*Thank you to NetGalley for letting me receive an ebook in exchange for an honest review.*

What I enjoyed the most about this book was the atmospheric feel to it. There were illustrations included throughout (including the cover) that were beautiful and added to the atmospheric feel. I wished there had been more included, however, since I was often confused about what the author was writing about and the illustrations helped me understand.

The writing was hard for me to grasp at times. I was not sure when certain lines would end or begin, which the author probably meant to do on purpose, but it did not work for me, unfortunately. I got to the point where I was struggling to understand what was trying to be said and it really hindered my reading experience. There were, however, some sections of the writing that were so beautiful and delicate that they partly made up for the sections that were muddled and tedious.

I flew through the first 50 to 75 pages of this book because I could relate to some of it and even the parts I was unable to relate to I could still understand some of what the author was trying to say. Overall, I did enjoy this, although there were slow parts, and I would read from this author again.

2.5 stars
Many of these poems felt like the author had written words on a page and then just scrambled them around to make it feel pretentious, and I guess pretentious poetry doesn't really float with me.
That said I did enjoy some of the poems, but far from all of them.

I find I have a hard time truly enjoying poetry books because usually only a few out of maybe 50 poems speak to me. I don't know if it's a problem in me where I can't appreciate poetry like it should be appreciated, or if I just keep reading mediocre poetry collections.

and so
this book
shall become my confessional

Thanks to NetGalley for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.

A promising poetry collection that ultimately let me down. It was bland, generic and lacking any of the emotional intimacy that I expected from a collection labelled 'intimate' by other reviewers.
There were flashes of uniqueness. But the poems I enjoyed were either at the very end like 'Depression is a Park Bench' or they were previously published works like 'This Land is my Church' (first Published in Indigo). Everything else was sadly surface deep bland blank verse.
Some of the topics covered may be triggering to readers to please be mindful of this if you chose to read the collection. (In my opinion, the presentation of these topics could be considered to be problematic).

What saved this book from a One-Star rating was the beautiful art.

For alternative reads and other reviews click the link below.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2792227549?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

I really enjoyed this collection of poems. Soul writes about subjects close to my heart, close to the hearts of many including falling in and out of love, relationships, both the good and not so good parts and self-image. I’d never read Soul’s work before and was very impressed. The poems spoke to me. I enjoyed every line. I need to read more of her work. The poems in this collection are easy to read and accessible, no poetry snobbery here.

** thanks to Netgalley and Andrew McMeel Publishing for giving me this free advanced ebook copy in exchange for an honest review **

actual rating: 4.2/5

<i> I am a medical student so I tell you honestly,
we are made only of stories
of borrowed limbs
people we have loved. </i>

what a emotional ride devouring this gorgeous piece of poetry collection was!! i'm honestly awed by the way the poet crafted the exact words to pour out her true feelings, and i really respect her for that.

this is perfect for fans of Sabrina Benaim and Nikita Gill.

<i> <b> you
human
which is to say piece of art

which is to say
thank God
for this thing that hurts is the only difference between living and being

alive. </b> </i>

Every poem in this book is raw beautiful from heart. It’s like silence speaks more beautiful than voice. I loved the way how the ideas are expressed. A definite worth buy

The poems in this books are amazingly beautiful. The words truly mesmerised me. It is an anthology I will come back to again and again, to appreciate the wonderful observations and gorgeous phrases. Meltingly lovely.

I was fortunate to receive a complimentary digital copy of this book (through NetGalley) in return for an honest review.

I did not like this collection of poems. I feel like one of the most important things in poetry is word choice and how those words flow together and this book just seemed really off in those two aspects for me.

The book’s cover was the main reason why I requested the book. It’s very well made and it sends out this type of cold yet soft vibe which causes the reader to pick the book up and read it. I am not a huge poetry fan which may be the reason why I gave the book a low rating, but the poems found in the book were great and they did indeed make me think about various emotions and events we go through and how each individual deals with love, pain and stress differently.

F. D. Soul deserves praise for being able to put emotions into words that too so beautifully, she truly has a way with words. If you’re someone who likes reading poetry or words that resonate with you, then you should definitely pick this book up and read it, it definitely will not disappoint :)

This book literally grabs you from the prologue and doesn't let you go.
The first thing that grabbed my attention was the title and the cover. This book is amazing visually. Every five poems or so there is an illustration which, in a poetry book is a great idea because it gives the reader a little break.
The poems are not mandatorily happy but they do have a feeling of lightness about them. The themes range from childhood memories, romantic and familial love, good and bad relationships, womanhood, race and how it is to be alive in general.
Thank you to NetGalley and Vi Verbis Press for this ARC.

I didn't connect with the poetry personally, but I did appreciate some verses. I would recommend to teens and adults who like contemporary poetry, especially those just starting to read it.

The writing this poetry collection included was absolutely amazing! I really enjoyed the imagery that was included and I felt that I was there the entire way through the collection. What an amazing job!