What do you think?
Pretty Boys Are Poisonous: Poems
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
“Heartbreaking…Go read the book, everyone.” —Alex Cooper, host of the Call Her Daddy podcast
Megan Fox showcases her wicked humor throughout a heartbreaking and dark collection of poetry. Over the course of more than seventy poems Fox chronicles all the ways in which we fit ourselves into the shape of the ones we love, even if it means losing ourselves in the process.
“These poems were written in an attempt to excise the illness that had taken root in me because of my silence. I’ve spent my entire life keeping the secrets of men, my body aches from carrying the weight of their sins. My freedom lives in these pages, and I hope that my words can inspire others to take back their happiness and their identity by using their voice to illuminate what’s been buried, but not forgotten, in the darkness,” says Fox.
Pretty Boys Are Poisonous marks the powerful debut from one of the most well-known women of our time. Turn the page, bite the apple, and sink your teeth into the most deliciously compelling and addictive books you’ll read all year.
“Heartbreaking…Go read the book, everyone.” —Alex Cooper, host of the Call Her Daddy podcast
Megan Fox showcases her wicked humor throughout a heartbreaking and dark collection of poetry. Over the course of more than seventy poems Fox chronicles all the ways in which we fit ourselves into the shape of the ones we love, even if it means losing ourselves in the process.
“These poems were written in an attempt to excise the illness that had taken root in me because of my silence. I’ve spent my entire life keeping the secrets of men, my body aches from carrying the weight of their sins. My freedom lives in these pages, and I hope that my words can inspire others to take back their happiness and their identity by using their voice to illuminate what’s been buried, but not forgotten, in the darkness,” says Fox.
Pretty Boys Are Poisonous marks the powerful debut from one of the most well-known women of our time. Turn the page, bite the apple, and sink your teeth into the most deliciously compelling and addictive books you’ll read all year.
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First published November 7, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,504 reviews
November 7, 2023
iykyk.
last 2 poems gutted me.
last 2 poems gutted me.
November 12, 2023
MISS MEGAN FOX 🙇♀️🙇♀️🙇♀️
Pages from Megan's Burn Book:
you'd be so much more handsome if you'd get an exorcism
i start daydreaming of the look on your face when i tell you his dick was so much bigger than yours
i still imagine [juliet] kills herself in the end though. only he doesn't follow. he just signs up for raya instead.
i hate men i hate men i hate men i hate men i hate men i hate men i hate men
Pages from Megan's Burn Book:
you'd be so much more handsome if you'd get an exorcism
i start daydreaming of the look on your face when i tell you his dick was so much bigger than yours
i still imagine [juliet] kills herself in the end though. only he doesn't follow. he just signs up for raya instead.
i hate men i hate men i hate men i hate men i hate men i hate men i hate men
November 3, 2023
While a few of Megan Fox's poems had fun or clever prose (and I do love the title Pretty Boys Are Poisonous!), many verses felt more like piles of half-written song lyrics than free-standing parts of a complete debut collection. I really tried to give this one a shot, but it just wasn't quite there.
November 13, 2023
I know, I know. Megan claims these poems aren't about MGK. So, you're telling me she's writing about another "six foot four damsel in distress" who was "born with the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck" who walked in a Dolce and Gabbana show ("the devil wears Dolce"), in a "pink chariot" who she called her "twin flame" but "will never be his giving tree" (check MGK's The Giving Tree tattoo, I have the same one).... I could literally go on and on because every. single. poem. has a reference to him and I can't believe I'm saying this but I now despise that man.
I mean, if someone is abusing you the way the poems paint the image, I can see why she would publicly lie and say they're NOT about him. Anyways, if I'm wrong, sorry Megan. But if you need help, girl, I'm here. Love you. <3
I mean, if someone is abusing you the way the poems paint the image, I can see why she would publicly lie and say they're NOT about him. Anyways, if I'm wrong, sorry Megan. But if you need help, girl, I'm here. Love you. <3
November 8, 2023
wow she's so edgy, isn't she?? god we are so lucky that this book came out in 2023 and not ten years ago because i can just imagine how 2014 tumblr would eat this shit up!!! i know it may not seem like it but i actually like megan fox a lot. but, woman, please, you're nearly 40. i think that's old enough to know that abusive/toxic relationships ain't cute and romanticizing that shit by writing awful "poetry" is disgusting (there's a poem called "it's giving patrick bateman" for god's sake, it's THAT bad!!!!). idk i honestly believe that this book is a cry for help. i hope she finds the help she needs.
