Feminist poetry is always enjoyable for me, but I think some of these statements are pretty surface level for the feminist movement and could have gone much deeper, especially in the intersectionalism we require ro make true progress. Function-wise, this audiobook was incorrectly labeled/out of order as the outro came before the book itself and then kept repeating itself unprompted.

I loved the audiobook! The narration was like a rap song - the poems started with Dear Girl, they were short and inspirational. It covers all phases of a women's life with a modern touch. As written and narrated by the author, I could see the emotion in poems. I will recommend the book to teens and young adults.

3'75

“Dear girl, you ask me what I wish for you. I simply say, never allow any soul to clip you wings, you were not born an ember, you were born the flame”

This was my first audiobook on netgalley and I’m really happy I picked it up. It is such an empowering read, it almost made me cry a couple of times. I also really liked the strength of the narration.

The only reason why I don’t give it a higher rate is because some of the poems felt unfinished and left me wanting more.

Definitely a read for every woman around the globe.

Thanks to Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Audio Ink for the audiobook arc in exchange for an honest review.

I received an audiobook copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for a review. This collection of poems is extremely powerful, thought provoking and emotional. This book screamed female empowerment in such a poignant way. Two parts that stand out the most to me were “Girls are told obedience is their middle name” this struck such a cord in me because in this society if you are not docile and sweet you risk being berated, abused, or accused of being a “nasty woman”. Another part that really left it’s mark on me was “it’s easier for me to hurt myself than to love myself “, I mean wow it Is such a powerful line. I am in awe of this book. This book is an easy 5 star ⭐️ read. #deargirl #aijamayrock #netgalley #poetry #poetrycollection

CW: rape

I have never listened to poetry on audiobook before, but I really enjoyed this one! It was read by the author, so I got to hear her words as she intended them to be read. This collection of poetry flowed together very well. I also liked this one on audio because it came across more like spoken word. I'd definitely add this one to my poetry collection.

I want to choose my words carefully but my mind is buzzing with thoughts of the many empowering poems that I'm having trouble getting it all sorted out. I wish that I had this book when I was younger, but when I was younger the author was younger. But I'll guarantee that my daughters have these word made available to them.
In today's society females are often corrected. Corrected on how we dress, act and even how we feel. Our natural body is one we have become accustomed to being ashamed of. We doubt ourselves, we hide, we change and we bash one another.
Mayrock did a phenomenal job of flowing words together to create the most impact in reminding us that we are WOMEN. We are strong, beautiful, smart and deserve so much more than we are given by our male counterpart and what we cast out and receive from other females.
Not only does she cover love and loss, she manged to bring new life to our menstruation and equability. She encourages us to support one of another as whole as women.
I loved every bit of this book. I loved that she narrated the audio book herself. Which in my opinion brought so much more fire to each and every word written & spoken.

It's such an honor to be able to review this book so thank you for giving me an opportunity to do so. It is a really a book of power. It is something that every woman should read for them to realize that they or we are as valuable as men, that a value of a person is not defined by their gender. It's something I can relate to because my actions have always been controlled due to my gender. I like the way it was narrated by the author. At first, I though she's rapping but she spoke with so much power. I like this one and it's something I will want to recommend to my friends.

DEAR GIRL was a fantastic, passionate audiobook! I would have loved this too to read in print, but the passion behind the author's narration was amazing.

The messages the author has in DEAR GIRL are empowering and important and should be heard by everyone.

This is the first Audiobook I got via #Netgalley and I absolutely loved it. I did have to play it about 2 times faster to really enjoy how intensely the narrator (who by the way is fascinating, it was also performed by the Aija Mayrock the writer of this book).

This is a collection of poems that shows and illustrate the sheer power that is a 'Girl'. The strength of failure and the movement beyond what is and what is available to something more precious and valuable. It follows the journey from girlhood to womanhood and it is told in poetry.
It felt like a conversation between two friends, between mother and child, between two sisters, between a woman who has lived through the war, pain and suffering to a girlchild just coming to her own.
"Anger is Ugly" is just one of the things that we are told, just to silence our anger and to underestimate how souls
"I will fight still they give up" There are so many things that I really enjoyed. I just hoped that it was a bit longer.

However, I felt that listening to this book really increased my level of enjoyment because the intensity with the performer carried the words would not really be one that I would have when I am reading it.

When I was in middle school all the girls got a talk to teach us how to behave and act, specially in front of boys. They told us about having good hygiene, act modest, to cover ourselves with a properly length skirt, etc. When the conference was ending the speaker criticized feminism saying that the girls having feminist ideas will end up alone in a house filled with cats and even pointed out that feminist didn't wanted to have husbands and therefore they were lesbians, she told us ”in ten years when it is proved how right I am you will all remember me” and she was right on one thing: how much I think of her I hope she's fine and I hope one day she gets to read this book or a similar one.
This beautiful collection of poetry talks about feminism and how long we come, but also how far off we are to getting to have equality. It is a realistic take on feminism, how we need to raise warriors to survive.
It tells us that now we are heard, not by justice, but by us. That this is the era to choose not to stay silent but to speak up. That this is not the era of girls but their future. It also talks about the part played by society into raising girls that take so much time and effort into their appearance. The author told me for the first time that my emotions where not just irrational thoughts, to not cover my body with shame, to be lauder and take space and to held my wounds like crown jewels.
In all, this is a book every girls should read to remember to grow wiser, grow deeper but to never grow up.
And to answer the author: I found what I was looking for and more.

