Once Upon a Midnight Scroll: Poems for the Overstimulated & Disillusioned

by Heidi Becker

The debut poetry collection from viral TikTok poet Heidi Becker offers whip-smart, humorous verse that is sure to lead Gen Z from doomscrolling and ‘brain rot’ to an anti-capitalist awakening.

Turning brain-rot language and social-media speak against itself, Once Upon a Midnight Scroll memorializes the viral words of writer and creator Heidi Becker—an irreverent antidote to the over-stimulation of modern life, served in raw truths and playful cynicism you can take all at once or in small doses.

These deeply honest poems explore self-worth, identity, love, and connection with humor, empathy, and a wicked wit, capturing the anxieties of today’s youth through the all-too-familiar haze of a midnight scroll.

Open it up and ask the question of a ‘Is this play about us?’

Genres: Poetry

128 pages, Paperback

Published July 28, 2026

Reviews

[Lottie Smalley · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ✨ (though i’m not really sure how to rate poetry?) i don’t think i’ve read poetry since i was in school, so when i stumbled on this collection i decided to give it a shot! and yeah, i enjoyed it! but i’m also VERY aware that i am basically the exact target audience for this book. many of these poems felt like such a precise reflection of what it’s like to be a western woman born in the late 90s and raised alongside the internet.

heidi’s spoken word videos are incredibly well done and you can definitely hear her voice while you’re reading if you’re familiar with her content. the poems touch on themes like phone addiction, situationships, beauty standards, performative everything, and so on!

some poems struck me more than others, but almost all of them resonated in some way. it does get a little repetitive because she’ll sometimes circle the same idea again from a slightly different angle, but the collection is already short enough that i didn’t really mind. i just took each poem for what it was, and together they felt really cohesive. (i did think the first half was stronger than the second though)

i wouldn’t necessarily say the collection is giving you brand new revelations about any of these topics, but weirdly that wasn’t what i wanted from it? there was something comforting about seeing one person articulate SO many of the tiny frustrations, anxieties, and contradictions that have also been on replay in my own brain.

some may read this and find it cringey or full of internet lingo or trying too hard or WHATEVER and you know… maybe sometimes that’s true!! but it also got me to put down my phone! and read! it made me feel something! it made me think! so i think it did its job! and now i’m less scared of reading more poetry so yay!

[Jessi ❤️ H. Vojsk [if villain, why hot?] · Rating 3 out of 5]

I used to see the glass as half full
But it slipped from my hand and shattered
The sharp shards piercing me in the foot
A disillusionment of false hope

Phone addiction, doom scrolling, the current situationship epidemic mixed with criticism of social constructs as beauty, body types and perfection.

While it started good and got even better in the middle, it lost me from there and I couldn’t find my way back.

[chloereadsallday · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poetry for those with social media and phone addiction. I found this to be extremely relatable. And very perfect for women in today's world. I think at times it was repetitive with the same message kind of repeating at times. But I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would definitely buy it for friends. I am definitely the target audience and I really liked it.


Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

[2raccoonsinacoat]

I fear this was…too millennial for me.

I appreciate this for what it is, but it did not read like poetry to me. The author is being honest and talking about some real issues, particularly with social media, body image/femininity pressure. But I’ve heard a lot of it before in the comment sections and there really wasn’t much to attach to poetically. Just not for me.

Thank you to Andrews McNeel Publishing and NetGalley for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Emily · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was abysmal. I regret the time I spent reading it.

I’ve followed Heidi for awhile now and usually enjoy her creative, fast-paced content critiquing capitalism and algorithms. I ended up requesting an ARC of her book after watching a scandal unfold where she did a paid partnership with Meta promoting their RayBan Meta glasses, something that is antithetical to everything she seems to stand for based on her content. Then she proceeded to create a series of skits about an influencer in the future getting canceled. Hmmm! I was intrigued and thought maybe this was an extremely long commitment to a bit, that it was performance art and she was very smart. After reading her book…yikes. I’m not convinced she’s smart or that she didn’t take Meta money.

