Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.

Some poems lost me a little bit, but the ones that didn’t lose me, were so good!
Would definitely check out more from this author in the future!

“if
love is love
why ain’t it?”

This might be the first time I’ve related to more than one poem in a book of poetry. I can’t be 100% sure about that but it feels true. Quite a few resonated with me, only a couple are featured in this review. Definitely check out the book!

“if i tell you
i love you
it means i accept the way you treat me
and
i
don’t.”

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. (The version I read was a finished copy.)

An intensely emotional, raw selection of poetry from the voice of a queer black woman. Captivating language used to deeply express the emotions and experiences of a black woman. The poetry in this text gives credence to the role of pure existence in a society torn and blemished, yet so unrelenting in its giving of acceptance.

Intimate, empowering and beautifully written. I enjoyed how the author explored a wide range of themes such as sexuality and identity. The ones about racism were particularly hard-hitting and I loved the book's overall message of owning who you are.

I had a strong feeling this book would become a new favorite pretty early on.

For me, the book's content warnings are a huge positive. Their page numbers, which let you to skip specific passages if you desired, were the best feature. I believe more authors ought to follow that.

The experience of reading this poetry anthology was somewhat similar to reading a diary. It appeared as though someone's privacy had been violated and a secret had been revealed. Many challenging subjects were covered. However, because they were all intimate matters, the manner in which they were handled was excellent.

Every poem I read struck me as being incredibly poignant and exquisitely written and presented.

I’m always hesitant when picking up new collections of poetry but this one was surprisingly enjoyable to read. Williams goes into her experience as a queer black woman in america in a way that’s honest and deserves to be read with an open mind. even though some parts of this collection felt like something I would see on tumblr or instagram, I still really have an appreciation for the rawness that Williams was able to portray in each poem.

"some of me wants
to want
nothing to do with you
and most of me
still wants you to call"

This will be my favourite and best read poetry book for this year. Each and every letters here etched in my heart. Yes this book is that deep. So what if it's a poetry book? Poetic language have more power than any self help books or medicines. I felt heavy in my heart while reading them. To be honest, my review cannot do the justice to this read. I couldn't tell you how good this book is though I know I know poetry isn't for everybody. But trust me when I'm saying one don't need to be qualified as literary geek to understand the language cause they're easy.

Author offers a raw view of the world from her unique perspective. It presents themes like sexuality and acceptance through her stunningly arranged words, but this time she dives much deeper. find her. keep her. delivers an amplitude of emotion and rawness; reading her poetry feels as if you've stumbled upon her secret journal and are reading words that were never meant to be found.

There were many poems that particularly stood out to me that I immediately bookmarked to return to and read again.
Genre falls in Internet Poetry, much like the works of well known poets. So, if you like @rupikaur_ , @ladybookmad , @r.h.sin then you will enjoy this poetry collections.

Highly recommended.

Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Thank you @booksgosocialgroup @AndrewMcMeelPublishing for the #arc in exchange for a honest review.

This is a collection three parts. It deals with the author's experiences as a queer black woman in America. I enjoyed each part as a standalone and could have read it as a trilogy. As a single collection, I found Part 2 to disrupt the flow and that was possibly the intention as life can be disruptive. It was jarring and unexpected after Part 1 and I still think about it. Part 3 was the perfect conclusion.

If you love poetry and well written own voices experience on identity, relationships, sexuality and politics and life in general then you may also enjoy this collection.

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for letting me read this collection.

4.5 Stars rounded up

This collection is perfect for fans of Amanda Lovelace. Williams' writing is so rhythmic, it's enchanting. Some of the poems did go towards the cliche side, but overall her work was stunning. I like how she explored topics women don't usually talk about in poetry like sex, self-pleasure, and pregnancy. I'm really excited for what she'll write in the future and I can't wait to read her other 2 collections!

Looking at the title, I knew it was going to be like those poems I see on Instagram, but still picked it up to try. This book is simply not for me. Most of the pieces are better off as passing thoughts that one would write in a personal diary. Sure, some readers prefer short poetry with line breaks at almost every word, yet this type is getting overrated. While there were certain words that didn't make sense as to why they'd be included, I still appreciate the intention of this collection. It isn't that bad; I'm just the wrong audience for this.

Woah, this one took me by surprise. There is so much pain expressed through all those poems. But at the same time, they emanate so much strength, confidence and comfort.

The author's way of writing is extremely powerful and impactful. Heartbreaking even, because the writing makes empathizing with people who went through experiences foreign to me so easy - even with just a few lines of words, as most of the poems in the collection are quite short.

The themes in this collection range from romantic love and sexuality to family relationships, racism, self-acceptance and the journey it takes to get there.

This really was an emotional and inspirational read. I will definitely check out other author's works as well.

What a gorgeous collection of poetry! Some connected more than others, as is the way of poetry, but I still loved the writing style. Renaada Williams has such a lyrical and beautiful way of writing and really makes you want to keep turning the pages.

I have to admit that my first impression was not very favorable, but the poems started to grow on me. At first I felt like they were a bit too simplistic, the topics very regular and nothing quite out of the ordinary. However, as I kept reading, the topics became more serious, deeper, more impactful on me. I can't really tell if the that is how the poems are or if that is just my personal perception. Poetry is supposed to be personal and at the same time to try to be universal. I became more involved as I read. By the end of it, even the very simple messages started to speak to me and I opened up to them.

I love reading poetry written by someone whose life is different than mine. Reading about Renaada's experience in life as a queer black woman is refreshing, and I think it's important for people to be knowledgeable and read about the life experiences of others unlike themselves. It's important to see others' viewpoints of the world and understand that everyone has different experiences. I think the writing was well done, and an artful way to represent her experiences in life.

I really enjoyed this collection of poems. I like the short style poems. They covered a wide range of topics, and they were all very relatable. This did go through some very heavy topics, but I really liked that the collection ended on a happier note. The last poem was the perfect ending, and I absolutely loved it (no spoilers here! You'll have to read it to see what it is!)

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel for providing me with a copy for an honest review

Renaada Williams' poetry collection captured raw vulnerable emotions so beautifully.

As a therapist, I loved seeing such a real represention of relatable themes including coping with mental health struggles, overcoming trauma, and accepting/embracing her racial and sexual identity.

Some of the lines I want to just play on repeat over and over until I fully internalize them into my heart. It was a quick read, so I had to force myself to slow down sometimes to let Renaada's words sink in.

Fans of Rupi Kaur will love Renaada's creative and powerful poems. I think a lot of people could learn from her journey.

Thank you to NetGalley for the free ebook to provide an honest review!

My digital copy was broken, missing many pages and words so I am unfortunately unable to give this a proper review.

I love this. The author is real and raw. She really gave a good poetic explanation of the world. It's a new perspective. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Highly recommend.

Giving this a pretty neutral rating because, while I didn't care for it, I know plenty of people love this style of very short, stream-of-consciousness poetry. It's not for me, and if I'd had a chance to look inside this before reading I would likely never have picked it up, but I do hope it finds its audience.