I have been a huge fan of Tank and the Bangas for years, and always loved the songs where Tarriona would incorporate her slam poetry. Her rhythm was decadent, her choice of words: infallible. So when I saw that Tarriona was releasing a book of her poetry. I was ecstatic, and admittedly, I put her on a high pedestal because I had first hand experience knowing her poetry could translate emotions so effortlessly. In Vulnerable AF, her heart is definitely on the page, but her angst and passion are hidden behind a collection of words that would read as amateur musings to someone unfamiliar with "Tank." I experienced each poem at least three times. Listening to Tarriona read it on the audiobook, reading aloud with Tarriona, and reading it on my own. It's only when it is heard through Ball's voice, do the poems resonate, but unfortunate.y, they do not resonate sufficiently to justify their existence. The pages alone do no justice to the work. The audio gives a sample of Tarriona's talent but still leaves much more being wanted from a person I very well know could deliver it.

I've fallen in love with Tarriona Ball's poetry. The images are powerful, the emotions raw. The poem I kept going back to again and again described her lover in terms of a colour, a poem, a book in such an original way my breath kept catching.

This was an audiobook, and the fact that the author read her own words added to the experience. Like a top-notch open mike event.

I flew through this book. Having listened to the audiobook and also read the ebook, I can say readers are in good hands. The author's voice was beautiful and soothing to listen to and the way she poured out her feelings on paper? Magnificent!

I hope that she feels peace and release when this came out of her and onto the paper. And I hope the crappy guy read it and knows. In Vulnerable AF, Tarriona 'Tank' Ball tells the whole story of a REALTIONSHIP in a short collection of poems. The way that her stories are mixed with music in the audiobook feels reminiscent of an old TV show in the very best way. I often try and do work while listening to an audiobook, but in this case, i just had to sit and listen. This one is for the people who are hurting. For those who have been in tough relationships, these words will help you heal. for badass women who deserve the very best. This is a pro woman story about leaving your baggage (read: crappy guys) and moving on to create something new of your life.

This book reminded me so much of poetry by Rudy Francisco (her way of reading the poems is similar to his). It has a really similar style and anyone who likes Button Poetry books will surely like this one too.

I was surprised by the music in this, it gave the book an interesting feel. I loved the different angles that she covers intimacy from, I still think about the sentence "pressuring someone into intimacy".

I also enjoyed her poetry about her relationship with her sisters and friends, and how "unusual" her love life used to be. I think she has some very original poems about romantic relationships, but others did feel a bit cliché.

The audiobook is a wonderful experience.
I love the mix between story times and poems.

I felt Tarriona "Tank"'s performance elevated her words and cut right to the heart of what it is to experience love in your early twenties.

If you are not someone who reaches for poetry very often, I would highly recommend trying out the audio version when it's read by the author. There is often no better person to convey the depth and emotion.

I loved this! The author did such an amazing job performing their poetry. I loved how lyrical the writing was. It was only a 40-minute audiobook but definitely worth the read if you like to listen to poetry performed.

It's like experiencing an open mic spoken word poetry. Some pieces hit hard but some are short,
it's abrupt. I think I just want more from it. Overall it's good. I will try another work if she will do another one.

Written and read by Tarriona "Tank" Ball, this book of hard hitting poetry tells a very personal story of relationships and the attendant hurt, and I enjoyed it a lot. It's very short - only about 40 minutes in audiobook form. The author is talented, with a strong poetic voice and a good reading voice, and her choices of words and phrasing are lively and challenging.

The actual audiobook apparently comes with PDFs of the illustrations from the print book, but my review copy had no such augmentation, so I can't speak to those. The subject matter is relationships, so the 'vulnerable' in the title has a very limited meaning. No prizes for guessing what the 'AF' means! The poet behind this has a slam poetry kinf of a background - not my faovrite, but this isnlt quite that. Some of the couplets might seem a bit off here and there, but you cannot deny the depth of feeling that underlies this. amd the relationship resonance that powers it.

