Dear Girl

Dear Girl follows the trend of short, uplifting poems and though they're good, to me they rang somewhat hollow. I felt as if the message was repeated one too many times.

Still, being a debut collection, I think it was pretty good and I liked the fact that it was inclusive to women of colour and of the LGBTQ+ community.

Not all of these pieces resonated with me personally, but those that did, I really enjoyed. I also like the simplicity of the cover, title, font and layout - it has a lovely subtleness about it.

“Dear Girl” is the perfect poetry book to read in 2020. It covers important issues including sexual assault, trauma, misogyny, healing, and love, to name a few. Everyone (women, men, transgender people and gender non conforming people) will be able to relate in one way or another. This book takes one on a poetic journey that makes one look in-depth and truly want to learn about themselves. There are important lessons and advice hidden between the pages. It is never to late to be yourself, start a revolution, and break the cycle of trauma/abuse. It’s time to focus on the future generations and what we can do for them.

Perhaps what's quite astounding about this collection is how "simple" it is or better yet, how it feels like every day thoughts and conversations that one may engage in.
For some, this may not be all to new to them- however, for a girl like me, it was like listening to a sister and knowing that she's experienced pretty much most of what I have. So, if you're looking for a feeling like that- then read this book, and if you're not, read it as well, you may feel something else and that's powerful as well.
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.

True love. For a book. And that too a poetry collection. And that too for uplifting girls aand women. And that too with a powerful voice.
I am so impressed with this collection that I am going to recite this one line by line to the girls and women who need empowerment or not (they won't mind I guess!) because we women need to empower ourselves from time to time like we need to take bath, go the toilet or eat food from time to time as basic requirements. No, I am not being sarcastic here, damn. This is something we all need and that's why this book is here! Even though there has been many amazing poetry collections in the same vein by Amanda Lovelace, Rupi Kaur, Noor Unnahar and the like, I still appreciate such poetry collections because we all know we need this as a basic requirement!

I am so glad that I love almost all the poems, so effectively written, so damn relatable as I constantly face the same 'as you are a girl', 'as you are a daughter' stuffs almost everyday in every situation, I needed this.
The lines are hard hitting and does tell the truth about the society how it treats a woman or a girl. No, it's just not about where you live or where you end up; it's about the women everywhere. No matter how developed or modern the world, your world, my world may seem, in some way or the other we face harassment, discrimination or hatred just because we are born as women.
The writing is savage, rightly so! It's all the angst and the urge to speak up that made the lines so alive!
Now I am so hyped up in the middle of the night feeling so empowered but not knowing what to do about it. Do I sound sarcastic? I still am not.
And I need to read something about confused women.
Jokes apart, it's a fabulous read!
Kudos to the author for such a wonderful strong collection! I loved every word of it. And wow, the cover. I still love pink. And there's nothing wrong in that. Thanks #NetGalley for the amazing ARC of #DearGirl

This was the perfect cleansing book that I needed after my mighty series binge of over 30 books!!

This was so good! I really felt the words that Aija wrote 💙 I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for future books of hers!

Empowering. I don't know if I have the words to describe this book right now. It was gritty, it was raw, it was real, it was powerful. I devoured this collection in an hour. I found some new favorite poems in this and can't wait to share them when the book comes out! A beautiful letter to girls everywhere. Something that everyone needs to read!

Dear Girl is the debut poetry collection from Aija Mayrock, and it is sharp, on point and, ultimately, empowering. The poems are brief, yet each resonated with me in a significant way, and I was left breathless by the strength and profundity that is packed into each carefully chosen word. Essentially, this collection is a call for women to rise up and be heard. Mayrock's is a voice that will continue to pierce our consciousness for a long time to come.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for this ARC.

If you're looking for a poetry collection that tackles subjects such as rape culture, inequality between men and women and much more. Mayrock really takes on these subjects and addresses what many girls and women experience growing up. Not just in society but in their families, friend groups and more.

I really enjoyed this collection as it was filled with empowerment and understanding. There are definite trigger warnings as there is a lot of talk about rape culture (and the mentality surrounding it in society) and issues that face women in the workplace, school and everyday life.

I feel this book would have resonated with me more if I were 10 or 15 years younger. There is some very thoughtful and empowering poetry in the collection, it just seems meant for a younger audience.

