Wow. Powerful and beautifully told through gorgeous verse. A story of love, family, friendship and the pressures of those very things including religion, sexuality and culture. I don’t often read books written in verse but the writing style definitely packed a punch with this story. It made Xiomara’s story feel so much more personal and emotional. I’m going to try this on audiobook too because I can imagine it sounds incredible! This book has definitely piqued my interest in reading more verse books.

This was a tricky one. I loved Xiomara and her fiery attitude. I loved that most of the cast were non-white. I loved Xiomara's relationships with her friends and even - though strained - her family, it was so authentic and there was clearly love in the struggles between them though that does bring me to the main reason that I struggled with this book - the religion stuff.

I am not religious and honestly it all freaks me out a little. Also I'm a big supporter of free will and Xiomara's lack of it was sad. I disliked that she just called her twin "Twin", it was de-humanising in my opinion.

The writing flowed and pulled me along but the poetry stuff went over my head a little. I'm never sure what counts and what doesn't.

This is breath taking. So, so emotional and moving, delving into religion and identity, sexual harassment and encouraging young women to explore their sexuality and have sexual freedom even when expected to be ashamed of it. Xiomara goes through so much but there's something so solid about her where it never feels like she's blaming herself for the anger other people feel towards her being so open and unashamed about who she is and wants to be. The relationships she has with her brother, her friends, her mum and dad, a boy she meets at school, are all very prominent, and I just grew so attached, even though I read this so quickly. I love the insight into slam poetry and that this is written in verse as well- the best way to read Xiomara's story!

I'm not a massive fan of just sitting and reading poetry, especially with something like Slam where it's supposed to be read allowed, but I liked this book so, so much. The combinations of the story and the poetry meant that I could see Xiomara reading the poems. The beautiful cover is one that gets so stuck in your mind that it makes Xiomara so, so easy to picture. It was the perfect combination of Slam poetry and prose.

I loved Xiomara's passion and the emotions that were stirred up in this book, especially when it came to her poetry around her family. It struck me that she and her brother had a lot of big secrets they were hiding from the rest of their family.

I also really liked the romance. It felt so real and easily broken, especially considering her parents opinions on dating. I do think there's something about hidden romance that makes you more worried and invested in the characters.

I promise, you will not be let down by this book.

Thank you to Electric Monkey and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Content warnings: discussion of rape culture and sexual harassment, emotional abuse, parental abuse, and christianity.

Xiomara is struggling with where she is in the world. Her parents are super conservative and she just wants to do what she wants to do without being told she can't by her parents. She likes a boy in her school and they start hanging out but she knows eventually she'll get caught. So she discovers slam poetry as a way to express herself like she hasn't before.

I don't know how to review this. Because I know it meant a lot to a whole lot of people. And I really enjoyed it but I don't know I didn't love it like every else did and whilst I know that's totally ok, it's made me sad.

I think part of my not loving it as much as everyone else is that I really struggled with the ARC I got of it on netgalley. I don't know what the deal is but publishers have real problems putting good kindle formatting for their eARCs and it really messes with the layout and reading of some books, especially books which are told in verse. And I think this book is supposed to be in verse, but I have no idea because of the terrible formatting. I feel like I need to try and read this as a book and see if my experience is better. Because I think this is supposed to be told in verse I couldn't read this the way it was supposed to be read.

Xiomara is a fierce young Dominican girl who is frustrated with the world. Her point of view discusses so many topics that young POC girls face in the modern world. She has a lot of anger about how people like her are treated and I think it could be such an influential book for teenage girls, and even boys who need to see a woman's perspective. She speaks about accepting your body, about rape culture, about emotional abuse. I can't speak to the representation but it felt powerful when I was reading it. I could just tell that this would be a book that would mean a lot for others. I think what's clear though is Xiomara feels like she has to be the way she is or she won't be heard because of her racial background. Which is such a sad truth for many women and girls of colour, they feel like they can't be vulnerable.

There is not enough hype about this book for what it could do for young people. Go and pick this up if you think it is something you would have any semblance of an interest in it because I think it will surprise you.

