautiful collection of poems, even though I know these words will not stuck with me for very long. Its is worth the reading.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with this book. :)

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This is one of my first contacts with poetry in another language and I have to say it was way better than I thought it would be. Every single page touched my heart, but my favorite poem has to be "Dear Azula, Farewell" because I know so well how that feels.

I loved the way they connected their poems with TV shows that I knew so well growing up and how that made me feel like I was listening to a childhood friend talk about our favorite TV shows, it was so easy to understand what was being said.

I got really sad when I realized I had finished the poems since it meant that I had to say goodbye to this book that made me feel so safe and I just know that if you're part of any of those fandoms (such as Avatar: The Last Airbender, Kim Possible, Teen Titans, Shrek, Danny Phantom, etc), you will realize that Dear Azula, I Have a Crush on Danny Phantom feels just like a good saturday morning at home when you were a kid.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I was able to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
***
Dear Azula, I Have a Crush on Danny Phantom is a short collab collection written by Azura Tyabji and Jackson Neal. Inspired by shows and movies; Avatar the Last Airbender, Teen Titans, Danny Phantom, Shrek, The Lion King, Emperor’s New Groove, Mulan, Kim Possible, and The Incredibles these poems look at them and how their characters and themes have shaped us growing up and what we have clung to and seen ourselves reflected in.
My favorite was Refractions inspired by Mulan and looks at identity issues not really covered in the animated film at all. My second favorite was Zuko’s Palinode, about Iroh and the soft side of fire wielding he gave to Zuko.
A quick but powerful read and fun for nerds like me who have enjoyed all these shows/movies.

Dear Azula, I Have a Crush on Danny Phantom is a short collection of poems inspired by popular children's cartoons, including Avatar: The Last Airbender, Mulan, Shrek and Kim Possible, among others. It examines the feelings of the characters that we grew up with, as well as the feelings that we as viewers had towards them, and this results in a poignant and reflective exploration of our childhood emotions.

This was an incredibly quick read, but I found that I really became very invested in each individual poem, despite the fact that all were under two pages. As some of the cartoons included were some of my favourites growing up, it was definitely interesting to see their emotions explored in a much more mature way.

I enjoyed this book and all of the entertaining pop culture references that it contained. It's a fun collection of poetry that I would absolutely recommend if you're looking for a burst of childhood nostalgia, and if you're at all interested in going back and thinking about how our favourite characters shaped us when we were growing up.

This poetry collection written by two close friends, is the absolute embodiment of Gen Z’s humor and pop culture reference. Each poem is deeply engrained with the very relevant struggles and issues of being in the younger generations while expertly mixing in RELEVANT pop culture to tie it all together. It’s short, easy, and fun; highly recommend.


**I was provided a copy from Netgalley for review

Maybe I - a millennial who is only a part of a few of the fandoms featured - is the intended audience for this collection, maybe I'm not. But I really liked it nonetheless. Not a word is wasted and all the poems do what I've been trying to do unsuccessfully for years - express how much animation of this period bleeds into who you become (or are) as a person. And how low-key cute Danny Phantom is.

I can't wait to buy this book and take a deeper dive.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I breezed right through this. I didn't know I wanted this to exist, but when I saw the title I impulsively hit "Read Now." Beyond the Danny thirst, I found a collection of nuanced emotional catharsis centered around outcast characters that I also love.

Dear Azula, I Have a Crush on Danny Phantom is a short collection of poems exploring animated worlds and how people see themselves within them. The poems centre around different TV shows and films like Avatar: The Last Airbender, Shrek, Mulan, Kim Possible, The Emperor's New Groove, and others, exploring the characters, emotions, and identity within them and around watching them.

I really enjoyed the ways the poems engage with fictional characters and how important these characters and their emotions can be to someone's sense of self or exploration of who they are. The poem 'Refraction', for example, looks at some of the identity issues within the animated Mulan film, but never actually covered in the film. As someone who was never really into animated TV shows in the early 2000s, I found the poems about films easier to engage with because I knew those stories, but I did like the writing and ideas in the poems even when I didn't get the references (in particular the opening poem 'Self Portrait: Danny Phantom').

If you like things that explore internet/fandom experiences, this is a good collection to read, especially if you know at least some of the source material being referenced/expanded upon. I like how it takes a playful yet still serious approach to engaging with existing fiction and characters, getting across how doing this can also be formative for people's own identities.

I loved the cultural references to all the different medias and fandoms. I am a poet myself but often miss out on reading other's anthologies, but I'm so glad I got to read this one

I love the idea of this poetry book connecting to different cartoon characters! It’s also refreshing to read a short poetry book and not one over 400 pages. It felt precise, purposeful and well chosen. I also love Button Poetry so am glad to get the chance to read this! Definitely one I would like to buy and would recommend to others.

A Huge Thank You to both NetGalley and Button Poetry for the opportunity to read this arc.

I love poetry, but I don’t own many poetry books. Usually I don’t feel the need, to read them more than once or twice - but I can’t wait to purchase a physical copy of Dear Azula.

One of my favorite poems is Refraction. It shines a light on one of the biggest issues in Mulan, and does it better than Disney.

Another gem is I Have A Crush On Shego. It illuminates how big an impact fiction, in all it’s multimedia forms, can have on us, and how it can help us find the courage to explore and discover ourselves..

A must read for late Millenials, Gen Z’s and geeky nerdy aficionados everywhere.

I adored these poems by Azura Tyabji and Jackson Neal about some of my favourite fandoms! The movies/shows that inspired the poems are Avatar: the Last Airbender, Danny Phantom, Shrek, The Lion King, The Emperor's New Groove, The Incredibles, Mulan, Kim Possible and last but not least Teen Titans. Since these are all movies or shows that I enjoyed, I really enjoyed the poems.

Of course, I lived for the poems about Avatar: the Last Airbender. I loved them so much. As soon as I saw the title Dear Azula, I Have a Crush on Danny Phantom I knew I had to read this poetry collection and it did not disappoint!

If any you are part of any of these fandoms, please do yourself a favour and read this poetry collection. You will not regret it.

Thank you NetGalley and.Button Poetry for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a beautiful short collection of poetry on what our favourite characters taught us growing up and the pieces of them we carry and see ourselves reflected in.

My favourite poem was Zuko’s Palinode. I didn’t have a male role model growing up, so Iroh was everything to me and seeing my love and gratitude for this character summed up in a short poem just meant so much.

“I am not reverent at the altar
Where he offered me anymore”

If you, like me, grew up wanting Shego to win or mourning for the brokenness that Azula is, than read this poetry collection.

I only wish it was longer