This collection was AMAZING! It was raw, painful and heartbreaking, but absolutely beautiful. I cannot wait to do an Instagram post of it, but I am considering waiting for a physical copy. Will definitely recommend this to others.

This is so honest, important and beautiful. There are some real, emotional and heavy topics but I really enjoyed this read!

I love that I can feel the poet's passion, fury and indignation in all its raw and visceral intensity but, for me, there is something lacking in the delivery. The ideas seem scatter-shot and the unvarying intensity of emotion becomes tiring. Also some poems lack focus or a cohesive structure. These factors, for me, diffuse some of the power of the work. There is some really powerful imagery and some intriguing turns of phrase but also a bit of repetition of tone, form and theme - the whole book could've been one long poem. The ideas are there, the talent and passion are there, but this feels a little rushed and underdeveloped.

You might find some lines quite uncomfortable as some parts seem to come out quite strong when the author writes exactly what she wanted to say about some things which she isn't happy about I feel.

But the whole poetry collection is wholesome with some parts speaking up about the rest of the girls who are quiet and suffering; for those who needs to find words to express themselves on various matters which do matter to each of us.

However, the writing seems a bit too young for me.

The collection will be fit for beginners and the occasional insta poetry readers would appreciate it more I feel.

Thank you, Buttons Poetry Inc, for the advance reading copy.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC!

I really loved this collection of poems and haven’t really been thoroughly impressed by a collection in a while.

The poems are raw, honest, and real. You won’t find anything but the harsh truth in these pages. I’m not in Ebony Stewart’s target audience but I can see how much these words will empower so many. Will get others to look inward on themselves and ask if they’re truly being the best they can be. If they’ll start empathizing and understanding rather than sympathizing and excusing.

My personal favorites in this collection are “Lilith,” “Psst… Hey Yo B*tch! Let Me Holla At Chu,” “Happy Father’s Day,” “What We Become,” and “I got some friends Blac when it’s convenient.” Although all of the poems were wonderful and so well-written, these ones all stood out to me. Each poem is a true gem, with “Lilith” being one of my favorite poems I have read this year.

A fantastic read and I will keep reading from this author!

Home.Girl.Hood bears the heart and soul of Stewart and the intersectionalities that compose the Black experience, especially in the experience of GirlHood. I love a play on the words and the flow of the poems outlined in the book. I could identify with the Father's Day poem and many others outlined in the book. As a native Houstonian, I was hooked before I even started reading when I saw the author was from BayTown (I grew up in Mo City). I'm not always a fan of poetry, but this book made me a believer. I loved it!

This collection is great. Even from my admittedly privileged white girl perspective, there's plenty to relate to and sympathize with. I've never met a woman who hasn't been harassed or sexually assaulted, so the pieces centered on those topics hit home. The other pieces, relating to race, I could only ever imagine. I couldn't fathom having to live through such oppression and discrimination.

I recommend giving this a read if you enjoy poetry, are looking to add more BIPOC writers to your TBR, or appreciate short but effective reads.

A powerful commentary on life through a Black lens, I absolutely loved this book of poetry. I felt the compassion and authenticity of the author throughout the entire collection of work. As a biracial Black woman, there are poems I expected to go over my head or to not be written for me (which is 100% valid), however this is an important piece of work for EVERYONE to read, even if you aren't the target demographic. The topics might be considered 'heavy' but they're written about in a way that makes it easier to swallow, understand and empathize with. To see the world through Ebony Stewart's eyes is a beautiful thing.

*received ARC through NetGalley

This book was not for me. I was not the target audience. I didn't enjoy it. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone else.

This book immediately caught my attention on Netgalley, because of the absolutely stunning cover! Like seriously it's so pretty! But lets get into the actual review...

This book was quite enjoyable to read. It dealt with very heavy topics, but it was written in a way that doesn't feel too heavy. Some of the parts in this, did make me a bit uncomfortable though. Especially the stuff about her relationship with her mother, but I appreciate the author a lot for talking about her experiences so openly. I would never be able to do that.

I definitely want to buy this book physically, because I want to reread it. My ereader gave me some issues while reading this book, so I could not annotate it, and I would really like to do that. So yeah, definitely buying this one!