These poems were all incredibly cliche, saying nothing new. The form didn’t feel poetic at all. Some of the rants about the beauty industry really did have me feeling like girl! Just log off! No one is making you buy all these serums and creams! Yes, this shit is insidious, but you’re giving it more power. Idk if I’m making any sense.

I think great poetry often has beautiful imagery, strong verbs, or shares a story that makes you feel something. It surprises you, it punches you in the gut and takes your breath away. This poetry didn’t do any of that. Every poem was incredibly wordy and somehow said nothing at the same time. She uses a lot of big words and throws around intangible concepts as if that’s painting a picture and sparking emotions, when she’s just lecturing you on what you should think (ironic given how much she goes on about how the algorithms shape your thinking!) There’s no subtlety or nuance.

I was so glad when this collection was over.

I appreciate NetGalley and the publisher giving me an opportunity to read an early copy of this :)

[Katie Perkins · Rating 2 out of 5]

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book!
Gorgeous cover, first of all. That's what initially drew me to this collection, and the title flows nicely too. Unfortunately that is largely where my praise for this stops. I was interested in the premise for the volume, but everything in it felt like it was trying to hard to be #relateable. Nothing was said throughout this that I haven't seen in other poems, webcomics, online skits, or just random think pieces already. And that doesn't have to be a bad thing, but there's just nothing that I feel like stuck out in a way that's memorable to Becker's work specifically. There are fleeting lines throughout the volume that are kind of nice, but don't really stick in your brain when you're done. The observations made throughout the collection feel very surface level, and don't delve any deeper than that. If this were a first draft I'd say it was a good start, I do think that with some refining and reflection that there are some good bones in here.
If I were younger I might have liked this more, and I can see this being really popular with people who are chronically online.

[♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A highly relatable poetry collection that women, gen z / millennials or anyone who uses social media a lot will find themselves resonating with!
There was a lot of great social commentary on the beauty industry, politics, the current state of the world etc.
I appreciated the author speaking up about her views and making it clear what she believes in.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review

[the great gretsby · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 ⭐️

this was full of buzzwords, but i don’t think it really introduced any new ideas. there were a lot of thoughts i do agree with, but it stayed so general, impersonal and on the surface that it had very little impact. i think this really wanted to be relatable and completely failed at that for me despite also being quite chronically online because there was very little of the introspection i usually appreciate in poetry. a lot of the themes were repeated over and over again, with not much nuance added.
the style of poetry personally really didn’t work for me either, it wasn’t very lyrical at all which isn’t always a bad thing if it feels intentional and is well done, but this just read a little like a rant from an instagram caption someone pressed enter on a lot. i’m very much in favour of accessible and more direct language in poetry but i do think you have to do something with the form! this was honestly giving taylor swift lyrics, i’m sorry.
the cover and title were so promising but alas they’re the only things that really convinced me here!

[Jillian Humke · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

I think some of the poems are a little too "tiktok girly" for me, but I was mostly looking for poems to use in poetry pieces and POIs, and there definitely are some of those.

[Kaylee · Rating 4 out of 5]

a poignant look at how social media has worked its way into nearly every aspect of many people’s, especially women’s, lives. it serves as documentation of micro trends, niche aesthetics and -cores, and slang that comes and goes in an instant. one critique I do have is the first section feels very samey poem to poem, but otherwise each poem delves into internet culture and the harm that follows in its footsteps.

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

I requested this galley because I was intrigued by the title and cover, and it didn’t disappoint! I enjoyed Heidi Becker’s poetry about being a woman in the modern world, and the fairy-tale twist was interesting. I would definitely read more of her poetry in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the review copy.

Pub Date: July 28, 2026

[Josie Kandich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a doom scrolling girly’s poetic manifesto- and I’m here for it

[Wolfie · Rating 4 out of 5]

"When there is no land left / To buy, level, and brand / They will come for our attention spans"

What to Expect:
- anti-capitalism themes
- body image and beauty standards
- internet culture critique
- contemporary poetry

3.50★ rounded up to 4★

I was interested in this book because of itsuseof poetry to comment on the impacts of being chronically online and the way that capitalism, advertising, and social expectations all shape the way people see themselves. I think this book will especially resonate with those who relate heavily to doomscrolling culture, and to the pressure surrounding appearance and womanhood (as well as girlhood).