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

This book of poems is beautifully empowering to females everywhere no matter what race, size, shape, age or beliefs! The poems are short but reach into your core and make you really think about them, about life, about the world!
This book encourages women to support each other and believe in each other and build each other up instead of tearing each other down.
I loved every page of this book!

The poetry in this book resonated with me. This poetry collection is about the journey from girlhood to womanhood. It is very captivating and the author writes with such prose that it makes you feel so many emotions at once. This talks about the resilience of girls and women, and ow women do have a voice. This is an important poetry collection for girls and women.

Dear Girl is one of the best poetry collections I've read in a long time. I've picked up quite a few poetry books the past month or so and Dear Girl really stands out from the rest. The poems are all very well written, super powerful. I feel like a good deal of poetry books have filler poems, but I didn't come upon any poems in Dear Girl that seemed like fillers or noticeable lesser quality. The whole book was very consistent in quality and I loved that.

this book spoke to me. like, literally. I'm hearing my brain talk. It's scary how much I could relate to some of the poems here.

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free book of poetry.*

In her poetry collection, Aija Mayrock deals with topics such as feminism, the me-too-movement, gender roles, upbringing, (self) love, how normal periods are, or how women are allowed to be themselves. Some poems resonated more with me than others, but this one was my favourite:

"Raise your daughters like you raise your sons;
the inequality did not begin with her birth;
the inequality begins when you choose to raise
your daughter in a box labelled "ladylike"
and your son, in no box, with no label." (25)

As someone who has been constantly told to be "more ladylike" by my mother (because mothers can perpetuate the systematic degradation and marginalization of girls), it was nice to be seen and to find myself in that poem.

Some poems are longer than others, but they are well written and sometimes have a rhythm to it that makes you want to read them out loud.

5 Stars

Yes. Yes. Yes. This is the book we have been waiting for. How do I feel after reading Dear Girl? EMPOWERED. I couldn’t put it down. I will buy this book for myself and for all of my girlfriends. Women are the future. Thank you Aija.

Well, the poems are short and forgettable but I agree with the message this collection stands for. It's feminist poetry, from girl to girls. It tackles issues like violence, healing, body image, gender roles etc. It's a great book to exist out there in the world, I'm just not a fan of the poetry style, so that's on me really. I'm not the target audience but I would've loved it if I were younger. I'm sure teenage girls will love it, and hopefully will find console in it. I expect them to feel very empowered after this read.

I feel like this book of poetry would have resonated more with me if I was in my early 20s or late teens. This is a collection of poems that range from topics of knowing your worth, love and loss, and feminism; that being said, this is a collection written by a 19-year-old girl. So although I support her writing, the language was a little young and the message was a little shallow and disconnected for me. I would still recommend this to younger adults looking to grow their poetry collection.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me the chance to read and review this book.

"I come from a line of wild women
Divine in their pursuit of truth
For the women I come from
do not run with the wolves:
they lead the pack."

It is 'Women History Month' and I don't think I will read another poetry collection any time soon that will make me feel a sense of power surge through my veins and speak every woman's sublime truth as Aija does. This is such an exceptionally empowering collection that it is a compelling and a riveting read to every one of this age!

Divided into 5 sections: The search for truth in silence, The freeing of the tongue, Deep wounds/Deep healing, With love, To the sisterhood- the collection is filled with poems full of raw endurance of womanhood. It is so heartening that this collection is also inclusive to women of colour and LGBTQ+. I have not read a collection which gave equal importance to the two communities in the same collection!
Aija addresses pro-choice, #MeToo, misogyny, patriarchal societies, rape culture, mental and physical abuse, gender pay gap, motherhood, sisterhood, rising and healing, love, suffragettes, other important aspects of women's history and everything we face/faced. I love how she addresses equality at the home, between sons and daughters. Collections like this are so necessary, withholding the power to spread the word and helps in blossoming camaraderie to bring or demand the right changes!

I have read collections by so many poetesses and I can now say that no one touched my soul as much as Aija did! Whatever Aija is writing next, I will be picking it up! This collection is the definition of the true feminism and no one can tell me otherwise. No poem failed to reach the depths of my core and that counts for something!

