none of the poems really stuck out to me, I could sense a light layer of sadness in some of them, but for the most part, they seemed fairly average. Also, it is important to have a voice, to have a distinct writing style, but having every poem where each line is 2-4 words long, made them all feel almost exactly the same

Thank you Netgalley, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, and also Kevin Young for sending me this advanced review copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Unfortunately this writing style didn't grab me at all. It wasn't bad or anything, but it didn't make me feel anything like poetry usually does. I have no idea why though, and it was an odd experience.

I had a hard time getting into this one. No poem was objectively bad, I actually think they were all well written and lyrical. But they also felt average. They didn't pack a punch or hit me in the heart. The author was trying to be emotional and it wasn't working.
I think it could have been deeper and explored more cutting themes. I expected more.