Going into it, I will admit I was expecting the collection to focus more broadly on internet culture and capitalism, rather than focusing more specifically on women within these systems. However, I think these topics are applicable to everyone and can be something many readers strongly connect with, even those who do not identify as female. So while I don’t think I was necessarily the target audience for this one, I still found it to be an interesting and enjoyable read at times! The collection leans heavily into a contemporary, conversational style, with many poems reading more like reflections or internal monologues. I especially liked the fairy tale twists woven throughout the poems, and there were several lines and poems that particularly stuck with me (especially, "The Fast Lane Just Got Faster" and "70 Degrees in February in the Northeast").

While I appreciated many of the ideas and conversations this collection explored, some of the poems began to feel repetitive to me after a while. Still, there were moments that felt genuinely insightful and thought-provoking, and I am glad that I read it. I can absolutely see this collection resonating deeply with the right audience!

[Aster Carlyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title and cover made me think this poetry collection was going to crack me open, but it never fully connected even though I agreed with its messaging. Final Score: 2.3

What Worked Well For Me
Even though this poetry style didn’t work for me, there were a few poems that I enjoyed a bit more. Lucky Puppet, Lucky Puppet Inception, What If Our Heads Were See-Through?, and When I Grow Up, I Want to Be a Kid worked better for me. The blurb promised playful cynicism and that did land for me. The humor didn’t land for me personally, but I can see how it would have landed for people who connected with the poems more than I did!

I’m newer to reading poetry, but I did enjoy analyzing what wasn’t working for me here so that I can find other poems/poetry collections that might resonate more for me. I know this is technically a negative, but I did appreciate the opportunity to learn more about my taste in poetry so I’m putting it here!


Where It Fell Short For me
The themes this poetry collection mostly centered around (feminism, toxic social media/beauty standards, patriarchy, capitalism) are all themes I care about and would love to read more poetry exploring these topics, but for me, the collection never really went beyond surface level. I think because I didn’t really connect with them, that really pushed me to feel like this collection was ultimately pretty repetitive too.

When I was trying to figure out why this wasn’t working for me, I kept coming back to this idea of generic vulnerability which might be unfair of me to say. Publishing your poems is already a very vulnerable act, but I think I was hoping for more raw vulnerability - it felt like these poems didn’t really risk a lot. Instead, it felt like a lot of these poems were trying to play it safe to be as relatable to as many people as possible which felt almost ironic to me. In my mind, the best poetry can still relate to a lot of different people, but it does that because it’s specific not despite it.

The blurb also mentions leading readers to an “anti-capitalist awakening” and that felt like a pretty big stretch to me. There are themes around anti-capitalism throughout this collection, but if I wasn’t already an anti-capitalist person, I don’t think these poems would have necessarily swayed me much.

I also felt like it was a little ironic that a “viral TikTok poet” was critiquing social media’s impact on women, in a book packaged and marketed through that same virality. That’s not to say that going viral on Tiktok should disqualify this person from writing poetry, it just felt a little odd to me.

Final Thoughts, Opinions & Recommendations
As far as I remember, I don’t think I have encountered any of Becker’s videos on social media. Given the themes throughout this poetry collection, it’s possible, but if I did, I didn’t find them very memorable. Part of me is curious if I would have liked Becker’s content in a different format, but because I didn’t love this collection I’m not necessarily eager to go seek out more of their content, even in a different format.

My thanks to NetGalley & Andrews McMeel Publishing for the complimentary copy. Once Upon a Midnight Scroll: Poems for the Overstimulated & Disillusioned is set to publish on 07/28/2026. All opinions are my own.

TL;DR
Would I Recommend it? Not really
Would I Reread it? No
Would I Read More From This Author? Undecided - I’m not planning on seeking them out, but I haven’t written them off either.