Recommended: Absolutely, I loved this collection and I will be recommending this until the end of the times!

This book is beautiful poetry to empower any girl or woman. It highlights important topics like rape culture, equality, relationships, double standards, etc. This book is timeless!

This debut poetry collection did not disappoint. It had my feminist blood boiling as she wrote about what women are faced with everyday. I really connected with her words, and it was like my thoughts and feelings had been taken and she had written them into her book.

Mayrock speaks to various people through the collection: 'Dear Girl', 'Dear Child', 'Dear Brother', 'Dear First Love', 'Dear Sister' and more. She explores the relationship of those she is addressing and feminism and how they can help or how they have been affected.

It is such a motivating read and also such an important one. Mayrock takles problems such as self-worth where she discusses how quite often people value themselves based on how the other person in their relationship treats them. She discusses how boys should be taught about sexual assault and harrassment to stop this from happening. She also addresses people struggling with their sexuality, urging them to love who they love without shame or guilt. Mayrock addresses all of this, and more, in a poetic and respectful way whilst also delivering each line with a memorable punch.5 star


I was so impressed by this collection. I reccommend this to anyone and everyone.

I give this 5/5 stars.

"This is a letter to every woman who knows better than to scarlet-letter, to whisper and backstab a sister."


OH WOW. I don't really know what I expected from Dear Girl but I did not expect to be hit with such emotive and captivating poetry. Mayrock somehow manages to empower and enlighten today's feminist world through her poetry. Just wow. I still don't really have the words to describe this collection. It is just beautiful.

Buy this for yourself, your mothers, your sisters, your brothers and fathers. This is a beautiful, beautiful collection of poetry.

This poetry collection written by Aija Mayrock is a true hymn to feminism. Her poems tell us to fly high and be proud of ourselves as women. The author talks about gender (in)equality and how that affects our daily lives. This is such a powerful book. Rating: 4/5 stars

I really loved the topics Ajia Mayrock chose to deal with this collection of poems. According to me, words can really change the way people think and act. Ajia writes beautifully and I mut admit that I was on the verge of tears several times.

"Dear Girl,
you ask me what I wish for you.
I simply say -
never allow any soul to clip your wings
you were not born an ember
you were born the flame."

The only thing I regret was the lack of insight for some topics. I was expectign more. But it stil is a wonderful book to read! a real journey to womanhood and its hardships!

This book of poetry was so inspirational and beautifully written. I was so blown away with the use of words and prose and how beautifully everything flowed together. I want to own this book to reference and build up my self confidence and those of others everyday. . I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This poetry book is split into 4 parts:

The search for truth in silence: About the #MeToo and Time's Up movement, gender inequality

The freeing of the tongue: About strength, body image, gender inequality and being a girl

Deep wounds, deep healing: About rape and sexual assault, pain, trauma and healing

With love: About love and heartbreak

To the sisterhood: About strength, growth and feminism

I preferred the middle segment of the book. There were quite a few poems that resonated with me. Some felt more well-written than others. Overall, the book is a strong symbol of feminism and empowerment.

Empowering and touching. Some poems were highly relatable and inspiring for women. However, some of them seemed a bit too generic. I felt like I have read that poem before in another poetry collection. This prevented me from connecting to them emotionally.

I am not really a fan of free verse but I found the poems quite impactful. However, some poems did sound like motivational sayings rather than poetry. Poetry is entirely subjective of course, so if you love free verse I recommend you try this collection!

Overall, a good poetry debut!

I received a review copy of this book via NetGalley.

A heartfelt collection with some particularly wonderful poems in each section.

Dear Girl by Aija Mayrock

3 stars

This is a poetry collection addressed to women. It's all about women and celebrating women. It's mainly a call to action as well as a calling out in complacency of how women often allow other women to be treated. I think Mayrock is probably a fantastic spoken-word or slam poet. I would love to watch her read some of these poems. That ability shines through a lot of the poems. I personally didn't love this collection. It feels like every other collection that is targeted towards feminism. This poetry collection has some great messages, but it doesn't really stand out to me. I would recommend it for poetry fans and readers who are specifically looking for poetry about feminism.


Whimsical Writing Scale: 3

Plotastic Scale: 3

Cover Thoughts: I like the cover and the font is striking.

