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Flop Era: Poems
Flop Era reckons with the complications of being human, and therefore, with the consequences of being fundamentally flawed. It contends with failed potential and the certain uncertainty of the future, while interrogating the past for clues that might explain why, as the speaker bemoans, “there are never enough nails in the coffin of poor choices.” While Egger throws confetti on the quotidian, she disarms the reader with earnestness and vulnerability. Rich in metaphor, affable and self-deprecating, the poems in Flop Era shine a spotlight on regret, infidelity, the feminine ideal, fear of death, and fear of insignificance.
- GenresPoetry
120 pages, Paperback
Published October 21, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
July 1, 2025
4.8 "frantically, frenetically, flailing, ferociously" stars !!!
Thank you to Netgalley, the poet and University of Pittsburgh Press for an ecopy. This will be released
October 2025. I am providing an honest review.
As a rule I read slowly, methodically, carefully. I could not with this collection. The poet simply would not allow this. The poems are all equally sharp, insightful, glaring. I rode the bicycle faster and faster but luckily it was downhill and the images, ideas, thoughts sailed on by. Young American womanhood in all its pain and beauty swept by and I was breathless. I was exhilarated but knew the cold Pacific Ocean awaited me and that I would land safely. Every poem a gem and in fact I read this not as a collection but as one long poem in one boisterous ride. Brava Ms. Egger !
I have chosen one poem randomly (as there are no favorites but all equal )
HANDSOME
The feeling begins in the
body. I can't tell
if the water's deep.
Language waits behind
velvet ropes
to be ushered into the
palace.
Is this doorway an
entrance or an exit?
How often
I have been wrong.
There are blackberries
all over the sidewalk.
There's symbolism
and then there's rain.
I photograph time in
portrait mode. Later, in
panorama.
Love is a construct.
I'm strikingly
resourceful. Pipe
cleaners;
the poetic line; a shiny
dead fish eye.
Because I enjoy an
ambush of foxglove.
Because I'm comforted
by the ubiquitousness
of hands.
Did I miss desire's
eclipse? Tragic parallax.
My animal
always returns. Good
animal. It can smell the
sky sweating. It won't lie
down
Please note line breaks may be different than intended (depending on the size of font-my old gent eyes needs large lol)
Thank you to Netgalley, the poet and University of Pittsburgh Press for an ecopy. This will be released
October 2025. I am providing an honest review.
As a rule I read slowly, methodically, carefully. I could not with this collection. The poet simply would not allow this. The poems are all equally sharp, insightful, glaring. I rode the bicycle faster and faster but luckily it was downhill and the images, ideas, thoughts sailed on by. Young American womanhood in all its pain and beauty swept by and I was breathless. I was exhilarated but knew the cold Pacific Ocean awaited me and that I would land safely. Every poem a gem and in fact I read this not as a collection but as one long poem in one boisterous ride. Brava Ms. Egger !
I have chosen one poem randomly (as there are no favorites but all equal )
HANDSOME
The feeling begins in the
body. I can't tell
if the water's deep.
Language waits behind
velvet ropes
to be ushered into the
palace.
Is this doorway an
entrance or an exit?
How often
I have been wrong.
There are blackberries
all over the sidewalk.
There's symbolism
and then there's rain.
I photograph time in
portrait mode. Later, in
panorama.
Love is a construct.
I'm strikingly
resourceful. Pipe
cleaners;
the poetic line; a shiny
dead fish eye.
Because I enjoy an
ambush of foxglove.
Because I'm comforted
by the ubiquitousness
of hands.
Did I miss desire's
eclipse? Tragic parallax.
My animal
always returns. Good
animal. It can smell the
sky sweating. It won't lie
down
Please note line breaks may be different than intended (depending on the size of font-my old gent eyes needs large lol)
July 7, 2025
Thank you to University of Pittsburgh Press and Netgalley for this e-ARC. This is an honest review and all opinions in it are my own.
Unfortunately, Flop Era was not the collection for me, but it kinda felt like it should have been, with the number of quotes I sporadically wrote down?
I’ll give five examples of lines I liked, just to start with something positive (tho not exactly as written in the poems):
“Understand we are indistinguishable from bits of broken glass stuck in warm asphalt after an accident”
“Damn hindsight and its tamper-proof packaging”
“Can a womb trace rupture’s lineage; has anyone mapped the gene for original sin?”
