In her new poetry collection, Aphrodite Made Me Do It, Trista Mateer spins beautiful, thought-provoking prose laid out as a dialogue between poet and the goddess Aphrodite. Mateer crafts a retelling of ancient Greek mythos paired with nonfiction self experience in a way that calls to women to take up space and make sure their voices are heard.

Using the conversation between the poet and Aprhodite, she provides readers with a different view of many infamous women in mythology - giving them a voice to tell their side of their own stories. She encourages readers to relearn those myths from a modern and feminist stand point, using Aphrodite’s own story as an example of how myths have been altered so they become more palatable.

Aphrodite Made Me Do It was one of the best poetry collections I’ve had the pleasure of reading. The art was colourful and eye-catching. The writing was raw and invoked so many emotions I couldn’t name them all. It was full of themes that are common in most mainstream poetry such as love, loss, survival, empowerment, insecurity, death, abuse. But Mateer’s voice is incredibly unique and completely haunting. Her words will stick with you long after you have finished reading them - resonating deep within your soul in a way you never expected.

"Aphrodite Made Me Do It" is a beautiful mashup of non-fiction trauma and fictionalized poetry from Aphrodite's perspective. Aspects of the non-fiction trauma, forgiveness of self and past abusers, and healing hit me viscerally as a bisexual woman with some of the same fears and experiences. I applaud Trista Mateer for her bravery in exhibiting her pain and growth for all to experience. I definitely recommend for purchase.

I really liked this collection of poetry and the art throughout it. The whole reading experience felt like reading a friend's art journal. I marked so many quotes because they just hit that deep. Big fan!

Aphrodite Made Me Do It is a collection written as interactions between the poet and Aphrodite, relating to love in all its forms and breaking down the misconceptions towards Aphrodite throughout history and how her image has been twisted and corrupted.

I found that the poetry told from Aphrodite's perspective was what I enjoyed most about this collection. I find the breakdown of Goddesses in particular fascinating in modern writing, to see their stories written from a female perspective, and Trista Mateer does a wonderful job of making her more than what she has been sees as throughout history. Aphrodite becomes a force of nature who sees love as a strength rather than a weakness, who also talks about how it can be destructive and unhealthy, and how finding love that isn't toxic is important. Her voice is blunt and doesn't shy away from the truth, which sets her apart from the fragility of the poet who is still coming to understand the intricacies of love.

As I received this as a Netgalley arc, a lot of the structure was, of course, lost in the file translation, but I still really enjoyed the way it was set out on the page. I loved the images scattered throughout, almost like looking into someone's journal, but at times they came across as quite basic and lacked the same impact as the more hardhitting poems in the collection.

My one major issue that stopped me from enjoying this completely was how repetitive the poetry is. It's the same structure throughout, with short sentences and an overuse of the same grammar and punctuation, and it's just so... boring. There's no variation in the way the poems are presented a lot of the time, which makes me feel like we're not getting to see Trista Mateer's full ability as a poet. She has talent, you can see that in the emotions and messages behind her poetry, how raw they can be, it just feels like form is holding her back a lot.

I would recommend this collection, but I don't think many of the poems will stick with me, just the way a Goddess so significant in mythology and throughout history has been portrayed. It's rare to see Aphrodite explored without making her seem flat compared to other Goddesses.

I think the best way to discribed this book is if instigram had a baby with a Ted talk, and I'm all for it. It was nice to have a small break between the important yet hard to read sections with something equally as important just easier to digest. I think this book with the right audience can really help someone going through some of the mentioned topics. That being said, I did find it hard to follow at times and think some sections were not necessary to benefit the overall theme of the book. This book obviously very heavily focuses of female trauma, which is both a positive and negative. The poem about sitting with her assaulters family and stating not all monsters are male is a topic I would have liked to have been explored more. I also think it needs to be noted that the reader would need some sort of knowledge going into it of myths such as aphrodite (obviously) and medusa and a few others. Overall it was an interesting read though.