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!

An honest, empowering collection of poetry. I truly wish I had this book last school-year, as many of my students would have benefitted from reading/listening to these messages of hope.

I received this audiobook from the publisher via NetGalley.

I was so blown away by this book that I'm struggling to form coherent sentences. Here are my notes as I wrote them.

Powerful. Resounding. Confident. Deliberate. Booming. Strength in softness. Explosion. Relatable. Empowering. Unapologetic. Camaraderie. Sisterhood. Hope.

Amazing. A feminist must-read.

I got this book from NetGalley as an audio and I'm really glad.

The audio is read by the author, and I feel these poems are meant to be read, screamed, shouted. These are powerfully feminist poems rooted in empowering the disenfranchised.

The poetry covers a variety of topics, from body positivity to rape culture. Some talk about the wage gap, asserting yourself, relationships, and the love between daughters and parents. Aija Mayrock's definition of feminism is inclusive, discussing issues that would be beneficial to all women, including trans women, and also beneficial to men.

Mayrock has a beautiful lyrical voice that really took this experience as an audiobook in particular up to the next level. I couldn't believe this author was so young! They speak with an older soul, and years of life experience to feed their poetry.

I definitely recommend reading or listening to this book! I'm hoping to get a copy for my classroom.

This poetry book is so beautiful. And it really speaks to my soul. The words are beautiful and not hard to understand but are also deep. And this book talks about feminism in the very next level. It teaches equality towards male and female. And this book didn't just tackles "women" but also black women and trans-women. I didn't expected that I will love this one. This is the first ever poetry book that gives me chills and instantly became my fave. Definitely recommend this to everyone, not just for women but also for men.

This is the first time I have listened to a poetry collection in audiobook format. I thoroughly enjoyed being able to hear the poet narrating her own poems, as they came across in the way she intended. She is an excellent narrator and has lovely rhythm to her voice.

My only critique is that I enjoyed her softer tones more than the impassioned tones. When she was speaking faster and more "motivational speaker" I found it difficult to engage with the detail of the poetry and felt a tiny bit like I was being preached to. But I am splitting hairs with that comment, as the impassioned aspect is likely to appeal to many as a rally call.

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. I am keen to read the poems so that I can take more time to ponder over them and fully digest them.

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 collection of poetry exploring girlhood and womanhood. I enjoyed the feminist undertone across these poems.
My favorite was the stand up poem where she articulates the need for feminists to support black and brown women, and LGBTQIA+ women and non-bindary folx.
Overall, these poems were lovely, but left me craving more. Many of the poems felt very surface level, making it difficult for me to truly connect to it and feel moved by it. That however might just be a person preference, as I connect better to deeper more vulnerable works of poetry.
One aspect of the audiobook I did not enjoy was the music, especially while she was reading the poems. Some of the music didn't feel in sync and removed me from feeling the poems as strongly as I would have liked.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this poetry collection. The words are so beautiful and important, and the the passion behind the narration was so empowering.

I loved to hear the emphasis and tone to the poems, as read by the poet. This is something I feel is hard to appreciate when reading the words on a page.

The soft background music goes so well with the poems and at first I thought I wouldn’t like the noise behind the voice, but I ended up loving it.

I would recommend this audiobook to everyone. I can definitely see myself purchasing a physical copy of the book, and listening to the audiobook again in the future.

"I am not an object. I have a voice, something to say."

Listening to this poetry collection was an absolutely wonderful experience that made me feel empowered and motivated. It was so beautiful to listen to and I could honestly spend months just quoting line after line from these poems because they are all so gorgeously composed.

Between the narration of the poetry itself combined with the soft piano music in the background, I was immediately enraptured into the lyrical beauty of the words being spoken. I would, and most likely will listen to this audiobook more times than one because it is just that astonishing.

The entire thing speaks of truth and is not afraid to go into tough subjects which I appreciate. It is honestly a must-read.

I got chills many times while listening to this collection, there are so many short but strong poems that I know will be on my mind for a good while.

To end off I just have to note this quote, among so many others this was one that stood out to me and related to the most:

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

Thank you NetGalley and Andrews McMeel for providing me with an unabridged audiobook arc.

I am not an avid audiobook listener (or audiobook reviewer) due to my spacing out issues. It caught me by surprise when I didn't space out while listening to this audiobook and it is all thanks to the compelling narration of Aija! The reason why I took this audiobook is that I loved this book the last time and I quote saying, "Whatever Aija puts out next, I am getting my hands on it!".

Narrated with perfect eloquence and the right intonation, Aija expresses life into her exceptionally empowering collection, which explores the raw endurance of womanhood-with inclusivity to women of POC and LGBTQ+.
I loved the intro and outro music: it suited the poems and Aija's narration! I have heard people say how sometimes the only narrator who can bring life to a certain work is the author. And it is the case when it comes to this one. There was such power in the voice of Aija that brought the best out of her poetry!
My favourite part of her narration was when she read the sarcastic lines that point of hypocrisy and blatant truth of the society we lived in. They had me chuckling!

I have no idea if I sound justifying in this audiobook review but you know you definitely have to try it when I, who:
i. constantly space out
ii. has only ever made it to the end of one audiobook: Dear Girls by Ali Wong
recommends it because
i. not once did I space out and was, in fact, transfixed paying it my attention WHILE I was writing back to emails
ii. made it to the end and the first thought was: THAT WAS FORKIN' AMAZING!