The poems in this book was both raw and amazing. The deliverance of each sentence felt like a breath of fresh air—it was so honest and good.

This book is about topics such as mental health, family life, and overall reality. What I liked most about this book is how authentic and genuine it is.

I hope to read more from this author in the future, but for now: read this!

I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

"What Flies Want" by Emily Perez focuses on themes of womanhood, motherhood, violence in America, and the author's experiences as a bicultural Latina. Each poem glitters, though there is repetition in theme there is never repetition of the poems themselves. Every piece feels fresh and from the heart.

My favorites included 'Before I Learned To Be A Girl', 'Your Mood', 'What Flies Want Is Not', 'Corrección/Correction', 'Out of the Wood-', 'Once I Learned To Be A Girl', 'You Have All Day', and 'Vows'.

In these pieces, Pérez skillfully expresses the frustrations girlhood/womanhood, the tensions that arise in a long-term relationship, and the melancholy of straddling two cultures in a world that prizes one over the other. In short, these poems made me feel seen in many ways.