I approached Map with an open mind, but I have to admit that poetry is not really my thing. While Audrey Beth Stei’s collection explores themes like identity, memory, and place, the poetic form didn’t resonate with me. The language felt too abstract and indirect, which made it hard to connect with the emotions or stories behind the verses.

That said, I can see how readers who enjoy lyrical and reflective poetry might appreciate the vivid imagery and careful crafting of the poems. For me, though, the experience was more frustrating than engaging.

All in all, Map might be a beautiful collection for poetry fans, but if, like me, you don’t enjoy poetry, it’s probably not the right choice.

I wasn’t sure I liked this book in the first few pages, but then I started to realize that it was maybe too similar to my own thought patterns and I hadn’t read a book that could verbalize my thoughts and struggles with growing up and falling in love and your first real heartbreak, but MAP did that. It was nice to feel seen to know queer women before me have existed and have felt all the feelings of not enough. I feel such a kinship with Audrey now, like I have an older sister to act as a guide, to tell me everything will fall into place.

This memoir is a lovely, compelling piece of Jewish bisexual writing about first loves, self discovery, and family with strong threads of loving music, being a writer, and being a part of the early(ish) internet. Stein's storytelling is engaging, sweet, and relatable, and is a reminder that many of the experiences that young bisexuals today have and the problems we face are not new. Reading this has definitely made me curious to check out the author's other writing too.

Remember how awkward your first love was? This is a realistic, sometimes funny story of the roller coaster ride of that first love.

A memoir that reads more like a novel, a easy-to-read coming of age queer story set in the nostalgia that is dating-via-email in the 90s. Not overly complicated, a little rambly in the middle, but a subtle straightforward read for anyone who thinks of themselves as a bit of a late bloomer