Dear Girl is a collection of poems on feminism, equality, girlhood, and womanhood. Description of the book says: "Dear Girl is a journey from girlhood to womanhood through poetry...". Younger women and girls will probably like it.

I listened to the audiobook first, and I recommend that version too. The author herself reads it. It is very challenging to rate poetry. While it resonates with some, with others it won't. I liked the poems and design of the book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read to this! All opinions are my own.

Every girl/woman needs to read this poetry collection. What a beautiful collection of powerful works all about what it is to be a woman and the struggles we face every day. If you are not one for poetry check out the audiobook. It is beautifully spoken with the correct cadence. I would prefer to listen to poetry because you get the true emotion out of the text. However Aija does a beautiful job at bluntly telling the relatable truth that woman face every day.

‘Dear Girl’ is a brief, empowering collection of feminist poems that document the life from girlhood to womanhood in contemporary society. Some of the subject matter included aesthetic expectations, double standards, and sexual assault. The poems and narration were strong and inspiring at times. I think it would have resonated more with me if the poems were more autobiographical. They were often more about general experiences. It was a good collection, but I wanted more depth and vulnerability.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this empowering collection of poetry from an emerging poet. There was such a strong sense of voice throughout, I could definitely feel the spoken word influence. These are poems for protests, poems to combat years of silence, poems to get you on your feet and make your voice heard. The title, Dear Girl, is apt—I think these would be great to recommend to college and high-school aged girls coming into their own and starting to question what society often expects of them. These poems ring necessary and true, and I'm excited to see such a young voice emerging in the world of poetry.

This is a great poetry collection from another young female poet.

The focus on what it is to be a girl / woman really resonated with me and she was very candid in her use of language. She addresses the sexualisation of women and our role in society well.

As my library is in an all girls' school I feel this would be a solid addition to my collection.

Thanks to the publishers, author and netgalley for this ARC.

Dear Girl is a poetry collection with advice to girls. This poetry collection supports feminism. It mentions important issues like rape, racism, and gender. D.ear Girl was a quick read and I really enjoyed it. These poems contained a lot of emotions.

Thank you NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing Dear Girl in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great, fast read I finished in one sitting. I've read a few poetry books in my time and I have to say I think this is one of the best yet. This book is everything milk & honey wishes it was. This collection had the lyrical visual I want to feel from poetry as well as using rhyming to further the conversation without feeling like a Dr. Seuss book. Even if poetry isn't necessarily your thing I recommend picking it up for yourself or for a friend.

This is a collection of poems around the central theme of women empowerment.

"I am the woman I am today because my father never clipped my wings. even in disagreement, I hear his voice. all pride and no shame say- "And yes that is my daughter. " "

"Instead of 'How was your day?' messages, we get, 'You up? Wanna come fuck?' "

"Leaving someone you love is like leaving home, and knowing you can never return."

"Heal your wounds, Dear Girl, so your daughter isn't born with the same ones."

"Your boss will tell you to stop giving him eyes "If you want a raise, you gotta compromise. Show me what lies above those thighs." "

Sweet, yet powerful, Dear Girl by Aija Mayrock is a lover letter to girls and women everywhere. For many of these poems, my mind kept putting the words to music. Maybe I’ve seen Hamilton too many times this past week, but I could easily see Dear Girl soaring on stage in front of an audience. The passage on page 23 may have been my favorite:
----Page 23
Maybe that’s why when people tell you,
“You’re too young to understand,”
you smirk with that twinkle in your eye.

Because the moment you were born,
you were sexualized, objectified,
power never recognized.
-------
Overall this was lovely and memorable! The perfect gift for our daughters, mothers, sisters, and the girlfriends in our lives.

Thank you to Andrews McMeel and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Aija Mayrock's debut collection is sharp and empowering. The pieces are relatable, inclusive, and inspiring. I think anyone who reads it will find a poem or a line that really resonates with them. This is definitely a collection I look forward to recommending to my teen girls. A brilliant read for 2020.

There were a couple of poems in here that I enjoyed but they are quite much of a muchness. Aija Mayrock is very young, which doesn't mean she shouldn't use her life to write poetry, It's just quite obvious that she hasn't got the lived experience to write with much depth or breadth. I also listened to the audio alongside reading this, which is beautifully performed and I will definitely consider picking up poetry collections in this format in future.

Dear Girl is a collection of poems talking about strength, resilience, heartbreaks, wounds, and relationships. They are divided into five parts based on their themes. The book is around 100 pages long, making it a quick read. I loved the poems that talk about the importance of gender equality in the current world. The poems provide a definitive yet necessary push to the girls and women thriving in the 21st century. The poems are hard-hitting and impactful. I'm sure each one of the readers will find something relatable in them. A great pick for those looking for an easy yet meaningful read. I coupled this ebook with the audiobook version which made the experience even more worthwhile.

