This was my first ever poetry read! And I've decided that poetry is a bit of a compromise between a short story, and a song. I liked it, not in the same way that I love to get immersed into a deep read, but I liked it. I honestly believed myself too shallow to enjoy poetry, to be honest, but I was determined to give it a go before writing it off.

bridgett devoue explores sexual abuse, heartbreak, female aesthetic and empowerment; broken down into five chapters, bleed, love, scar, learn and heal. Soft Thorns is a collection of raw poems each exposing her vulnerabilities and strengths.

"only you can make
yourself a victim"

In Devoue's personal note to the reader at the beginning of the book, she states that, "I had developed chronic pain that no doctors could diagnose, putting my work life and hopes of achieving my dreams on hold," which immediately gave me a connection with this author. This helped me relate to her words further; and riveted me into being more open minded with my previous reluctance of poetry.

"you are always healing
so don't wait to start living"

The illustrations were minimalistic, yet gorgeous, they portrayed feelings where words could have failed. The simplistic style was all that was needed to ensure that the reader understood the author's feelings.

Although what the author (or would she be classed as a poet?) had experienced first hand, I hadn't actually experienced myself, I could still relate to her words, and apply most poem's to my own life. I felt every transition of emotion with each passing page, and I found it cathartic.

Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

5 stars!
This poetry book was spectacular. Beautiful writing and the message behind this is very powerful. I love this book so much.
Thanks to Netgalley for this e-arc in exchange of my honest review

Wow, this book is Powerful.
I’m not usually a poetry-reader, even if I like it sometimes. When the author says that she is better writing in poems, I thought I was more a “prose” person. But I cannot deny that this book is very good. I felt everything. I felt the damages, the bad things, the assaults, the anger, the loneliness. I felt everything. So, I think that less words can work as much as lot of phrases, sometimes.

I liked every section of the book. This is one of my first poetry book and I’m glad I find a well written and deeply interesting story. We are human, we are like roses with thorns, but we can also be gentle and positive about ourselves.

This book talks about a lot of subjects: assault, abuse, anorexia, mental health, broken hearts, self confidence and self esteem. The most powerful theme is Self care, I think. This part was so important in my eyes and I cannot stop thinking about it. Love is the biggest them, also: not only love for someone else, but love for ourselves. A very important topic.

Every line can be meaningful to someone, in every time of their life people can find inspiration and new power to embrace their worlds and built something better.

So, I recommend this book because it’s powerful, relatable, truth and has beautiful but simple images (which I liked a lot).

✧ COPY PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW ✧

For me, poetry collections are a sensitive subject for review.

As an aspiring poetess, I know how daunting it is to share your deepest feelings through such a powerful medium. As the author of several chapbook manuscripts, I have the utmost respect for every person brave enough to share their most intimate experiences with the world. But as a critical reader and writer, I have certain expectations about language and style which are impossible to overlook when it comes to evaluating a poetry collection or its contents.

Most of the poems in soft thorns did not correspond to my ideas of what constitutes "real" poetry. They just felt like unusually formatted chunks of text. They expressed their meaning too plainly and sometimes expected the reader to accept their message as truth without bothering to prove it. There was nothing challenging in their meaning and nothing phonetically or linguistically striking in their phrasing.

soft thorns might be a successful collection among readers who care little for complexity or ambiguity, but poetry enthusiasts are sure to find such formulaic structure and cliché message unworthy of belonging to the genre of poetry.

Okay, I have mixed feelings for this but I really do think that I can't give this more than 1 star. I have my reasons but first I'll give positives:
- I liked how as I read through the poems, they told a story of the author
- Some of the poems, I did relate to and appreciate.

But I have a lot of negatives:

1. It was a carbon copy of literally every recent poetry collection and I don't even read much poetry yet I could tell how samey everything was.
2. What is it with poetry and being incapable of using capital letters? I understand that sometimes it's a chosen technique to evoke stuff but in every poem? Really? It's annoying and I'm really over it.
3. Right, I get that these poems meant a lot to Devoue and she is revealing a lot of herself and her past in the poems but some of these poems are ridiculous excuses for poetry...

"penetration is not
the only rape"

This is not a well thought out poem with beautiful imagery and whatnot. It is a true statement with no capital letters, a random line break and put in the middle of a page. This does not impress me, sure, I know it's true and I know the poet was trying to make a point but my point is... it's pointless. I don't want to waste my time turning a page just to be hit with a sentence which reads more like a Tweet than a poem.

4.
"as women
everyone thinks we're fine
because make-up hides
the sleepless nights
and the tears we cry"

Once again, another true statement (well, true-ish because I personally don't wear make-up but not the point) but my problem is that this is just something a lot of women voice online. Actually, it reads like a Tumblr textpost and if I wanted those, I would create a Tumblr account.
5. My main point, I think, is that quite a few of these 'poems' either are one sentence split into two lines and/or just unoriginal thoughts of many women.

