I absolutely adored this book! Poetry for me can sometimes be a little intimating but Aphrodite Made Me Do It was incredibly accessible. This book does deal with a lot of difficult topics so trigger warning for rape, body image, eating disorders, death, sexual and physical abuse and queer phobia so be cautious if you will be affected by any of these topics. I am excited to share this incredible poetry book by Trista Mateer and I look forward to reading some of her previous books and whatever she comes out with next!

I received an ARC through Netgalley courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed a great many things about this book. Characters were fleshed out and the plot was well spaced. Some of the secondary storylines could've used a bit more page space but all in all an enjoyable read!

Review: Aphrodite Made Me Do It by Trista Mateer // Or, A Journey Through The Pain Of A Woman And A Goddess

★★★,5☆ | Let Aphrodite into your soul

"They made me a goddess of love and then vilified me for loving freely, for kissing and fucking and strolling boldly down the streets of Cyprus."

✒️ gorgeous art accompanying the poems
✒️ a dialogue between a poet and a goddess
✒️ the pain shared by women
✒️ a journey to healing and self-love

Aphrodite made me do it didn’t feel like poetry to me — and I’m not saying it in a malicious way.

It was poetic — yes — but it didn’t stricte fit into my definition of what is poetry.

And that’s ok.

That didn’t make me like it less.

It felt more like a combination of poetic writing style with philosophical conversations and cautionary tales.

BUT IT WAS FIRST AND FOREMOST A JOURNEY.

A journey of a woman and a goddess through their pain and their trauma.
A journey through the centuries and bodies shamed and forgotten.
A journey of women’s understanding and the fight for JOY and HAPPINESS.
Aphrodite made me do it speaks of giving the woman’s pain a voice, of bringing it out of the years of concealment and ignorance — BUT ALSO OF LETTING IT GO AND NOT ALLOWING IT TO RULE YOUR LIFE FOREVER.

The words itself were not as memorable to me as they are with other poetry collections but the message sticks nevertheless.

IT IS TIME TO SHATTER ALL THE EXPECTATIONS OF WOMANHOOD and just let yourself be happy.

After all, Aphrodite made me do it.

"But love wanted a sacrifice and I made myself one. I drank straight from the tap of it, wiped my mouth on my palms, picked up a pen, and called myself a poet."

This was so beautiful and heart wrenching and just so empowering and powerful.

I loved this poetry collection so much. This collection now has a special place in my heart, it just touched me and moved me in ways I didn’t know poetry could. I’m so glad I read this and experienced it.

TW: body image, sexual assault, rape, eating disorders, emotional/physical abuse, gore, blood, death, queerphobia, fire

I just finished reading this book in one sitting. I am always a bit nervous going into a book of poetry because you never know quite what you will be getting. On this occasion, I really enjoyed what I found. The words seemed to flow nicely and the topics discussed blended together throughout the book. I loved the element of artwork added between the pages. I would definitely pick up more work from this author.

Aphrodite Made Me Do It is a collection of words alternating between the perspective of the poet and the perspective of Aphrodite. Relying on feminism, trauma, and love, this work reminds the reader that they are more than the bad and the good, just as Aphrodite is.

This collection has an undoubtedly captivating cover and interesting title. But it’s the meat of the work that didn’t really exist for me. The poems, especially those told from the poet’s perspective, felt very repetitive and tumblr-y in nature. There are some sentiments in this book that have been said so many times that their meanings have been erased. The author didn’t do anything new to these pieces of wisdom either, and instead opted to write them exactly as they’ve been told in a thousand different posts on the internet. This advice/ wisdom/ whatever you want to call it is, simply put, overdone and tired. Similar sentiments deserve to be told in new ways, and there was room in this collection to have done so.

Aphrodite’s parts were better, but not by much. I am tired of old myths being resurrected and I am even more tired of seeing them done so shallowly. Aphrodite is fantastic, no doubts about that, but I think either new myths should be created or the old ones should only be utilized when their stories are really being expanded upon.

There were some lovely moments in this book, but I think overall it feels very unfinished and tired.

I received an e-copy of this book for free via Netgalley.

Raw and powerful, Trista Mateer’s Aphrodite Made Me Do It will sucker punch you with single lines. AMMDI brings new dimensions to the Goddess of Love while interweaving the author’s own journey of trauma and healing throughout. It is a testament to the strength of women, and it is a taking back of the female narrative too long controlled by men. It shows what being a woman really IS, independent of society’s and history’s ideologies of what women SHOULD be. Instead of being black and white, little dolls or monsters, women are displayed in AMMDI as the glorious, HUMAN grey zones they are: “Bloody and beautiful, divine and approachable.”