Star Score Breakdown
Personal Enjoyment: 2
Overall Execution: 2.5
Craft & Writing Quality: 2.5
Final Score: 2.3

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't read a lot of poetry but was drawn to this one because I'm always up for commentary on our current social-media driven culture, especially with the rise of everything related to our appearance and dependence on technology that infiltrates our identity.

This was a cool collection, and it definitely delivered on the commentary aspect. Each section seemed to evolve from what's toxic as a result of the 'doom scroll'/tech to a more hopeful outlook and message if we change our behavior and thought processes. I took notes on each section, which all seemed to have a core idea/message, so here's what to expect for that (briefly):

🏆 evolving from insecurity apologies to being confident in the contradictions of yourself, in saying you don't have everything figured out but that's okay, in being proud of yourself and wanting to share your accomplishments, in not staying meek and silent, in taking up space, in persisting and keeping your head above water (**with lots of commentary specifically about the patriarchy and how women are held to specific standards/how they're treated)

🪞 the never ending cycle of chasing a certain physical appearance, so much so that you miss out on experiencing life; it's better to exercise your mind and reconnect with genuine people and the real world; nothing tastes as good as smart feels

♥️ you end up happier when you go back to your genuinely authentic self, not performing online, chasing false depictions/aspirations, or trying to keep up with constant competition, and productivity

📱 technology makes it so that we don't form our own opinions and feelings anymore; we cater to what won't essentially get us 'cancelled' in real life by taking cues we see online

👑 people in power don't care about us

✅ the internet has made our relationships shallow, feeling more like a checklist than real feelings

🌳 there's magic in the everyday and more we can learn from the real world than online; we should stop constantly chasing other people's dreams, expectations, or timelines

As a whole, the poems definitely gave a sense of unity, though I didn't feel 'hit' with a gut punch that I look for in poetry to really connect. I don't feel like I can really comment on the 'quality' of the poems themselves, as I don't know much about the structure of poetry (aka I know it's not just rhyming), but I did find that the sections got a bit weaker in impact for me as the collection went on. Sometimes it didn't feel as much like poetry to me rather than an overt idea being formed into a sentence, then broken into lines (rather than using imagery, metaphors, etc.).

The section called "Lost in the Labyrinth" was my favorite, and here were my standouts of the collection (all of which came from this section):
♟️ Checkmate --> women are constantly told opposing things about the "right" way to be, and it's a constant battle with new games and rules but the same opposing instructions; it keeps women trapped in a cycle of trying to meet impossible demands to 'keep us busy' because if we weren't, we might threaten the kings with our power

👸 Princess-Treatment Preachers --> social media tells us how to make ourselves smaller and act right to be treated like a prize, like a "princess," our worth only determined by the prince if we play the part, follow the script; the life of a princess is glamorized, but in reality the castle is a trap; we are lured up a spiral staircase into a tower; real princesses are female leaders breaking kingdom walls

🧍‍♀️When I Grow Up, I Want to Be a Kid

[em · Rating 2 out of 5]

buckle up y'all, we are officially in the age of instagram poetry being published.

i was excited for this collection considering the promising premise, but it ultimately fell flat. it was fun in the beginning, but quickly got a bit redundant. there are only so many times i can read a poem about doomscrolling or unrealistic beauty standards for women until it gets old. okay, i understand these things exist. you, as the author, understand these things exist...what's something new you can say about them? the entire collection was lacking analysis beyond the simple.

the overarching themes of the work also left something major to be desired, as i really didn't see any connection between the poems within each section. certain poems were intimate and vulnerable, but that's about all. everything was said and nothing was shown. she didn't write like the reader was intelligent and capable of making their own inferences about her work. i don't want to be too mean because there is definitely an audience for these type of poems and lots of potential, but the writing is sadly very juvenile and pedestrian. a diary that happened to be published.

perhaps my biggest problem (and i do mean problem!) with this work is within her poem 'texting the trees'. the lines about [paraphrasing here] "thousands of inquires to chatgpt" and "plugging famous poems into chatgpt just to see".....GIRL. i don't know about you but we are NOT pro ai. these little flippant quips about using something that will literally and i do mean literally burn this earth and us and everything in it to the ground, is a major no from me. the work lost a entire star for me because i was so turned off by this confession and it honestly made me look at the other poems, even the ones i did enjoy, in an entirely different light. all the musings on the dangers of technology in the 20+ other poems just to mention her frequent use of ai.......golly gee.

