I was lucky enough to receive a copy of Pillow Thoughts III from NetGalley and the publisher Andrews McMeel Publishing in exchange for my honest review. This poetry collection comes out on the 6th of August this year and is the third part to Courtney Peppernell's Pillow Thoughts collections.

Overall, I did really enjoy this poetry collection and as someone that has never read any of Peppernell’s previous collections I think that it is vivid and emotive and quite easily relatable. Her use of similes gave the poems that little something extra that really made me stop and appreciate what was being said. Yes, I did find some of the poetry topics to be formulaic and cliché but I would still recommend this collection to my friends that read poetry.

My overall rating for this collection is about 3 – 3.5 out of 5.

For my full review check out my blog:
readbyamity.blog

From all the poetry books i've been reading lately, this one is good. I feel like all the stuff that is in the book are #relatable.

My heart has been broken. I've been hopeless, I have felt lonely and worthless. I think that the fact that I could identify these situations in the book is what makes it good.

"Maybe after all this time you were looking to the wrong person to save you. The right person have been there in front of you. You have just forgotten to look in the mirror."

Another book to add to my favorite poem book collection! It was so good and I loved almost all of the poems. The first part was mostly about love and the rest is mostly focused on mental health and encouragement to be better and get through tough times and depression and that its okay to be sad and in pain but not let them control our thoughts and lives.

A few of my favorites:

"There were all these pieces split and broken on the floor, and she spent days on end trying to put the pieces back together again. But if only she realized that life is meant not to restore what was but rather to create something new and move forward."

"They say if you practice something again and again you will become good at it. So why, if you tell yourself everyday that you are capable, do you not believe it?"

"Mental illness is not a weakness. It doesn't define you. It will try to dictate your days and make you feel cursed. But just like anyone else, you are equally a child of the universe."

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with the digital copy for an honest review.

Unfortunately I could not open the file for this book. However I have read other titles by the author and so only expect good things.

The blurb to Pillow Thoughts III directs the reader to “fix yourself a warm drink and settle into Peppernell’s words,” and it is an apt suggestion. I almost regret reading this at my desk on this rainy Monday afternoon rather than curled up in a window seat with a chai latte and a blanket over my knees. This short collection of poetry and prose is very deserving of the title of ‘pillow thoughts’, being a selection of idle musings wrought with raw, unfiltered emotion.

There are two prevailing themes in this collection, one far more praiseworthy than the other. The first section, focusing only on what seems to be an unrequited lost love, is by far the strongest of the entire work. On every page is a short burst of heart-breaking futility, an insight into a romance that almost was, but not quite. I loved each one of these, especially the poems. The other prevalent subject in the collection was inspiration, and these extracts are sadly unoriginal and saccharine by comparison. I felt like I’d read a good few of them stitched into cushions in John Lewis.

That does not mean to say that I would not recommend this collection. In fact, I would, just for the strength of the first section. This is the first work of Peppernell’s which I have come across, and I would gladly consider giving her two previous collections a try. Do as the blurb suggests, and curl up with a warm drink on a dreary sort of day with Pillow Thoughts on your lap.

What would I do without poetry? I don't wanna know. I loved this book so much.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

I read and enjoyed Pillow Thoughts I but missed out on Pillow Thoughts II. I’m glad I got a chance to read the third book. It still bothers me that poems and prose pieces don’t have a title but that’s a personal choice and doesn’t detract from the strength of the work. Peppernell tackles a broad range of themes from love and mental illness to self-belief and hope. At times this became an issue because the poems seems quite disconnected from each other. Maybe this was because of the way the collection was put together because it happened a few times. These themes are easy to connect with and relate to. At times I felt like Peppernell could see deep into me and had translated by innermost thoughts and feelings. Pillow Thoughts III is lovely.

I received an eArc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.
This is my second time reading a poetry book. I really enjoyed it & related so much to some of the poems in this book. Some of them made my heart hurt while others reminded me I am strong. Its definitely not mind blowing or life changing in my opinion but I love it so much. I wrote poetry a lot in school for fun & because I love it. Now I sometimes write it in order to cope & get things out & I feel like the author is the same. You can feel the emotions in each poem. I definitely recommend this book if you love poetry!

*ARC of the book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley*!
Pillow Thoughts III is collection of free form poems that give you the vibe of a personal journal. It’s really like reading someone’s pillow thoughts, as they lay in bed and roam their mind until they doze to dreamland. OKAY let’s talk chapters, I was really unimpressed with the first two chapters, even though I like some of the poems, nothing really hit me but the second one WAS MY JAM! Which is quite sad because it revolves around self-doubt and how scared we can be about change and the unknown.. but I just think the poems were smart and made me nod my head in a “yes I know this feeling” type of way. The forth chapter was good as well and the fifth was nice but it just blends with the idea of the forth one. Overall I liked the poetry and there were a lot of wholesome poems but sometimes it just felt a little... forced, this is just my honest opinion and maybe if I read it again one day I might have a different one idk.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I was able to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
***
Courtney Peppernell’s third installment in her Pillow Thoughts series is beautiful, sweet and lyrical. This collection focuses more on self and healing rather than just love, although love still comes up. The collection is split into 5 sections but I was particularly touched by the second section “If your mind needs repairing.”
Peppernell is one of my favorite current modern poets and I’m so excited and can’t wait to add this to my collection.