“Go-getter ovaries”
“It’s too short a distance from wonder to terror”
Clear imagery, an emotional core, something to cling to even in the abstract.
The best parts were absolutely where Egger rhymed, cause those specific lines often had really good meter and flowed really nicely too. They stuck, is all, and most made sense to me, which is the base that I need to even *start* enjoying the poetry...
And in the end I didn’t.
So, while a couple lines a poem or every couple of pages resonated or felt strong, innovative, interesting, etc, the actual poems themselves were very sporadic, haphazard. Confusing. Irrational without clear purpose. Randomness for the sake of randomness. Both in the sense that one line from the next didn’t make sense to me – there didn’t often feel like there was a throughline, action-and-consequence, like lines picked from a hat – but also because so many of the ‘jokes’, lines or metaphors reeked of Random Humor ca. 2016. Not my style at all.
Even with those poems that made literal sense to me, I had a really difficult time gleaning meaning / emotion. It felt like words were missing, or if the words were there and felt intentional, the connective tissue or context needed to actually place them or imagine the situation or feel the feelings just wasn’t there. Therefore, *connecting* at all became difficult for me. I repeat, most poems were waaay too vague. And even when a clear concept (eg. regret) or bit of imagery was presented it didn’t ‘commit to the bit’, instead flew quickly on to the next and the next and the next. Until the poem blurred at the edges, lost its core / identity.
There’s so much more I could say about this, and individual examples I could have given, but in fear of spoiling it or repeating myself just as much as this collection repeated its one clear theme (regret) over and over again I will stop myself before I regret (haha) speaking. This was a Flop for me, unfortunately.
The two poems I actually saved because I liked them all the way through were the ones with the clearest meaning, the least 2016-humor (and the most serious), and an actual story and emotional core I could connect with: AS IT HAPPENS and AFTER WATCHING THE DOCUMENTARY ABOUT THE YOUNG SOLO CLIMBER MARC–ANDRE, MY FRIEND ASKS ARE WE ALL BORN TO DO EXACTLY WHAT WE DO?.
Unfortunately, Flop Era was not the collection for me, but it kinda felt like it should have been, with the number of quotes I sporadically wrote down?
I’ll give five examples of lines I liked, just to start with something positive (tho not exactly as written in the poems):
“Understand we are indistinguishable from bits of broken glass stuck in warm asphalt after an accident”
“Damn hindsight and its tamper-proof packaging”
“Can a womb trace rupture’s lineage; has anyone mapped the gene for original sin?”
“Go-getter ovaries”
“It’s too short a distance from wonder to terror”
Clear imagery, an emotional core, something to cling to even in the abstract.
The best parts were absolutely where Egger rhymed, cause those specific lines often had really good meter and flowed really nicely too. They stuck, is all, and most made sense to me, which is the base that I need to even *start* enjoying the poetry...
And in the end I didn’t.
So, while a couple lines a poem or every couple of pages resonated or felt strong, innovative, interesting, etc, the actual poems themselves were very sporadic, haphazard. Confusing. Irrational without clear purpose. Randomness for the sake of randomness. Both in the sense that one line from the next didn’t make sense to me – there didn’t often feel like there was a throughline, action-and-consequence, like lines picked from a hat – but also because so many of the ‘jokes’, lines or metaphors reeked of Random Humor ca. 2016. Not my style at all.
Even with those poems that made literal sense to me, I had a really difficult time gleaning meaning / emotion. It felt like words were missing, or if the words were there and felt intentional, the connective tissue or context needed to actually place them or imagine the situation or feel the feelings just wasn’t there. Therefore, *connecting* at all became difficult for me. I repeat, most poems were waaay too vague. And even when a clear concept (eg. regret) or bit of imagery was presented it didn’t ‘commit to the bit’, instead flew quickly on to the next and the next and the next. Until the poem blurred at the edges, lost its core / identity.
There’s so much more I could say about this, and individual examples I could have given, but in fear of spoiling it or repeating myself just as much as this collection repeated its one clear theme (regret) over and over again I will stop myself before I regret (haha) speaking. This was a Flop for me, unfortunately.