i enjoy heidi's instagram reels and imo that's a really great avenue for this type of commentary to reach young/chronically online people. it was very much 'feminism' and 'woes-of-technology’ 101 but it's a good access point for people who don't go out of their way to expose themselves to these ideas.

big thanks to the publisher & netgalley for this arc!

tldr; the book felt like this gif.
at times i swear the author was just putting gen alpha/z internet slang into a word generator to create some sort of poem. i enjoyed it, but it really taught me nothing else about life or our current cultural moment, which is a shame considering i intentionally seek out poetry to alter the way i see the world.

[Kai (CuriousCompass) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A stroll through the midnight musings of a chronically online doomscroller who may or may not have a retail therapy problem.

On the one hand I was warned before going into this poetry collection that it was a collection for the chronically online era, on the other hand I do believe almost all of this author's problems would be solved by either turning off her phone or changing her algorithm and how she interacts with social media.

Plenty of the poems in the book are relatable, although relatable doesn't always translate to good, and unfortunately a few poems here that should have been good overstayed their welcome by a few lines. Cutting more meat from the bones to leave these pieces at their sharpest and most concise would have elevated them from okay to fantastic.

There are a few fantastic poems here though, particularly Lucky Puppet, where the author talks about how, as the saying goes, life is but a stage - she's noticing some of the other puppets start to notice their strings for the first time. Interesting stuff. The followup poem Lucky Puppet Inception was also a personal favorite.

Obsessive Girl, Awkward Woman was an incredible piece about society's fear of just calling a woman a woman, and womanhood in general, and our desire/tendency/insistence on reducing grown women to girls and girlhood.

Other favorites: "When I Grow Up I Want to Be a Kid," "Mom's Phone Number," "Clock In, Lock in, Wake Up, Fear," "Sleeping Beauty Goes For A Stroll," "How Old Were You," "My Skinny Shack is Falling Apart," "I Think I'm Turning Plastic," "What Radicalized You," "The Attention Economy," "The Fluffy White Caterpillar," and "Silence is A Scarier Sound"

Although there's great material here there's also a lot that feels like filler or just feels trite, been-there, done-that. Not all art or poetry needs to be groundbreaking, but there's something to be said for needing to mine deeper sometimes; a few of these poems definitely should have been left on the cutting room floor.

While this collection overall certainly could've been sharper and more fulfilling for me, I still found a lot to love here and will definitely revisit the author in the future. Heidi Becker definitely has something, I believe this was a case of the 'chronically online' persona/themes not working for me as opposed to the writer herself not working for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a free review copy via NetGalley!

[Literarilyconfused · Rating 5 out of 5]

I give thanks to the publisher and author for my ARC copy of Once Upon A Midnight Scroll.
As a self-proclaimed literary allusion nerd, I found the title of this book referencing Edgar Allan Poe’s poem the Raven made it appeal even more to me. Add in the double entendre of the word “scroll” and I was hooked. Its release coincides with the currently trending millennial renaissance resurgence and I can see the hype.
Parts of the book I particularly enjoyed included the easily identifiable literary allusions, such as the title reference to the poem the Raven and Kafka’s metamorphosis but a modernized take on its opening line. I also appreciated the midway attention span check in by author Heidi Becker. The idea that you can never return spent time hit deep.
The poems are arranged in relevant categories which logistically makes sense. Some of the poem topics, especially the one of self image, seemed repetitive to me. But I admit my perception was a bit skewed by quickly reading straight though the book. Perhaps with more space to process the words they would sit better with me. I favored the more introspective, fantastical poems and would have enjoyed even more of them. In that regard it is a matter of personal preference. The book's transition from seemingly superficial light topics at the start and concluding with deeper ones was a great way to draw readers further into the poems.
I picked up this book to satisfy my curiosity after reading the unique tile. I enjoy poetry but don’t often take the time to seek it out. Reading Once Upon A Midnight Scroll has encouraged me to read more of the poetry genre going forward. Becker’s work is thought provoking, funny and relatable. I can see myself gifting it to many friends in my circle.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this as an advanced reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I really love reading poetry out loud. It helps me hear the rhythms the poet has put their thoughts to, and sometimes I think you can understand a poem differently when you hear it rather than simply read it on the page.