I think for me I just didn't have the connection to Xiomara that would've made this an absolute favourite book. But that's completely fine because I'm never going to be in her position.

3.5 stars

Xiomara lives with her twin brother and her Dominican parents in Harlem. Her mother is strict and very religious so Xiomara hides who she really is - someone who doesn't want to take communion, someone who loves writing poetry, someone who has a crush on a boy, someone who has to hide her voice.
Can Xiomara be who she wants to be?
Will her poems help share her voice?

I am not a big poetry/prose fan, so I was a bit wary going into Poet X that I wouldn't like it. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I did end up enjoying this book. I found the whole novel being in verse refreshing.
The poems were all easy to follow and to understand.
Xiomara was relatable and I found it really sad she had to hide who she truly was.
The plot was interesting and held my attention.
I would definitely read another novel by the author.

Overall this was an enjoyable story that I would recommend.

I was kind of weary going into this one and the first 25 pages made me feel really uncomfortable with the form the text took. I found the further i got into this book, the more i enjoyed it and liked the way Acevedo told it. The way she made the story come alive was great and i liked how easy it was to picture all the character and the way they acted clearly defined them to me. The form of the poem really opened up for great description and it was one of the stand out features of the book.

The Poet X is written in beautiful slam poetry, and tells the story of Xiomara Batista, a girl on the precipice of adulthood who is trying to make sense of the world around her.
The boys she encounters are only interested in her curves, treating her as nothing more than a sexual object. She is aware that she is being treated differently to others because of her gender and her physical appearance and this is something she reflects on often in her writing. Then she meets Aman. He is different to the other boys: he is kind to her and interested in her life. They start to fall for each other. Xiomara wants to have a romantic relationship; she is ready to have that. She thinks she could be happy with Aman, but her mother does not approve of dating.
Her mother is strict and religious. Xiomara is struggling with her faith. She should be studying for her confirmation, but she isn’t sure what she believes any more. She is struggling with her own identify and her religious doubts:
“Jesus feels like a frined I’ve had my whole childhood, who suddenly became brand-new; who invites himself over too often, who texts me too much”
More and more, Xiomara turns to her writing. She writes every day about all aspects of her life, and the things she is feeling. A teacher at her school encourages her to join the slam poetry club, which gives her an outlet for her talent, and a group of like-minded friends who spur her on. Poetry is her refuge, her way to deal with everything she encounters.
The Poet X is a really powerful exploration of what it means to be growing up and trying to find a way to express yourself, and I heartily recommend it.

This book is powerful.

This novel is influential.

This story is impactful.

The Poet X has completely and utterly blown me away. The book is written in verse and it is beautiful. I don't think I have ever read a more beautifully written book.

I was a little wary of this novel when I heard it was written in verse, I guess I was just afraid of the unknown. I was worried I wouldn't connect to the story and I wouldn't feel close to the characters. But that perspective is the complete opposite of how I felt by the time I read the last page.

I saw myself in Xiomara, I sympathized with her. As a girl who grew up with a strict and old fashioned family, especially my mother, I knew exactly how X felt as she, without meaning to, cast shame on her family.

The characters in this book are all strong individuals with their own personalities. I haven't read many books with such well rounded characters, in a while. Add a fierce storyline and a unique writing method and this novel is nothing but 5 star quality reading.

There is a strong message in these verses that your life should be lived the way that you want it to be lived. As they all say, we only have one life, why waste it trying and failing to please people who can not be pleased? Live your life the way you want to live it. Take risks, enjoy yourself, be safe, love yourself and others. Do what makes you happy.

What’s it About? A young girl growing up in Harlem with a fiercely religious mother and not much clue as to where she fits in the world discovers slam poetry and slowly slowly comes to learn that she deserves to be heard.

