I simply could not finish this collection, I tried really hard, over months but it just wasn't it for me. Some poems were undoubtedly beautiful, but many missed the mark in my opinion and just didn't make me feel anything. I would be happy to read more of the poet's work. but perhaps just the gold.

I received an eARC copy from the author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Great minds said powerful words on what I would like to point out in this poetry collection:

"I learned that courage was not the absence of fear but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear."
~~~ Nelson Mandela

"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go."
~~~ T. S. Eliot

"Be brave. Take risks. Nothing can substitute experience."
~~~ Paulo Coelho

The struggle with rejection, anxiety, depression, having suicidal thoughts, and abandonment issues are never easy traits. Lack of understanding and attention at a child's early stages of life can leave permanent scars, leaving a child feeling chronic stress and fear; those experiences often continue into adulthood, leading to more severe and complicated conditions.

Reading this poetry collection, we get the chance to see the author's development and growth, both in thoughts and expression. From a mere childish rambling to a more mature and coherent definition, we can hear their voice growing stronger and louder, experience their struggles and fear, feel their emotions.

You love me, why? You love me. No ifs, ands,
nor buts to add. Your simplicity perplexes me
!much

I celebrate myself, with my very own cake, all
.for myself
.I do so because that is my right
I celebrate myself and begin to love with a
love more pure-bred than an infant basking
in her mother's arms
as I live for a right life and for my right to
.live

A squeak inside me will sway my moral
,compass correct
and I will dwindle like crumpled paper, once
.more
Never to be heard from again, never to be
thought of
unless to be a paragraph in a molding
.textbook

Why is the world so light when I am so
?heavy
Why must I "lust for a life" that lusts not for
?me

Pursuing your passions, following your dreams, and speaking up for yourself requires a tremendous amount of inner strength and dedication and, even when others disagree with your decisions and choices, it is important to recognize, appreciate, and respect the confidence that it takes to follow your heart. Stand firm in what you have chosen to do and who you have chosen to be, be brave. Kudos to the author for having the courage to speak up, being brave to pursue their dreams, and share their struggles with no fear of being judged.

What a beautiful poetry collection.
“ All of this made me realize that moments and feelings are temporary.”
I really loved this. I find it difficult to connect to poetry sometimes, but not with this collection. I read the prose as diary entries, which made it more enjoyable.

I didn't find anything exrtraordinary with the collection, although some pieces did strike me. Perhaps it's not what I was expecting. I particularly like that the author has put date on each poem, like a diary entry. I think a younger audience (teens to young adult) would relate to most of the poems. Over all, the collection is relatable and not intimidating to read. I'm a mood reader when it comes to poetry, so I might have to re-read this collection some other time.

This is sad cause I didn’t get a chance to read this book I so wanted to but I forgot to check the archive date… I know my bad! I even don’t know if anybody reconsider me the ARC again that’d be so so kind but I’m not forcing. If none could I know I will buy this book for sure cause I read the synopsis and few pages from the book already!!! I don’t want to name them cause then I’d spoil it for others but really do read this book and I know I’ll for sure. Even it cost me extra bucks!

Thank you @NetGalley and @Yamashiro for the arc in exchange for a honest review.

I thought this was an okay collection of poems.
Nothing particularly struck me, I thought it was alright but perhaps someone else might enjoy this more.

Thank you to the author Sammi Yamashiro for the opportunity to review The Peach Pit Mask in advance of its release in June 2021.

Whenever I read poetry, there are a few things that I tend to look for. The first is the general theme of the collection. With The Peach Pit Mask, there are several such as mental health and feeling abandoned by family and friends. Another is how the writing style is and how deep and raw a poet generally goes with their words. Having lived through similar life experiences, I know personally that it's extremely difficult to open up to the world and especially in a poetic way. I liked that The Peach Pit Mask is divided up into four sections, each documenting the different years/ages that Sammi was at the time of writing the poems. The first half I enjoyed more than the second. Lots of those in adolescence would be feeling the same as Sammi with self-identity and in some instances, family troubles or relationship breakdowns.

The formatting of the book wasn't the greatest when I was reading it on the NetGalley app and that was a little distracting throughout. It is a good and honest read. Since I have read a lot of other poetry collections with similar themes in the past, some of the content is not new to me. For readers who haven't read a lot of poems before, The Peach Pit Mask is a good one to start off with.

In the introduction for The Peach Pit Mask, Sammi Yamashiro thanks her high school teachers for encouraging her to publish a book. After reading Yamashiro's poems, it would seem she had terrible teachers. The book is presented in four parts, chronological from 2017-2020. The poetry reads like a 16 or 17 year old wrote it. Yamashiro's rhyme schemes are basic and vocabulary incredibly limited. In the rare instance she does use a word that isn't learned by the majority of third graders, she feels the need to include a definition. As time goes on, Yamashiro does begin to have a stronger grasp on her voice, but the lack of restraint and maturity still show through. The Peach Pit Mask is clearly Yamashiro working through trauma she endured in her childhood and teen years, which one can't criticize, but the publishing of what amounts to little more than rambling middle and high-school diaries is a shame. These would have been better left in the composition notebook than on the printed page.

I would like to thank the publisher of The Peach Pit Mask for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy through NetGalley.
I read Yamashiro's poetry as a lament for not being accepted in the social environment she grew up in.
Several poems touched my heart. The first, " I want...but I chase after", where she writes about how difficult it is for her to break the toxic patterns of patriarchy in her love life ( " satisfy his every need and numb his heartache... the cause of his explosion is me...I am just a slave how will never please).
Then, in her poem: " Never Was Yours" we can see how she is fighting to break free from everything that has been keeping her soul chained (" I will take your beloved scissors.. and slice those strings right off
I am not a doll with no soul).

The poems in this collection are in chronological order, following the author from years 16 to 20. So we can kind of grow up with her and observe her development as a writer. The poems in the beginning follow a more classic structure, sometimes they even have a rhyme scheme. In the later half though the poems become rather flowery, like streams of consciousness or diary entries. Some of those just flew over my head, this style of writing is just not my personal taste and I didn't enjoy the second half of this collection as much.
In the first half I marked passages of beautiful prose like the following:

'I swung my heavy arms to bend the blinds
And with laden eyes, I saw war:
The concrete floor turned to river,
The sky, a shade of platinum.'

But what stood out to me in the recent poems was more something like this:

'You-
and I - could never steer
a manual stick shift vehicle.'

I realized I'm not the right audience for this style of poetry, I prefer her earlier works in this collection. I don't like to give a 'bad' rating, because poetry is such an emotional piece of literature, but I frankly didn't enjoy the second half.
2,5 Stars.