**Disclaimer: I received a free advanced reader copy of Aphrodite Made Me Do It by Trista Mateer from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to them for this opportunity.

Aphrodite Made Me Do It by Trista Mateer is a short poetry collection taking on the dual points of view of Aphrodite and the poet herself. It releases on October 1st. I gave it 4.5/5 stars, which I had to put down as a 4 on Goodreads.



Here is the summary from Goodreads:

Bestselling and award-winning author Trista Mateer takes an imaginative approach to self-care in this new poetry and prose collection, Aphrodite Made Me Do It. In this empowering retelling, she uses the mythology of the goddess to weave a common thread through the past and present. By the end of this book, Aphrodite make you believe in the possibility of your own healing.

I always feel like I have a love hate relationship with modern poetry. It’s not something I usually reach for but there have been notable instances (Milk and Honey, and Shout) where I have absolutely loved it. I’m not sure what drew me to Aphrodite Made Me Do It when I requested it, but I’m glad that I did because it was a lovely, quick read.

I really enjoyed the way that Mateer played with language. Additionally, the dual perspectives were a really unique feature of this collection. I also liked the images that Mateer included in between the poems. It added a little Tumblr-esque touch that I really appreciated, though I’m sure not every one would.

One thing I found lacking in the eARC format was the formatting. One of the cool things about modern poetry is that they usually play with how they format and add meaning to the poem by that formatting. However, format is usually wonky in an eARC. I’m sure it will be fixed in the final copy but I was sad I didn’t get to fully appreciate that. My big thing that dropped this collection half a star was the length. It was very short, and I was left wanting more at the end. I wanted more poetry and more Aphrodite. Perhaps that’s a silly reason to drop it half a star, but I just really needed a little something more to bump it up.

Content wise, I loved the poems. I really enjoyed the way Mateer reclaimed the story of Aphrodite and discussed her historical and mythological treatment. The treatment of Aphrodite has always been somewhat misogynistic and Mateer really dug into this as she took on the Goddess of Love’s perspective. She also highlighted other instances of awful treatment of women in Greek mythology such as the stories of Medusa and Pandora, and it really makes you feel how deeply and how long women have been treated this way. It’s better, yes, but there’s still a long way to go.

In Mateer’s section, the parts that were autobiographical, it was interesting to read about her dealing with her trauma and unlearning things that she was taught by her parents about the way life should be. It reminded me that it’s important to forgive yourself. There were a lot of good messages of self care. It is so, so important to remember to take care of yourself.

Another really cool part of this collection is the parallel structure. We have a part about Aphrodite on a specific subject, then that is followed by a section on the poet titled in a similar fashion. I also really enjoyed the fact that the conversation with Aphrodite bled into the poet’s section. It added a bit of a whimsical feel. Another underrated thing that this book did, was include a list of trigger warnings at the start. I am not easily triggered, but I definitely think more books should do that.

Aphrodite Made Me Do It comes out on October 1, and if you enjoy modern poetry, I’d say it’s worth checking out.

I am in completely awe of this poetry collection. This book made me feel things and I never wanted it to end. It was beautiful and raw; it related so much to the common experience. Aphrodite was a beautiful muse that expressed the power of love: it's power to forgive and move forward. It focused on body image, self-expression, feminism, LGBT+ issues, abuse - every person who will open this book will find something worth relating to. I highlighted something on pretty much every page because Mateer got it right. Using mythology, she paved such an intricate narrative that never strayed so outside the norm; it was so real. I have read similar collections before, but none have made me feel as much as this one has. Mateer truly pulled me into her world and didn't let ago until I learned to love myself. It was so personal yet so spot on, I have never felt the amount of emotions in such a brief sitting as I did with this. I really recommend this as it is truly one of the best poetry/prose collections I have ever come to read and will definitely be picking up a copy when it comes out.

Amazing work by an amazing poet! I found Trista Mateer through a collaborative project with Amanda Lovelace and fell in love with her words. Trista puts so many feelings into such short bits of poetry it’s astounding. I loved this collection for its gorgeous images and lyrical poetry. I am so excited to pick up a hard copy!