November 8, 2023
“Like every woman
they refuse to listen to my words
instead
they criticize the shape of my mouth
as i speak them”
they refuse to listen to my words
instead
they criticize the shape of my mouth
as i speak them”
December 10, 2023
Who let her publish her notes app
January 10, 2024
It was a half-baked, try-hard celebrity memoir in poem form romanticizing abusive behavior that would have been edgy on Tumblr back in the day.
November 8, 2023
Megan…
My heart actually cracked in my chest reading this. Megan, we love you SO much. You don’t deserve this, even if you think you do.
I don’t know how anyone can read this without feeling sick. She’s crying for help and everyone needs to listen.
Some of these poems felt like fillers, but a majority of them were beautifully nauseating. I feel so sick. I feel so heartbroken. I want nothing but happiness for her and I hope to God this helps her find it. I hope that the writing and release of this was cathartic for her, and I DESPERATELY hope that she can get out.
My heart actually cracked in my chest reading this. Megan, we love you SO much. You don’t deserve this, even if you think you do.
I don’t know how anyone can read this without feeling sick. She’s crying for help and everyone needs to listen.
Some of these poems felt like fillers, but a majority of them were beautifully nauseating. I feel so sick. I feel so heartbroken. I want nothing but happiness for her and I hope to God this helps her find it. I hope that the writing and release of this was cathartic for her, and I DESPERATELY hope that she can get out.
November 8, 2023
I love Megan Fox, I’m just not a fan of the Rupi Kaur style micro poems. HOWEVER, this feels like a great therapeutic and cathartic experience for her to be able to finally speak her truth.
Some of the poems toward the end felt raw with honesty and had more depth- I enjoyed those!
Some of the poems toward the end felt raw with honesty and had more depth- I enjoyed those!
November 6, 2023
This was dark and vulnerable and i love Megan Fox
November 12, 2023
I am not sure I would call this poetry. For the most part these are just some reflections and ideas put together in an eloquent manner, using some non coloquial words.
What caught my attention the most about this book and what I believe to be most memorable (certainly not the writing style or prose) is the woman experience around men , how women might experience toxic dynamics and fall in love with those highs and lows.
This books gives a glimpse into who Megan Fox is and her life trauma. Regardless of how good or not her poetry might be , I still think it’s worth the read as a woman that has experience romance through men.
Megan is truly a complex and intriguing human being. Maybe this could have been better if it wasn’t extremely ‘try hard artsy’ and ‘tortured soul’ but hey, she does begin the book by saying she had a martyr complex. So idk what else I was expecting.
What caught my attention the most about this book and what I believe to be most memorable (certainly not the writing style or prose) is the woman experience around men , how women might experience toxic dynamics and fall in love with those highs and lows.
This books gives a glimpse into who Megan Fox is and her life trauma. Regardless of how good or not her poetry might be , I still think it’s worth the read as a woman that has experience romance through men.
Megan is truly a complex and intriguing human being. Maybe this could have been better if it wasn’t extremely ‘try hard artsy’ and ‘tortured soul’ but hey, she does begin the book by saying she had a martyr complex. So idk what else I was expecting.
November 7, 2023
“I will always be in love with the man that you’ll never become”
I’ve never felt more seen in a celeb poetry book. It’s dark and alluring at the same time.
I’ve never felt more seen in a celeb poetry book. It’s dark and alluring at the same time.
December 28, 2024
Fastest read ever! Megan I love you so much and you didn’t deserve any of it, girl.
These were such powerful poems. I loved every single one of them. Megan is actually a really good poetry writer (I don’t know if I’ll call her a poet just yet. I need another poetry book from you, pookie)
They really were able to delve into the depths of an abusive and toxic relationship with a man. I really felt like I was there in that awful relationship and I felt horrible for Megan. I’m glad she turned her trauma into a poetry collection for others to relate to or understand. Writing is such a great form of therapy.
These were such powerful poems. I loved every single one of them. Megan is actually a really good poetry writer (I don’t know if I’ll call her a poet just yet. I need another poetry book from you, pookie)
They really were able to delve into the depths of an abusive and toxic relationship with a man. I really felt like I was there in that awful relationship and I felt horrible for Megan. I’m glad she turned her trauma into a poetry collection for others to relate to or understand. Writing is such a great form of therapy.
December 5, 2023
Today, Megan Fox read me bad slam poetry. It was awesome.
I respect Megan Fox’s attempt to tell her own story on her own terms. However, the choice to turn her experience with abusive relationships into a book of pretty, shiny poems makes it seem as though she’s glorifying physical abuse. These poems portray her as a serial masochist instead of a victim.
