I loved this collection of essays and vignettes. I am the perfect audience for this book as a young mom, so the author's words really resonated with me. I loved this collection and would recommend it to anyone who is a woman or a mom, but especially those who fall into both categories. It's honest and heartfelt.

This book felt like I was talking to a big sister. The big sister who is more experienced than you and your friends so you always go to her for advice and for guidance. The topics spoken about in this book flowed so well together even though you were met with a new topic in every page. The artwork was also absolutely gorgeous and I find that poetry books that also contain artwork is a beautiful surprise and adds so much character.

They Will Not Tell You... that sometimes a book comes along at the right moment in your life. Mitchael’s vignettes are written so beautifully that they flow from one page to the next, even though they are not on the same topic. It feels like you’re reading letters from a friend about her life and how she has viewed it growing up, moving, falling in and out of love and then making the choice to start a family in her own time. There were definitely some vignettes I enjoyed more than others, but as a whole, this showcased the beauty of being female and the choices we make (or don't make) and how they all affect us one way or another.

The one thing I didn't care for was how the book blurb says that it is a "spiritual quest", I did not get that feeling from the book, more of a woman's reflection of life and the choices she made.

Otherwise, this was a wonderful book that even though short, I sat with it for a while and I am so glad that I did.

Thank you to Netgalley and Convergent Books for providing me with a free copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review.

A lovely compilation of little poetic vignettes on growing up, from birth to old age. You wont relate to all of them, maybe not even most of them BUT it’s written so beautifully and it feels like you’re reading letters from a friend. Each page follows a “they will tell you….” with things we grow up hearing, Mitchael then follows up with how what they tell you might not actually be how you live or will live your life.

Thank you Convergent Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Anna Mitchael describes her life in vignettes, pondering small life observations almost meditatively to the reader. This is a nice book to open up and choose a vignette as you take five minutes out of your day. I enjoyed some of the vignettes more than others, however they portrayed everyday observations in a nice, reflective manner.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this book.
This would make a nice gift to someone who isn’t spiritual over she gut would enjoy something to ponder throughout the day.

This book is a good book to allow you space to ponder parts of life. It also lets you know that you're not always alone in some of your thoughts, even as we grow older.

This was an interesting collection of stories/essays/poems.
The sentiments were sweet, and though I didn’t agree with all of them, I still thought this was written well and appreciated it.
Thanks netgalley!

This is a beautifully poetic book that takes us on the journey of the human life with its joys and tragedies.

Anna writes in one of the chapters “ THEY WILL NOT TELL YOU that being nice is a mark against you. But you will look from one nice woman to the next—your mother, your aunt, the teachers who have taken time to shape you … the list could go on—and you will see the shadow of the X on their cheeks. X marks the spot where weakness was found. X marks the spot where the quieter route and the softer life were chosen. It seems so obvious: Women doing things out in the world don’t have the mark.” This is a thought-provoking example of the feminist-minded voice of the book suggesting to the reader that the things we hear and witness in other people’s lives, including our female role models, do not have to dictate how our life should or will play out.

I loved this book and highly recommended it.

Book of short essays about observations of the author's life. It was ok, didn't wow me and most essays seemed to start one way then finish in a different direction. Nothing new.

A self-reflection of growing up and coming of age when the world is telling the child about things that is to be done and how the child, the narrator and author, actually feels. Its a lovely study of self, identity and contextualizes <i>living</i> through the words of the world.

<i>Thank you to Netgalley and Convergent Books for providing me with a free copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review.</i>

This wasn’t for me. It got repetitive after a while and wasn’t as explosively feminist or rebellious as the marketing would have you believe. Thanks to the publisher for the eARC.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

As I read through the book, I began to feel as if I was watching the author's life stroll by. From childhood to young adult, to marriage and kids. At the end I did feel something sadder seep through the words, something akin to depression. I am not sure if this is the case, but the confusion, sadness and loneliness of certain events and thoughts were portrayed quite well. It was also refreshing to see how someone else goes through life and their inner thoughts, as it is a topic far less discussed.