Having said that, I had two issues with the audiobook version that I should mention. The first is that the author, who read this herself (for which I commend her), would often launch into a poem strong and loud, only to tail off into a whisper at the end, so this was an issue in that you'd have to have the volume up to hear the end, but then the start of the next poem was too loud and brassy, or you'd have the start at a comfortable volume only to miss the ending because it was so sotto voce. I listen to audiobooks when driving, and this book is not suited to that at all because of the volume changes, but even when parked I was still uncomfortable with the significant changes in volume.

The other issue I had was with the piano accompaniment, which to me was an annoyance. The author's voice is a fine one and it felt like gilding the lily to add a rather monotonous piano accompaniment to it. I'd rather it was just me and the author. I'm a big advocate of an author reading their own work although I understand that there are often valid reasons why an author will not or cannot do this. It seemed a shame to me, therefore, that I went into this with a joyous 'play Ball!' in my mind only to have my expectations sometimes overshadowed or diminished by the rather tuneless piano playing.

But that could not hide the inherent power, inventiveness, and strength of these words, which is why I consider this a worthy read despite the distractions. I commend it fully. Tank Ball is a poet to watch - and to listen to!

I've been trying to listen to more audiobooks lately and spotted this on NetGalley so thought I'd give it a try.
I love spoken word poetry, and Ball has created an excellent, personal collection.
I struggled to get into this collection as the subject matter wasn't to my personal taste, hence the 3 stars, but the writing itself is gorgeous, and a huge credit to the poet.

I am new to this artist and author but I enjoyed Tarriona “Tank” Ball narratoring her own book. I could feel the emotions and empathize with her. It was a great mix of poems and stories. This audiobook is short so I could listen at many different moments and relate to the poems in a new way each time.

Thank you NetGalley for this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Part falling-out-of-love story, part memoir, every part perfect punch in the gut. The audiobook is especially scintillating with Tank delivering her own verse with pure emotion, and jazzy piano played over ‘story time.’

I loved this. It's emotional, honest, and raw. I loved the performance, the author delivers it perfectly and the music in the background was fantastic.

I listened to the audiobook the author narrates with poetry, her's voice with the music background was wonderful. I loved both poems and the stories. This poetry collection was about ended relationship, emotion, love, heartbreak, and being vulnerable.

My favorite was "could be anything"
If you were a book, you'd be an interesting read with a fucked up ending
and "The Ass"
Out of all the parts of the body that you could be

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

While I enjoy poetry collections, it’s not often that they truly make me feel many emotions. However, while reading Tarriona’s, I felt all the feels and I think many readers will too, especially those who have also experienced toxic relationships of some sort. I loved Tarriona’s writing, not too flowery with just the right amount of play on words. Really enjoyed this read.

I really enjoyed this book, the emotion of the author while narrating was the best part of it. I don't usually read poetry, but Tarriona Ball made me want to, it wasn't as complex as I thought. This book was a rollercoaster, I wanted her to realize she was the sun so bad. And the collection was relatable to me in so many moments. Read it. <3

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the Audiobook ARC!

*I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.*

I really enjoyed this collection of poetry. The author narrated the audiobook, and I loved it. I found the poetry very relatable, and the rhythm and tone of the audio flowed really well. I also liked the style of the collection and how the sections are broken up. It came through on audio, which isn’t always the case, and it worked with the content.

I appreciated this one. It wasn’t my favorite but I enjoyed it. I think this would be someone’s absolute favorite... it just needs the right reader!

Tarriona “Tank” Ball’s voice is otherworldly, when I finished the audiobook of the poems all I wanted was more! The simplicity of the language coupled with the complexity of the emotion make this an extraordinarily beautiful read for someone who needs something for their heart. I’m a huge fan of Ball’s now and I will be back for more!

4/5 such a raw and emotional collection of poems.

I listened to the audio book for this and the performance was so amazing! This collection touched my soul and expressed so many experiences in words I could never even think of using. This collection is about heartbreak and all the emotions/experiences that go along with it and toxic relationships. I'd recommend if you like poetry that isn't too complex writing wise. This was a quick listen and I definitely will eventually be picking up a physical copy for myself. :)

Disclaimer: I listened to this in advance for free on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.