Review: Aphrodite Made Me Do It by Trista Mateer

Title: Aphrodite Made Me Do It
Author: Trista Mateer
Release Date: October 1, 2019
Publisher: Central Avenue Publishing
Pages: 224

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

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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.

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This has been one of the best poetry collections I have ever read.

I didn’t forget how to fight for myself. I forgot that I could.

aphrodite made me do it by trista mateer

If poetry is something you enjoy then Trista Mateer’s latest collection is one you need to be reading. There are heavy mythology themes, but you don’t have to be well versed in it to understand the poems. Greek mythology is something I’ve never been interested in until now. The imagery used and connections she made between this world and the world of Aphrodite were astounding and felt genuine.

I had to step back for a while to get to know myself again but now I don’t know how to step forward.

aphrodite made me do it by trista mateer

I swear it’s as if Mateer stepped into my brain and strung together lines with my thoughts. I related to so many pieces. When reading something, one or two lines will usually stick out that I’ll make notes of, but, with Aphrodite, I found myself picking out parts with every turn of the page.

I’m trying to remember to make room in my life for the person I am now, not just the people I have been.

aphrodite made me do it by trista mateer

There was an incredible amount of emotion poured into these poems. So many of them hurt but there was also a silver lining of hope and encouragement mixed in. This was an anthem to those that have been trodden down and are struggling to get back up again. It’s the battle cry of those that know their life is worth more than the events that have happened to them.

I don’t know what to call homesickness when I’m home.

aphrodite made me do it by trista mateer

I don’t always buy finished copies of the ARCs I review because of money, but I will be investing in Aphrodite Made Me Do It. My ARC was a digital copy and the formatting was not perfect – I’m aching to see Trista Mateer’s poems in the way they are meant to be. I want to pour over these words again with a highlighter in one hand and a pen to write notes in the margin in the other.

This collection is what my heart needed and I hope you give it a chance.

A digital ARC was provided through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Additionally, all quotes should be checked for changes against the final copy.