I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Anthropological Study is a short collection of poetry that explores queerness, gender identity, neurodivergence, and mental illness, amongst other topics.
I couldn't really relate to many of the poems in this book - maybe I'm just the wrong age group to do so?
Lauren's writing is deep and descriptive. I'm just sorry I couldn't connect to the poems themselves.

2.5/5
I was intrigued by the Title of this poetry collection as I’m an anthropology student, but I’m also queer, a woman, and neurodivergent, so this stood out greatly when I read the description. It was a decent read! Nothing totally stood out to me that was super powerful, I got through it fast, as it was quite short. I’m not usually the poetry reader, sometimes I find poem collections that stand out, and I want to read, so maybe this wasn’t truly meant for me, sometimes I can get lost with poetry and be confused. Overall it was a good read though! I was reading some of it and was like “this is very real” so this book can be for anyone who can relate to the prose.

I got this as an arc on Netgalley and it will come out in August. A beautiful collection of work with queer and disabled themes. It was raw and emotional and resonated.

Thank you Netgalley, Querencia Press, and Lauren Miller for sending me this advanced review copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book spoke to me on a soul deep level. It was hard growing up as a queer kid and not understanding as a teenage girl why you like other girls the same way you like boys. Wishing you were like everyone else. Growing up a mental illness hot mess.

Some of the poems were strange musings, and others held emotions deeper than the ocean. The ones cherishing her partner were lovely. My favorite poems were the ones wrestling with identity, and wishing you weren't different, or too loud, or too much.

This is one I would go back and read over and over again.

Coming of age poetry collection with short free verse poems, prose poetry, and object inspired poetry. This collection is curated by an author focusing on age-appropriate diction thar defines the questions we have about sexuality and relationships. The poetry breaks down feminism through a coming of age and how we adapt these ideas through maturity and greater understanding.
Queer topics that we come across in the community as we age. The different ways we cope with queerness and learn to love ourselves is explored in this collection. A great collection for adolescents to explore these topics and find a collection that resonates with them. The lack of rhyming schemes speaks to the nature of queerness and not adhering to traditional standards! Would have loved a bit more rhyme with some rhymes but the poems were well thought out while probing for deeper discussions.


Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital copy.