The two poems I actually saved because I liked them all the way through were the ones with the clearest meaning, the least 2016-humor (and the most serious), and an actual story and emotional core I could connect with: AS IT HAPPENS and AFTER WATCHING THE DOCUMENTARY ABOUT THE YOUNG SOLO CLIMBER MARC–ANDRE, MY FRIEND ASKS ARE WE ALL BORN TO DO EXACTLY WHAT WE DO?.
December 18, 2025
This is a poetry collection concerned with what it means to be human, particularly in relation to failure, unrealized potential, and the uneasy uncertainty of what comes next. Throughout the collection, the poet looks back on the past in an attempt to understand the present, searching for patterns, explanations, and moments that might clarify how we become who we are. This sense of reflection makes the collection highly relatable, and in the latter half especially, I found myself feeling deeply connected to several of the poems.
The beginning of the collection, however, felt less cohesive. Many of the early poems revisit similar ideas without fully developing them, which made the opening feel repetitive rather than cumulative. I didn’t connect as strongly with these pieces, and at times they felt more surface-level compared to the emotional depth achieved later on. There were also moments where the poems came across as somewhat defensive, as though the poet was preemptively critiquing herself in order to control how the reader might respond. Instead of feeling vulnerable, these poems sometimes felt overly self-aware, as if the poet were in conversation with the audience rather than immersed in the emotional experience itself.
This awareness of the reader occasionally resulted in an emphasis on style over substance, which I found frustrating given how effective the strongest poems in the collection are. When the poet allows herself to sit with discomfort and emotional complexity, the writing really resonates. These moments demonstrate the collection’s full potential and ultimately left the strongest impression, again for me making the latter half the most compelling part.
Thank you to the publisher, University of Pittsburgh Press, for an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions shared in this review are my own!
The beginning of the collection, however, felt less cohesive. Many of the early poems revisit similar ideas without fully developing them, which made the opening feel repetitive rather than cumulative. I didn’t connect as strongly with these pieces, and at times they felt more surface-level compared to the emotional depth achieved later on. There were also moments where the poems came across as somewhat defensive, as though the poet was preemptively critiquing herself in order to control how the reader might respond. Instead of feeling vulnerable, these poems sometimes felt overly self-aware, as if the poet were in conversation with the audience rather than immersed in the emotional experience itself.
This awareness of the reader occasionally resulted in an emphasis on style over substance, which I found frustrating given how effective the strongest poems in the collection are. When the poet allows herself to sit with discomfort and emotional complexity, the writing really resonates. These moments demonstrate the collection’s full potential and ultimately left the strongest impression, again for me making the latter half the most compelling part.
Thank you to the publisher, University of Pittsburgh Press, for an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions shared in this review are my own!
June 26, 2025
Thank you Netgalley, University of Pittsburgh Press, and Lara Egger for sending me this advanced review copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This book feels like a weird fever dream. The interesting artwork here and there really helps with that vibe. It's strange and random in the most unexpected ways. It was like channel surfing through the thoughts of the author's caffeinated brain goblin. It's so weird, but in a good way.
This book feels like a weird fever dream. The interesting artwork here and there really helps with that vibe. It's strange and random in the most unexpected ways. It was like channel surfing through the thoughts of the author's caffeinated brain goblin. It's so weird, but in a good way.
July 1, 2025
⭐️⭐️ Pretty words, but not much else.
I really wanted to like flop era. The title alone had me hooked, it felt cheeky, self-aware, like it might give me a little catharsis wrapped in clever lines. But unfortunately, the poetry never quite got there.
A lot of the pieces felt like recycled Tumblr sentiments dressed up in aesthetic metaphors. There were glimpses of real emotion, and occasionally a line that hit just right, but they were few and far between. Most of the book leaned on vagueness instead of vulnerability.
I've read about a dozen 5 star poetry books in a row, and just assumed this one was going to hit as well, and well, it unfortunately lived up to it's title for me.
I really wanted to like flop era. The title alone had me hooked, it felt cheeky, self-aware, like it might give me a little catharsis wrapped in clever lines. But unfortunately, the poetry never quite got there.
A lot of the pieces felt like recycled Tumblr sentiments dressed up in aesthetic metaphors. There were glimpses of real emotion, and occasionally a line that hit just right, but they were few and far between. Most of the book leaned on vagueness instead of vulnerability.