I had actually told myself I was going to stop requesting poetry from NetGalley because I find poetry incredibly difficult to critique. I've read enough of it now, though, to know that there is poetry that's perfectly okay, and then there is poetry that feels like a symphony score.

This book is a symphony.

The ideas expressed in these poems really resonated with me, but it's more than that. There is music here. Actual music in the language. It comes through even when I'm reading silently, but when I read these poems aloud, I feel almost as though I'm singing them. There's a rhythm and musicality to the words that made reading this collection an experience rather than simply reading one poem after another.

And perhaps the biggest compliment I can give this book is this: it is very rare for me to buy brand-new books, especially books I've already read. Every once in a while, though, I read something and realize that borrowing it, reviewing it, or having temporary access to it isn't enough. I want my own copy sitting on my shelf so I can come back to it.

Once Upon a Midnight Scroll is one of those books.

[Allyson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for this ARC!

Once Upon a Midnight Scroll captured my attention solely for the gorgeous cover, and kept it for my intrigue at this premise - a poetry collection speaking on the modern digital age of social media and digital consumerism.

I found this poetry collection very fitting for the times, and for a debut poetry collection, it was quite enjoyable to read through. Some of my favorite poems from the collection include "Princess-Treatment Preachers," "Dandelion Girls," and "What Radicalized You?"

There were definitely a few poems that were not as strong as the rest, but in a large collection of poetry, obviously there would be a few that I didn't click with as well as I had others. While sometimes I had felt myself losing interest in this poetry collection, overall, it was entertaining and relatable, and made me rethink some of my social media doomscrolling habits.

[Alaya · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you to Net galley and the publishers for this advanced copy.

The only poem I partially enjoyed was " What If our Heads Were See Through", it seemed to flip the perspective of fat phobic internet propaganda into a satirical competition of intelligence. The content was heavily recycled throughout the rest of the poems in this section. It seems this one was only memorable because it introduced a new idea, while the rest of the book remained a regurgitation of Gen Z slang.
It seemed like it was trying to be a wake up call about our collective social media addiction, but it just came off as tame feminist rants transcribed onto a page and cut into line breaks. This seems like poetry written to try to convince people that poetry can be "relevant" or "relatable" instead of purely intellectual and inaccessible as is the public misconception. This attempt to appeal to everyone left the poems feeling generalist and impersonal whereas my favorite thing about poetry is how it can show you tender intimate iterations of someone's life.
Even the poems that attempted to be somewhat political ( ie. poem about ICE and "Rubber Bullets" ) felt like they were tiptoeing around saying anything that meant something.

[safacake · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 🌟

I’m a big fan of Heidi’s spoken word and performance poetry, I think she’s got huge potential as a poet.

There were lots of interesting concepts and some fantastic lines that were thought-provoking, but I think this collection really needed a good editor and just more time. Many poems read like early drafts that needed more editing and there were great ideas that needed teasing out more. Also spoken-word poetry doesn’t always translate well to paper and I felt that was sometimes the case in this collection. I really think with a good poetry mentor Heidi could keep developing her voice and work and become a really strong poet. I’m excited to keep following her journey as a performer and poet!

‘But What If Our Heads Were See-Through’ was my favourite 🩷

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for a review 🫶🏼

[Frankkie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes I think it’s hard to judge poetry because it can feel like you’re reading someone’s personal thoughts, almost like you’re reading their diary. This feels like one of those times.

My rating is based mainly on the subject matter, which I don’t think I’m the preferred audience for. I liked the poems more as I got further into the collection, and I can see how its themes of being perpetually online and constantly fed beauty standards through social media would resonate with a lot of people. There are probably people who could genuinely benefit from reading these poems and, maybe, rethink their own online consumption. If nothing else, reading this made me want to go offline.