I honestly loved this poetry book. It was empowering and at the same time spoke what every woman's heart whispers.

There are poems about how a woman has always been stereotyped and how her spirit has always been questioned and ground down.
Then there are poems where a father is adored because he let her daughter fly high.
Then there are poems on a woman's agony.

It covered all those feelings and fights that a woman has to go through in her lifetime.

Recommended to poetry lovers. It will be a soothing read.

The poems were excellent OMG. She touched on so many important issues while crafting such exquisite poems and reminding women and girls everywhere of their power. She talked about the male gaze, the disparity in upbringing of girls and boys, body positivity, love, loss, heartbreak, and female empowerment.
🌹
One of the most important and recurring themes in so many poems in this collection is that women learn to find, use, and love their voices. There has been no better time to dismantle the culture of silence than now, as all of our voices are needed to call out and fight against the oppressive force and nature of patriarchy.
🌹
This is aimed at and focused on girls, but it features sections aimed at boys, fathers, brothers, and sisters as well. There’s a call for accountability across board, and she does this in so many beautiful ways.
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I recommend this collection for everyone. It’s so great. All of the praise and stars to this amazing poet!

Name: Dear Girl
Poetess: Aija Mayrock
Genre: Poetry, Feminism
Rating: 5/5
Review:
This is a collection of beautiful poetries which deals with the silence, truth, resilience shared by all womankind. It touches the string of thoughts which connects us all.
Empowering, Exciting and Enticing poetries which will touch you to the innermost core. One of the most feminist poetry book I have ever read. Her words are simple yet so breathtakingly truthful. She speaks for all of us, she touches those topics which we have considered norms.
Her poems are truly "a love letters for all woman out there" as she said. This book is amazing and thought-provoking. I liked the whole theme of this book. I really appreciate the poetess for her message to all womankind. We are all sisters, after all.

I listened to the audiobook as well as followed by reading the ebook. This book is such a beautiful book. So empowering, so touching. It encompasses things women go through as children and as adults. Aija Mayrock says in this book from time to time that we shouldn't lose our childlike wonder while we grow wiser and deeper and I felt that.

While the poems might feel like something you have seen before or read before if you read poetry a lot, there are more important because the words are things we never should forget. This book is reaffirming in the extraordinary that a woman is, the magic in our eyes and lessons we never should forget.

This is that book you should get to when you are weary of fighting as a woman, as a person, the poems will strengthen you. I loved every bit of this book and Aija Mayrock's voice in the audiobook was a joy. Strong. I enjoyed listening to her.

4/5 stars
I thought this was a beautiful "love letter to the sisterhood" as described by the poet. It was an empowering read that affirmed how if we are to value ourselves and each other, we have to stop demoting ourselves at the behest of the patriarchy. Should we continue to do that, along with putting down and competing with fellow sisters in a degrading way, we are only dismantling the entire women's movement that has come a long long way.
The collection speaks a lot of how we need to reverse the ways in which our rights and bodies have been disenfranchised. I also thought it was very accepting of all the differences that make us unique as well as all the trauma we have undergone. There is this particular poem I really liked and it goes as:
There is no such thing as weak women,
only women
who have not stepped into
their power.

Step into it.
The world is waiting"

Overall, a beautiful read that incorporates every aspect of being a girl and a woman and especially the inheritance of trauma from mothers and how it is a cycle going on and on, to go on and on unless we do something about it.

Do pick it up!

This is a book about poems that truly hits home. It is filled with empowerment, understanding, sisterhood, and love, this is a book about girls and women, and the resilience within. I was absolutely touched by these poems and found them to be something that should be read by every young woman. This book is a love letter to the beauty and power within girls and I found it to be absolutely amazing.

5 Stars (I received an e-arc from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review)

Dear Girl was an amazing poetry collection and I wish that I had read this much earlier. The motif of dear girl is used multiple times giving advice to young women about the harsh realities in this world. I strongly urge everyone to read this collection and I don’t want to give a lot of details, just go read this collection.

I wrote to find the answers,
instead
I found myself.

Dear girl is a collection of short poems on female empowerment by a young new poet. This is her first collection, and as such it is dealing with very urgent and important matters. It is a part of a stream of feminist poetry for girls, which I can only applaud. However, the poems were rather simple at times and I thought they could have been better if they had been a bit more subtle at times. Part of poetry for me is not only the message but also the beautiful phrasing of things, and the latter was a bit missing in some of poems.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!