Alternate review: There are few things I have less patience for than a poem solely composed of the words “I hate men.”
I respect Megan Fox’s attempt to tell her own story on her own terms. However, the choice to turn her experience with abusive relationships into a book of pretty, shiny poems makes it seem as though she’s glorifying physical abuse. These poems portray her as a serial masochist instead of a victim.
Alternate review: There are few things I have less patience for than a poem solely composed of the words “I hate men.”
November 9, 2023
this won’t be everyone’s cup of tea but i loved it. big fan of megan. love the writing. cant wait to see what else she writes.
check TW’s
check TW’s
Read
January 24, 2024You’re absolutely delusional if you think I’m too good for this book.
Who is Megan Fox? The back of the book says it all. She is an actor, writer, and mother.
I grew up with a cohort for whom the name “Megan Fox” was the major cause of blushing and cold sweats. Still is, I will say, but in order for those memories to be stirred up these days, we may need to be walking along before hearing these words:
“Fate has yielded its reward. A new world to call home. We live among its people now, hiding in plain sight, but watching over them in secret. Waiting. Protecting. I have witnessed their capacity for courage. And though we are worlds apart, like us, there is more to them than meets the eye. I am Optimus Prime, and I send this message to any surviving Autobots taking refuge among the stars. We are here. We are waiting.” cue the song
Anyway.
Fox starts the book by addressing the reader directly. Perhaps a moment to cool down. We are in for it. She starts with emotion. “Dear reader,” she says, “All of my healers tell me that my throat chakra is blocked.” With that, we are off to the races. We go.
She says a bit more.
“My problem is that I deeply identify my feelings and have multitudinous ways of articulating them, but I am not able to express them because when I do it has made the men who have loved me feel intimidated, inadequate, and insecure.”
She goes on to mention that she has a “savior/martyr complex”, always having believed that she is “meant to be a sacrificial lamb” who is now jaded.
A short portion of the title poem, pretty boys are poisonous:
there he stands
tall, thin, twisted
like a tree you’d find in sleepy hollow
refusing to grow toward the light
instead he bends to the shadows
Here is another poem, i would die for y– oh, j/k lol:
if romeo and juliet had lived long enough maybe they too
would have gotten to the point where romeo was so num to
her that he would rather read twitter in bed than fuck…
because there’s always tomorrow for that
or maybe the next day… or the next…
i dunno he’s just so busy now
i still imagine she kills herself in the end though
only he doesn’t follow
he just signs up for raya instead
And another one, titled it’s giving patrick bateman:
your love leaves
bloodstains
on my bedsheets
There are many other poems in this collection.
One such poem is fatality:
you’ve been fighting me for three hours
like we're in a game of mortal kombat
i start daydreaming
of the look on your face
when i tell you
his dick was so much bigger than yours
Well, that would certainly hurt.
One more.
This one is called 7, the number of completion:
i hate men
i hate men
i hate men
i hate men
i hate men
i hate men
i hate men
This book was certainly one of the reading experiences of the year. Thank you Megan Fox.
Next up? I am diving deep into the mind of our poet-supreme, Aubrey Graham. If anyone knows a good place to buy a copy of that collection for a cheaper price, let me know. I have spent enough money on my dude as is, and I am far too old to continue doing so.
Who is Megan Fox? The back of the book says it all. She is an actor, writer, and mother.
I grew up with a cohort for whom the name “Megan Fox” was the major cause of blushing and cold sweats. Still is, I will say, but in order for those memories to be stirred up these days, we may need to be walking along before hearing these words:
“Fate has yielded its reward. A new world to call home. We live among its people now, hiding in plain sight, but watching over them in secret. Waiting. Protecting. I have witnessed their capacity for courage. And though we are worlds apart, like us, there is more to them than meets the eye. I am Optimus Prime, and I send this message to any surviving Autobots taking refuge among the stars. We are here. We are waiting.” cue the song
Anyway.
Fox starts the book by addressing the reader directly. Perhaps a moment to cool down. We are in for it. She starts with emotion. “Dear reader,” she says, “All of my healers tell me that my throat chakra is blocked.” With that, we are off to the races. We go.
She says a bit more.
“My problem is that I deeply identify my feelings and have multitudinous ways of articulating them, but I am not able to express them because when I do it has made the men who have loved me feel intimidated, inadequate, and insecure.”
She goes on to mention that she has a “savior/martyr complex”, always having believed that she is “meant to be a sacrificial lamb” who is now jaded.
