Vulnerable AF

NetGalley ARC Educator 550974

Tank revealed the emotions of her deepest love (this far), life lessons and shared glimpses of her heart and soul. Not only is she an amazing songstress, she is also an amazing poet.

As the title states, she was vulnerable af and I am grateful. I hope her words inspires other and her lesson become their lessons. A one sitting read that will envelop you like a warm blanket.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. Vulnerable AF is a beautiful thought provoking poem collection. The illustrations are beautiful and compliment the poems nicely.

Yes! Yes! Yes! This poetry collection is AMAZING. I love the flow of emotion from page to page- taking you on a roller-coaster. There was a very strong female empowerment vibe in this collection which is so appreciated. I HIGHLY recommend this book!

Vulnerable AF is a collection by a poet who is new to me — but I hope to revisit Tarriona Ball’s work again soon. There is much to enjoy in this amazing voice, and poetry that lives up to the title’s promise.

Oh .... this book of poems was so relatable. I’m not currently going through the kind of pain Tarriona writes about, but it definitely brought memories of my own experience to the surface. What a talented writer and individual. I’m a fan.

I liked this first experience with slam poetry written by Tarriona Ball. I was looking for something different from my usual reads, and this fit the bill. It came through for me as a heartfelt sharing of the author’s previous relationship. Now I’m curious to read more of this type of poetry to see other examples of it. Advance electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, author Tarriona Ball, and the publisher.

Tarriona "Tank" Ball's debut poetry collection is a reflection on the heartbreak wrought by a past relationship. As the title suggests, Ball's writing is vulnerable; when she speaks to the former object of her affection, there are palpable flashes of anger, confusion, and pure resentment. She also paints a vivid picture of her former lover, presenting us with the bits and pieces of him that drew him to her in the first place, and which inevitably ended up breaking her heart.

The book's poetry is interspersed with "Tank's Story Time", short stories that seemed intended to give some context to the poems surrounding them. However, I could've done without them. I didn't find myself connecting with any of them in any meaningful way. The book also includes some cool illustrations, all of which I absolutely adored. I found myself spending time picking these images apart as if they were poems themselves.

Given her slam poetry background, it was also no surprise that some of the poems possessed rhythm that needed to be taken into account to get the full effect of the piece. One of them is "Adam", which I have to say is my personal favorite. I honestly would love the opportunity to see this one performed live.

Overall, there were a lot of good poems, many of which I feel would resonate quite a bit with someone who is still in the throes of their own painful heartbreak. Personally, I just didn't feel emotionally drawn into enough of the poems, and maybe I'm just not the intended audience. However, I do feel that this poetry collection would speak most deeply to those in the midst of a breakup or anyone still holding a flame for someone who refuses to love them back.

Vulnerable AF is a poetry collection from Tarriona “Tank” Ball, Grammy-nominated recording artist and slam poet. I don’t read poetry that often, but I loved this collection. It was raw, honest, and truly showed what it feels like to struggle with the difference between infatuation and love in a complicated relationship. I loved having the mix of “Tanks Story Time” and poetry throughout the book. Some of my favorites from this collection were “Playing Hard to Get”, “Libra Thinking”, “The Cycle”, “Tiny Desk”, and most of all, “Glare”. I don’t know much about poetry, but I do know that this collection made me feel, and I want others to be able to feel strongly when they read it, too. After reading this, I am inspired to get more into slam poetry and read many more poetry collections.

Vulnerable AF by Tarriona Ball is a collection of poetry that is emotional and heartbreaking. The poems in the book reflect the course of a failed relationship and expose the vulnerable feelings of confusion, infatuation, sadness, anger, and resentment. I thought that there were a lot of great poems in this collection, and they were interspersed with short stories to provide a contextual background for the poems. I found that I really appreciated the "Tank's Story Time" sections and the illustrations that accompanied the poems. As the author is a slam poet, I think that this collection would be more powerful as a spoken word audiobook to help capture the intended rhythm of the poems. I think this collection would resonate with anyone who has experienced a painful relationship trajectory or who is in the middle of a breakup.

I received an advanced copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley which did not affect the contents of my voluntary review. All opinions are honest and my own.

This is a sad book of poetry and short stories surrounding heartbreak and loss. It was written in such a raw and clever way. The short stories gave a bit of a background for the poetry to come.