I feel like Aphrodite Made Me Do It was an early birthday gift to me. The poems were so encouraging and empowering, but in a comforting way. It wasn't brash or over the top, but personal and direct and deals with a lot of really emotional heavy topics. But they were all handled with care and I truly loved this collection.

FANTASTIC! I love this collection of poems sooo much! All of the "Aphrodite sings of war" poems are going to have a special spot in my heart for the rest of my life. Especially the Achilles and Patroclus one. This is a great read by Trista Mateer and I can't wait to read more from her!
Thanks as always to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review!

I received a digital advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
What an outstanding collection of poetry and prose. I felt engaged and emotional while reading this book.
I loved the vivid imagery of Aphrodite made me do it. I feel like rating poetry is completely relative to the reader. Even though I felt like I didn’t relate personally to most of the poems in this collection, I did find them absolutely beautiful and I really enjoyed them. Also.. Can we take a minute to appreciate the art work?! Absolutely breathtaking. Definity something to get your hands on.
Thank you so much for allowing me to review this title.

i will admit, i'm not one for poetry but this book was exceptional.

i adore greek mythology and this book definitely delivered in opening up the world to the great aphrodite. she's always been one of my favorite goddesses, and hearing her story told in this way was fantastic. also, i loved mateer's personal antidotes to aphrodite's words, and opening up about her own trauma in a way that felt fully raw and real.

great poetry collection! i'll definitely recommend it for library purchase when it releases.

The best thing about this collection are the works which focus on Aprohrodite herself, re-centring her in her own stories, pushing the reader to look beyond what’s already known and supposed and consider a deeper meaning and understanding. I found these sections to be of great value and underlined several powerful passages in Aphrodite’s voice. This is a super interesting collection, and the effort at helping a reader into self care is interesting- however, for me, it’s the voice of Aphrodite that has lasted long after I turned the last pages of the collection.

Every Saturday or Sunday I scroll through all the available titles on Netgalley and then I pick one to request. And time after time after time this book whispered to me, reached out to me and time after time I picked another book instead. Until I couldn't ignore it any longer.

Let me start with a small disclaimer: The lay out of the e-book provided by Netgalley wasn't perfect and at some moments confusing and messed up. Which is a pity, because when it comes to poems and art we all know that the form is part of the story, just as much as the words are. I'm pretty sure that due to the lay out the book lost a little of its power, but I'm sure that will be totally fixed and perfect once the book is really released.

But even without the perfect lay out, the words still hold a lot of power and ring true. A lot of poems, a lot of words, a lot of sentences, resonated deeply with who I am and who I try to be. I loved how this book made me feel seen, heard and understood. I loved how this book gave me the feeling that who I am and what I feel is totally allowed to exist, that I don't need to change and don't owe anyone apologies.

But, what I loved most, was the view on Aphrodite, who has become a shallow display of how men think a woman representing love should be. This book also highlights her darker sides, her more intelligent sides, all those characteristics that have been erased and forgotten, because it's not female enough. I love how all the wars fought over love are included, the violence and all the different forms of love there can be. Love isn't just sweet and nice. It's fierce and violent too.

It's a lovely and empowering read for every woman who feels she's not female enough or thinks anything is wrong with her.

A great book from Trista Mateer. I connect with most of the poems. The art is unique and the words are knitted together to create many new favorite quotes for me.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy for my honest review.

This book blew me away. I honestly was not sure what I was getting into when I began, but Trista Mateer’s prose engrossed me almost immediately. A book about female empowerment where every page represents an essential aspect of the healing process brings readers on an unexpected journey to a better and healthier self.

I would recommend this to every teenager, every young woman, and anyone who possesses even an ounce of empathy for others. I went into this story thinking it would relate to the myth of Aphrodite and came out with this emotional weight lifted from my shoulders.

Bravo, Ms. Matteer. Bravo.