Thank you, Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing, for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Aija Mayrock gives us a powerful, unapologetic collection if poetry.

I'm not gonna lie, some of this is hard to read and it may deserve a TW. That being said this stuff needs to be talked about!

This is about girls and woman and how society treats us no matter who we are or where we are from. It is also a sharp empowering narrative encouraging woman to support each other and have their own voice.

What I didnt like about the collection is that it feels so familiar. I've read Rupi Kaur, Amanda Lovelace etc that all have the same tone. Overall I did very much so enjoy this collection and appreciate the messages throughout. I will continue to read the author future works.

Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this collection.

I really enjoyed this poetry collection. I felt that it was a timely read. This collection truly explained the story of girlhood and womanhood. It showed the many lives that girls live while in grade school and what the world has in store for a woman. I think this is a great collection that both girls, women, boys, and men should take time to read.

I have kind of been a poetry kick and I found this debut collection from Aija and I was very intrigued. I think this is such a beautiful collection for women of any age who just wants to feel brave and strong and like a warrior. This book was so empowering and she shows a full journey from childhood until now and beyond. Very powerful read and I would definitely recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for an ARC of 'Dear Girl' and giving me the chance to review this poetry collection. 'Dear Girl' is an empowering book of poetry for women of all shapes, sizes, colors, sexuality, etc. I think the most enlightening point Aija was making it that women should never devalue other women. Society has told us to be perfect and society tells US what perfect is. We become envious of the women who start showing any success but we should be praising everyone's success. Aija speaks a lot about equality in her poems and I think it's an important message for everyone to understand. Although we, as women, have gained some equal rights, the equality is not completely there for us. I read this selection of poetry feeling like I was being given courage and that's impressive! I certainly enjoyed this collection of poetry and will be keeping my eyes peeled for more poetry by Aija Mayrock.

ARC thanks to #NetGalley

Each piece in this debut collection reads like a diatribe, an irrefutable incantation to be read at dawn while assuming a power stance. What makes it extraordinary is Mayrock's self assuredness, her conviction, her idealism and belief in sisterhood. Each line is powerful by itself and the collection as whole is cohesive and ultimately healing to read.

I really enjoyed this book of poetry. I’m a big poetry fan and when you throw in issues that I can relate it to it makes it so much better and one to resonate with. Kudos to the author for such a powerful collection of poems. It was really raw, real, and something that I’m 2020 we are all facing now. What I also really enjoyed was the fact that the pieces aren’t too long, they’re the perfect size for reading and it made it hard to put the book down at all. It kept my attention throughout the whole time because I always thought to myself “but just one more!” I think all girls should read this because it encourages us all to support each other and believe one another instead of tearing each other down - a huge lesson and such a great reminder.
Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an early release in exchange for an honest review!

3.5/5*

Dear Girl is a debut poetry collection about feminism and about becoming a woman. I think it’s a good debut collection and I really like reading poems about feminism. We, women, need to stand together and fight for equality!

"you were not born an ember
you were born the flame"

I really liked the poems in Dear Girl because I could relate to them and feel the empowering message behind them. I think a lot of us women struggle with a few of the topics that are mentioned in this collection, which makes it a book for every woman.

"I know that if this world harms you,
attempts to break you,
you will rise
broken and bruised.
The world is no match
for that flame in your eyes."

Dear Girl was a good poetry collection only too bad that the poems didn’t have titles. I usually make ‘favourite poems’ lists but I couldn’t make one for this collection. But besides that, I really enjoyed this collection!

“Dear Girl” is a poetic journey from girlhood to womanhood. This talented poetry collection is in five sections as the prologue poem below hints at.
“It is the search for truth in silence
The freeing of the tongue
It is deep wounds and deep healing
And the resilience that lies within us
It is a love letter to sisterhood”

The poet Aija Mayrock mentions in the beginning of her collection that she comprised her poetry to portray personal to widespread views. The poet also mentions it is not a memoir per say, but more of an exploration of the inherent spirit everyone shares. For me, I enjoyed her “With Love” section best, but I feel many people would be able to pick from the sections that best suits them personally.

“Step out of your own shadow.
Step into yourself.
You have come this far
by showing up
with your own two feet
and that alone
is enough.”

