Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

Sweet, Young, & Worried by Blythe Baird

12 reviews

violetbooklover's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.0

Beautiful writing as always. Very quick read and made me cry more than once ahh. 

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kalira's review against another edition

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emotional reflective tense medium-paced

3.75

While the issues and hurts focused upon are not mine, Blythe Baird represents them evocatively and opens a window into the depths even from far off.

The one that hits hardest for me remains, however, the very first one - In The Shape Of A Poem

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pabi's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

3.0

 "We obsess over shame (the most useless emotion I can think of). "

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cer15712's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

0.25

Just boring trauma poems. Same writing style as Rupi Kaur. Cliché metaphors and phrases pulled from tumblr posts. 

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scourtheatlas's review against another edition

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dark emotional lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

3.0


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ryliereadss's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

I loved this collection so much! Blythe never ceases to amaze me with her talent. I had to reread some of her metaphors because they were so great. I also really loved the format of the book that made certain lines and stanzas really pop. My favorite section was Splinters of Improvement. Could not recommend this enough, full of hope and heartache.

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letstalkaboutbooksbaybee's review against another edition

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reflective

4.0

An unflinchingly honest and raw poetry collection

TW for eating disorders, self harm, abortion, depression

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kylakahrin's review against another edition

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dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense

5.0

“It is one thing to want help and another to have the language to ask for it.”

I first heard Blythe Baird’s poetry through the Button Poetry youtube channel nearly 10 years ago. I bought her previously published poetry collection, If My Body Could Speak, as soon as it hit shelves back in 2019 and have read it many times over the last three years. I am so honored and grateful to have gotten an eARC of this newest collection of her work.

As I expected it to, Blythe’s writing hits me like watching old home videos. I am, thankfully, not in the depth of my mental health struggles like I was when I first found Blythe’s spoken word. Still, her words resonate with a part of me that will only ever hibernate and never fully retire. My favorite pieces in Sweet, Young, and Worried were “This Must Be Enough” and “Guilt Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.” Growing up with her poetry and reading it again now has made me appreciate and grieve the years I spent in the same boat as her. It’s heavy and hard to swallow but it’s real and it’s important. Massive TW for eating disorders, self harm, suicide and suicidal ideation, and abortion.

5⭐️

Thank you Netgalley and Button Poetry for the eARC! 

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angelsowllibrarian's review

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challenging emotional reflective sad fast-paced

2.5

Thank you Netgalley for approving me to read for a review! I also won an audibook of this on StoryGraph shortly after being approved and listened while I read along. I enjoyed this more having the author reading it as intended than I would have reading it by itself, especially with the awkward digital formatting.
I was hoping that this poetry book with lead more with queerness and healing than ED and SH like the author's previous books. But, as the author wrote in the book, "I still don't know how to write about the things that didn't hurt." I understand that both ED and SH are things that linger, but I have finally gotten myself out of that mental space so reading this felt a bit like backsliding for me. Or like trying to be nostalgic about being sick again, if that makes sense. 
I enjoyed the longer poems because they felt more substantial to me than the shorter ones did. I understand why there are more short, bite sized poems than there are long, deeper poems. Poetry like this is very personal and making yourself open and vulnerable for strangers to have pieces of. I just wish there was maybe a few more longer poems to think more deeply about. I enjoy the author's voice so I'm looking forward to the day when they're able to write about more than things that hurt.

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mandi4886's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad fast-paced

3.25


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