I had to DNF this one.

First of all, I didn't expect so many trigger warnings and would have appreciated these in the description of the netgalley listing as I've had to delay my reading of this until I felt able.
Second of all, I struggled with how this was formatted - at the very start we have big chunks of text, some bold, some not, and I couldn't tell if these were meant to be together or needed a paragraph break or what. I found it difficult to keep up with and combined with the number of difficult topics I had to DNF

I'm late to review this, but I loved it. It reminded me of Rupi Kaur and Amanda Lovelace combined into one. I'm going to take a look at other works by Ari B. Cofer right now.

Paper Girl and the Knives that Made Her was one of the books that Amazon recommended to me after downloading one of the poetry collections I’ve read recently. I loved the title and the cover and I immediately wanted to read it. I’ve been reading these books of poetry pretty quickly for the most part, but at the beginning of this book, Ms. Cofer told the reader to take their time and care with this book and I did pace myself as a result. It’s a difficult book to read, Ms. Cofer is very raw and open about the struggles she’s been through and it was definitely beneficial to take breaks. Paper Girl and the Knives that Made Her is heart wrenching, revealing, and full of depth, sorrow, understanding, wisdom, and hope. It was so special and meaningful, Ms. Cofer is an amazing writer and I will be looking for more of her writing projects in the future.

~ Sonja, 5 Stars

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for giving me access to the advanced copy of this book to read.

This poetry collection was dark, gloomy, and raw, covering topics of depression, suicide, rape, self-harm, and racism. The cover is gorgeous and represents the content of the book really well. The poems are very emotional and made me feel a variety of emotions from happy to sad, to frightened and relieved. I could relate to a lot of what was in this book and it really helped me connect with the poetry. This was clearly a deeply personal collection of writing and I can imagine that it felt just as cathartic to write and publish this as it felt to read it. I didn't love all of the poems in terms of form and structure but some of them were deeply powerful and I'll be thinking about them for a while. I think it was very brave to write this truthfully and honestly about such dark and hard to discuss topics and this collection is not for everyone. The content warnings in this were very helpful and I think it's important for anyone looking to read this to pay attention to them because it might be too much for some people, but for me, reading these poems felt like a release.

This was a beautiful heartbreaking store of love and healing from pain. Going through life feeling like paper, easy to be burnt and ripped. I love poetry that tells a story and sucks you into the world and makes you feel what they write.
I was not found of the layout of the story in my Kindle. There was no page breaks that made sense and the sentences were all over the place.

I expected to connect with this book as many of the TW themes are ones I have direct experience of. I note, however, that the author makes a point of distinguishing this as a work of fiction and I can only think perhaps this is why the connection fell short for me. With references to Olivia Rodriguez and pandemic Instagram accounts, I suspect this will work best as an ‘of the moment’ collection for a younger female audience. I’m not sure that the quality of the poetry and prose itself will lend itself to longevity, but I think the author shows promise. Readers may enjoy Rupi Kaur’s poetry. With thanks for the review copy.

I wasn't too such what to expect of this going into it. I had briefly read the description, but didn't know it was poetry. So that threw me for a loop, as it is not my usual read. I found this collection was quite dark, but it had a lot of variance.. A few of the poems stuck out to me, but many were not memorable. Poetry is very subjective, so I know others may feel different.

This book was really good. I was recommended this one by a friend and it did not dissapoint! i highly recommend it for those that are intrigued by it!

Another great poetry book, the title intrigued me a lot and the book didn't disappoint. Will be looking for more Ari B. Cofer books after this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this collection of poetry. It was inspiring and thought provoking. Will definitely be looking more into Ari's work!

'Paper Girl and the Knives that Made Her' will cut through a reader's heart and kindly heal the wounds it left.

Till page 24, the poems by Ari B. Cofer represent nothing of an extraordinary and don't possess outstanding quality, exploring the heartbreak in a sweet, heart-touching manner. After page 24, the author, it seems, talks about every riveting topic female poets can openly write about: sexual assault, rape, suicide, and depression. The journey is intended both for the readers and the author herself: her self-discovery tries the boundaries within which she can stay away from self-harm, mental and physical.

The writing style is lucid yet highly creative. The poem 'my sister turns 20 this month' (the lack of capitalization is the text's characteristic feature) uses a countdown from 20 to 1 as a core of talking about the author's depression and self-harm. The book also contains several haikus, and some poems were inspired by the oeuvre of other contemporary poets.