This is more than just about feminism. This is about equality, self-love, friendship, family relationship, how to be a good parent, growth, and so much more in between. It’s the poetry book that I would literally buy for every friend on their birthday. This book understands, encourages and fights.

I loved this poetry collection. It perfectly summed up what life is like in the modern age for women of all ages. It does not shy away from any topics and allows you to feel seen and accepted. I can wait to see what else comes from this author.

🌞🌞🌞 4.5/5⭐
I was surprised by this book.

I love it. It's such a good poetry book.

I liked the way it was written, the way that the author talked about women and how women should be independent, smart and to love other women.

I really liked the message of this book and how it was written. How it was expressed through poetry rather than a normal non-fiction book.

It reminded me of "The princess saves herself in this one" (my favourite poetry collection) and I felt so good reading it.

The single minus point that it has is that it was to short, but at the same time exactly how I wanted (it's weird to explain), but it's missing something, that spark to give it 5⭐. In rest, it was fantastic.

I really enjoyed reading this one.
It is told from a woman's perspective about life and it was kinda true. At some points, there were some parts that really hit me like crazy because they were such real events for me. If you want your experiences told through poems, I totally recommend you pick this one up once it's released!

Beautiful poetry, some lines just wowed me. Few poems made me feel so good about myself. Some verses seemed a bit of a drag, but there are some really powerful lines.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.

I think what I loved the most about this was, I don't know how else to say it, natural the poems felt, quite real to not only us contemporary women as one would think. To me, that's one of the things that makes a good poem, the ability to relate to all, not only one specific person (though there's nothing wrong with that), and she did that.

What a nice debut collection of poems! When I found out that this was a debut I was quite shocked, I hope I get to see more from her.

I don't know if anyone else thought this but I got the feeling that the poems in this book would make incredible songs.

This was amazing! Such nice poetry. The journey of the girl is written as such an empowering process and it made me feel so proud and strong to be a woman! This is so well done I can't even put it into words. I think every girl and woman should read this because there is a lot of stuff happening in the world every day that makes women feel like they aren't worth as much as men are and we aren't treated equally in a lot of situations. But this really made my day!
It was poetic enough to be really deep but not too poetic that you couldn't understand what was happening. It has really clear messages with a lot of empowering elements.

Firstly I would like to thank NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for an eARC for an honest review.

I hadn't heard of Aija Mayrock before finding her book on NetGalley and then went on to find her on Instagram and fell in love with her spoken words and everything that she stands for. Her first book being focused on bullying is one topic that has pushed her into her success as she is speaking for the voiceless. 'Dear Girl' is a beautiful debut poetry book that encourages and builds up women. It feels like Aija is focused on seeing what sometimes feels like we can't put words to. It isn't a book that shames men or feels like an attack but a push for equality and speaking the truth and how we as women have to live.

'Dear Girl' is compiled of five chapters that focus' of different topics. Summarised as the truth, freedom, healing, love and sisterhood. I have to say that my favourite piece has to be 'The Truth About Being a Girl' because it is such a beautifully long piece that I read as a spoken word and went on to find her actual spoken word and loved it even more. It really was an empowering read and I hope to read more from Aija in the future.

I received a complimentary advance review copy of #DearGirl from #NetGalley

I think the overall messages were very important and powerful - uplifting without being aggressive, validating without close-minded wallowing, personal and supportive despite being words from a faceless stranger. This is not my preferred style of poetry and some parts felt as if a normal sentence or two just had some line breaks added in to make it a poem, but I would still highly recommend this collection to people who like the poetry style and/or who want to read a strong book about the themes of womanhood..

Dear Girl is a marvellous collection—its opening lines begin: "The words that pour from my lips now / come from lips that were sealed / far too many years" and this momentum continues through each page. This book reads as if Mayrock were to open her personal journal and recite it as poetry. It's vulnerable and authentic and so deeply emotional that the reader can't help but empathise. This is the book I wish I could send back in time to my younger self as both an encouragement and a powerful cry for strength.

*longer review to come on Pencils & Pages*

I really enjoyed this one, I gave it a four out of five star. It was a bit receptive at times, but I liked them still. I didn't connect to all of them but the ones I did really hit me. They also gave me flashbacks to things in my life.

