I will preface this review by saying I maybe shouldn't have requested it. I'm not a big poetry fan (although I do have some interest, I just usually don't feel like I get it). And although I'm a fan, I'm not sure I'd call myself a Swiftie. So, I was probably not the target audience for this book. That being said, I did enjoy quite a few of the poems. It would have been more helpful if the song that inspired the poem was included with each poem, at least for those of us who don't have her discography memorized.
I am sure this will be a popular one for the adult Swiftie community. I would definitely say it is more of an adult book as some of the poems cover more serious topics. If you have any Swiftie fans on your Christmas wishlist, consider this one as it is set to be published next week, 3 December.
Thank you to @netgalley for providing me a free advanced copy of this in exchange for my review.
#NetGalley #InvisibleStrings

The premise of this book is great. Poetry inspired by Taylor Swift songs without actually using the lyrics of the song. Like any collection, there were some poems that I liked more than others. This is not a sit down and read in one sitting type of book, but is better suited to come back to when in the mood. Overall, I would give this 3 stars, as I did not enjoy the poems as much as I was expecting/hoping to.

I am no great purveyor of poetry, but this collection of poems was an enriching, relaxing read. The concept is timely following the release of The Tortured Poets Department: A collection of 113 poems from 113 poets, each inspired from a different Taylor Swift song. The authors were encouraged to drop easter eggs along the way, inviting Swift fans (who are famously familiar with the exercise) to puzzle out which work may be referencing which song. Therein lies the genius of the collection. While I imagine a seasoned reader of poetry may see this bit of labor somewhat tedious, I found that it encouraged me to consider the images and feelings that pop into my during a Swift song (and while reading a written poem) in a different way. And often when a poem was more difficult to parse or didn’t particularly resonate, I felt more driven to sit and spend time with its meaning. This makes the collection accessible for readers and daunting for a Swift novice, but variety is one of its strong suits. The net it casts is wide and one is almost guaranteed to find a line or poem that speaks to them the way a Swift song can.
While there is no “answer key,” to these Easter eggs, I respect the choice of the editors not to include one. Any satisfaction derived from knowing for sure what a poem may be referencing is outweighed by the web of possibility that is created in considering Swift’s music in conversation with the poet’s work. And to be blunt, Taylor doesn’t give us an answer key either. Doing so may even contradict one of the collection’s main theses: Swift canon is vast and varied. It can be messy, literal, or stunningly vague. Music is personal and so is poetry--how we live our lives with these words is even more so, but we can’t ignore the greater meaning that comes to life when these invisible, infinite strings of ourselves begin to connect.

A good present for us Swift fans who deem ourselves pretentious or literary. I hear the tortured poets do that too.

What a fantastic concept for a collection of poetry!
I love Taylor Swifts music and would love to see what she does with poetry (not to music), but this collection is the next beat thing.

While each poem is the author's response to a Taylor Swift song, the original inspiration is kept secret.

I don't have the time to connect the dots and decide the poems like a true Swifty, but I hope someone does!

I really wish the inspiration had been included. I think it would have been interesting as construct and contras although I understand why it's left anonymous.

I’m not always a poetry girlie, but when they’re inspired by my favorite tortured poet, I have to check them out- and I am so glad I did! Ranging from less than half a page to a few pages, wistful to rageful, very Taylor to not as Taylor, these poems are sure to leave inspiration for any reader!

Some personal favorites:
- alice, tumbling by Amanda Lovelace
- in wonderland, we’re surprised/not surprised to learn the chamomile tea tastes bitter by Kelli Russell Agodon
- another version of us by Christian Gullette
- honeycombed and dangerous by Katie Darby Mullins
- resurrection by Kim Addonizio
- the much-maligned swiftie considers her options by Stephanie Burt
- hark, the raucous heiress speaks by Shikha Malaviya
- broken feather bad boyfriend blues by Marilyn Chin
- homecoming by Jennifer Espinoza
- struggle by Evie Shockley


Thank you so much to NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review!

I was looking forward to this as someone who loves Taylor Swift but isn’t as well-versed in poetry. I wish there would have been a guide or list at the end that showed which poem was inspired by which song. I would have enjoyed going and listening to the songs with the poetry nearby.