I don't question the author's harsh reality of the everyday struggle to survive another day, something ordinary people take for granted. However, I can't forget one review that pointed out to the little note at the beginning of the book: 'Some of these pieces are based on true stories, and some may be changed to fit a different theme.' The unclear demarcation line between what is true and what is changed leaves a tiny seed of doubt in the author's sincerity.

Or maybe I got hardened by the pain that now, above all times, gained the strong voice. The books like 'Paper Girl an the Knives that Made Her' even developed their structural peculiarities and necessities: they have to include a chapter about healing/moving forward to not be considered too depressing. If an author is still in a dark place, his/her pain should be hidden under the rug until he/she can give something positive to the world.

I recommend the book to lovers of poetry, especially those who seek words to express their demons yet can't find them. Understandable language, authenticity, and creative ways of using poetic forms are the book's strong sides.

The book deals with highly sensitive themes and the emotions it triggers can be very profound for the persons relating with those situations. It felt a very personal collection, like reading the diary of a person or assisting to a therapy session of a person in distress in the beginning.
Even if the book is very short, I could not finish it in one go since the emotions it deals with and the emotional load of each poem makes you stop and ponder on what you have just read.

I really liked this, it gave me Amanda Lovelace vibes. This poetry cuts deep - and idk if it's the space I'm in right now or the writing - I'm sure it's a combo of both - but it just resonated. If you're into healing and feeling this is a good one.

A great collection of poetry.
Really well written and deep, the author did such a good job describing each emotion.
It can be triggering to some readers.

Die Autorin hat in ihrem Leben viele schlimme Erfahrungen gemacht, u.a. Missbrauch und Vergewaltigung erlebt und kämpft gegen Depressionen und suizidale Gedanken an. In diesem Gedichtband beschreibt sie einige ihrer Erlebnisse auf poetische Weise, beschreibt ihre Gedanken und Gefühle und gibt zugleich Rat und Hilfe an andere Betroffene weiter.

Nachdem ich zu Beginn noch etwas Zeit benötigte, um mich in die Gedichte einzufühlen, haben sie mich mit jeder weiteren Seite mehr erreicht und berührt. Mir hat der Stil sehr gefallen und ich fand es sehr mutig, welch klare Worte die Autorin teilweise gewählt hat, um sich auszudrücken. In den Gedichten über ihre psychischen Probleme beschönigt sie nichts, motiviert aber zugleich dazu, weiter zu kämpfen und nicht aufzugeben. Die Gedichte machen sehr betroffen und sind nicht leicht zu ertragen, dennoch konnte ich das Buch kaum zur Seite legen. Sehr empfehlenswerte 4,5 Sterne.

In English:

The author has had many bad experiences in her life, including abuse and rape, and is battling depression and suicidal thoughts. In this book of poems she describes some of her experiences in a poetic way, describes her thoughts and feelings and at the same time gives advice and help to other affected people.

I needed some time at the beginning to empathize with the poems, but after that they reached and touched me more with each additional page. I really liked the style and I found it very courageous that the author sometimes chose clear words to express herself. In the poems about her psychological problems, she doesn't sugarcoat anything, but at the same time motivates others to keep fighting and not to give up. The poems are very touching and not easy to bear, but I could hardly put the book down anyway. Highly recommended 4.5 stars.

( I dnf’d at 51%)

This book blew me away. It’s so well written and so fleshed out that I had to stop reading a few times and take a breather. The emotions this book put me through in just the short time I read it was incredible. It really forced all of the feelings I had pushed down our to the surface.

The reason I didn’t finish this book is because it started to be triggering for me, and I couldn’t convince myself to read it anymore in case it caused me to fall into a pit I’ve worked hard to dig myself out of.

If you are not triggered by heavy topics and you like to read poetry that talks about self-harm, r@pe, and other topics, then you should definitely read this. It’s definite worth reading.

Deep and emotional--- I resonated with these feelings so deeply. Great job to the author for putting together a great collection.

Paper Girl and the Knives that Made Her by Ari B. Cofer

I was feeling some poetry this evening, and this collection delivered. I never quite know how to review poetry, so I’ll just say this. If you live your life alongside depression, if you spend most of your energy fighting your demons, if you feel too heavy, this collection will resonate with you.

There is so much pain in these poems. There is even more power in them. Some of the metaphors left me gasping. The rhythm is so smooth and natural. It felt like I was hearing it performed.

Reading this collection feels like the gentle grasp of another’s hand in the darkness. Highly recommend.

“i was told to write about you
in less than five lines
and i am once again reminded
how much space you take up”

“you know honestly,
i hate metaphors for depression.
there is no great way to say
“i want to die.”
there is no poetry to describe how i feel like
there is a hole in my chest
no amount of love could fill.

and people have tried.”