Aphrodite Made Me Do It (1) (Myth and Magick)

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.

Trista mateers new collection “Aphrodite made me do it” is a dazzling, ferocious set of poems and prose that will leave you spellbound. Mateer takes you to battle and brings you face to face with all the things you’re afraid of. Sink your teeth into this book about self discovery, love, and healing.

I have never felt more seen by a book before. It’s raw, it’s beautiful and painful. It makes me wish I could scream these things at the top of the tallest building to everyone who claims they know me more than I know myself.

Thank you for this, I can’t wait to order the others. I’m also ordering a copy for my best friend.

Some pages are going to stick with me forever. This was well put together and had some really great moments. I honestly just am not huge on poetry. I always pick up a collection that intrigues me in hopes that I can feel pulled into poetry and love it. But outside of some classics I had to read in high school that I loved nothings really done that yet. This is a great collection and if you want good poetry about the queer and female experience I think this is lovely.

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).

This is the writing for when you’re feeling hard to love, overwhelmed and discouraged and the world feels a bit too hard to handle. It’s also the writing for when you’re feeling yourself and you’ve been connecting honestly with the world around you. It’ll give you a renewed sense of hope, connection and compassion for the world. Her raw vulnerability draws you in and connects you emotionally.
It left me feeling empowered and hopeful again. It made me laugh and even cry a little bit. It made me feel things I didn’t want to feel, but it was a beautiful journey.

I think balancing the writing with images helped everything sink in a bit more than I expected. I knew I’d enjoy this, but I didn’t realize the extent that it would inspire and drive me.

To the author- thank you for your vulnerability which allowed the words to connect deep within me. Your humor and honesty was so refreshing and lovely. Your writing created a space for me to feel more again.

I would recommend this to anyone. But I know I’ll need this when my mind feels heavy again and I begin to doubt myself. I’ll read it when I need encouragement and inspiration again. And I’ll read it when the world feels fantastic and I want to continue to spread more love in the world.

WONDERFUL. I'm not sure this collection of poetry will be for everyone but for me it was great. I think sometimes poetry falls into our hands at the exact moment we need it. I LOVED this whole collection and the images just enhanced the experience. Aphrodite Made Me Do It deals with a lot of tough topics in a beautiful way.

This is a book I think everyone needs to read! Especially teen girls, I will be buying copies for my 4 girls and I. This book was everything I needed to hear and so much more.

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.

One of my favorites, read front to cover without putting it down 💜 not only are the words art.. but the art itself is an enticing muse. Trista has a way of writing down what I didn’t know my heart was feeling ✨