in my opinion, an okay book

first of all i just wanna say, it’s been a while since i read this book so my thoughts are kind of all over the place (and this one’s pretty brief) so please bear with me teehee.

anyway, before getting started, if u intend to read this book, i’ll just leave some content warnings to give u a heads up:

sexual harassment, homophobia, sexism, religion.

also if u haven’t checked this carrd out from my previous post, u def should :) ➭ https://issuesintheworld.carrd.co/?fbclid=IwAR1BZiNUE_d3PrwxzMbFBPxKpnfIfJlhF-wNKT-SaGKGCeCaxTSGlFOMhFE

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

we follow our main character, Xiomara, i believe she’s 15 years old and she lives in New York with her religious family. the story is basically about her struggles with the grip of her mother who forces her to their religion, discovering her identity, and men.

i really don’t wanna say anything more because i don’t wanna ruin ur reading experience with it, if ever u intend to read it, so i’ll just keep it short—im not a huge fan of the book. but, don’t be get wrong!! it is good, okay? it’s really good, actually, and i see why SO many people adore the book; it’s just not it for me and im sad.

i really wanted to love it. i mean, i did enjoy many parts and verses of it a.k.a. this one line here:

｡:+* ﾟ“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?

You would burn me, wouldn’t you, if you could?”｡:+* ﾟ

chef’s kiss. when i read my favorite parts, im left in awe—every time. but u see, it’s easy to get through, it’s wonderfully written, and we love representation and diversity, but for some reason, i just did not enjoy it as a whole as much as i expected myself to.

given the length of the book and its style (it’s written in verses), the side characters weren’t given that much depth, in my opinion. i wanted to see more from them, especially her mom who has quite a significant role in the book. but then again, it is pretty short so i guess it’s understandable.

the love interest, eeeehh. no comment. i have nothing good NOR BAD to say about him. Xiomara’s father was pretty useless, to be frank. Xiomara has a twin brother Xavier and he, in contrast to his father, was great. i really liked him even and honestly, if there were a sequel to The Poet X and it’d be Xavier’s story, i’d have no second thoughts and just read it right away. Caridad, their best friend, was fine; really nice and always there, although not that much depth into her, it’s understandable.

the ending was also fine. nothing extravagant and crazy. although, a little questionable (because it kind of felt rushed to me), but OKAY. overall, a ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5, it’s an okay book. a very promising one. again, i see why people love it and i just wanna emphasize that it’s just a personal thing so don’t worry. if i read this a few years back i think i would’ve appreciated it more especially because how how it’s written. nonetheless, i bet there’s more chance that u’d love it and i totally recommend it u check it out. just keep in mind the content warnings and u’ll be good! aight, byeee!!

September 2, 2020