Thanks to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the ARC.

There's something about modern poetry that lacks a sense of rhythm and flow. It's not until reading a collection like this one, where you can really feel the rhythm throughout, that I notice what other collections have lacked. That lack is not necessarily a bad thing. It's a part of the author's style. But when it's done this well and with such raw emotions, it stands out for all the right reasons.

Thank you to Net Galley and Farrar, Straus & Giroux for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. I very much enjoyed her first collection of poems and this was wonderful as well. The author has a wonderful way with words that impart meaning, power and emotion. These poems cover the anger and despair of being Black in America, police brutality and racial targeting, the every day and self-care for Black women and girls. These were a beautiful experience!

I can’t fully encapsulate the emotions I had reading this collection and how thankful I am to FSG, MCD, Netgalley, and most importantly Roya Marsh.

When I say I want authenticity, this is what I mean. When I say I want something bold, this is what I mean. Marsh doesn’t hold back and doesn’t expect the reader to either. It’s a collection that has just as much bark as it does bite and demands you listen. The level of lyricism is insane. Truly encompassing all things black. Black existence, black pain, black women, black pride, black identity, black reckoning! This is one of those collections you just simply need to pick up and then tell a friend to get a copy too.

I felt rage, I felt community, I felt liberation, and I felt seen. These poems are both a call out to violence against the black body and spirit, as well as an homage to culture, to hip hop, to black women, to black joy, to revolution, to collective action! I’m truly excited to see more readers pick this one up.

Thank you to FSG and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!

Available February 4th 2025.

Short but substantive, Roya Marsh's "savings time" packs a mean punch. The collection explores Black liberation, police violence against Black women, and every day acts of horrific prejudice in America. Yet, as Marsh herself reminds us, no one is coming to save us but ourselves and that includes making time for joyful resistance.

I read Marsh's previous poetry collection and I have been a fan ever since. This collection is extremely well done. I felt seen in so many of these poems. I will be buying my copy (physical and digital) on release day. Great work Roya Marsh!

A nice collection and an important one. I will definitely follow Marsh penmanship in the future. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the free eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.