This Is Girlhood

by Jennae Cecelia

This Is Girlhood is a collection of poems on friendship written for the women who supported, encouraged, and understood us in ways no one else ever could. These pieces celebrate the inside jokes, shared history, difficult seasons, and the moments that brought you closer than you ever expected.

Jennae Cecelia captures the emotion of growing up, growing apart, and growing into ourselves with moving clarity. Honoring the girls we once were and the women we have become. Reflecting on nostalgia, identity, healing, hope, and the lasting influence of girlhood.

Perfect for fans of friendship poetry, women’s coming-of-age stories, and heartfelt gift books. This Is Girlhood is a collection to share with someone who changed your life or to keep close as a reminder of the relationships that continue to enter your world.

If you're searching for a gift that says thank you, I love you, I see you, I’m grateful for you, this book does all of that at once.

Perfect

best friendssistersbridesmaidscoworkers who became familymom friendsA sentimental gift for birthdays, holidays, Galentine’s Day, or any moment when you want someone you love to feel appreciated.

For every friend from every chapter. This Is Girlhood.

Genres: Poetry

150 pages, Paperback

Published December 12, 2025

About the author

Jennae Cecelia is a bestselling author and poet, recognized for her books The Sun Will Rise and So Will We and Healing For No One But Me and the viral “I met my younger self for coffee” poem. Starting in 2016, she self-published her debut book which became a #1 bestseller on Amazon. Her mission is to write words that comfort and resonate deeply with her audience. Jennae spends her time creating custom poetry for readers, turning her poems into illustrated pieces, and teaching other authors how to share their writing with the world.

Reviews

[Kendra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel a bit raw and gutted and glued back together all at the same time.

[Daytona Grazier · Rating 5 out of 5]

tell the homies you love them

[Andrada · Rating 5 out of 5]

“if i never fall in love romantically. i think i’ll still have lived a life full of love. because i have my girls. the ones who showed me love long before i even knew what i was looking for.” ❤️

[Richelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful collection of poetry about all stages of female life and friendship. Some brought back fun, visceral memories of having friends over at my house during my elementary and teen years. Some made me think of my college roommates and how our friendship has changed and deepened over time. And some made me think of newer friends I’ve made who I’m thankful to know at this stage of my life.

Not all poems were winners for me. Additionally, like the last poetry collection by this author that I read, this collection didn’t have titles, and I wish it did. However, this collection had sections, and most of my favorite poems were in “The Girlhood We Became” section.

This is a poetry collection meant to be shared with your best girlfriends.

[Georgia Mullins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful collection of poems on female friendship throughout the phases of life.
Highly recommend reading and gifting to those friends nearest and dearest to you 💕

[Bre · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to text my girls between both the giggles and the tears. My heart needed this.

[Sam Tate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written with all the feels

[Baleigh Tolksdorf · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a girl who adores the community of women in my life, this book of poems really pulled at my heart strings.

[Saundri Luippold · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a beautiful depiction of the growth of girlhood, showing how the little things that made it so quintessential as a child stay and shift and morph into something beautiful in adulthood. This really captures the nuance of having friends, missing friends, letting go of ones that hurt you, and the push and pull between being in different stages with your friends as you get older. This book made me feel like it’s okay to have these changes in friendships and it’s all something we struggle with and celebrate and love. Highly recommend to anyone who wants to dive deep into female friendship and all the whimsical, fascinating things about girlhood.

[Kelli Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t think I’ve ever read a book of poetry, but this one felt good. The poems made me want to hug my girlfriends, from all stages of my life, including myself as a kid, and the girlfriends I have yet to meet.

[Mikayla Stuart]

Absolutely wrecked me. Like reading someone’s diary, except then you realize that it’s YOUR diary told from someone else’s pen. Made me want to hug all my friends.

[Michelle Fisch · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ⭐️ My camera roll is full of my favs. I wish I could read this again.

[Allie campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cover to cover in a day.
I love this

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tore out poems from the book and used them in my bridesmaid proposal baskets, they were perfect!

[Lauren Jarrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

not full of all my favorite poems but super nostalgic and a few had me weeping. it was a sweet read.

[Mariana Torres · Rating 5 out of 5]

love being a woman <3333333

[Angelina Nguyen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nostalgia in many ways


Although some friendships may fade with time, I’m grateful that, at some point in our lives, our paths crossed. We got to know and cherish one another, share pieces of our lives, and make the most of the time we had together. Even if some friendships weren’t meant to last forever, I’ll always be grateful that they existed at all


I am grateful for the friendships that have continued to stay and grow

Girlhood is so special

I love being a girl

[Margie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Copyright 2025. I received this slim (147pp) book of poetry on girlhood and friendship from a very dear friend during a recent girls weekend at the beach. She gave one book out to each of us in the friend group; I assume all of ours were inscribed with a brief note of love from her on the inside title page; she’s that kind of person. So yeah, this was going to be a 5 star review without my even cracking open the poems themselves.

But the poems delivered. I read them sporadically over a few weeks. By page 19 I was starting to highlight lines here and there that resonated with me. And soon was texting our friend group a pic of the poem on page 49 that spoke to me most about them:

we've become experts at the little things.
the "our songs" playlists,
the random venmo for coffee,
or videos we find funny on tiktok.

we keep showing up
in the middle of each other's days.
a text between errands.
voice memos before bed.
or a photo of something that only we understand.
remembering the details of someone else's world.
even when it's miles away from yours.

i think about how rare it is to feel known
even miles apart and seeing each other through a
screen.
that's the thing about us, we never let the miles win.
we just keep finding ways
to remind each other that this is worth it.
because it is.

