Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - The Poet X

Just finished this and wept (not for the first time while reading it). I have physical copies of both this and Family Lore (which is next-ish on my TBR, esp now ❤️), but I downloaded The Poet X on audio on a whim a week ago - read by the author herself, so gorgeously it stops the heart. I’ve been listening on the way to and from my quartet rehearsals this week, and kept often having to turn it back a minute to just hear the words one more time, sometimes two - every single line, word, moment is so precious and so unlike anything I have ever read. I cannot tell you how much you need to read this book. Every word is a miracle.

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bookrecsondeck's review against another edition

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emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.75

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maviemerveilleuse's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful 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? Yes

4.75

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startjpw23's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is a Young Adult book made up of poems. I read the physical book at the same time as I listened to the audiobook. The audiobook is narrated by the author Elizabeth Acevedo. All of the poems are told in the first person by the lead character Xiomara. Xiomara is the daughter of first generation Dominican immigrants. Xiomara has a twin brother. The family lives in Brooklyn. The poems tell Xiomara's experiences from just before the start of her sophomore year in high school through a month and a half or so after New Year's Day. Her mother is a strict Roman Catholic. This is the most important part or her being. It is the biggest factor that impacts her relationship with Xiomara. Xiomara is rebelling against the her mother's expections for her. Acevedo does a great job narrating the audiobook. This book packs an emotional punch. I loved it. I would rate it more than 5 stars if I could. I think it is a great entry point for someone new to poetry because the series of poems in the book tell one story. I recommend it for anyone who wants to read a books of poems that present a realistic view of a few important months in the life of a 15 year old child of immigrants. The only people I wouldn't recommend it to are those who don't enjoy Young Adult books and those who may find offense in the portrayal of Xiomara's mother's strict Catholicism (the church priest is quite reasonable though). Anyone who does read the book should listen to the audiobook as their first choice of a way to read the book.

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startjpw23's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is a Young Adult book made up of poems. The audiobook is narrated by the author Elizabeth Acevedo. All of the poems are told in the first person by the lead character Xiomara. Xiomara is the daughter of first generation Dominican immigrants. Xiomara has a twin brother. The family lives in Brooklyn. The poems tell Xiomara's experiences from just before the start of her sophomore year in high school through a month and a half or so after New Year's Day. Her mother is a strict Roman Catholic. This is the most important part or her being. It is the biggest factor that impacts her relationship with Xiomara. Xiomara is rebelling against the her mother's expections for her. I read the physical book while listening to the audiobook. Acevedo does a great job narrating the audiobook. This book packs an emotional punch. I loved it. I would rate it more than 5 stars if I could. I think it is a great entry point for someone new to poetry because the series of poems in the book tell one story. I recommend it for anyone who wants to read a books of poems that present a realistic view of a few important months in the life of a 15 year old child of immigrants. The only people I wouldn't recommend it to are those who don't enjoy Young Adult books and those who may find offense in the portrayal of Xiomara's mother's strict Catholicism (the church priest is quite reasonable though). Anyone who does read the book should listen to the audiobook as their first choice of a way to read the book.

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olliejay's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.75

This book is full of raw emotions that we've all experiened: loneliness, anger, existential uncertainty, young love, and a need to find identity. If you don't write poetry, Xiomara will convince you to try!

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bookishjae's review against another edition

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emotional medium-paced

Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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zoiejanelle's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense 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? No

4.5

this book was a gift from one of my lovely cousins! i started reading it back in september and finally got around to finishing it today. i was a very quick read — only a few hours — and did A LOT of emotional damage in that short time. i 100% understand why this book has so many awards! it was beautiful.

i don’t typically enjoy novels in verse, and there were a few poems that i felt were not entirely necessary or slow, so that automatically knocks this down from a 5 star rating. however, the medium (of poetry) was ESSENTIAL to this book and i cannot imagine Xiomara’s story being told any other way. i connected with her love for the written and spoken word and really appreciated how authentic her feelings and desires were. the author portrayed the 16 year old mind perfectly.

the first half was enjoyable, but a little slow. after the mid-point, the story moved very quickly and hit all of the emotional beats. i was unexpectedly greatly impacted by this story—X’s relationship with her mom, religion, her struggles with puberty and growing up, her loneliness—and i really recommend it for anyone looking for a tear jerker, uplifting YA read from a latina author/perspective.

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