As always thank you to publishes and Netgalley for a free arc in exchange for an honest review.

The pose of these poems was absolutely gorgeous , especially for being a relatively short collection. If you are bi or ace person and have ever felt invalidated, please read this. You are real, you are queer enough, and you matter.

I loved the way these poems were written. The voice was well captured, and easily read. Even the poems I couldn't relate to first hand I understood. I think it takes a very strong writer to truly capture their voice on a page like this, and make such topics digestible and understandable.

I really, really liked this collection of poetry it sang loudly to my heart and my own feelings of being queer in this world. A must read for all who love poetry.

Disclaimer: I was gifted an arc of this chapbook by netgalley and in exchange I’m sharing my thoughts.

As a bisexual person who often questions if I’m queer enough, I felt validated by robin’s words. Knowing there is someone else who has had the same experiences I have, gives me hope in a sense. Will be following this author for future works.

GIRL. is a collection of poetry about sexuality, gender stereotypes, religious trauma and homophobia.

For such a short collection, the author is able to pack a lot of emotion into the pieces. I could feel the pain and honesty that was oozing from the words. It’s clear that this is an incredibly personal collection from the author and I appreciate Williams putting these words out into the wild.

A number of pieces really spoke to me. While this was the author’s own experience in life and with gender and sexuality, so much of it resonated with me and my own experience. It hurt to read those pieces that brought up those thoughts and feelings I had buried deep down, but it was comforting to have someone put so much of my own experience into words.

Since I connected with it so well, I do with that this was longer. It was so short and I felt that I was just getting into it when it was already over. The themes that were explored could have been dived in more and really drove some points home. There were also some pieces that I think could have been refined a little more.

This collection is so personal and one that I believe a number of people could relate too especially bi/ace people who have spent time around or engrossed in religion. If that’s you, highly suggest you pick up this short collection. Even if it’s not, I think this collection is worth picking up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Querenica Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was such a pleasant surprise!! 😍 I usually keep my low expectations for poetry because I don't often like how modern poetry books are written. But this?! This one touched me on a personal level and it was written in a way that is so beautifully sincere.

𝘎𝘐𝘙𝘓. is a collection of poetry about sexuality, gender stereotypes, religious trauma, and homophobia. Robin Williams writes with raw emotions, expressive language and purposeful choice of words. This selection was honest, evocative and surprisingly uplifting.

As someone within the ace spectrum, I really appreciate this anthology!! I found pieces of myself tucked in between the pages of this book. The daily experiences and qualms that the author describe are also the same things I go through and struggle with every day. It was strangely reassuring to read a poem that so wonderfully captures my pleas, my doubts, my uncertainties— that makes me feel seen. I deeply connected with these poems but my favorites are: 𝘞𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘈𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘔𝘦, 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘛𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘌𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘔𝘦, and 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘐 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘧 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘹𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘮𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘪𝘰? 🖤🐘🤍💜

Even though I absolutely enjoyed this book, I still wished it was more than 34 pages. There’s still so much room for exploration for the themes that were discussed in this poetry collection. Some pieces also felt lacking and unrefined (which probably still needed a little bit of shaping or further improvement.) Anyways, it just felt too short and I wanted more!! 😭 The author could’ve written a few extra poems and I would have no complains.

𝘎𝘐𝘙𝘓. is a deeply personal and inspiring anthology written as an ode to all the bi/ace people out there. This serves as a reminder that we are queer enough, we matter— regardless of what other people think. This is my first time reading Robin William’s poems, but it will surely not be the last!! ✨ Special thanks to NetGalley and Querencia Press for this eARC!!

𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 3.5 stars

I think it's easy for people who are lgbti+ to feel identified with this book; however, it would be nice if it was deeper in the ways the author expresses her feelings

This was such a raw exploration of queerness that definitely cut deep. While short, it was beautiful to be able to see this personal journey. Super quick read that did leave me feeling like I missed something, just because I feel like a lot could be added to make it seamless and just really bring us along for the journey, but I did enjoy getting to see it. The writing was beautiful and felt like I was reading some vulnerable and personal thoughts, but in a way that felt broad and like many could relate.

Robin Williams' "GIRL." is a relatively brief but evocative poetry collection centering on the author's experiences with and insight on gender identity and sexuality. These poems expound on several prevailing themes including the dichotomy of feeling both "too queer" yet "not queer enough," especially as a bisexual person; romantic love and yearning; internal and external homophobia; and religious trauma. Williams' prose is punchy yet effortlessly florid, rendering this collection both compulsively readable and emotionally impactful. As a bisexual woman myself, many of the reflections within the poems resonated with me, reinforcing just how essential it is to have literary representation like "GIRL." available for anyone who may have experienced confusion surrounding, or is coming to terms with, their sexuality.

Very short and most "poems" didn't feel like poetry. Thematically this was interesting but the execution didn't speak to me.

This was not for me, but it was beautifully written and I admire what it’s doing. Very intriguing and I love the simplicity of the cover and title.

I love a sapphic poetry book. This lil book tackles religious guilt and asexuality. Although the content written was enjoyable, it seemed to be lacking. It may just be that the book itself is so short it seemed unsatisfying, but you simply cannot fit that much in 30 pages. With that being said, I would like to read a more complete edition of this author's work.

This collection deals with themes of isolation and ostracization, identity, and noticing the big things within the little things. I wish Williams had gone more in depth with her personal experience of these things. I don't mean more details and facts, I mean I wanted to come along on an emotional journey, truly be swept up by the words. But the poems feel at a distance, almost cautious to not look too deep, to not be too vulnerable (because there really is a difference between being open and being vulnerable and it shows in the pages of this collection).
Perhaps it's in the writing style that I prefer to be more on the artful side. Instead the poems read more like much repeated anecdotes.

I liked this collection a lot. It was a great look into the mind of someone who identifies as bisexual, asexual and doesn't feel like labeling their gender. The poems were strong, coming directly from the hurt and pain they've felt as all of these labels. I only wish this collection was a tad bit longer because it felt like there was still more the poet had to say.

This was a nicely written, concise poetry book following the author, Robin Williams struggle to understand their identity as an asexual/bisexual person. Touching on religious trauma, this is a deep and cutting look into the discovery of self.

This is a short but brilliant book of poetry. It felt very relatable and approachable.

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley

A small collection of poems that tell the reader, undoubtedly, you are queer enough. It is a short book so it makes for a very quick read. I would be happy to see more verse and depth in poems from this author in the future.

(ARC review via NetGalley)

Short but beautiful poetry collection about being queer, finding yourself, gender stereotypes and religion. As a bi person myself, I really liked the poems about bisexual identity. If only this was longer!

"Love is not loved in units of measurement. I do not love you only half the time, but endlessly. I do not find them beautiful seventy-five percent, and her only twenty-five percent of the time."

While short, "GIRL" is an impactful collection of poems dicussing the author's sexuality and gender, and how self-perception and self-acceptance are affected by family and the broader society. In just 30-odd pages, Williams depicts their frustration in the misconceptions of bisexuality and asexuality, and how religion affected their journey to coming in terms with their identity. It really just left me wanting to read more of their poetry.

Ahm... This slapped me across the face, because It was so unexpectedly unpolished. Most poems rely on one metaphor that rarely lands. There needs to be a lot more work put into it and the kindle formatting is weird.