I just don’t think I’m the target demographic for this type of poetry, so my rating reflects that more than the quality of the poems themselves.

I was gifted an advanced copy of this book from the publisher.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obtained the digital ARC from NetGalley, thank you for letting me read this early and I'm pleading you to please send me a signed copy if I review it on TikTok.

Highly enjoyable read and honestly, I'm the target audience for this s**t. 4.5 stars. I only say that because sometimes it felt repetitive but I'm pretty sure that's the point.

Favorite poems included: When I Grow Up, I Want To Be a Kid, Sleeping Beauty Goes for a Scroll, & What Radicalized You?
Favorite quotes:
- “Spending time thinking about how I should care less / Because if the planet is a pebble in the vastness / We’re merely tiny grains of sand”
- “I thought we were all rooting for good to win / That Lord Voldemort / And President Snow / Were the evil villains we agreed to root against”

[Anastey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Heidi Becker for sending me this advance review copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was a fascinating book!

I loved how it dug in deep to internet culture and how it affects us, especially in negative ways. The ways doom scrolling affects how we view our own bodies is spot on, and how it numbs your brain to all the bad things going on is kinda scary when you think about it. It feels like we are always wearing a mask, trying to be perceived in the best light while hiding everything wrong in our lives. The amount of misogyny, along with unachievable beauty standards is mind boggling, and incredibly damaging as well.

This is an amazing book of poetry and one I will definitely read again.

[Estherelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, I'm not the best judge of poetry, but reading Once Upon a Midnight Scroll is so much better than late-night doomscrolling.

I'm just a conflicted, confused girl woman
Who sometimes claims I'm just a girl
Because I am just a girl
But I'm so much more than
JUST a girl

So I, for one, really liked it, and parts of the poems really resonated with me.

Remove the J-U-S-T
Just four little letters

Thanks to Heidi Becker, Andrews McMeel and Netgally for or the opportunity to read Once Upon a Midnight Scroll as an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Meghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Once Upon a Midnight Scroll” is the debut poetry collection from social media star Heidi Becker. This book is about the “doomscroll” and negative influence that social media holds over all of us. She addresses the differences between Instagram and reality, the impact of our phones on our mental health, and the ways in which women constantly feel “less than”.

It’s a solid but repetitive collection that I think could’ve used a stronger editor. Some of the metaphors are pretty simplistic. I think many of the poems work best spoken aloud and not read on the page.

3 stars.

I received this book complimentary from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

[Jammedinpages · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rating: 1.5/5 stars

Ah. So the author does the bit on her social media and it makes a lot more sense as spoken poetry than reading it. It’s word vomit of gen-z slang that tries to piece together a coherent thought.

Some poems were alright (I’m Just a Woman, Mom’s Phone Number), but the themes get recycled in later poems so it gets pretty underwhelming content-wise. This book is not for me, I fear. If you’re easily entertained by modern slang repeated every line, this might be for you. Don’t walk, run and buy this book, queen.

Thank you NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing me with this ARC.

[Rozuva Phynix · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley for sending me a copy.

After reading this poetry collection, I discovered that the author is a viral Tik Tok poet. I didn’t know that. I just saw this poetry collection was on Netgalley, loved the cover & requested it. Nothing more.

This poetry collection discusses topics of identity, self image, human connection, nature, and much more in an age of social media, written in fairytale like prose, which was beautifully written.

Some poetry was able to put words that I struggled to put and hence I felt less alone in that regard. Although it didn’t change my life, I enjoyed my time reading it in one sitting.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this poetry collection. Its contemporary style stood out to me, especially because it avoided the overly whimsical prose that often appears in modern poetry. That made the collection feel more authentic and accessible. I also think the author did an excellent job of capturing the emotions and experiences that many girls who spend time online have likely felt at some point. The poems explore themes that resonate with the realities of internet culture, particularly the feeling of getting lost in an endless doom scroll. Because of this, I believe almost any girl who has experienced life online could find at least one poem, or even just a few lines that feel deeply relatable.