What I liked Oh man, this book. It’s like nothing I’ve ever read and somehow feels really familiar. Stories told through verse is something I need more of in my life – if any of you have any recs then throw them at me - it’s a love story to poetry, it’s a raw and honest look at growing up oppressed by something you’re not sure you really believe in, it’s a tender look at a first love, it touches on rape culture and self-love and body-shaming and feminism and religion and it’s not even very long. It’s clever and its beautiful and it’s really quick and easy to read. And I did not expect to like it as much as I did. And it left me wanting to know more about slam poetry too.

What I liked Less Again, it’s a character issue and I actually really get why it is this way but reading this book is a very intimate and insular experience: you only really get to connect with Xiomara and other people – namely her Mother who fascinated the life out of me – are never fully realised.

The Poet X is similar to Sarah Crossan's novels due to being written in verse and being powerful and emotional. This is by a completely different author, but I can't deny Acevedo that will now be on my must-read authors list just as Crossan is. This is a novel using slam poetry as a device as it tackles religion and race. Highly recommended to readers of contemporary fiction especially when written in verse.

I have never read a book quite like this one. It's the first time I've ever read a book that's written in verse, and I can honestly say that reading The Poet X was an incredible, memorable experience. It's all about growing up, finding your true self, and finding your voice. The format really gives the writing emotion. I felt this book as much as I read it, and I love the way poetry was made a part of the story, as well as being used the story telling method.

This book genuinely reads like a journal, it's raw, emotional and honest. I was gripped by the quickly flowing writing, and fast pace of the narrative. Honestly, sometimes I wish I could express myself like Xiomara does in this book. She often talks about her complicated feelings about religion, and how sometimes she feels pushed towards it by her mother, who has very rigid views on how it should be practised. The tone is not overly anti-church however, while Xiomara often feels trapped by her mother's insistence, and she definitely has many questions, she doesn't hate religion completely. I like that Xiomara's relationship with religion was allowed to be complicated, and uncertain, it's weirdly not something I've seen much of in YA.

I really appreciated the way Xiomara also talked about her experiences as a girl with a tall, curvy body. The feeling that she takes up too much space. The way she has been visualised from a young age because of how her body developed, and the unwanted attention from men that she experiences as a result. I really related to this as someone who often felt uncomfortable as a teen, because of the way grown men would look at my body, not me as a person. I wasn't as tough as Xiomara though, she describes the way she defends herself from the attention, and those passages are both powerful and beautiful. They made me angry and sad, both for her, and for every girl who has ever felt the uncomfortable attention. She is tough because she has to be. Seeing her get shamed for the attention, as if she could do anything to prevent it, is something that so many women and girls experience, and I think it was really well explored here. 

The only thing that I didn't love was that the ending was written in almost a montage, without any focus on details. I just wish I could have seen some of those scenes, so I could better appreciate Xiomara's story, and where her life is headed. I also wanted a little more closure on Xiomara's  twin brothers story, I wish his character had been given a little bit more page time.

Overall I really enjoyed this book, it's incredibly powerful and I am so glad that I read it. The writing style is magnificent, and several passages will be sticking with me for a long time.

I was not expecting any of this and I was not expecting to be on a roll of loving all these books at the moment!
This was breathtaking. I literally felt like I had to read quicker to match the pace of the poetry because I was scared it would slip away from me.
Xiomara is a 15 year old girl just trying to get her shit together. She digests everything through poetry - it's a beautiful perspective on the world.
She questions everything, from boys, to church to bullshit creepy men hitting on a minor.
Read this book. It's beautiful.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33294200-the-poet-x

Acevedo's characters are honest, flawed, and passionate. The poetry itself is powerful and purposeful. You will be drawn into Xiomara's world, and hear her heartbeat with every world as she rebels against her parents to do what she loves and meet new people to share her passions with.

Obviously, this being a verse novel, it was quick to read, but I wanted to savour every moment.

Since reading this once and not connecting with the characters well i have actually picked up a second time and enjoyed the book much more. I loved the voice of characters and it was a very impactful book. Although a bumpy beginning overall it was a fantastic book and i love verse so i'm glad i persevered to try again.

4/5 Stars

"...and my heart is one of Darwin's finches, learning to fly."