While some parts read easily, others were jarring as the end of the page were barely on the topic the page started with. Reading this comes with having to make connections where it does not feel connected, chaos on paper much like the thoughts of people.

Thanks to Netgalley and Convergent Books for giving me the chance to read this very thought-provoking book.
Told in short little vignettes as a woman traces her time from birth to adulthood and the various questions and challenges that arise. The writing is poetic but not too flowery and contains a range of emotions that will resonate differently with each reader depending on their lives' questions and struggles. This is a short book that you could read in one sitting or take a small piece at a time to ponder. I resonated with the theme that you don't need to listen to all the outside voices wanting to control you. You have a voice inside that is worthy of attention!

Thank you NetGalley and Convergent Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A quick read but a truly stunning one. Bree prose is poetic and the poetry is rooted in prose. The stories are small and contain tremendous depth in their simplicity. I’m really thrilled ingot to read this one and I plan on rereading it again soon.

This poetry collection is a visceral tapestry of womanhood. Each chapter unfolds as a vignette that is raw, brutal, tender, and profoundly moving. The author doesn’t shy away from the harsh truths of life, instead laying them bare in language that is both unflinching and beautiful. Each section begins with a phrase that ties the chapters together, and the final breakdown of that phrase is nothing short of gut-wrenching. It’s an honest and haunting reflection of the experiences so many women carry silently. This book felt like a mirror, and it left me feeling seen, shaken, and deeply understood.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

They Will Tell You the World is Yours is a series of vignettes by Anna Mitchael which follow the arc of a woman's life and the various things people tell her over time.

I think Anna Mitchael knows her way around a sentiment, and that was the core of what worked for me in this book. The moments and feelings explored in these vignettes were relatable and poignant, especially to me as a Woman in Society. Where it didn't quite work as much as I'd hoped for me was that all of it added together didn't really mean anything different to me than each thing separately. This is a collection of writings that maybe follow something of a thematic thread, but ultimately are what I'd expect to be reading on the author's substack or a tumblr blog in the olden days of 2014. What I wanted was more meat, more of an arc, more opinioned observation and uniqueness, even if it means sacrificing some relatability. Mitchael is a fine writer, but I was ultimately hungry for more perspective than this particular book was willing to give me.

Thanks to NetGalley for the Arc.

I enjoyed this book, but I can't deny that it seemed to spike my anxiety reading it. I'm not sure if it's just watching someone recount their entire life and feeling that sort of urgency with the writing as well, but I ended up having to take breaks and set it aside when it should have been a fast read. There were some phrases that I really enjoyed and the author does write very well. Overall, it just wasn't a book of poetry/vignettes that I completely fell in love with.

A series of vignettes that will speak to some readers more than others. It's very much about coming to age, coming to realize, coming into your own. Mitchael writes well and this is an engaging collection. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Not poetry and the second person voice became annoying to me (that's on me) but there's good insight.

Normally when I finish a book, I wait a few days to let it ruminate in my psyche before forming a final opinion on it. They Will Tell You was no exception to that, and it took me a week or two before I could finally settle on my opinion.
This work is beautiful and it encapsulates the fast-paced wonder of growing up. Some of the chapters are inspiring while others fill you with a light existential dread. Being human is such a strange experience and They Will Tell You embodies the lessons and journeys of one life.

They Will Tell You the World Is Yours, by Anna Mitchael, is as original as it is thought-provoking. Every chapter is complete with beautiful prose, natural instinct and every little thing one may experience while growing up and growing older. Beginning at birth, continuing through adolescence, college, young adulthood and mid-life, my only regret is that the book doesn't give as much time to being in the last third of life as it does to the first and second third. Nevertheless it is a unique look at life and should be put on your reading list today.