A review by classicpseudonym
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

emotional inspiring 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

wow. solid 5 stars, and deservingly so. going into this book as a person who isn't big on poetry, i was hooked almost immediately. xiomara's poems depicted her emotions and thoughts in their rawest state, which, in my opinion, separated this book from many others depicting the ups and downs of teenage life. additionally, xiomara's interactions with ms. galiano were especially meaningful (xiomara's english assignments, the poetry club), even though they were much rarer than interactions between xiomara and other characters. maybe i just like seeing people besides a kid's family and friends actually caring about and looking out for a kid when they have no real obligation to. anyway, the character development of xiomara and xavier's father was also a little thing i appreciated. lastly, i loved that i felt like not everything was resolved at the end of the book, because real life is pretty messy. and often, tensions aren't always healed completely. but as a family and as individuals, the batista family grew. this book was done very well, and the themes of self-acceptance were incorporated perfectly and not overdone. there's a lot of other tidbits (and not so small bits) that i took away from this read (but i'll save you from reading any more, if anyone ever reads this), and i highly, highly, highly recommend it. 

as a side note: i finished 'the poet x' in two sittings. i have not finished a book in two sittings in at least four years. please read this book. 
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