A short portion of the title poem, pretty boys are poisonous:
there he stands
tall, thin, twisted
like a tree you’d find in sleepy hollow
refusing to grow toward the light
instead he bends to the shadows
Here is another poem, i would die for y– oh, j/k lol:
if romeo and juliet had lived long enough maybe they too
would have gotten to the point where romeo was so num to
her that he would rather read twitter in bed than fuck…
because there’s always tomorrow for that
or maybe the next day… or the next…
i dunno he’s just so busy now
i still imagine she kills herself in the end though
only he doesn’t follow
he just signs up for raya instead
And another one, titled it’s giving patrick bateman:
your love leaves
bloodstains
on my bedsheets
There are many other poems in this collection.
One such poem is fatality:
you’ve been fighting me for three hours
like we're in a game of mortal kombat
i start daydreaming
of the look on your face
when i tell you
his dick was so much bigger than yours
Well, that would certainly hurt.
One more.
This one is called 7, the number of completion:
i hate men
i hate men
i hate men
i hate men
i hate men
i hate men
i hate men
This book was certainly one of the reading experiences of the year. Thank you Megan Fox.
Next up? I am diving deep into the mind of our poet-supreme, Aubrey Graham. If anyone knows a good place to buy a copy of that collection for a cheaper price, let me know. I have spent enough money on my dude as is, and I am far too old to continue doing so.
January 1, 2024
“if romeo and juliet had lived long enough maybe they too would’ve gotten to the point where romeo was so numb to her that he would rather read twitter in bed than fuck”
god i love celebrity poetry collections 😭
this had a few poignant lines and the subject matter is very relatable but overall fell pretty flat. would have banged on 2012 tumblr tho.
god i love celebrity poetry collections 😭
this had a few poignant lines and the subject matter is very relatable but overall fell pretty flat. would have banged on 2012 tumblr tho.
February 11, 2025
"irate, you protest loudly that you are a free spirit
but your spirit isn't free
it's an indentured servant to the entities that occupy you
you're imprisoned by all of the demons you've bartered with
renting space in your body to them in exchange for a life that doesn't even make you happy
why do you sacrifice me to feed the things that haunt you"
An emotionally raw and vulnerable Megan Fox takes it to the page.
but your spirit isn't free
it's an indentured servant to the entities that occupy you
you're imprisoned by all of the demons you've bartered with
renting space in your body to them in exchange for a life that doesn't even make you happy
why do you sacrifice me to feed the things that haunt you"
An emotionally raw and vulnerable Megan Fox takes it to the page.
July 23, 2024
"...there is no beast so fierce
as a girl
with a bullet in her head
and an arrow through her heart..." Pg. 134
I commend Megan's honesty and bravery in writing about the abuse she has endured through these poems. However, this collection felt a bit incomplete to me. The titles were simple and often didn't really connect to the poem or just felt odd, for example, 'why I wish I was gay' and 'it's giving patrick bateman'. The poems did have a clear theme that carried throughout, which I do prefer in a poetry collection, but overall this wasn't my favourite collection. It honestly felt like any other hit-or-miss celebrity book to me.
November 17, 2023
yeah, this was bad.
it felt like in the poems with any kind of nuance that they were literally just glorifying/sexualizing physical abuse between her and her intimate partners in some poems.
there was also a poem accusing all women of judging her and hating them all too. i guess this was a book for her but wtf?
i also felt real weird about her writing a poem called "i wish i was gay" about how much she hates men.
so idk. 1 star for the art, which was beautiful. but the poems felt like she never quite grew out of her hot topic phase.
it felt like in the poems with any kind of nuance that they were literally just glorifying/sexualizing physical abuse between her and her intimate partners in some poems.
there was also a poem accusing all women of judging her and hating them all too. i guess this was a book for her but wtf?
i also felt real weird about her writing a poem called "i wish i was gay" about how much she hates men.
so idk. 1 star for the art, which was beautiful. but the poems felt like she never quite grew out of her hot topic phase.
Read
November 9, 2023It would be a disservice to rate this. Full of spite, rage, raw nerve, and hurt. . . I needed this one for my past life.
Much love for Megan🖤
Much love for Megan🖤
November 9, 2024
4 Stars for Pretty Boys Are Poisonous: Poems (audiobook) by Megan Fox read by the author.
It was said to hear how someone had wronged the author but I’m glad that she had this way of expressing herself. I hope this has helped heal her wounds and maybe she is open to finding a reliable guy that’s not necessarily so pretty.
It was said to hear how someone had wronged the author but I’m glad that she had this way of expressing herself. I hope this has helped heal her wounds and maybe she is open to finding a reliable guy that’s not necessarily so pretty.