Soft Thorns was just as I expected. Pseudo poetry with lots of cliches and nothing new to say. This is the reason why I avoid modern love poems, since they all echo the same truths and whatnot, but there's nothing really personal in them. Roses are a proof you can be strong and soft, meh meh. Really? How unoriginal. Every time it's a woman giving their heart and getting it broken in the process and this is always the result. It makes me wonder if they all just read the same things or is this type of a setting so universal that the words are repeated so that they end up saying nothing at all.

Devoue's book is divided into five parts, bleed, love, scar, learn and heal. Weirdly enough the poems don't follow it at all and there's no real point to these chapters. Very superimposed. The poems are also similar and Devoue keeps wallowing in them without developing anything. It's just brokenhearted vomiting in the end. It seems poetry these days is like this thanks to social media. Not everyone is a poet, mind you. Half-rhyming sentences isn't enough. It's never been about the sentences either. It's about the feeling. In this one? Nowhere to be seen.

I liked the book but still feel there's something that isn't there which I don't know what it is. Hmm, but i still like this one. highly recommend it.

hank you Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked soft thorns. Bridgett Devoue explores heartbreak, abuse, healing and women empowerment. Her poems are unbridled, frank and powerful. It was enlightening and something I would reread if I'm in the mood for an edgy and fast-paced poetry collection. If you love Rupi Kaur's milk and honey, you might enjoy this book.

My favorite poems in this collection are:

sometimes
we fall in love with ideas
not people

------------------------
you've already fallen
in love with my angels
so how could you ever
love my demons?

------------------------
do not get comfortable
in your storyline

you have more power
than you know

Another imitation of Milk and Honey...
I did enjoy Rupi Kaur's poetry collection, but this... well, this was filled with the same stuff. Same thoughts, and some of them were written just too similarly to Milk and Honey. I mean... it was like the author used "Copy and Paste" and then published it.
However, I have to say that i did enjoy some parts... but the overall feeling I had while reading this book was nothing but boredom. And joy... when i finally finished it.

I was hooked by this collection as soon as I read the second poem.

Bridgett Devoue’s collection of poetry in Soft Thorns is like an ocean: deep and dark, with each wave overwhelming you with sadness, happiness, and everything in between.

As can be common with short, simplistic poetry, there were a few poems that felt repetitive, but nothing that took away from the overall value of the writing. That said, if short, simplistic poems, which have become overwhelmingly popular recently, are not your cup of tea, this is not the book for you.

Dealing with some graphic situations, this collection would be suitable for more mature audiences. The strength it must have taken for the author to put her experiences into words is admirable, and something that we can only hope other individuals find strength in.

The ups and downs, particularly in love, found in Soft Thorns are relatable and honest. The love, despair, and anger are cycles that every person can imagine or remember for themselves.

So basically I received a copy via Netgalley and was so excited to read this short collection of poems . I was,unfortunately, disappointed . I liked some poems I really did find them very relatable . But it's all some very big deja vu . I felt like it was milk and honey . Overall I enjoyed reading this book even though it is full of clichés . Also we have an excellent introduction !

*I received an e-ARC copy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

Soft Thorns was an incredible surprise to me. I was waiting for a different kind of poetry book. I really wanted to read this book for a long time since it appeared in my book recommendations on Amazon because I bought some other poetry books.

I loved it in the very first poem. It’s my kind of poetry. The words, the feelings and all the things that the author writes touched me somehow. Some poems reminded me about myself. The same girl that felt in high intensity loves and heartbreak.

Soft Thorns tells us a story. The poems were arranged in a logical way that let the reader being involved by many controversial topics like eating disorders, abuse, depressions and more.

Brigite Devoue follows the same path of other new poetry authors like Rupi Kaur and Amanda Lovelace. We can notice some similarities with their works. But Devoue has her writing to tell her story.

“We’re only haunted by the things
We refuse to accept”

I really enjoyed reading this book and recommend for everyone that enjoys modern poetry.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
"It's sad to think we'll never make magic again, the world didn't know what it was in for."
Bridgett Devoue is a marvelous poet.
Her words just fly off the page and feel so beautiful and haunting that it's hard to even think straight by the end of it.
I love her writing style and how the publisher formatted the book into sections and added illustrations to some of them was enriching to see, as I haven't seen a lot of that in poetry books.
They're so captivating and meaningful, and so relatable. It's everything I want in poetry and more
"You fell in love with my fire, so why are you trying to put out my flame?"

"beauty is a curse the rose knows well

always picked first you never get a chance to grow"

This book of poetry is heartfelt and heavy. Bridgett Devoue shares her feelings and observations amidst love's trials. This book tells her story from the start of love to the end, and how she picked herself up time and time again, growing in strength and self worth.

These poems are very gritty and descriptive in parts, which, although not to my particular taste, means they are deeply effecting and shoot straight to the heart. I would recommend this to people who are interested in modern poetry, especially women who have gone through similarly difficult times with break-up, assault and the every day battle with self worth.

