Good Girl and Other Yearnings

by Isabelle Correa

Genres: Poetry

100 pages, Paperback

Published April 18, 2025

Reviews

[Danielle Coffyn]

Isabelle Correa's work is bold and unapologetic, a collection brimming with defiance and tenderness in equal measure. There’s a particular intimacy in the way Correa captures the nuanced bond between herself and her sisters. It’s a love forged through survival, a raw, almost palpable connection that I found myself returning to again and again, each time uncovering new layers of emotion. Her language is sharp, yet tender, making every poem feel like a revelation. Every single poem in this collection demands to be reread. Correa’s command of imagery and her brilliant use of line breaks create a rhythm that lingers long after the words have ended.

[Kassandra Vilchis]

Correa does it again! This collection of poems offer the reader a look into girlhood, sisterhood and the nostalgia of a place we once called home but all in slant. Weather that be with the people that made it so or the place. Correa, is the queen of line breaks and it has been the greatest joy to watch her works get so much praise.

Favorite poems include: underwater tea party, Moby Dick as all my rage and I wrote this poem on company time.

Would highly recommend Correa's work to anyone who enjoys poetry and longing.

[Prudence Brooks]

Good Girl and Other Yearnings by Isabelle Correa is for anyone who’s ever wondered if they’re good, who has yearned to understand or to be understood. Correa is one of my favorite contemporary poets because she has a distinct voice without using repetitive imagery or word choice. I would know a poem is hers without her name attached, yet something in each piece still surprises me. Corrrea walks the line between specific and ambiguous, leaving you to interpret her words in a variety of ways. This slight ambiguity is refreshing, given the rise in popularity of more easily digestible poetry. In a world full of wonderful writers, this particular poet stands out. That’s a hard thing to do, but as this book teaches us – Isabelle can do hard things. Correa writes on page 89 – “I could be myself not / the echo / of any other thing.” 


Isn’t that what we’re all searching for?

[Cat Speranzini]

I have been a long time fan of the poems Isabelle Correa shares on social media, but this is the first time I’ve read her poetry organized within a collection. Wow. I have no words. The entire collection left me feeling gutted yet hopeful. And the poems themselves had some amazing lines. I felt as if she somehow knows me better than I know myself, which is the mark of a great writer: they pen their own truth so well it becomes universal. If you haven’t read this yet, you need to. It’ll heal something inside of you that you didn’t know was broken.

[Brian Taylor]

I don’t read a ton of poetry. What I am exposed to, I usually find saccharine or so abstract I end up feeling dumb and exhausted. It might be a me problem. This collection doesn't just navigate the space between too sentimental and too strange—it thrives like an unruly, ancient rose bush that refuses to die. Thorns and flowers tumble over each other in a way that is natural, intimate, terrible, funny, and beautiful. There’s a cleverness throughout that continuously rewards the reader, even as it reveals pain. I couldn’t put this one down.

[Alex Pellerin]

Couldn’t put this one down—such a beautiful book of poetry💗 Kept finding myself nodding and audibly gasping. Some of my favorite poems were “Climax Forest”, “When Asked for My Family’s Medical History”, “Women Talking”, and “Existence Checklist” but seriously loved them all. And the titles for the poems are just as impactful. LOVED this collection!

[Annalise Parady]

Isabelle Correa is your favorite poet's favorite poet, and her debut poetry collection is chock full of reasons why. Correa is unflinching as she dives into her childhood and how she moves through the world as a woman afterwards. You want to read this book, you want to pre-order her next, and you want to follow Isabelle on Instagram - trust me.

[Avery]

Reading this made me feel so awake and alive. Writing that hits somewhat deeper. What you want to say but can’t say. So elegant and graceful, words flowing seamlessly. You inspire me Isabelle Correa thanks for sharing your beautiful voice xxxxx

[Kelsey Reese]

Stunning poetry collection. Several of the poems felt like Correa had pulled my own life lines into them, leaving me stunned in the aftermath. Favorites include Self-Portrait as Pluto in Aquarius, Meditations in a Solar Eclipse, Big Sister, and Another Theory of Everything.

[Gabrielle Lauryne]

Beautiful. Saturated with all of the facets of girlhood, becoming a woman, and everything in-between. The innocence, the corruption, the love, the heartbreak.

[Jennifer Pullen]

A gorgeous and biting poetic examination of womanhood, identity, and grief.

[Ana Dee]

These poems are sharp, dark and delicious. Just how I like them.

[Taylor Bauer]

A beautiful book that connects you to family, love , and yourself.

[Pili B.]

A balm for a grieving heart, comforting to know you’re not alone in experiencing the mosaic of the human condition.

[Emily Duchon]

3.5

[Daniel Shao]

i really enjoyed the progression of the poems. We move gradually, almost imperceptibly, from poems about fighting to want to live, to finding renewal in unexpected ways. In all the little things we do earnestly in our days :)