I've read about a dozen 5 star poetry books in a row, and just assumed this one was going to hit as well, and well, it unfortunately lived up to it's title for me.
June 20, 2025
First, I just wanted to say thanks to NetGalley and University of Pittsburgh Press for the Advanced reading copy! This advanced reading copy was sent to me in exchange for an honest review.
Poetry is always an area that I need to explore during my reading. The minute I read the description for this collection of poems, I knew that I wanted to give it a chance. Thankfully, I was given a chance to provide my opinion. I do believe this is my first time reading anything by the author but after finishing this, I hope she continues to release more. There's something the way in which her poetry seems playful & sarcastic but can also cause you to lower your guard.
Several lines definitely hit a little close to home. One that definitely stuck out to me was comparing "taste buds" to "finger prints" and using this to convey "what wasn't said." I took a total of 33 notes during this reading. My favorite line made a Sylvia Plath (my favorite author) reference from the Bell Jar while also having the "ahaha" moment of the use of Iambic Pentameter. I loved the wordplay! I would list more but why deprive people of the fun of experiencing it yourself?!
I look forward to reading more from Lara in the future.
Poetry is always an area that I need to explore during my reading. The minute I read the description for this collection of poems, I knew that I wanted to give it a chance. Thankfully, I was given a chance to provide my opinion. I do believe this is my first time reading anything by the author but after finishing this, I hope she continues to release more. There's something the way in which her poetry seems playful & sarcastic but can also cause you to lower your guard.
Several lines definitely hit a little close to home. One that definitely stuck out to me was comparing "taste buds" to "finger prints" and using this to convey "what wasn't said." I took a total of 33 notes during this reading. My favorite line made a Sylvia Plath (my favorite author) reference from the Bell Jar while also having the "ahaha" moment of the use of Iambic Pentameter. I loved the wordplay! I would list more but why deprive people of the fun of experiencing it yourself?!
I look forward to reading more from Lara in the future.
July 8, 2025
There's a kind of listlessness to the poems that feels very present to maybe just where I'm at in my life, or where I've been recently, but it's meandering. The poems themselves are well-crafted and contemporary odes to this kind of existential questions we all have. I love the phrases and turns of phrase and imagery. I thought this was amazing. But I am also a millennial white woman in her thirties so does that matter or was this tailored to be something I enjoyed.
I mean "My B-side's finally getting some attention." is fuckin poetry. I mean obviously. But c'mon.
Good shit.
Thanks for the ARC
I mean "My B-side's finally getting some attention." is fuckin poetry. I mean obviously. But c'mon.
Good shit.
Thanks for the ARC
July 2, 2025
From the very beginning, I knew this compendium wouldn’t be for me. I enjoyed the premise, but the content didn’t fully lived up to my expectations.
Most of the poems are hit or miss and, though I’m sure many will enjoy them, I wasn’t part of that group, unfortunately.
Which isn’t to say they’re not good, because I’m sure there is a market for this kind of poetry. Personally, I simply felt like it contained a compilation of social media buzzwords and phrases that have been reused in social media edu posts for decades, which just diminished my enjoyment of the reading.
Most of the poems are hit or miss and, though I’m sure many will enjoy them, I wasn’t part of that group, unfortunately.
Which isn’t to say they’re not good, because I’m sure there is a market for this kind of poetry. Personally, I simply felt like it contained a compilation of social media buzzwords and phrases that have been reused in social media edu posts for decades, which just diminished my enjoyment of the reading.
October 23, 2025
*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: October 21, 2025
Poetry is so difficult to review because everyone has a different connection. I really struggled with the first section, the middle was a mixed bag, and then I found myself highlighting and writing down something from nearly every poem in the last section. A bit abrasive at times, but also made me laugh out loud…worth checking out because you never know what you’ll find.
Poetry is so difficult to review because everyone has a different connection. I really struggled with the first section, the middle was a mixed bag, and then I found myself highlighting and writing down something from nearly every poem in the last section. A bit abrasive at times, but also made me laugh out loud…worth checking out because you never know what you’ll find.
December 12, 2025
Thank you NetGalley and University of Pittsburgh Press for the Advanced Reader's Copy!
Now available.