This was an enjoyable read. After reading this one, I immediately wanted to read Aija's other book, The Survival Guide to Bullying. I really like Aija's writing style, and would love to read anything else she puts out.

This poetry collection written by Aija Mayrock is a true hymn to feminism.  Her poems tell us to fly high and be proud of ourselves as women.  The author talks about gender (in)equality and how that affects our daily lives.  This collection is both beautiful and powerful!

5 Stars (I received an e-arc from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review)

Dear Girl was an amazing poetry collection and I wish that I had read this much earlier. The motif of dear girl is used multiple times giving advice to young women about the harsh realities in this world. I strongly urge everyone to read this collection and I don’t want to give a lot of details, just go read this collection.

This is a book about poems that truly hits home. It is filled with empowerment, understanding, sisterhood, and love, this is a book about girls and women, and the resilience within. I was absolutely touched by these poems and found them to be something that should be read by every young woman. This book is a love letter to the beauty and power within girls and I found it to be absolutely amazing.

4/5 stars
I thought this was a beautiful "love letter to the sisterhood" as described by the poet. It was an empowering read that affirmed how if we are to value ourselves and each other, we have to stop demoting ourselves at the behest of the patriarchy. Should we continue to do that, along with putting down and competing with fellow sisters in a degrading way, we are only dismantling the entire women's movement that has come a long long way.
The collection speaks a lot of how we need to reverse the ways in which our rights and bodies have been disenfranchised. I also thought it was very accepting of all the differences that make us unique as well as all the trauma we have undergone. There is this particular poem I really liked and it goes as:
There is no such thing as weak women,
only women
who have not stepped into
their power.

Step into it.
The world is waiting"

Overall, a beautiful read that incorporates every aspect of being a girl and a woman and especially the inheritance of trauma from mothers and how it is a cycle going on and on, to go on and on unless we do something about it.

Do pick it up!

Dear Girl is a collection of poems talking about strength, resilience, heartbreaks, wounds, and relationships. They are divided into five parts based on their themes. The book is around 100 pages long, making it a quick read. I loved the poems that talk about the importance of gender equality in the current world. The poems provide a definitive yet necessary push to the girls and women thriving in the 21st century. The poems are hard-hitting and impactful. I'm sure each one of the readers will find something relatable in them. A great pick for those looking for an easy yet meaningful read. I coupled this ebook with the audiobook version which made the experience even more worthwhile.

I honestly loved this poetry book. It was empowering and at the same time spoke what every woman's heart whispers.

There are poems about how a woman has always been stereotyped and how her spirit has always been questioned and ground down.
Then there are poems where a father is adored because he let her daughter fly high.
Then there are poems on a woman's agony.

It covered all those feelings and fights that a woman has to go through in her lifetime.

Recommended to poetry lovers. It will be a soothing read.

The poems were excellent OMG. She touched on so many important issues while crafting such exquisite poems and reminding women and girls everywhere of their power. She talked about the male gaze, the disparity in upbringing of girls and boys, body positivity, love, loss, heartbreak, and female empowerment.
🌹
One of the most important and recurring themes in so many poems in this collection is that women learn to find, use, and love their voices. There has been no better time to dismantle the culture of silence than now, as all of our voices are needed to call out and fight against the oppressive force and nature of patriarchy.
🌹
This is aimed at and focused on girls, but it features sections aimed at boys, fathers, brothers, and sisters as well. There’s a call for accountability across board, and she does this in so many beautiful ways.
🌹
I recommend this collection for everyone. It’s so great. All of the praise and stars to this amazing poet!

Thank you to Andrews McMeel and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Aija Mayrock's debut collection is sharp and empowering. The pieces are relatable, inclusive, and inspiring. I think anyone who reads it will find a poem or a line that really resonates with them. This is definitely a collection I look forward to recommending to my teen girls. A brilliant read for 2020.

Dear girl is a short poetry collection about empowering, wounds healing and the resilience we all share. It’s indeed a journey through poetry.
If you are a mother, a father a brother or a sister, if you are a girl or a boy you should read this novel. Every girl needs to read it. IT was brief yet so empowering and consistent and made me think about a lot of things: about life, about my choices and about myself
I should read more poetry and more about women empowering.