January 1, 2024
A few months back Gallery Books sent me a copy of this and it felt like an appropriate book to close out my reading year with
I'll be honest and say that I'm not much of a poetry person. I've read a few of the buzzier titles over the year, a lot of the freeform more modern poetry that spent a good amount of time in the late 2010s getting referred to as Instagram captions... I guess you could argue some of the poems here fit that similar mold.
This one worked for me though. Maybe it was the illustrations, or maybe there was something in the construction of the thought combined with where I am now that allowed for everything to allign in just the right way.
I can't critique these in any sort of literary way since it's been a solid decade since I was asked to spend any amount of time breaking down poetry in my AP English 12 class. I can't talk at length about the poetic technique that Fox uses in this particular collection and whether they are used in the most effective way. For every poem that did work for me there were just as many that I felt were fine. As a whole I enjoyed my time reading the collection and for those that are at least open to modern poetry I think it's worth your time to read a few of these at a time.
I'll be honest and say that I'm not much of a poetry person. I've read a few of the buzzier titles over the year, a lot of the freeform more modern poetry that spent a good amount of time in the late 2010s getting referred to as Instagram captions... I guess you could argue some of the poems here fit that similar mold.
This one worked for me though. Maybe it was the illustrations, or maybe there was something in the construction of the thought combined with where I am now that allowed for everything to allign in just the right way.
I can't critique these in any sort of literary way since it's been a solid decade since I was asked to spend any amount of time breaking down poetry in my AP English 12 class. I can't talk at length about the poetic technique that Fox uses in this particular collection and whether they are used in the most effective way. For every poem that did work for me there were just as many that I felt were fine. As a whole I enjoyed my time reading the collection and for those that are at least open to modern poetry I think it's worth your time to read a few of these at a time.
November 23, 2023
when she said i hate men x7 i giggled a bit
January 21, 2024
The last thing anyone needs is to romanticize another toxic couple with bad internet poetry.
Stick to Transformers.
Stick to Transformers.
January 11, 2024
disrespectfully, wtf
December 31, 2024
“how many times have you watched me die and still you don't realize that you are the reaper”
These poems were so heartbreaking yet so very powerful. I found 4 or 5 that really resonated with me and definitely had me needing to take a minute to just feel being seen in her words. I am glad to have picked this up.
4 stars!
These poems were so heartbreaking yet so very powerful. I found 4 or 5 that really resonated with me and definitely had me needing to take a minute to just feel being seen in her words. I am glad to have picked this up.
4 stars!
January 6, 2024
It’s giving ✨high school✨
The content matter of this book is not mine to judge. I have lived many of the same experiences. It’s the delivery that had me cringing. I think Megan would have been able to better convey this through a memoir, even if ghost written. I’m not sure one can call this poetry?
“It’s giving Patrick Bateman” actual quote that had me almost closing this one all together.
This felt very poorly written, at times immature (comparing Adam and Eve to her not getting enough sex) and also reaching to be profound (constant Greek mythology references not fitting the vibe).
Weird!
The content matter of this book is not mine to judge. I have lived many of the same experiences. It’s the delivery that had me cringing. I think Megan would have been able to better convey this through a memoir, even if ghost written. I’m not sure one can call this poetry?
“It’s giving Patrick Bateman” actual quote that had me almost closing this one all together.
This felt very poorly written, at times immature (comparing Adam and Eve to her not getting enough sex) and also reaching to be profound (constant Greek mythology references not fitting the vibe).
Weird!
November 7, 2023
I’d rather rate it zero stars but it doesn’t give me that option. Thoughtless and dull. Nothing was revealed but how painfully obviously it is that this woman wants to victimize herself and look externally for her faults (of which she seems to pretend she has none.) A sad excuse for catharsis and a money grab to fund her exceedingly obvious habits 💉
If you’re a fan of her you’ll probably like it because you have terrible taste. She can’t act, she can’t voice act, and she certainly has no place in writing but because she’s rich and famous, she can do whatever she wants. Congratulations. You’ve managed to bore me to death. Not a single thought provoking moment. You want to be edgy and risqué but you played it as safe as you could. You hate men, I hate your book.
If you’re a fan of her you’ll probably like it because you have terrible taste. She can’t act, she can’t voice act, and she certainly has no place in writing but because she’s rich and famous, she can do whatever she wants. Congratulations. You’ve managed to bore me to death. Not a single thought provoking moment. You want to be edgy and risqué but you played it as safe as you could. You hate men, I hate your book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,504 reviews