I typically love poetry collections, because I love writing poetry myself. When I saw this collection was in response to Taylor Swift songs I was so excited to read it. Taylor Swift is such a great lyricist, and many of her songs are poems themselves, allowing the reader/listener to gain so much from what she has to say and use it to self-reflect. However, I was let down by the poems that were included in this collection. There were some I connected with and some lines that I absolutely loved. But the majority did not seem like they were connected to Taylor Swift songs at all. The wide range in styles of poetry also made it difficult to enjoy the overall message. I appreciate everyone has their own style and way of writing, and their own experiences and feelings to draw from. But for an anthology like this, I feel like there needs to be a bigger connection between contributors. I think the largest critique I have is that the editor wanted the reader to guess which song each poem was a response to, but a lot of them were not extremely clear about the song. I think listing what song each poem was a response to would be great addition, because it would help the reader get into the mind frame of what the poem is about, whether it be in response to a love song or a break up song, and from what point in Swift's career on how her opinion had shifted as she got older. I think that would have made the collection a bit more enjoyable, especially considering its marketing is purely based on Taylor Swift songs and geared towards fans of her music.

I received an advance copy for review. This is my own opinion.

I love the process of reading and picking poetry apart to find the bones buried beneath the words, though I rarely seek out poetry in written form. The lyrics of Swift’s music are where I do most of my poetic annotating these days. This poetry collection reflects the inspiration we find in one woman’s music, the way a turn of phrase can send you back a decade or rip you to shreds in memory.

Going through this collection as both a Swiftie and an English major was the best kind of complement to poring of lyric books for hidden messages. Get out your glitter gel pens (or quills or fountain pens 😉) because you’re going to want to annotate this one.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for the arc.

My favorite was alice, tumbling.

This Swiftie saw the title and immediately hoped that this was a book somehow related to Miss Swift and her talents. I was overjoyed to see that it was!

While poetry is not my preferred reading, there was something really special about reading this whole collection and feeling tethered to the authors through Taylor Swift. Just like Swift's lyricism, these poets have a way of making you smile, punching you in the gut, and helping you appreciate the small things in life (often all at the same time).

I love the sense of community that was shared within these pages. And the Easter egg lyrics sprinkled into many of the poems didn't hurt, either.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I love seeing how one love of mine can be mixed with a new found love of mine. These poems were beautiful

This is a book for fans of poetry, specifically contemporary poetry but also Taylor Swift. That's it to say, if you are not a Swiftie but like poetry then you might like this one just not understand the Easter eggs. That's right, just like Swift's proclivities of dropping clues and breadcrumbs for fans, all of the included poets do the same. Some of the references are more obvious than others (that New Year's Day reference was crystal-clear) while others are more subtle based on a lyric or a message of a song. None of these interpretations are on-the-nose, but more nuanced and subtle allusions. It's, to put it simply, an ode to Taylor Swift and her superb songwriting skills. It was also interesting to read a conclusion paragraph about how each song (though never mentioned) inspired certain poetry themes.

I can’t say I’m a fan of written poetry but I am a fan of Taylor Swift. I loved reading the poems and seeing how poets were inspired by Taylor’s music to create their own art.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read this book. The title is what drew my attention and I thought I would love it. I discovered that reading poetry is really not my thing. There were some beautiful poems but I quickly realized I didn’t enjoy trying to figure out what song the poem was about or the order, or clues. I’m sure others will love it,

Great for people who not only Taylor but also her music and her lyrics. I am not usually a poetry person but I really enjoyed this.

It wasn't quite what I was expecting but it was interesting. Thank you for the the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

I'm not a fan of poetry books in the slightest, but I am a huge Swiftie so this one intrigued me. I absolutely LOVED this book! It was so incredibly interesting and a must read for fans of the greatest lyricist of our generation. :) I'm already looking forward to purchasing a copy for my collection. I loved it!

Poetry is so deeply personal and subjective. I am obsessed with Taylor Swift so it was nice to read these stories thru the lens of a Swiftie. What a gift!!! Loved everything

An absolute pleasure to read this poetry! I am a huge swiftie and this work brought the same sparkle as the lyrical mastermind we know and love from her. There’s something for everyone in this read 💛

This was not my thing! I was excited by it but didn’t end up feeling very invested in the poems I read.

What a fun, unique read! I am definitely a Swiftie so was excited to be offered this eARC to review! I appreciated the opening, explaining how the project came about - and how it set up the collection like an easter egg hunt for Swifties: which song goes with which poem? Some immediately jump out at you because the poem uses the lyrics or imagery directly, but often times readers are left guessing and trying to pick apart clues.

With any collection with multiple authors, I definitely resonated and enjoyed some poems more than others, but I never felt like I was trudging through. The different writing styles also kept it interesting!

The whole time I was reading, I couldn't help but imagine Taylor Swift herself reading this collection and playing along as well - seeing how her art has inspired others and playing along trying to figure out the inspiration song.

Reviewed for NetGalley:

I loved the concept and the various perspectives of poem in response to Taylor Swift's music.

While poetry is not my cup of tea, it was a fun read.

A new favorite for Swifties everywhere! A book full of poems, hidden meanings, love and loss. What a fun read!

I enjoyed reading Invisible Strings and the different Taylor Swift coded poems when I vowed to not make it an "academic assignment." While some poems were easy to decipher the Taylor Swift song for, others I found myself scratching my head. I wished there was an index at the end where the author shared what song was linked to the poem that they wrote. Fans of poetry and Taylor Swift will enjoy this one!

If you are a Swiftie and you are into poetry, this is a match made in heaven! This book would be great for anyone interested in reading poetry for the first time also because of the theme.

I’m not usually one for poetry, but I really loved this one. I had so much fun trying to guess what each poem was inspired by, but I would have loved inclusion of the inspiration and maybe a blurb about why they chose that song.

As with any anthology, there were pieces that I enjoyed and pieces that I did not. I respect the hell out of Daugherty for putting this together, and it was fun to search for Easter Eggs to determine each poet's assigned song. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.