Honeybee: a collection of poems about letting go Paperback – July 11, 2014

My absolute favorite poetry collection of all time. I wasn't sure what I was going to be getting out of this book going into it. I had previously read "Aphrodite Made Me Do It" by this same author, and while I enjoyed it, it wasn't something that blew me away. I think I wasn't connecting fully with the art and the format of that book, but I loved the writing style, so I did some digging until I came across a recommendation for another one of her works...being "Honeybee."I initially read "Honeybee" online through Scribd, and within just a few poems I was hooked. Never in my life had I read something that I connected so wholly with, especially poetry and this work made me feel seen and listened to... like Trista had written it just for me to read. This book has some of the most lyrical writing I have ever read, and some poems feature comparisons and metaphors that blew me away not only as a reader, but as a writer. I found myself connecting with each poem on a personal level, and then re-reading passages to think of how the mechanics of the poem intertwined with other poems in the book. It was truly thought-provoking & a reading experience unlike any other.

Lovely poems, but arrived with stickers all over the cover :( peeling them off left a residue

Beautiful poetry!

I follow Trista on tumblr, along with many other poets, and I was hesitant to buy this book because I'd noticed a disappointing trend -- tumblr poets tend to talk themselves up quite a bit. "I've won this many awards, I've been published in so many magazines" and only publish the smallest snippets of their poems. Typically, when you buy their book, you find out they're only mediocre. This isn't the case with Trista and her books -- I didn't just read Honeybee, I read it faster than I've read a book before. I've always loved poetry, but I've never thought of it as riveting, and that's exactly what Honeybee is. You'll devour it in one night, and then you'll go back to it again and again, until you find yourself reciting the lines in your head before you actually read it. Trista is easily the best poet I've ever discovered online.

This is my first poetry book I've read Trista and presume she's gotten better. I'm not a big fan of very modern "instagram" poetry, the poetry that is a simple sentence that resonates to the masses. This book definitely has some of that but it has alot more substance than others.I can really follow along with her heartbreak, the loss of this specific person consuming every inch of her life is something she brought us along with. I feel like while reading other poetry it's unlikely to know how many poems are about a single person but with this you can tell each and every poem that was about honeybee.I recommend :)

Didn’t see much evolution in the poems. If I was going through a breakup I would have probably cried a lot as I read it but I wish the collection evolved through it. Loved them individually.

I will not buy another book from this author again. I found myself getting more annoyed the longer I read it. I was tired of the same thing over and over and the over use of the phrases mouth and name. You'll see what I mean when you read. About 10 or so pages are just scans, mostly flowers. There were some good poems and one liners. A big thought most of the time reading was, "should I return this".

Such a beautiful poetry book! It felt like I was finding myself as Trista was, and that is an amazing connection between the audience and author. I would totally recommend this book to everyone I know! Trista and her poetry both bewilder me with their strength and resilience, earning my respect as a human being as well as a reader and writer!

I loved this I loved this I loved this I loved this I L O V E D T H I SHoneybee is about letting go. It's about admitting that you haven't actually let go. It's about trying over and over again to pry your fingernails loose from this thing that is only going to keep causing you pain but for some reason you can't help holding on. It hit me like a freight train.Mateer's writing is super powerful. It's often simple but that doesn't stop it from having one hell of an impact. The truth in these words is so raw and brutal. That's probably my favourite thing about Trista Mateer - she sugar-coats without actually sugar coating. She puts across these huge, painful concepts through a poetic lens without distorting them so much that they lose meaning. This book also incorporates some handwritten poems and pictures of pressed flowers which is consistent with the kind of scrapbook, DIY kind of feeling I enjoyed so much in her other collections.If you like sapphic poetry about heartbreak, bisexuality, moving on, mental health and many other wonderful things I cannot recommend this enough.

Really enjoyable collection of thoughtful poetry. Both emotional and satisfying.I’ve read this book a few times.

Exactly what I needed

This is a collection about a break-up, about the end of a relationship and about how to survive afterwards. It's very raw, very powerful.

It's a lovely book. Sometimes you find that you can get lost in the words and struggle to find the meaning. But it is really lovely and a true reflection of what it's like to be the one who leaves.