Sweet, yet powerful, Dear Girl by Aija Mayrock is a lover letter to girls and women everywhere. For many of these poems, my mind kept putting the words to music. Maybe I’ve seen Hamilton too many times this past week, but I could easily see Dear Girl soaring on stage in front of an audience. The passage on page 23 may have been my favorite:
----Page 23
Maybe that’s why when people tell you,
“You’re too young to understand,”
you smirk with that twinkle in your eye.

Because the moment you were born,
you were sexualized, objectified,
power never recognized.
-------
Overall this was lovely and memorable! The perfect gift for our daughters, mothers, sisters, and the girlfriends in our lives.

This is a collection of poems around the central theme of women empowerment.

"I am the woman I am today because my father never clipped my wings. even in disagreement, I hear his voice. all pride and no shame say- "And yes that is my daughter. " "

"Instead of 'How was your day?' messages, we get, 'You up? Wanna come fuck?' "

"Leaving someone you love is like leaving home, and knowing you can never return."

"Heal your wounds, Dear Girl, so your daughter isn't born with the same ones."

"Your boss will tell you to stop giving him eyes "If you want a raise, you gotta compromise. Show me what lies above those thighs." "

This was a great, fast read I finished in one sitting. I've read a few poetry books in my time and I have to say I think this is one of the best yet. This book is everything milk & honey wishes it was. This collection had the lyrical visual I want to feel from poetry as well as using rhyming to further the conversation without feeling like a Dr. Seuss book. Even if poetry isn't necessarily your thing I recommend picking it up for yourself or for a friend.

Dear Girl is a poetry collection with advice to girls. This poetry collection supports feminism. It mentions important issues like rape, racism, and gender. D.ear Girl was a quick read and I really enjoyed it. These poems contained a lot of emotions.

Thank you NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing Dear Girl in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great poetry collection from another young female poet.

The focus on what it is to be a girl / woman really resonated with me and she was very candid in her use of language. She addresses the sexualisation of women and our role in society well.

As my library is in an all girls' school I feel this would be a solid addition to my collection.

Thanks to the publishers, author and netgalley for this ARC.

‘Dear Girl’ is a brief, empowering collection of feminist poems that document the life from girlhood to womanhood in contemporary society. Some of the subject matter included aesthetic expectations, double standards, and sexual assault. The poems and narration were strong and inspiring at times. I think it would have resonated more with me if the poems were more autobiographical. They were often more about general experiences. It was a good collection, but I wanted more depth and vulnerability.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this empowering collection of poetry from an emerging poet. There was such a strong sense of voice throughout, I could definitely feel the spoken word influence. These are poems for protests, poems to combat years of silence, poems to get you on your feet and make your voice heard. The title, Dear Girl, is apt—I think these would be great to recommend to college and high-school aged girls coming into their own and starting to question what society often expects of them. These poems ring necessary and true, and I'm excited to see such a young voice emerging in the world of poetry.

“Dear girl” is more than a poetry collection, is a very relatable journey from girlhood to womanhood. It’s a collection of empowering poems about feminism, sisterhood, healing, and resilience.

Every girl/woman needs to read this poetry collection. What a beautiful collection of powerful works all about what it is to be a woman and the struggles we face every day. If you are not one for poetry check out the audiobook. It is beautifully spoken with the correct cadence. I would prefer to listen to poetry because you get the true emotion out of the text. However Aija does a beautiful job at bluntly telling the relatable truth that woman face every day.

Dear Girl is a collection of poems on feminism, equality, girlhood, and womanhood. Description of the book says: "Dear Girl is a journey from girlhood to womanhood through poetry...". Younger women and girls will probably like it.

I listened to the audiobook first, and I recommend that version too. The author herself reads it. It is very challenging to rate poetry. While it resonates with some, with others it won't. I liked the poems and design of the book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read to this! All opinions are my own.

“Dear Sister,
I will never judge you for staying
You know best
how to care
for your wounded parts.
I only hope you follow
the voice
that tells you
when it’s time
to go.”

