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beldaran1224's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I highly recommend the audiobook, as the narrator (also the author) does an exceptional job at giving voice to Xiomara. It a coming-of-age story that will move you over and over, and for adults, will remind us of what it means to be a teen just figuring things out. It isn't an easy story - Xiomara goes through a lot.
The only reason this isn't 5 stars is the ending isa bit too neatly wrapped up, with abusers doing about-faces and all wounds healing.
Content warnings:vivid portrayals of parental abuse; frequent portrayals of sexual harassment of minors (catcalls, groping, etc.); religious trauma with Catholicism as the religion depicted; heavy depictions of misogyny, particularly related to sex, bodies and menstruation. All of these are interrogated & narratively condemned.
The only reason this isn't 5 stars is the ending is
Content warnings:
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Outing
a_alves00's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Misogyny, Homophobia, and Infidelity
tlaynejones's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Misogyny
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Bullying, Homophobia, and Sexism
ranjanireviewsreads's review against another edition
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Body shaming, and Domestic abuse
Christianity details - confirmation, confessions, homophobia, mass, etc.kindredspirit7's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This book is absolute perfection. The audiobook is impeccable. I don’t live in New York. I’m a white middle class young woman from the Appalachian mountains. But there was something so relatable in the way x related with Christianity and the way she experiences her first love. Her relationship with her mother. It all spoke to the 16 year old girl in me who was grappling with love and sex and who she was all while surrounded by a family that was pious and knowing she was different. The writing is beautiful. The story is heartwarming and heartbreaking. I laughed, I cried, I felt angry for X. If I could make it everyone read this book I would.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Bullying, Cursing, Alcohol, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, and Body shaming
saucy_bookdragon's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
ca·thar·sis
/kəˈTHärsəs/
noun:
the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions.
Catharsis is what I felt reading this.
This gripped me, I picked it up on a whim from the library looking for something short and couldn't put it down, enraptured by the beautiful writing and compelling characters. I finished the book at one in the morning, laid down in my bed, and cried for ten minutes or so.
The Poet X is written gorgeously and empathetically. I took a lot of pictures of pages because of how much I loved each poem and how some of them resonated so deeply with me. It never gets so loss in its metaphor and prose to forget the plot, balancing the two and enhancing both. It is a coming of age story about a girl who is fighting for agency in a household where she has none, mainly through her art. It's amazingly complex with each character having multiple layers, even the less savory ones. All while dealing with heavy topics such as religion, abuse, and misogyny with empathy and making the story both empowering and realistic.
And the book is overflowing with a love for writing. It being the main way that our protagonist, Xiomara, finds her agency. This love is weaved into the poetry itself of the book, illuminating the power of prose.
TWs: parental abuse justified with Catholicism and including physical violence, groping and sexual harassment, misogyny, homophobia, blasphemy.
/kəˈTHärsəs/
noun:
the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions.
Catharsis is what I felt reading this.
This gripped me, I picked it up on a whim from the library looking for something short and couldn't put it down, enraptured by the beautiful writing and compelling characters. I finished the book at one in the morning, laid down in my bed, and cried for ten minutes or so.
The Poet X is written gorgeously and empathetically. I took a lot of pictures of pages because of how much I loved each poem and how some of them resonated so deeply with me. It never gets so loss in its metaphor and prose to forget the plot, balancing the two and enhancing both. It is a coming of age story about a girl who is fighting for agency in a household where she has none, mainly through her art. It's amazingly complex with each character having multiple layers, even the less savory ones. All while dealing with heavy topics such as religion, abuse, and misogyny with empathy and making the story both empowering and realistic.
And the book is overflowing with a love for writing. It being the main way that our protagonist, Xiomara, finds her agency. This love is weaved into the poetry itself of the book, illuminating the power of prose.
TWs: parental abuse justified with Catholicism and including physical violence, groping and sexual harassment, misogyny, homophobia, blasphemy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Homophobia
thescenery's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Shamefully, I wasn't expecting much out of this. I read Clap When You Land by the author and felt lukewarm about it. I'm usually not a fan of poetry.
But, well. I was proven wrong. I loved this, it was deep and meaningful and even if lately I've been having a hard time reading about teenagers, Elizabeth Acevedo gave me more than that. It's beautiful, listened to it all in one sitting, I cried and felt so much alongside Xiomara. It felt close to home. Even if I wasn't latina, even if my mother wasn't latina, I know there'd be things to identify myself with and feel. She describes the intensity of her feelings in her teenage years with so much beauty I felt like wanting to write again, wanting to do the same.
I loved it. I don't know why I won't give it 5 stars, I think maybe there was something missing I can't pinpoint, but it is a winner.
But, well. I was proven wrong. I loved this, it was deep and meaningful and even if lately I've been having a hard time reading about teenagers, Elizabeth Acevedo gave me more than that. It's beautiful, listened to it all in one sitting, I cried and felt so much alongside Xiomara. It felt close to home. Even if I wasn't latina, even if my mother wasn't latina, I know there'd be things to identify myself with and feel. She describes the intensity of her feelings in her teenage years with so much beauty I felt like wanting to write again, wanting to do the same.
I loved it. I don't know why I won't give it 5 stars, I think maybe there was something missing I can't pinpoint, but it is a winner.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny
Moderate: Religious bigotry
jenna_gilb's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Body shaming, and Misogyny
tinkithesquirelll's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Stunning
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Body shaming, Cursing, Child abuse, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Grief, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, and Religious bigotry
readingwithkaitlyn's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Death, Child abuse, Pedophilia, and Infertility
Minor: Drug use
Intergenerational trauma, forced marriage, peer pressure, gangs,