This is a sweet, thoughtful book that explores various phases of girlhood - from early childhood through adulthood, of friendships lost or which faded away, to new relationships forged later in life. I think the author is maybe in her 30s so it would be interesting to see how these poems would evolve even further once she reaches the stage I and my friends are now at (grandchildren, retirement, scary health issues). But at the end of the day, the author already grasps all the many nuances of girlhood and friendship. Definitely a book to gift your besties.

Some fave lines that made me think of ALL my BFFs throughout my life:

▶️ I realize how much of my story has your name written into it
▶️they never made me feel like I had to match them to matter
▶️ I walked onto that campus not realizing I was about to meet the people who would shape an entirely new me
▶️friendship is less about proximity and more about who still feels close even when they’re not
▶️ not every friendship needs a slow build
▶️ not every friendship needs constant conversation to stay alive
▶️ maybe the gift was the years we got, not the years we didn’t
▶️ girlhood with daughters is a whole new kind of girlhood
▶️ girlhood isn’t tied to age
▶️ this is friendship at its best. Loving someone even when your lives no longer match on the surface
▶️ these are the women who kept you afloat, in ways they may never fully understand

And I’ll end with this last line which makes me smile and reminds me that we never know what life will bring us:

▶️sometimes I get butterflies when I think about how I haven’t even met all my best friends yet.

[mackenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Is Girlhood by Jennae Cecelia is one of those books that feels like a warm hug. It's full of gentle reminders about healing, growing, loving yourself, and embracing every season of womanhood.

The poems are simple yet incredibly meaningful, and I found myself highlighting so many passages. Jennae Cecelia has a way of putting emotions into words that feel deeply personal, as if she wrote them exactly when you needed to hear them.

As a mom, so many of these poems resonated with me in a new way. They reminded me to slow down, appreciate the beauty in ordinary moments, and give myself grace through life's changing seasons.

Overall, This Is Girlhood is a beautiful collection that left me feeling encouraged, seen, and inspired. It's the kind of book I'll come back to whenever I need a little reminder to be kind to myself.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This will become a reread every year from now on. There wasn’t a page I didn’t highlight at least one sentence of. While reading this, I took the time to analyze which friends and loved ones came to mind. But I am thankful for all of my girls that have shared any part of my life. The ones I still have, I hope to keep forever. And the ones I have lost or left, I will always wish you the very best. I love what this book represents. It’s not always easy being a girl, but it is special and unique. This is Girlhood will change your perspective and make you realize it really is the people you choose to surround yourself with. I will recommend this to every girl to read at some point in their lives. Check up on your girls and keep the ones that do the same for you.

[Sarah Schafrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

My best friend gifted me this book for Galentine’s Day this year and it might be the most beautiful book I have ever had the pleasure of reading. If you are a woman that was in my life, is in my life or will be in my life I thought about you while reading it. I laughed out loud, I sobbed uncontrollably, and I hugged this book so tightly so many times that I never wanted to let it go. This book feels like a warm hug and heartache wrapped together. I never wanted it to end and will be rereading it very soon. I highly recommend reading it and then gifting it to your bestie like mine did. Thank you girlhood. Thank you.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a sweet, gentle read. The poems feel like little snapshots of what it means to exist in girlhood. The softness, the growth, the confusion, the healing, and the quiet strength that shows up in different moments of life.

What I really loved is how the book acknowledges that girlhood doesn’t look the same for everyone. We’re all in different seasons. Some chapters feel light and hopeful, others feel reflective and tender. It captures that constant evolution of becoming.

This collection felt comforting and relatable, like someone putting words to feelings many of us have experienced but don’t always know how to express.

[Ashley Benson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is like getting a hug from the greatest women in your life. The poems connect so deeply to what it is like growing up and navigating being a girl. The heartaches and the victories can all be felt throughout this collection of poetry. I initially selected this book to read and annotate as a gift for my best friend and now I need to buy myself a copy because it was just that good.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a lovely book of poems! Perfectly captures the different stages and examples of girlhood. I enjoyed annotating the lines that hit hardest and can’t wait to share with my friends!

It was so nice to read a few poems before bed and just feel part of the girly community. Girlhood is amazing and cute and important, and the poems truly spoke to this. Definitely recommend for the girlies!

[K Gover · Rating 5 out of 5]

I savored this! A wonderful collection of poems about girlhood, friendships, growing up- for all ages. So many of these poems brought a near, or old friend to mind. Already planning to buy this as a gift for so many.

Topics: girls, women, friendship, relationships, growing up
Recommended: middle school +

[Zoe Eddon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection broke me and put me back together again. It had me texting my girls, my mum, my childhood friends and everyone in between. What a beautiful, therapeutic collection of poems. This will resonate for a while. I truly think the universe put this book in my hands when I needed it the most.❤️

[Ayla Chisholm · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book of poetry was absoloutly beautiful as well as nostalgic. I definitely cried a time or two reading this one 😅. I did find some of the poems a little similar to each other, as well as a few errors. Still enjoyed this a lot though 😊.

[Dezaray Barr · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is the definition of “I haven’t found my husband, but I already have my bridesmaids, and if that’s all of the love I get I’ll have lived a life full of love.” immediately sent a copy to the girls who love me so well 💕

[justys austyn bottorf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this to gift it to my best friend & WOW!

I went through and highlighted everything that reminded me of her or our lives growing up together to now and let’s just say… I went through an entire marker. This reinforces how special girlhood truly is.

[Hannah Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was sweet. It made me think about my own “girlhood” with so much gratitude. Very basic, simple poems. And even though I didn’t have any favorite, life changing poems, I thought the book as a full volume was worth reading. I think this would be a sweet gift for girl who just got her period.