AMMDI is a modern, mythological feminist book of poetry that will leave you feeling seen, healed, and loved exactly as you are. And it will teach you how to grow, how to love yourself wholly. It will show you all the complexities in love, the good and the bad. And the strength.

AMMDI has amazing LGBTQIA+ rep which I loved, and is not afraid to get personal, tell it like it is. One line that had me YESing was, “The world was full of men who called themselves heroes for crossing boundaries, claiming bodies like prizes. The world still is.” It’s true, and Aphrodite said it. It goes back to what I mentioned before about men writing the narrative of womanhood for centuries.

Throughout history, women have been used as scapegoats and masks for men’s immoral behavior. Used to excuse it, dilute it, divert it. And it still happens today, in questions like, “What were you wearing?” In lighter sentences or nonexistent ones. The receipts are long and old, of men not having to take responsibility for their actions and behavior, of twisting the images and realities of women to protect themselves. AMMDI is not afraid to call it out (and call loudly for it to change) with lines like this: “They made a monster of Medusa as well. Hated how loud her trauma was. Couldn’t believe she had the audacity to not taking it lying down. They made a war-ground of her body, so she made one of theirs.”

I read somewhere that we won’t have full equality for 200 more years, and that kind of news can be really discouraging. It is books like AMMDI that continue to keep hope alive, fists raised, fires burning.

Beautiful artwork emphasizes the power of Mateer’s words throughout the book. They’re as emotional and moving as the poetry.

AMMDI will leave you feeling empowered and ready to take on the world. A solid four stars from me!

If you like poetry that strikes you right in the heart and gut, AMMDI is for you. Before picking it up, though, I would definitely urge you to be mindful of trigger warnings (sexual assault, queerphobia, body image, abuse, eating disorders, death, gore).

** I received an eARC of this book through Netgalley (thank-you!) in exchange for an honest review. **

This was a wonderfully crafted poetry book. I love the prose, the idea of using Aphrodite as a feminist guiding force in the narrator's journey to acceptance and self-love was unique and intriguing. The art wasn't my favourite but the layout was engaging. It was gorgeous, lyrical, poetry and I was delighted to be able to read it.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advanced copy of “Aphrodite Made Me Do It” by Trista Mateer. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

While I’m not opposed to poetry, I don’t necessarily reach for it very often. That being said, I really loved this collection. It was such an experience going through the pages. Even reading digitally conveyed how lovely the artwork flowed with the words so I can only imagine how pretty a finished hard copy would be. I found the topics relatable and heartfelt. Though I thought it would end up being a quick read, I found I wanted to take my time as I went through each section. I would definitely like to explore more of Trista Mateer’s works in the future.

4/5 stars!

Actual rating: 3.75 stars

This collection is loosely based on the Greek goddess Aphrodite - hence the book title, it has common themes in relations to certain females of today. It addresses several topics including rape, abuse, representation of LGBTQ, self-love and love in general. Adding to all this, one will also find amazing graphics and illustrations throughout the book.

In all honesty, this is the only book I enjoyed reading that was written by Trista Mateer.

“When you fight for what is just, prepare to meet opposition. Remember, it is the good in us that stands in front of what needs protecting. There will always be reasons to back down but there will be more to push forward.”

A whole collection of feminist poetry, telling Aphrodite's story and not only. Love, loss, pain is everything there.
I enjoyed some poems others not so much, they seemed nice but not all created the same impact and are kind of forgettable. Aside from that, I enjoyed the poems about Aphrodite's, we get to see her perspective, her side of the story that was lost. It’s always interesting to see the perspective of a Greek goddess, especially to someone who likes mythology.
I liked the images between poems, but some didn't seem to fit so well, didn't have the same effect. Still was kind of nice to see, like a break with a little message.

I am deathless. I will have no eulogy. I will have no mourners.

There are ARCS that I read a few lines of and immediately add them to a list that I will purchase for myself when they become available to buy.

Aphrodite Made Me Do It is one of those books.

The poetry resonated inside me and at times made me cry. I read myself in between the words and saw my life shimmering in the lines.

This is a fast read but it’s an in depth one and you will remember it for a very long time. Usually I have to pick and choose which poems or short stories I especially like in anthologies like this but I can honestly say I loved each and every one.

Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love, beauty, passion, and sex. She identifies with the planet Venus which hello, also associates with love, beauty, and passion.

This is a book of poetry about romance, love, healing, self care.

I

fucking

love

it

all

<b>They say I rose from the sea fully formed, forced to bear the weight of other people’s desire.</b>

I wonder if there are goddesses and gods inside all of us. Pushing us to our brinks, smirking as we do their bidding, perhaps prompting us to try harder and healing us when we feel stretched to our limit.

Hades fills me with fire

Dionysus pushes me to move forward and grow

Hera urges me to take care of myself

Aphrodite teaches me to love myself

Even when that’s one of the hardest things to do.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest and fair review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Aphrodite Made Me Do It is a collection of poetry and prose that gives us a retelling of mythology based on The Greek Goddess Aphrodite.

"I wrote my own story and still said all the wrong things."

With this one line this poetry collection spilled my deepest thoughts onto its pages. If nothing else in this collection spoke to me, this one line would still have said everything I would of needed to love it.

This is a beautiful collection of poetry that allows you to see into the authors thoughts and see their feelings and emotions. It is by far one of my favorite poetry collections. It's books like this that make me remember why I love poetry so much.

Beautiful, stunning, necessary. We need more queer poets. Thank you for representing the ins and outs of queerness, our joys, our fears, our shame. I feel less alone with them.

Absolutely wonderful read! I enjoyed the plot, characters, and prose so much. Would definitely recommend it to anyone!

The authors portrays a beautifully visual and written conversation between Aphrodite and the Poet. Much like Aphrodite, these poems and prose relay a message of love and war; between loving yourself now and loving your future self and battling war with your dark inner thoughts and war between the prejudice of other people.

This is a book that anyone can relate to at any age because the themes the author brings into it are universal. Everyone has battled with forgiveness and shame and the struggle of love. However, the author doesn't just let us wallow in these feelings, instead she brings us back up and reminds us that healing is always possible but it may take awhile. It is still healing nonetheless.

There are some trigger warnings that should be placed with this book just because there are mentions of abuse and rape. However, it is not explicit and the author always brings it back to healing. She lets us know "these things happened" and lets figure out how we can become better than those things that have hurt us.

Overall, a very powerful collection of poetry/prose. I finished it in 1 sitting just because the words flowed so well and the pages practically turned themselves. The author told her story the way it needed to be told and didn't beat around the bush. Instead she got straight to the point and because of that, the book was neither too short or too long.

This was a lovely poetry book. I loved the photos especially. I could relate to a lot of what was written and empathize with everything else. I think I would enjoy it more in paper form. Kindle format is always weird with stuff like this, but enjoyable nonetheless.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this poetry collection!

My rating: 4 stars
Rep: queer, mental illness
Trigger warnings (found at the beginning of the book): body image, sexual assault, rape, eating disorders, queerphobia, emotional abuse, physical abuse, gore, blood, death, fire.

A Greek Mythology based collection all about love, healing, trauma and self-care. With sprinklings of gorgeous artwork and quotes throughout, which add to the overall feel and message of this wonderful book! This book also talks about being queer, I especially connected with the poem "Queer Girl Overture".


My favourite quotes:

-"The thing about embracing your own chaos is that it never becomes clear when you need to stop."
-"You believe in the triumphs of love despite growing up in full view of its defeat because you are brave"
-"People expect all stories of abuse to be loud and angry, but they're not. Sometimes they're quiet and cruel and swept under the rug."
-"My pain is valid even when people make me feel like it isn't, even when I make myself feel like it isn't."

-"Love knows no face
Love knows no gender
Love knows no sexuality
Love knows only love

We waste so much time
trying to explain ourselves"

I loved this book more than I thought I would. I first saw it on a booktube video and was interested in it, and generously, the publisher for giving me a copy of this on NetGalley even though the book was already published.

This book is a mix of poetry, prose, verse, list, affirmations, hope, struggle, strength, mixed media, and so much more. I don't fully know how to encompass the book and how it made me feel, but it hit places that I didn't know I needed.

This is definitely a book I will be adding to my permanent collection.

While the formatting was not ideal within the ARC the poetry that was mixed up inside of it was beautiful. I could go back and reread portions of the poetry and discover new parts that had a deeper or more beautiful meaning than I originally noticed. I need to find a physical copy.... and if I have the funds buy it! So I can appreciate the poetry in the format it was meant to be seen.