So, here we are reading yet another poetry book. I know we’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but “Dear Girl” seemed so beautiful and had this softness to it that I had to give it a try. And I’m thankful I did.
Aija Mayrock’s debut poetry collection is split into 5 main parts: the search for truth in silence; the freeing of the tongue; deep wounds, deep healing; with love; and to the sisterhood.
These last two parts are the ones that really stood out. There are a couple of poems that resonated with me, even tho sometimes it seemed like the same message being told with different words, especially during “the search for truth in silence”.
What you can expect is a beautiful celebration of women. Empowering messages and little reminders of your own strength and ability to heal and fight gender inequality. What I liked most is the fact that it was inclusive to women of colour and of the LGBTQ+ Community.

Dear Girl is a powerful feminist collection of modern poetry dealing with a number of issues with lyrical beauty. It muses on gender inequality, rape, and other feminist issues. The poems are unapolagitic and empowering, and inclusive, and important.
There is so much truth in the verses, along with a lot of humor and heart- which juxtaposed with the heavy topics is nothing short of breathtaking.
Many thanks to Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for the advance copy!

This book of poetry definitely had some very truthful poems that packed a punch. Being that collection had themes of womanhood and the inequalities that women face there was much that I could relate to and empathize with. I found that my favorite poems were the ones that had a rhyming cadence to them. I think this amplified the impact of the words and brought the messages across in a striking way. Poetry as always is difficult for me to review because the way that poetry can be interpreted is so vastly different among people. As I mentioned, I enjoyed the writing style for the most part, although there were a few poems that I felt like were punctuated and styled in a way that I personally didn't love. Additionally, these topics have been touched by many people, sometimes it can be hard to differentiate work from other works. This is no fault of the authors, just something that is the case when a popular topic is written about frequently in literature. As a whole though, I enjoyed the writing, I enjoyed that topics such as rape, generational trauma, double standards between men and women, and much more were addressed. All of these are really important topics that everyone should be educated on and I think this book does a good job sharing a piece of what woman go through.

"What should every girl know?", Mayrock asks.
And I think that the proposal of this collection of poems is to tell us the answer.

Aija Mayrock writes about being a girl in a society that recriminates every day the fact of born a woman. She talks about patriarchy, sexism, abuse...
But she also talks about the strength that emerge of these awful things that every woman lives/lived/or will live.

Reading these poems gives rise to a feeling of immense understanding, knowing that we, girls, are not alone.

I loved it and I really recommend it for every girl, so they can know their value and cultivate self-love and self-care

Perfect for fans of Kaur and Atticus.
This book is a collection of poems with passion embedded with them. The experiences portray in this book and the emotions given are beyond amazing! This is so compelling and easy to read!

I loved the poems in this book, and especially the variety of topics that they entail. They are truely uplifting, playful and serious at the same time. It was great exploring the words.

I never read any poetry before and I used to think that it could be complex and difficult to understand but after reading Dear Girl, my opinion changed. It was so easy to read and so beautiful, I really enjoyed it. I picked it up on NetGalley because of the cover that I found really pretty and I did not regret it. The voice is powerful. It is about empowerment and it really is uplifting. I think every girl and woman can relate to most of the poems, they are just so simple and yet so full of truth. As said in this poetry collection, we need to support and help each other, so let’s do it; it’s about women everywhere. The poems are a call for women all around the world to rise up and be heard. This collection is not about reading something you have never heard before, but reading about something you have maybe not been able to formulate before, about something you may have not been told before. I don’t know what I was looking for when I started reading but I definitely feel like I got more strengths after.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with both the e-ARC and the audiobook for review. I enjoyed listening to the audiobook especially since the author Aija Mayrock narrates it herself. However, I liked reading the poems myself more. Possibly, because instead of the spoken word which is over so quickly, you can reread the verses and stanzas you particularly like.

I recommend Dear Girl to those who has enjoyed The Princess Saves Herself in this One and anyone who likes poems about sisterhood.

Dear Girl is a poetry book by Aija Mayrock. This collections of poems are written for and about women and the experiences they face due to gender inequality.

I absolutely adored this collections of poems. They were power and well-worded. They hit the mark they were trying to accomplish without being a whiny or condescending. They were filled with emotions. They were relatable. Aija does a great job of writing experiences that women all face. There is so much of these poems that is relatable.

I will definitely be recommending this collection of poems to my friends and family.

It's really inspiring and empowering. Poetry is one of the genres I read the least. This one is so unique and special. It's about the journey from girlhood to womanhood. Every girl should read this book.