I absolutely loved this poetry collection - it hit me right in the feels from the very first poem. The way the author writes about everyday moments and makes them feel profound is incredible. Each poem feels like a conversation with a close friend who just gets it, you know? The language is beautiful without being pretentious or overly complicated. I found myself dog-earring so many pages because certain lines just stopped me in my tracks. The themes of love, loss, and finding yourself really resonated with me, especially during this weird time in my life. I’ve already recommended it to three friends and keep going back to reread my favorite pieces.

There's a kind of listlessness to the poems that feels very present to maybe just where I'm at in my life, or where I've been recently, but it's meandering. The poems themselves are well-crafted and contemporary odes to this kind of existential questions we all have. I love the phrases and turns of phrase and imagery. I thought this was amazing. But I am also a millennial white woman in her thirties so does that matter or was this tailored to be something I enjoyed.

I mean "My B-side's finally getting some attention." is fuckin poetry. I mean obviously. But c'mon.

Good shit.

Thanks for the ARC

Thank you to University of Pittsburgh Press and Netgalley for this e-ARC. This is an honest review and all opinions in it are my own.

Unfortunately, Flop Era was not the collection for me, but it kinda felt like it should have been, with the number of quotes I sporadically wrote down?

I’ll give five examples of lines I liked, just to start with something positive (tho not exactly as written in the poems):

“Understand we are indistinguishable from bits of broken glass stuck in warm asphalt after an accident”
“Damn hindsight and its tamper-proof packaging”
“Can a womb trace rupture’s lineage; has anyone mapped the gene for original sin?”
“Go-getter ovaries”
“It’s too short a distance from wonder to terror”

Clear imagery, an emotional core, something to cling to even in the abstract.

The best parts were absolutely where Egger rhymed, cause those specific lines often had really good meter and flowed really nicely, ended strong too. They stuck, is all, and most made sense to me, which is the base that I need to even *start* enjoying the poetry...

And in the end I didn’t.

So, while a couple lines a poem or every couple of pages resonated or felt strong, innovative, interesting, etc, the actual poems themselves were very sporadic, haphazard. Confusing. Irrational without clear purpose. Randomness for the sake of randomness. Both in the sense that one line from the next didn’t make sense to me – there didn’t often feel like there was a throughline, action-and-consequence, like lines picked from a hat – but also because so many of the ‘jokes’, lines or metaphors reeked of Random Humor ca. 2016. Not my style at all.

Even with those poems that made literal sense to me, I had a really difficult time gleaning meaning / emotion. It felt like words were missing, or if *the words* were there and felt intentional, the connective tissue or context needed to actually place them or imagine the situation or feel the feelings just wasn’t there. Therefore, *connecting* at all became difficult for me. I repeat, most poems were waaay too vague. And even when a clear concept (eg. regret) or bit of imagery was presented it didn’t ‘commit to the bit’, instead flew quickly on to the next and the next and the next. Until the poem blurred at the edges, lost its core / identity.

There’s so much more I could say about this, and individual examples I could have given, but in fear of spoiling it or repeating myself just as much as this collection repeated its one clear theme (regret) over and over again I will stop myself before I regret (haha) speaking. This was a Flop for me, unfortunately.

The two poems I actually saved because I liked them all the way through were the ones with the clearest meaning, the least 2016-humor (and the most serious), and an actual story and emotional core I could connect with: AS IT HAPPENS and AFTER WATCHING THE DOCUMENTARY ABOUT THE YOUNG SOLO CLIMBER MARC–ANDRE, MY FRIEND ASKS ARE WE ALL BORN TO DO EXACTLY WHAT WE DO?.

This review is also posted to Goodreads, and the notes I took while reading will be posted to my Instagram at a later date, for the benefit of readers who might like this style of poetry more than I did.

⭐️⭐️ Pretty words, but not much else.

I really wanted to like flop era. The title alone had me hooked, it felt cheeky, self-aware, like it might give me a little catharsis wrapped in clever lines. But unfortunately, the poetry never quite got there.

A lot of the pieces felt like recycled Tumblr sentiments dressed up in aesthetic metaphors. There were glimpses of real emotion, and occasionally a line that hit just right, but they were few and far between. Most of the book leaned on vagueness instead of vulnerability.

I've read about a dozen 5 star poetry books in a row, and just assumed this one was going to hit as well, and well, it unfortunately lived up to it's title for me.

Thank you Netgalley, University of Pittsburgh Press, and Lara Egger for sending me this advanced review copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book feels like a weird fever dream. The interesting artwork here and there really helps with that vibe. It's strange and random in the most unexpected ways. It was like channel surfing through the thoughts of the author's caffeinated brain goblin. It's so weird, but in a good way.

Um, so... the title really says it all. Entirely my personal preference, but did not like this approach to poetry - I sadly couldn't connect with a single poem, which each looked like a jumbled combination of unrelated, vaguely thoughtful-sounding sentences. Flopped to me, certainly.

Lara Egger's Flop Era is a collection of poems that seems timely. I really loved a few of the poems such as "How to Be and Understudy" and "Poem After Egon Schiele's Painting Self-Portrait as Saint Sebastian." There were certain lines that will stick with me, but overall this was a strong poetry collection. The feelings and experiences were relatable on a broader scheme. Flop Era is definitely a collection that I will consider purchasing once it is published for my personal collection.

First, I just wanted to say thanks to NetGalley and University of Pittsburgh Press for the Advanced reading copy! This advanced reading copy was sent to me in exchange for an honest review.

Poetry is always an area that I need to explore during my reading. The minute I read the description for this collection of poems, I knew that I wanted to give it a chance. Thankfully, I was given a chance to provide my opinion. I do believe this is my first time reading anything by the author but after finishing this, I hope she continues to release more. There's something the way in which her poetry seems playful & sarcastic but can also cause you to lower your guard.

Several lines definitely hit a little close to home. One that definitely stuck out to me was comparing "taste buds" to "finger prints" and using this to convey "what wasn't said." I took a total of 33 notes during this reading. My favorite line made a Sylvia Plath (my favorite author) reference from the Bell Jar while also having the "ahaha" moment of the use of Iambic Pentameter. I loved the wordplay! I would list more but why deprive people of the fun of experiencing it yourself?!

I look forward to reading more from Lara in the future.

I highlighted and saved a lot of stanzas and pages throughout this collection! It was witty, impactful, and blunt. No two poems were the same, they all followed different topics and they all carried themselves in different manners. I really enjoyed this!

4.8 "frantically, frenetically, flailing, ferociously" stars !!

Thank you to Netgalley, the poet and University of Pittsburgh Press for an ecopy. This will be released
October 2025. I am providing an honest review.

As a rule I read slowly, methodically, carefully. I could not with this collection. The poet simply would not allow this. The poems are all equally sharp, insightful, glaring. I rode the bicycle faster and faster but luckily it was downhill and the images, ideas, thoughts sailed on by. Young American womanhood in all its pain and beauty swept by and I was breathless. I was exhilarated but knew the cold Pacific Ocean awaited me and that I would land safely. Every poem a gem and in fact I read this not as a collection but as one long poem in one boisterous ride. Brava Ms. Egger !