I was really disappointed in this one - I went in with really high expectations and it just fell flat for me. I really enjoy poetry but I didn't really felt a tie to Taylor Swift lyrics in this one.

An anthology of Taylor Swift songs inspired poems! I really enjoyed the general themes of the poems, it was a refreshing experience to read them! My favourite was 1993 by Katie Manning, it had Timeless/Starlight vibes ❤️

-- ty to the authors, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

I’ve been wanting to read more poetry books, so when I got an email about this book I had to give it a shot.

I liked a lot of these poems. Some of them really resonated with me. I’m not a huge Taylor Swift fan, so I’m sure some references or meanings went unnoticed by me. But even so, I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of work. I think any Taylor fan would absolutely love this!

I also enjoyed toward the end of the book, when the author explained their reasons and process for writing their poem.

I was given an advance copy of this book from netgalley.com and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are truthful and my own.

This book was so wonderful, and I think it will appeal to Swifties, and poetry lovers. It was fun to find the Taylor Swift inspiration in the poems but honestly, they all stand on their own and can be read and enjoyed without the TS strings. I would recommend this for Holiday gifts this year!

This is a must read for any Taylor Swift fan or anyone a fan of poetry in general. You felt the passion pop right off the page with each poem.

I especially liked reading about the process of the poets.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I’m not a Swiftie by any means, but I do enjoy some of her music and have always been a fan of her lyrics, so I thought I would give this book a try!

Poetry is new to me, but I really enjoyed reading through the different poems. Obviously if I was more of a Swift fan, I probably would have connected more dots, but I still enjoyed it.

I would recommend if you’re looking for something a bit different than your normal read!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for my ARC.

as a huge swiftie and lifelong poetry fan, this was a match made in heaven for me. i loved this concept and would read 113 more poems like this. i loved trying to figure out the corresponding songs and only wish there was an index.

What an incredible premise. Modern poets responding to and being inspired by the quintessential lyrical poet, Taylor Swift. As a poet, I loved this. It was so fun to read each poem and figure out (some more easily than others) what song(s) inspired the poem. What an absolutely amazing collection. Thank you to Kristie Frederick Daughterty for pulling this group together and giving us a collection of poetry full of meaningful imagery and thoughtful insight. I'd highly recommend!

Invisible Strings by Kristie Frederick Daugherty is an anthology of Taylor Swift inspired poems. As it is an anthology, there were of course poems that resonated with me and some that did not. However, many of the poems I enjoyed. I did enjoy how the writers explained their process and/or their why for each of their selected poems within the anthology as this gave more meaning and context to each individual poem. I will say I did enjoy this anthology and I think any fellow Swiftie would as well.

I liked it…but needed more of a connection on how they connected with T Swift songs. There were several that were very clearly inspired from a song, but others not so much.

Invisible Strings is an excellent curated collection of some of contemporary poetry's best voices; ranging from Instapoets to Poet Laureates and Pulitzer Prize winners! Accessible with a diverse array of poetic forms and styles, this is a must-read not just for Swifties, but all tortured poets alike.

i have been a taylor swift fan since i was a little girl. i have grown with taylor, from that first album about not fitting in and beginning to navigate boys and relationships to the most recent addition to her catalogue, about wondering things like "why am i so unloveable?" her songs have very relatable issues that everyone can draw their own experiences on, and in a way, makes us feel not so alone in this big, frightening world.
that is the way the poems in this anthology made me feel. some of them hit me harder than others and i had to sit with them, typical of a good taylor swift song as well. some were dressed up with similar storytelling and settings that embrace you into their world and suck you in.
for a fellow swiftie, i totally recommend.

I enjoyed the poetry in this book. The book is supposed to be poems inspired or based on Taylor Swift songs, which is why I picked it up. I love Taylor Swift, so I was really excited for this. However, I do not feel as though many of these poems felt inspired by Swift. Taylor's lyricism is so beautiful and poetic on its own, but none of these poems felt like they took on that same heart-wrenching quality.

"It takes my breath away, the almost you."

as a swiftie, i was excited to try this book and see how well i did at recognizing which poems coincided with which songs. some were definitely easier than others! i don’t think i have the depth to fully understand all of the poems in the collection, but i enjoyed reading them anyway. the outros was helpful to help better understand some of the poems or the songs they were tied to. i do think this would be a great coffee table book or gift idea for any swiftie friends!