It would be so much more powerful, if I could understand the metaphors and the things she was relating to. When she said “I hid the small body in the freezer” I had not a clue what she was talking about. Most of the book, I was lost. However, I did like how some of the things she said was relatable to my relationship with my mother. Read about the trigger warnings of this book before you read it, because there is a lot to unpack.

Poetry is usually not my thing, but I was engrossed in the brief and powerful 100 pages.

I might never read poetry again if it doesn't hit the same high and lows as this work.

All my Thanks to Button Poetry and NetGalley for providing an ARC for an honest review.

"how does anybody heal / in a culture that glorifies / self-hate?" (sad girls club)

Sweet, Young, & Worried is a diary in barely 100 pages, detailing Baird's struggles with eating disorders, mental health, sexuality, and healing - and I loved every single poem in it.

It doesn't matter to me if I don't personally relate to a poem - but it does matter to me if there is a voice that leaps off the page. Baird's voice leaps, twirls, and dances across the white space, leaving little typed lines and phrases that are like gut punches. I don't think there was a poem in here that I didn't relate to at least a sliver of it. Have I ever been to a rave? No, but I do know the moment of protecting someone from their own moments of unawareness like in 'Belle of the Rave.' I found that was a trend, regardless of the subject matter, I could see a reflection of myself in each piece.

For as simple as it is, 'Endling' is my favorite in this collection. I've always had a soft spot for Greek Mythology and it's part in poetry, but something about the spacing and word choice in this poem spoke to me. I just, simply, don't have a bad thing to say about anything in this collection.

I cannot believe I didn't know Blythe Baird before now, and I'm so grateful to have discovered her now and be able to eagerly look forward to her future work.

Thank you to NetGalley and Button Poetry for providing me with a copy for an honest review.