Thank you Net Galley for the chance to read this book.

Soft Thorns brings a gripping story of heartbreak, pain, and healing to the reader. I found that the beautiful thing about this book is that every line drips with passionate writing. I was consumed by every word from beginning to end of the book and didn't stop reading until I finished it all in one go.

Emotions fly all across the pages of the book and I truly did not regret diving into Soft Thorns. I loved how the tone of the poetry was so conversational as if the author was sitting in front of me and talking to me, reciting the poems. I also adored the illustrations, they were on point.

The only thing I would recommend would be that it would be wonderful to see some longer poems, perhaps in the next book the author writes! I usually write shorter poems as well but for collections of poetry books, I think it may be nice to have a few longer poems.

This was just alright. I feel like every poetry collection now is just copying the style of milk and honey, or is just 1-2 lines on a page, as opposed to a full poem. This was enjoyable, and some of the poems were impactful, but as a whole, it was not very memorable.

The soft thorns is a collection of short stories dealing mainly with love and heartbreak, but also with rape, sexism and coping in this messy ugly world as a woman.

I really liked author’s My letter to you at the beginning of the book. It was very personal and made me feel like she was right there, sitting next to me reading her poetry. The book is divided into five sections: bleed, love, scar, learn and heal. My favourite was the heal part. It made me feel sure about myself and proud of being a woman.

once learned
that being pretty
was not a talent
i got my power back

Overall, I think the book is ideal for people going through breakup and not being ok. I think that it would really help me if I was in that stage of my life. Now I didn’t really connected to those poems, but I really liked the ones about love and dealing with sexism. I wish there were more of them, but this wasn’t that kind of book. The poems could be longer, many times there were three or four in a row which could easily be one put together instead.

i lost love with you
but found love within me

Soft Thorns is yet another "instagram" poetry book that I've fallen in love with. Perhaps I just prefer the brief yet deep poetry, but something about this style has been resonating with me as of late. This book is published (or republished, as I think it was self-published before) by the same company responsible for Rupi Kaur, Courtney Peppernell, Amanda Lovelace, and r.h. Sin, so you can rest assured that this poetry is of the same caliber. 

Soft Thorns is broken up into 5 sections: Bleed, Love, Scar, Learn, and Heal. While I normally suggest just cracking open poetry books to a random page and going for it, I feel that this one really tells a story if you read it in order, as opposed to other collections that just have poems arranged randomly. 

Her poetry touches on some difficult subjects, such as sexual assault, heartbreak, but it also deals with love and moving on from difficult times. Like I said, it really tells a story if you read it from start to finish.

Given that it's a collection of poetry, it's pretty easy to get through this book quickly. Of course, read it the way you'd like to, whether that be in small sections or all at once, in order or randomly. There are occasional hand drawn images throughout it, usually of hands, roses, or bodies. They aren't detailed, but they add to the collection. 

As for the poetry itself, I enjoyed many of them, but some of them fell a bit flat for me. While I usually love brief, powerful lines, many of the very short poems didn't really make me feel anything. While they contribute to the overall story that Devoue is telling through the poetry, I just think that they could have been written better. Some of the poems were a bit cliche as well, just rewording classic sayings. 

All in all, I did enjoy this poetry collection, even if some of the poems were a bit lackluster. Fans of "Instagram poets" such as Rupi Kaur and Amanda Lovelace will probably enjoy this collection. 

*I recieved an e-arc of this book via Netgalley and the publisher. All thoughts are my own.*

This book is a book of many different poems. While some of them are better than others I really enjoyed
most of them because they dealt with a lot of strong and powerful messages. And while each poem was
different they fit together to form one large story of the poets life. They showed the highs and lows of the poets
life and there is a bit about assault and rape that might not be for everyone in the middle. The best part about this
for me was the fact that while the poems all fit together to tell the story of her being but they were all different,
some happy some sad and they didn't rhyme so you really got to experience them how you saw, not how they were told to you. I loved the authors use of metaphors and description it wasn't over done so you lost her messages it was just enough to give it that beautiful touch. I loved it and can't find a single thing I would change about this book. The author gave you love poems heartbreak poems and everything in between. I loved how all the poems seemed to pack a punch and were very powerful even though some of them were very short, like only a few lines. If you like poetry books that this is one that you mustn't miss.

"roses are proof that
you can protect yourself
while remaining soft"

Well, I've only read a handful of poetry books so I'm not 100% sure how to evaluate this one, but I will say, that I really liked Devoue's intention and overall message. She thanks the people in her life who knocked her down and made her stronger and the resiliency she clearly shows is lovely. Anyone looking for words to help cope with personal devastation might turn to this small volume for some solace. Because of the subject and the illustrations, it will surely be compared to Rupi Kaur but I don't think it's beneficial to say that one did it better because each of these voices matter.