It's rare to find a poet with a sense of humor, an irrevocable cool and Lara Eggers embodies this effortlessly. To me, the collection reads as a late-in-life realizations of a "cool" girl, one who used to be very emotionally walled off and is now leaning into herself. There's a fair amount of self-resentment and even more complicated feelings about the patriarchy, but above all there is a love of craft and exploration of form that keeps the reader engaged throughout the longer collection.
Now available.
It's rare to find a poet with a sense of humor, an irrevocable cool and Lara Eggers embodies this effortlessly. To me, the collection reads as a late-in-life realizations of a "cool" girl, one who used to be very emotionally walled off and is now leaning into herself. There's a fair amount of self-resentment and even more complicated feelings about the patriarchy, but above all there is a love of craft and exploration of form that keeps the reader engaged throughout the longer collection.
December 27, 2025
There are parts of Flop Era that I really enjoyed. Lara Egger’s imagery is sharp, and some lines hit with emotional resonance that stayed with me. However, the collection feels a little too experimental for my taste. Some poems are fragmented or play with language in ways that made it hard for me to fully connect, and the overall structure sometimes felt chaotic.
That said, I can see the creativity and bravery in Egger’s approach, and for readers who love bold, unconventional poetry, this could be a rewarding read. For me, it was enjoyable in parts but didn’t fully land.
That said, I can see the creativity and bravery in Egger’s approach, and for readers who love bold, unconventional poetry, this could be a rewarding read. For me, it was enjoyable in parts but didn’t fully land.
June 15, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and University of Pittsburgh Press for the E-ARC! This E-ARC was sent to me in exchange for an honest review.
I highlighted and saved a lot of stanzas and pages throughout this collection! It was witty, impactful, and blunt. No two poems were the same, they all followed different topics and they all carried themselves in different manners. I really enjoyed this!
I highlighted and saved a lot of stanzas and pages throughout this collection! It was witty, impactful, and blunt. No two poems were the same, they all followed different topics and they all carried themselves in different manners. I really enjoyed this!
December 6, 2025
I struggled through this chap book, because for a lot of it i thought there was no cohesion to the collection and many of the poems reminded me of like...2000s alternative music in that it was just random unrelated phrases pushed together. Then, out of nowhere, there would be a stanza or line the resonated with me so deeply i wanted to write it down and remember it. However....that was few and far between. Better luck next time.
I was provided this arc in exchange for an honest review. Sorry :x
I was provided this arc in exchange for an honest review. Sorry :x
October 17, 2025
Some of these poems feel like Lara Egger took handfuls of words and tossed them into the air, assembling lines where they fell; they read like a sorceress' enchantments, holding you in place while you are bespelled. She crafts whimsical yet thoughtful lines, such as "I am behaving like an astronaut/ jonesing for a Quarter Pounder. Have you ever asked your doctor is Ennui is right for you?" One of my favorite lines from this collection is "The laundry is done,/ and it's a glorious night/ to be alive and insignificant." In "Ars Poetica," she looks at things from the outside: "I'm trying to divine/ how it might feel to be the message/ as opposed to bottle," and asks us to consider the unknown: "Love and faith--think about it--/ are a lot like the internet;/ very few people can explain/ how they actually work," (but they do, usually. However, "If the secret to love was chemistry/ all my soufflés would have risen.").
I copied so many of her lines into my journal. (I think her poem "Umami" is probably my favorite out of the entire collection.) Egger's writing is fantastic. She mixes the every-day with philosophy, offering such thoughts as "I'm a fan of recklessness in theory. Also marriage and gluten-free pasta," and "I'm all for pathos but prefer pancakes." She writes earnestly for all her witticisms, telling us to take a step back and consider ourselves: "It's okay to take damage, and try to string it into something beautiful."
I absolutely loved this collection. I definitely want to see what else Lara Egger has produced.
I copied so many of her lines into my journal. (I think her poem "Umami" is probably my favorite out of the entire collection.) Egger's writing is fantastic. She mixes the every-day with philosophy, offering such thoughts as "I'm a fan of recklessness in theory. Also marriage and gluten-free pasta," and "I'm all for pathos but prefer pancakes." She writes earnestly for all her witticisms, telling us to take a step back and consider ourselves: "It's okay to take damage, and try to string it into something beautiful."
I absolutely loved this collection. I definitely want to see what else Lara Egger has produced.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews