This is an emotional, engaging poetry collection, perfect for reading while you drink your morning coffee or tea. Rachel Wiley writes poignantly and directly about her experience. She takes her very unique life experience and with her expert hand turns these experiences into relatable poems.

As with any poetry collection, I found some pieces stronger than others. Overall enjoyable and definitely worth the read!

Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy!

*thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review*

I don’t read a lot of poetry collections, so take my review with a grain of salt.

Revenge Body is a collection of personal poems on being fat, biracial, queer, talks about mental health, fraught family relationships, and trauma.

This is definitely a collection that is a hit or miss with readers. I fell in the middle. I resonated with being fat, queer, the mental health talks, and I’m mixed (indigenous and white). However, I didn’t really have a ‘favourite poem’ so to speak. I find that I’m not someone who gets attached to poems, so that is probably why I don’t have a favourite, and why poetry collections aren’t for me (unless they are by Métis authors).

I hope that someone will read this collection and felt completely seen. It just didn’t happen to me. Don’t take my review as a reason not to read it, these poems are definitely topics that need to be talked about more.

Poetry is such a difficult genre to rate and review, as one’s opinion so heavily depends on their personal experiences.

I mostly enjoyed this short collection, though I think that, on some level, I liked the concept of the book more than I did the poems themselves. The author touched on a wide range of topics, all of them relevant and extremely personal, in a very immersive way, creating beautiful imagery with well-chosen words. However, some of the poems felt a bit rough, like maybe they were a first draft that was never revisited, and they felt a bit shallow, even if the issue at hand was, technically, a deep one.

All in all, I must praise the author’s capacity to create an atmospheric experience by means of her writing.

Disclaimer: I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

As with most poetry collections, some of the pieces in Revenge Body were better than others. Wiley discussed a lot of personal experiences in this book with a primary focus on body image, self-identity, and mental health. The titular poem was concrete style and curved across the page as the author described their relationship with self-image and experiences with judgmental people.

My favorite poem of the bunch, "Safety Spell for Sea Monsters" held beautiful imagery and emotion. It didn't rely on classic button poetry style to show emphasis, instead it was impactful on its own through wistful storytelling and decidedly strong word choices.

Unfortunately, some of the poems did fall flat for me. A lot of the topics discussed here aren't executed as well as they could be. For example, "Ghost Me, I'll Write Your Eulogy" felt immature to me. I understand that friendships (and the demise of them) can be hurtful even as an adult, but the language choices came across as petty and immature. The same for a couple poems regarding the author's ex. I think there is a way to tap into these experiences without teetering into what I'd expect to see in my high school diary.

Overall, I thought this collection was hit or miss, but absolutely worth the read for someone who typically enjoys Button Poetry. Doubly recommended for those who experience body image issues, difficult childhood memories, and mental health issues. There are definitely moments of brilliance in this work- I only wish they were more consistent.

This was beautifully written, relatable collection, dealing with tough topics such as mental health and difficult family relationships. I loved the style of poetry and the execution. Thanks to Netgalley, Button Poetry and the author for a chance to read and review this book.

I really enjoyed this collection of poetry. I was not previously familiar with this poet but I am familiar with button poetry. I will definitely be checking out her other two books. This was my first exposure to her and I loved her perspective and everything she had to say from being fat and queer and black and having a rocky home life and mental health, she touched on everything.

This book is yet another poetry book that follows in the path of Rupi Kaur's milk and honey Instagram type brand of poetry. It often felt like journal entries and was frequently hard to follow, in a way that was just strange, rather than poetic. I did like a few of these poems/stories/entries: What brings me in today; Intersectional feminism (aka actual fucking feminism) plays the dozens with white feminism, and, Theory of the origin of Heaven.

“She is a woman because she tells me so. She is a woman because there is no wrong way to woman.”

Genre: Poetry, LGBTQIA
Actual Rating: 4 stars
Content Warnings: Mentions fatphobia, trauma

This poetry collection touches up on subjects like grief, queerness, love (and heartbreak), race, and body image in all its glory. The ocean and sandcastles are definitely a theme here and I love it. I’m a zoologist that works with marine conservation, so I am 100% here for it.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes spoken word poetry. Rachel Wiley’s voice can be read just like that. “Revenge Body” is a beautiful collection of heartfelt poetry, filled with highs and lows that are so well written and so meticulously woven together that you can’t help but finish this book in one sitting (I know that's what I did).

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

ARC given by NetGalley for Honest Review.

This collection was raw and honest which I found beautiful - however I struggled with the execution of the majority of the poems and felt that the style didn't add as much depth as it could have. That being said, the poems were clearly meaningful to the author and I can see why this may resonate with many readers.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4360514215

Full of surprised but really lovely ones. I loved so many poems of this book, both for representing things I’ve lived and never seen written in poetry, and for things I’m passionate about but know no lived experience of.
It was beautiful for see poems of magic, queerness, neurodivergence, mental illness, therapy, family trauma, and existing in a fat body, and of course all under the experience of a Black woman. Button Poetry always pick the greatest poetry and I’m yet to be disappointed by the works they choose to publish.

This is a stunning collection of poetry. I especially identified with her poems on ADHD. I felt like I was looking at myself on a page. Highly recommend Revenge Body and I will be looking into the author’s other works.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In her newest poetry collection, Rachel Wiley explores topics such as mental illness, body positivity (fat positivity in particular), misogyny, race, dysfunctional familial relationships and more.

As usual, Wiley's unflinching honesty is what stands out about this work. Her love for her fat body, and refusal to conform to feminine stereotypes is incredibly inspiring and refreshing. The callout poem for white feminists was one of my favourites in the collection, and I enjoy that Rachel doesn't shy away from the tough topics. This collection is short but will stay with the reader for a long time to come.

Thanks to Netgalley and Button Poetry for the ARC of this. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

I’ve loved Rachel Wiley’s other collections - Nothing is Okay and Fat Girl Finishing School, so when I saw this I was so excited to read it. It was such a satisfying collection, touching on parts of her experience that really resonate with me, as well as those that are unfamiliar and give me insight. I’m not a huge poetry reader, but Rachel Wiley is definitely an auto-buy author for me.

The poems in Rachel Wiley's Revenge Body left me feeling like the best revenge is putting your mental health first, whether that be in familial relationships, romantic relationships, friendships or even your relationship with yourself and your own body.

Wiley's poems cut across the page, exploring different shapes and forms that embody Queer, Black and Fat identities. This collection balances the sharp edges of trauma and the hard-won softness of self care as a radical act. This book is a gift for anyone who has been doing the tough work of putting themselves first. Maybe that's you?

As Audre Lorde said, "Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” This isn't bubble baths and wellness as consumerism, this is taking a leap while staring into the abyss and riding off into the sunset on your own terms.

Trigger warnings (I noticed): racism, familial abuse, suicidality, eating disorder recovery, descriptions of razor blade injuries.

I voluntarily obtained a digital version of this book free from Netgalley and Button Poetry in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley & Button Poetry for giving me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.


3 / 5 Stars

I'm kinda sad that this didn't work out for me. Because a lot of the themes and topics that were brought up in this collection could or should have hit close to home.
Since I too am a queer & fat woman and feminist, who has struggeled with depression in her past.
But sadly, this collection wasn't for me.

Like I said, the book talks about a lot of important topics, such as mental health, fat-shaming, queerness, race & feminism.
It's very personal and every line is filled with emotion. You can tell that these words and this collection mean a lot to Wiley.

But, I didn't like the style and I didn't like the execution. There are a few poems in there that were done very nicely, but those weren't enough to sell me over.

“…the same fat sneered at without consequence might be your one / and only advantage might be a gift; might be the only barrier between you and/ a pin-less grenade…”

This collection explores anger, trauma, mental illness, black identity, body image, fatness, queerness, loss, and grief- and covers each topic, and their interconnectedness, in such an insightful, beautiful, raw, and revealing way.

From the very first poem in this collection, the titular “Revenge Body,” I was hooked and had to finish it in one sitting. Equal parts angry and joyful, Wiley covers a huge number of topics in only a short amount of space, but does it so beautifully I never felt overwhelmed by the switch from one topic to another. My favourite poems were “revenge body” and “executive functioning.”

I loved how the author was able to write about conflicting emotions like anger, despair, joy, and a whirlwind of others, while also showing how these feelings can exist together as well. I especially enjoyed the honest exploration of relationships she had with toxic family members and how fond memories exist along side traumatic ones. I loved the vulnerability shown in how Wiley wrote about these relationships. Though experiences differ many people can recognize themselves in these poems.

The different poems will definitely resonate with many people in many different ways; some are so relatable they feel like hearing your own thoughts played back, just worded so perfectly, while others feel like a close friend is revealing their secrets to you. I can’t even describe how much I loved this collection. I just know that I finished this book feeling like I got to read something really special, and I can’t wait to read everything Rachel Wiley writes.

Thank you to netgalley for proving me with an e-ARC of this book.

This book takes an empathetic approach and gives bite size approaches and allows you to have kindness and patience with yourself when dealing with life. This is so necessary for everyone to read in life. Highly recommend. Especially loved the reflection to true life to humanize my feelings and relate. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

2.5 stars

This was an interesting collection and I like the writing style, but I don't feel like I connected with the poems. They were all written well and I admire the things Rachel Wiley decided to write about. We get a great collection with a variety of important themes like mental health, trauma, relationships, blackness, body shaming... I liked more the ones about mental health (Excuses is my favourite), but still this collection didn't work for me.

Revenge Body is a delicious meal for the fat and radically happy body. Full of radical self love, deep longing, and angry feminism - Wiley weaves an artful poetic experience for the reader. Fans of Nayyirah Waheed and Andrea Gibson will enjoy the lyrical prose and female empowerment. I was particularly fond of the poems where Wiley speaks on the growth she comes into after breaking ties with her mother. They were raw and emotional but healing nonetheless.

My favorite poems are: "All The Pills I've Tried Before", "Heavy", and "Float."

Personal poems on being fat, biracial, queer, mental health, fraught family relationships and trauma
Nothing in our house is ever thrown away; it barely escapes or is buried alive - Want Not

Loved the frank treatment (and diverse set) of subjects Rachel Wiley deals with in Revenge Body, but I was less impressed by the execution.

Mental health (including how to respond to a suicidal friend), fat shaming, queerness, blackness, fraught family relationships (…or is the grudge holding you like your mother should have?) and bad moms (She’d never meant for me to have anything better than she’d wanted - Break up with your mother, I’m scarred)
Toni Morrison quotes precede the three parts of this bundle. I can't say the poetry is on par with that level, some poems feel a little too Instagram friendly, but still some struck me:
My sister reminds me that the bruise will fade, that I will not. - Unbow your head sister

I have stared at smaller bodies wondering what it might feel like to move through the world not so much as a steamship through a hostile canal - Heavy