”That’s all we are, aren’t we, just souls who are sometimes kind and sometimes cruel and almost always complicated.”

FORMAT READ: eBook (Adobe Digital Editions)
SIMILAR VIBES: The Mermaid’s Voice Returns In This One
READ FOR: easy to get through but uplifting poems
*All my reviews are spoiler-free unless stated otherwise*
*Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing for sending me an ARC to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

OVERALL: 4.5/5

The Pillow Thoughts installment will always have a special place in my heart. It always seems to speak to me personally. I needed this and it reached me at the perfect time.

It always gives me that perfect whimsical, hopeful vibe that is perfect to sleep to. Which is perfect considering the title. The poems are like my literal thoughts when I’m lying down on my bed and nearly about to sleep. Courtney Peppernell is a poet that I adore because of how well she can translate thoughts to something that everyone can read and relate to, no matter what it is really about. I found myself just smiling in certain parts <3

This particular collection speaks about when you’re translating from a place of hurt to a place of healing and love. I love the way this ‘series’ progressed in terms of themes. It’s nothing too heavy but is enough to uplift you.

”I don’t think about you when I’m lonely; I think about you when I’m doing the things I love.”


ugh, here I am having feelings again <3

The illustrations in between sections in this book are also my favorite out of the three books!! They’re wonderfully designed and matches the particular section’s theme.

”Who you are is louder than you think."


WRITING STYLE: ★★★★☆
THEMES: ★★★★★ (the musical related ones were my favorite)
ILLUSTRATIONS: ★★★★★

Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgally for review purposes.

This is my first book by the author so I'm not entirely familiar with her work. I've seen her books in stores before and have always been so taken by the covers.

While I do find her thoughts beautiful and I want to like this, it just didn't work for me. It felt like I was reading old xanga quotes or aim away messages and while I do love those things (hi I'm old) I just don't know how I feel about it as a poetry book.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This was a poetry book about love, wanting ,and when things go wrong. While it was a decent book of poetry, I didn't care for the style it was written in.

Peppernell has created a third installment of her Pillow Thoughts series and it was very enjoyable! While some poems were a bit repetitive the overall lyricism and flow was bright and empowering. This poetry collection is great for all ages but I think a lot of teens and young adults will really benefit from the messages.

2.5 Stars

I did enjoy the first poetry collection in this series a lot more. These poems deal with a big variety of themes such as love, mental illness, the importance of believing in yourself and in your own strength,
self-doubt, hope, change and so on. I think it was all a bit chaotic just because it did not focus on a handful of themes but on quite a lot. The poems seems very disconnected from one another, at least that's how I perceived it.

While Courtney Peppernell's poetry is quite beautiful, this collection just wasn't for me. She touches on themes like love, heartbreak, courage, fear, hope, and depression.

Courtney Peppernell has become one of my favorite modern poets. Her first two volumes of this collection are a heartbreaking real telling of relationships and what feeling occur before, during, and after. Pillow Thoughts III is just as beautiful. I love how deep and passionate her poems are. Everyone has been at these points in there lives. I found myself relating to this entire collection.

Courtney Peppernell, through three volumes in Pillow Thoughts, has shown herself to be an artistic and reflective poetic talent. I have been impressed with the wide appeal of these books. Peppernell writes with emotion and creativity, with thoughtfulness and candor, and uses metaphor and dialogue to construct her work. I appreciate her willingness to go to personal places in these words.

Pillow Thoughts III: Mending the Mind is Courtney Peppernell's third installment to the Pillow Thoughts series of poetry collections. I've read volumes one and two previously. Volume one was amazing, but volume two was a bit of a letdown. So I was worried going into book three. However I am happy to report that this collection was just as great as the first one if not better!
Beautifully written as always,it explored themes such as love and heartbreak, fear and courage, depression and hope. The poems about depression resonated with me the most as it is something I struggle with for over a decade now.
It was especially perfect that I read this book during Pride Month as Courtney Peppernell is of the LGBTQIAP+ community and the poems about love and heartbreak reflect that.
One of my favorite poems:
I’ve never wanted perfect. I love messy handwriting, days that feel like they are blurred into one. I love notes left on windowsills and lipstick stains on coffee mugs. I love piling into bed late at night with socks on. I love passion. Show me your love, talk about your dreams. There is beauty in the chaos of living.

I actually really enjoyed this! I’m not saying this in a surprised way I’m just saying it was not what I was expecting. It’s broken up into 5 different sections and what I really enjoyed was that it wasn’t all about heart break. I find that majority of poetry can take that turn and use that as a sole focus of their books but this one also talked about life in general. I had more than a few poems resonate with me and that I quite liked.

I do recommend this book and I think because of the content it will connect with a vast population. Well done! I will be checking out other books by this author.