This was INCREDIBLE. I very rarely enjoy poetry but I listened to the audiobook of this one and it absolutely blew me away. I can't wait to buy my own physical copy so I can tab up all my favorite parts. SO. DAMN. GOOD.

I would like to apologize.It turns out - bleh - I was wrong.I was not previously aware this was something that could happen, but apparently once every 23 years or so it occurs.I always assumed I would not like Elizabeth Acevedo, because I do not, in my own mind, like poetry. And that's kind of her whole thing.I felt reassured in my correct jump to conclusion when I read With the Fire on High, my first foray into her world of angsty artsy teens, and didn't really enjoy it. I thought, WHY NOT END

“the ultimate actress because i’m always pretending, pretending i’m blind, pretending i’m fine; i should win an oscar i do it so well.” what an EXPERIENCE! going into this, i was really unsure of what to expect. i have never read a book in verse before and chose to go with the audiobook because i have read a book narrated by elizabeth acevedo before and her narration was, yet again, absolutely fantastic. listening to her reading her own words out loud made me feel so incredibly emotional in a w

✨How do you describe something PERFECT?The verse. The story. The characterization. The biographical narration.It's so damn powerful and unforgettable.It's about being born as a woman, not being appreciated, not being taken seriously and being taken as 'just a girl'; being forced upon the so called societal norms by the so called adults, what to believe and what to follow, leaving no place for individuality; making 'her' feel like a second choice; being treated differently from the other when bor...

4.25/5 ⭐I was honestly ready for some truth to be spoken in my face and this is exactly what happened. Thank you.I was somehow pleasantly surprised by how this book turned out to be. I mean, I didn't really know what to expect from it, I just went for it to have a moment of "Amen, sister!". And I did have several.I liked the fact that the poet presented the Dominican culture as it is, seen through the eyes of a girl who was not appalled by her culture, but she still wanted to experience it in a

Poetry usually isn't my jam but this book was part of my "Goodreads Reading Challenge for 2018" so here we are...I ended up really connecting with the main character, her story, her relationship with her family, her struggles with religion and the abuse she went through.There was a lot of Spanish in the book but everything was translated right after so don't worry.(view spoiler)[I did feel like the ending of the book put a little bow on the whole thing which kinda brought it down for me. (hide

Contemporary YA and poetry are usually a miss for me, so I am pleasantly surprised at the near-perfection of this coming-of-age story. The verse formats feel purposeful instead of gimmicky and the writing is so good without compensating with flowery language. It's simple yet effective and does a wonderful job at portraying the complexities of a teenager finding her voice within a culture that often suppresses young women. Even though our upbringings are not the same, I greatly enjoyed reading ab...

it's time to be a man of culture with some poetry

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I read this for a second time and caught all sorts of details I missed the first time. The phrase "required reading" conjures up images of old dead dudes. But the Poet X is what required reading SHOULD be: elegant, important and gripping--a story that stays with you. Whether you are a fan of YA or not, you should pick this one up.

Elizabeth Acevedo, you are a goddess.This poetry collection, told in a novel-like fashion, was what my soul needed. It was abundant and healing. It’s about faith, family, love, forging yourself through obstacles, and pain and naysayers and finding your true voice. It’s about coming out on top, because, ultimately, you matter. Your being matters.

“Burn it! Burn it. This is where the poems are,” I say, thumping a fist against my chest. “Will you burn me? Will you burn me, too?” Xiomara Batista is a young girl from Harlem who feels like her voice doesn't matter. In the form of poetry, she puts all she cannot say into a beloved notebook. When she finally accepts the invitation to her schools poetry club — Xiomara knows it won't be long before her mami finds out she isn't at church, where's she's supposed to be, but decides to take the ri

FEBRUARY 2020: This is my third time reading this book. I am still left speechless. I still laughed. I still cried. My heart is full. This story is sizzling with life. Elizabeth Acevedo's verses are pure magic that go directly to my heart. If you haven't already, GO READ THIS BOOK! APRIL 2019: Okay, I'll admit it. I cried whilst listening to the audiobook. Almost for an hour straight. In public. And I read this story twice. On the same day. Yeah, a couple hours after finishing the audiobook I de...

4.5 starsI read this from the library because I was unsure if a book in verse would be worth paying full price for, but after finishing it, my answer is yes. It is definitely worth the money to get a copy of my own. I loved multiple subjects this book tackled, mainly being the daughter of a religious mother and wanting to stray from that but experiencing guilt and anxiety over it. Plenty of other important topics were addressed, and it was all within a format that was as poetic as the main chara...

🚨 Unpopular opinion alert! 🚨 The Poet X explores several important topics with a feather-touch: body shaming (Word!), the anti-feminist foundations of organized religion (Yas, girl! Preach!), and the grueling lack of autonomy most people suffer in high school when adulthood is longed for but just out of reach (Omg, same!). Unfortunately, Xiomara's story is peripheral, hasty, and occasionally lacks a sense of synchronicity between its chapters. In the opening pages, fifteen-year-old Xiomara lamen...

This was a surprising read for me!! I do not read poetry, nor do I typically like it, therefore I have avoided reading books in verse for years. I decided to pick up the audiobook from my library just because it was so short, but I’m so pleased I gave it a chance. This is a story absolutely everyone should experience.CW: sexism/misogyny, homophobia, slut-shaming, abuse, sexual assault/harassmentI would HIGHLY recommend the audio version of this novel. I don’t have an experience with the physical...

“And I think about all the things we could be if we were never told our bodies were not built for them.” 4½ stars. Wow, this was so good.I recently read Acevedo's With the Fire on High and I found it to be sweet and enjoyable, but I felt like a little something was held back. Like the book played it too safe and didn't really excite me. It was feel-good, and that's just fine, but if I'm being honest I'm a bit of a drama llama. 🦙This book, though. This book is heart-wrenching and powerful. Ac

#ThePoetX was so beautiful that I didn’t want to highlight it or dog ear pages, so I just took pictures basically every pageThis was the type of book where “I’ll just do 50 pages” turned into finishing it in 2 readsI felt very emotional reading this book, not just because the story and the words themselves were so beautiful, but because I knew it was going to make so many teens who felt like no one cares about them or listens to them feel seen. I also knew that if I had had books like this or Lo...

“Burn it! Burn it. This is where the poems are,” I say, thumping a fist against my chest. “Will you burn me? Will you burn me, too?” I’ve always been fond of stories told through verse, and I love Elizabeth’s poetry, so when I learned that she was writing her first YA novel, I knew I had to get my hands on it. I never once doubted that I would love it, but I didn’t know it could mean so much to me. I didn’t have a clue that I was in for such a raw, honest ride about how religion impacts child

Be sure to visit Bantering Books to read all my latest reviews.4.5 starsI never knew I liked poetry.I’ve never been drawn to it. I have only ever read it in school, where it often left me bewildered. I would stretch my brain to search for the meaning behind the words of Dickinson, Whitman, and Frost. It was such a struggle. And not a very enjoyable one, at that. I would silently hope that the teacher would not call on me, knowing that I didn’t have many, or any, thoughts to contribute to the cla...