Written almost entirely in verse, The Poet X follows the story of Xio, who feels like the entire world is against her. Different from her family and friends, Xio is trying to navigate her way through a world that seems entirely against her. Limited by her religious mother, and the ways in which she can express herself, her only solace is slam poetry, and Xio is, if anything, a brilliant poet.



With poetry being the main focus of the book, it comes as no surprise that it is written in verse, especially considering the author. Acevedo may be a debut author, but she has stuck by what she knows, and in doing so, has created a beautiful piece of literature that really strikes a cord.

Xio wasn't only a strong poet, but a strong woman who wanted to stand for what she believed in, and often rebelled the traditionalist ideals of her mother. Her voice was clear and true, and you often find yourself feeling sorry for her, and relating to her on a new level, simply due to the uniqueness of the book. Her struggle to navigate the world in an attempt to find herself was fantastically explored, with the combination of different topics (sexuality, religion and race), and done with such care that even if you were unable to relate on a personal level, you found yourself feeling for the characters anyway.

Honestly, Xio was one of the strongest female characters I've seen in YA contemporary fiction for a while. She's very strong-willed, determined to live life the way she wants to, and doesn't want to bow down to the social norm. Her relationships with other people are often problematic in some way, but often, they work in a dynamic reminiscent of those you encounter in every day life. Take for example her relationship with her best friend, who doesn't necessarily agree with everything Xio does. Despite their disagreements, they have remained friends through everything, and when Xio needs someone to cover for her, her friend steps up to the plate, despite her own opinions.

The complexity of Xio's relationships is essentially what drives the story, and you can clearly see the contrast she sees between herself and other people. Each 'poem' adds a little more to the story, and each relationship reads differently, making this so much easier to follow and relate to.

Normally, I don't read poetry, but this has opened my eyes to a world I never thought I'd delve into. Acevedo's prose is so haunting and beautiful, and the meaning behind her words is so relatable, that this story will stay with me, and I cannot wait to see what else she has in store.

If you're unsure on whether you want to delve into the world of poetry, I think this is a good start. Because of the story being told in verse, but still making up a novel, this could be considered a brief introduction that is both quick to read, and to the point. I seriously recommend giving this a try.

What a revelation this book was! I devoured it in one sitting and could hear the rhythm of the words in my head. It tells the story of Xiomara, a 15 year old Dominican girl dealing with a body she doesn't want, anger she can't control and a very religious mother. What totally blew my mind, was the fact that this is written in verse and the power that conveys is simply stunning. The words read like a poetry slam - it is lyrical and beautiful and the emotion just thrusts itself into you with no apologies. Some of the subject matter is really tough and X is a character that you just want to get through her life with as few scars as possible. You feel for her and Acevedo has ensured that you feel with her. When she talks about the shivers up the back of her neck, you feel them. When she talks about the anger caused by 'grown ass' men hitting on her, you feel that anger. This is a remarkable achievement and I feel quite certain that this is a book, and a character, that will stay with me for a long time. Go Poet X - you got bars!
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Similar to the style of Sarah Crossan's One, The Poet X is a novel written in verse, dealing with race and religion in America alongside slam poetry. I really enjoyed the characters in this book; in very few words the author managed to portray the characters' personalities and traits vividly and emotionally. 

The discussion of religion in this book was fascinating. As someone who is in no way religious, I felt that the author did a great job at showing the protagonist's doubts and fears. 

On the whole, I enjoyed The Poet X though there were aspects that I felt were a little lacking. The slam poetry only really kicked in in the last 30% or so and also Xavier, Xiomara's twin, had an interesting story that I wish had been explored more. I feel like this is an unpopular opinion but I don't think that the book's conclusion was as impactful as it could have been as everything was tied up too neatly.

Overall I would recommend this but I don't think it's as memorable as I thought it would be based on the themes covered and what I'd heard about it so I was a little disappointed.

I loved the characters and plot. However I struggled to really engage with the poetry style. Despite this I will definitely recommend people try Poet X as i found the story to be so important.