Adam was my personal favorite and I felt most relatable, as well as the Libra poem, which hit close to him for a personal libra ex.

None of these truly made me emotional, like other poets have in the past, but it was a great set of poems.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Thank you @netgalley and @andrewsmckeelpublishing for an ARC for my honest review.

Vulnerable AF is
Relatable AF
Real AF
Honest AF
and yes Vulnerable AF!
I felt like this collection was written for my past self. I really enjoyed the unpretentious and openly sincere approach in this. This collection doesn't feel like its trying to be better than you, rather its FOR you. I can not recommend this book enough!

I'll just leave yall with one of my favorite lines from this collection.
"Now forgive yourself for pretending to be a Band-Aid and heal yourself"

Vulnerable AF is a debut poetry collection focused on love, heartbreak, and self-confidence. Ball is a slam poet and recording artist, and that really shines through in the cadence of most of the poems in this collection. I really appreciated that, because Ball’s being a slam poet is the reason I picked this book up in the first place!

I found the poems in this collection to be incredibly relatable despite containing specific references to Ball’s own life and experiences. Each piece was about her own experiences with love and infatuation and heartbreak, but the way she wrote about these experiences reminded me (and I’m sure other readers) of myself and my own experiences with dating and wanting so badly to be in love that you convince yourself you are. There’s a line in the first poem in the book: “My Infatuation led me to believe that I was in actual love with someone I barely knew”. I’ve re-read that line a few times since I picked up (and finished, in one sitting) this book yesterday.

I absolutely loved this collection, maybe even more than I was expecting to, and I definitely recommend checking it out - especially if you’re in your 20s, single, and struggling to define what it is that you want out of a relationship and love.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the advance review copy of Vulnerable AF!

Vulnerable AF is a debut poetry collection focused on love, heartbreak, and self-confidence. Ball is a slam poet and recording artist, and that really shines through in the cadence of most of the poems in this collection. I really appreciated that, because Ball’s being a slam poet is the reason I picked this book up in the first place!

I found the poems in this collection to be incredibly relatable despite containing specific references to Ball’s own life and experiences. Each piece was about her own experiences with love and infatuation and heartbreak, but the way she wrote about these experiences reminded me (and I’m sure other readers) of myself and my own experiences with dating and wanting so badly to be in love that you convince yourself you are. There’s a line in the first poem in the book: “My Infatuation led me to believe that I was in actual love with someone I barely knew”. I’ve re-read that line a few times since I picked up (and finished, in one sitting) this book yesterday.

I absolutely loved this collection, maybe even more than I was expecting to, and I definitely recommend checking it out - especially if you’re in your 20s, single, and struggling to define what it is that you want out of a relationship and love.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the advance review copy of Vulnerable AF!

Vulnerable AF is... vulnerable AF. Tarriona Ball opens up to readers in her debut poetry collection on subjects so many of us can relate to, specifically the heartbreak of loving someone who is emotionally unavailable. Some of her poems reached out and grabbed me, twisting my heart as I pictured my own previous relationship. Ball is vulnerable and real, and her poetry beautifully reflects her experiences. It is apparent that her talent will keep growing, and I can't wait to see her future collections.

I really enjoyed this collection of poems written by slam poet, Tarriona Ball. Mostly centered around the end of a relationship, this poetry is smart, relatable, and, well, vulnerable. The poetry, and short prose pieces felt so much like my own experiences in relationships in my 20s. The illustrations were strange and beautiful, and gave a good visual representation to support the themes of the poetry. This was enjoyable to read, but would be fantastic on audio. I recommend Vulnerable AF to anyone who’s been a relationship with someone who turned out to be no good.

Well the title of this one pretty much covers everything. Vulnerable AF. The author details how vulnerable you become as you get to know someone and as they learn more about you. She talks about her experience with love and heartbreak. This is raw, honest, relatable, a little sad and best of all - beautiful.

A special thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for this advanced reader copy. The book is to be published June 8, 2021.

A beautifully honest and raw collection of emotions and stream of consciousness Tarriona Ball has written on one of her past relationships. The themes and emotions she incorporates in her poetry are truly encapsulated in the title ‘Vulnerable AF’, where emotions of heartache, love, anger, resentment, regret, healing, and moving on are articulated through colloquial slang and speech. I personally think many would be able to resonate with the emotions expressed in this collection even if they’ve never been in a failed relationship, because she also touches on themes of manipulation, being taken for granted, toxicity, and raw infatuation and impulsiveness, which many may have experienced in relationships and interactions with other people. I thoroughly enjoyed this collection, particularly how genuine and vulnerable it comes across. As the phrase goes, “I can read them like a book”, the author really said she’ll make something where the readers can do just that.

