There's a kind of syncopation to Book's voice that draws you into the waters. Lots of declaratives and anaphora. I wanted more richness, but that is myself as a reader as opposed to the strengths of this writer.

Black diaspora and global consumerism unwound and broken down through deliciously lyrical and fresh prose. I think a lot of people who have reviewed this so far have missed the satirical and ironic look at excess through these poems. Book takes on the persona of the system which oppresses him and pulls it's teeth from the inside out.

It's fresh, rhythmic, and innovative.

My favorite poems are: "Kofi Mnemonic", "Sarasota Sweats", "Caribbean Flex", and "Nice For What."

I am so thankful to the University of Iowa Press, Netgalley, and Shane Book for granting me early access to this gorgeous collection. I love a good book of poetry and this one scratched my itch. I am so thankful for the consideration.

This collection did not work for me. I found this collection repetitive and I was not moved by the language or form of any of the poems.

This poetry collection did not do much for me, unfortunately. I enjoyed that, even in this short collection, the poems showed a varied rhythm and prosody, always with a lyrical feel but not in the way that each poem felt the same as the last. That was nice. And occasionally I found myself struck by strong imagery. The poems explore a lot of contradictions, as ideas of poverty, sickness, and oppression clash against consumerism, bombast, and peacocking. There seemed a quiet violence weaving its way through the substrate of many pieces of this collection, not unifying them, necessarily, but not letting them stay distinct and unconnected either. So, it would be wrong to say there is nothing in this collection, but, still, it didn’t speak to me. There is a level of abstraction with most of the poems that feels less like a space to be filled with thought and emotion and more an intentional distance that feels cold, like it doesn’t want to get too close to the emotions underneath. Even with my appreciation for the diversity of poetic style and the occasional evocative imagery nothing felt compelling to me. There were no poems, not even any lines or sections, where I had to just stop and read it again, experience it again, and pause and live with it, within it. Even the playfulness felt calculated, and while I don’t doubt there is an audience who may be enthralled with the worlds that Book creates none were particularly inviting to me.

I want to thank the author, the publisher University of Iowa Press, and NetGalley, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Jarring is a good descriptor of this collection. It feels densely packed with rough language, and while some of the pieces carry it off beautifully many feel bogged down by the excessive expression.

Overall, this is a brutal collection with some shining gems, but the rough feel of other pieces in the collection leave the entire work feeling unfinished. That may be intentional, but the end result is a collection that isn't quite for me.

<b>DNF @ page 57- 2 stars</b>

This poetry collection is very obsessed with material wealth and things. A lot of this collection feels like a flex on all the luxury items that the author owns- clothes and cars are mentioned way too much. The misogyny of lines like, "Loved that bottom so much/ I wanted to piss on it," are not it and quickly made me want to stop reading. I decided to keep going a bit more, but I was still unimpressed with the blatant obsession with consumerism and obsession with America's capitalism. It's an excess of sex for profit, drugs for power, and fashion brands of the highest caliber. I don't think Shane Book is a poet that I vibe with and that's okay. I'm sure others will love him.

Thank you NetGalley and the University of Iowa Press for the chance to read this book.

At 102 pages this isn't a long read, and yet it made me want to give us. While the poetics of the caribbean are meant to echo through the book, I honestly got the slightest sci-fi feel.

I'm genuinely someone who looks at reviews where they say that the big words got weird and laugh; however, for this book, I have become that person. Shane Book's vocabulary is great, but sometimes you need to pull back so that the average reader can actually enjoy the book.

Nice book. The writing, the prose of that poetry book was good and I like the way it make me feel! I would recommend it!