DNF - the excessive use of womyn and womxn made me incredibly uncomfortable. I only ever hear those terms used by transphobes and TERFS.

This was absolutely incredible, a poetry collection I'm so glad I found, and would definitely recommend.
So many important conversations handled so well.
I also think the preface deserves real acknowledgement in this collection, I can't explain any of the points made better than Stewart does, so just give this one a read.

(I'm starting to think I just need to read everything Button Poetry Publishes)

Ok so I first gravitated towards the book for the cover… it is absolutely gorgeous! I love poetry and I like that it’s a quick read. However, I understand that it is meant to be written in the same way the author would be talking irl but personally I found it hard to read and get through. With that being said some of the poems really resignaded with me and I thought were beautiful: Fear & Happy Mother’s Day.

One of my favorite quotes:
“Fear is a God.
A religion.
Who we pray to.
And believe in.
Fear mustn’t be uttered, admitted, or claimed to have faith in.”

This honestly felt like she wanted to be Carol Ann Duffy but something didn’t flow right. I though the concepts of the poetry were strong and I particularly liked ‘Eve’. However, I found it hard to read and lacked emotion other that sheer anger which made it feel stunted. I felt it needed some moments of vulnerability.

Recently, I was sent the ebook of "Home. Girl. Hood". I loved reading this book, the writer is really authentic, her work is brilliant and beautifully written. The poems 'Fear', 'Compassion Fatigue', and 'On The Way Back To Myself' really spoke to me.

As a cisgendered white woman I am not her prime audience, but I still felt connected to this book as her raw and openness engulfed me whole.

It did take me a little time to get into this book, and I did struggle to relate to some of her poems. But overall I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone and everyone. As an trainee teacher my take is that her poetry would be a good addition for any education facility for teaching pupils who are 16+. However, the topics discussed can be used within primary school settings.

Rated: 4 stars

Thank you so much to netgallery for allowing me to read this beautiful and raw collection.

This was really interesting and emotive! I loved learning more about the perspectives and own voice narrative. I also love the there are curriculum and lesson ideas at the end, I'll recommend to my sister and friends who teacher older teens!

I really enjoy poetry, and I was really excited about this book. The title and cover really spoke to me, and I knew the stories would be relatable for me. I will say that I could find myself in quite a few of the stories, and I enjoyed them all. I’m only giving this book a four as I couldn’t find the rhythm or harmony in all of the stories. I am not a person that believes poetry has to rhyme, but I do believe that all poetry has a rhythm to it The format of this story didn’t establish that for me.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rings on every finger. Hood and educated AF. You've met her. Wearing all her feelings and responding with a side-eye or a tongue-pop. You've seen her. At the grocery store. In restaurants. On the subway. At the bus stop. In a car you pulled up next to blaring whatever matches her mood. Hair in some natural or protective style for the Gods. Ebony Stewart. An around the way girl. One part human, all parts womxn. You know these poems because they be familiar. They be your grandmama, mama, auntie, and sis stories. Welcome to Home. Girl. Hood- Goodreads

I was surprised by this book. But first, let me say that the cover is everything and I love it tremendously. With any poetry book there are going to be some that hit you hard and some that hit you less. The poem that hit me hard was "An Ode To My Pussy". It is dripping (ha) with female empowerment. I was motivated; I felt strong and seen when I read this poem. It was completely different from the ones that came before and after. I am so very happy it made the cut.

Overall, this is a good collection that made me think and feel. I am glad I picked it up.

4 Pickles

This is a beautiful collection of poetry with a focus on themes of bodily autonomy, trauma (personal and generational), colorism, and othering along with more traditional explorations of love, family, etc. While there is a lot of pain in these works, there is also humor, strength, and resilience. An excellent teaching guide is included with very helpful suggestions for exercises surrounding certain poems. This would be a great addition to late high school or college curricula.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

Thank you for a copy of this collection in exchange for an honest review! I'll be honest, I'm not a big fan of poetry, but this one stuck out to me because of the cover and premise. I enjoyed some of the poems a lot and they were all filled with a lot of emotion. These poems explore what it's like to be a black woman in today's society and it was very educational and powerful. I feel like someone who enjoys poetry more than me would really enjoy this one.