The debut poetry collection from Grammy-nominated recording artist and slam poet Tarriona "Tank" Ball about infatuation, love, and heartbreak.

This debut poetry collection is raw and vulnerable in a way that is so very generous. I was able to read the book in both e and audio form and I enjoyed both. The book is a mix of poetry and story time, with beautiful, intricate, quirky illustrations sprinkled in.

Honestly, the illustrations were some of my favorite part of experiencing this book. They lent a whimsical dimension to the entire emotional experience of the written word. The whole collection of writings is hyper focused on a single experience of love, desire, and heartbreak from all different angles, and Tank really lets the reader into her brain even as she is speaking to the object of her love and loss.

I highly recommend reading this book while listening to the audio to get the full impact of the writing and illustrations.

Thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the ARC.

I'm not a connoisseur of poetry. It's not the first thing I select to read but I do enjoy a good collection when I find one. Tarriona "Tank" Ball delivers a very good collection that made me think back on my first love and first break-up. Remembering the ache, sadness, anger, recovery and healing was oddly therapeutic.

The poems I had audible reactions to were: Survival Guide, Postpone, Glare, The A** and Sudden Truth. Her words are more than enough but complimented by those beautiful illustrations by Shonté Young-Williams is just chef's kiss! A bundle of magical black female energy in your hands.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This poetry collection about love and heartbreak was so relatable, and just as the title states, vulnerable AF. While reading this I felt like I was talking with a friend about a breakup; about the love that let her down and how she was coming out stronger despite all the heartache. It was deeply personal. I highly recommend this read if you are going through a breakup, or are maybe you are ready to start the journey to discovering your sense of self after being wrapped up in someone else’s expectations.

My favorites were Survival Guide, The Cycle, and Monsters. There was also a particular stanza in Adam that was phenomenal.

This collection is very open verse. Each poem flowed well into the next. And I also enjoyed the drawings throughout the book.


I was given an eARC in exchange for an honest review from the publisher. All options are my own.

I LOVED this. This collection was so relatable and honestly, it found its way to me at the absolute perfect time. Tarriona is an incredibly gifted writer and I was pretty blown away with how connected I felt to these poems! I can't wait to see what else Tarriona comes out with.

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

Wow, this really was vulnerable af.

I really enjoyed this look into a failed relationship and how the author felt. It was raw and yes, vulnerable, and I think it makes for a cool experience.

Sometimes there were almost-rhymes that were a little off, unless you have a southern accent maybe, but generally, quality poetry and a quality book.

If Jill Scott's Honey Molasses was expounded into a book of poetry and visual arts it would be represented among these pages.

The cover alone let's you know the author has an abundance of thoughts. In fact elements of the artwork are dispersed throughout the book in various graphics.

Tank pours her heart out about a past relationship with a musician. Love, hurt, humility, lessons learned, and healing are all discussed. The rhythmic flow pulled me into this relationship and had me remembering ghosts of relationships and situationships past. I look forward to future works from this artist.

Vulnerable AF is a debut poetry collection of a talented, Grammy nominated artist, Tarriona Ball.

This collection is an accessible and beautiful collection, that contains a full story, with stunning artwork that ties into the poems beautifully. The story follows a young woman and her love life, and growing up to know that you should ask nothing less than you deserve. And you deserve to be loved fully. My favourite poem out of the whole collection ended up being “Sun and Moon Folk”, but the collection is full of quotable and precious pieces.

Truly, if you are looking for a modern collection of poems about being a woman in love, I highly recommend this one.

Vulnerable AF is a wonderful and beautifully written book of poetry. It has emotional heartbreak vibes in it. The metaphors and words in the collection of poetry was aesthetic and full of emotion. It also included a few short stories on love, ache. anger, and heartbreak. There was too much depth, it felt like the narrator poured their heart out, thus, appropriately titled "Vulnerable AF". The illustrations included were pretty amazing. My rating: 4.5/5
Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

very powerful! Love this collection so much!! i reccommend this book to everybody!

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE READ THIS!!! You will not regret it