Thank you to Netgalley for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I had no idea this was a book of poetry when I first requested it on Netgalley, I just knew I loved mythology and the cover was gorgeous. I'm not sure if I just wasn't paying attention, if I was mesmerized or if the description was added after the request, but every time I tried to get more information on this book on Goodreads or Netgalley I was still left with questions. I'm so glad that I went with my instincts on this because this book was AMAZING.

I connected with so many things said in this book even if they weren't always my personal experiences. Reading this made me feel so vulnerable, as if I was reading someone’s personal journal as they tried to make sense of their trauma and feelings, whether inflicted by themselves or others. I thought it was very creative to have both "The Poet" and Aphrodite's perspectives as we moved through the different elements of the stories and the images that were included throughout the book complimented everything very well. In my personal opinion, no matter what you've experienced in life, you'll find something to connect with in this book of poetry, even if poetry isn't your thing.

The truth is we as women endure so much pain and hurt, judgment and accusations from the hands of society, those close to us and from ourselves. "We are enough" is the message in this poetry, no matter your trauma, family history or romantic relationship history. I just....I loved this so much. Not to mention, it was an extremely quick read. I picked it up and finished it within an hour. I highly suggest that you give this a go when it's released on October 1st of this year.

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

This book took my breath away and brought tears to my eyes. It was not only beautifully laid out with stunning illustrations, photos and art, but the writing - the writing was out of this world.
I knew I was going to love this but I wasn't prepared for just how much. It follows the point of view of both the poet and Aphrodite, in such a lyrical way.

I'm incredibly thankful that there were trigger warnings at the very beginning, which all books should have in my opinion.
The trigger warnings for this are:
Body image, sexual assault, rape, eating disorders, queerphobia, emotional abuse, gore, blood, death.

It said everything I've ever wanted to say about my own mental health issues, the questions and thoughts I churn over and over in my head, my body issues, past relationships, and sexual assaults.

This book promotes self healing, and being in a safe place, and for me this has become a way for me to heal, which is a constant journey. It's something I will definitely keep coming back to when I buy the paperback copy.

Thank you Central Avenue Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had such a pleasure while reading this. This book is a poetry collection of a dialogue between the author and Aphrodite.

"I belong to no one. They never wrote that part down."

The collection focuses a lot on empowering woman, but does it in such an interesting ways using gods and goddesses and stories that we are so familiar with in Greek mythology.

The mix-media illustrations were such a perfect addition to the poems. I really enjoyed looking at Malteer's collages of magazine pages and drawings.

A poetry collection billed as a conversation with the goddess Aphrodite, exploring love, relationships, trauma, abuse and recovery, Aphrodite Made Me do it is an intriguing concept.

The poetry explores all of these themes, with sections specifically about, or in dialogue with, (sometimes more literally than others) Greek mythology. Interspersed are also segments of deeply personal nature, as well as illustrations. These add varying degrees of interest and layers of complexity to the work, with tarot cards throughout lending structured meaning to different sections. The depth of these additions was fascinating, combining different systems of belief, meaning, and superstition to provide the reader with an additional way to navigate the work.

The work is deeply feminist and taps into a higher reading of some of the worlds ontological myths from a modern perspective - the section which highlights and responds to the vilification of figures such as Aphrodite, Pandora and Eve for example, was a particular highlight. We see Aphrodite in her pluralities, contradictory states, wild and wilful, soft and charming. Yet at times the combination of some poetry sequences which verged on being 'listicles' and feminist or self-care slogans, made the collection begin to feel like an empowering Instagram feed. While some people will find this modern confessional style accessible and appealing, it did not show the skill of crafting language and playing with ideas which made the other sections so interesting.

There is no doubt that Trista Mateer is a skilled poet and has a way of working with language to explore fascinating ideas. However, unfortunately the potential of this poem wasn't completely fulfilled, with the other sections detracting from the beautiful explorations of how society has created, moulded and reacted to figures like Aphrodite. While the collection was not consistently what it promised to be, it was well worth reading for the explorations Mateer presented.