Really interesting poems and something to think about. Poems to think about letting go and moving on (to me anyway). Good for any poetry collection.

Reading this book is like being in a meditation class. I felt calm and relaxed. It is a quick and enjoyable read.

You were never broken is a sweet collection of poems about the obstacles we face in everyday life. Jeff weaves an interesting commentary on the situations we face everyday, the feeling of inadequacy that rules our emotions sometimes as well as how we can work to be in the present moment. The poems are divided into 4 collections, each with its own preamble at the beginning. I really liked these introductions because they gave insight about the poet and his life, giving more context to the poems that I was reading, rather than just freely interpreting them.

I read this collection in a time when I needed to practice some self-care and it was a great pick! The poems were easy to read, had some quite memorable lines that I will add to my bullet journal as a reminder. I liked the way Jeff described different emotions and what their existence is telling us. I had never thought of anger as giving me "the courage to speak up" and that was a good insight to it. In a time where we try so hard to live by other people's rules as well as project a perfect image on social media, Jeff's poetry collection was a reminder to be real and embrace oneselves and time for what it is.

Many thank to the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader copy of the this book via NetGalley.

The format of this book was unreadable for me, I got a few pages in but I just couldn’t concentrate on it.

I received an ARC of You Were Never Broken: Poems to Save Your Life by Jeff Foster from NetGalley. This poetry collection is broken down into four sections:

1. A Field of Meditation
2. Saying yes to the mess
3. The courage to stand alone
4. Reasons to stay alive

These sections contain an introduction which is written in a friendly, chatty manner. The poems within each section relate to the matter at hand. Two which stood out to me for their fantastic use of figurative language and hidden meaning were “Listen from Silence” and “Victory”. I think the poem “Victory” sums up the intent of the poetry collection well “Breath how you breath, make mistakes and screw up and learn to love your stumbling,” (Foster).

This collection is a quick read at just a touch over 200 pages. The main problems I had were that the poems were repetitive. There was not a unique punch that really got down deep into my bones. Many of the lines did not use concrete imagery to help place a picture in the mind of the reader. Some cliches were noticeable such as “the ocean tides going in and out” being compared to our hearts beating and emotions flowing in the poem “The Sacred Lotus”.

I also struggled with the approach to trauma and the deduction that “trauma is simply “stuck life energy...”. Also the idea “These impulses you learned were “sick” or “dangerous” or “wrong” or “shameful” were always natural, and normal, and healthy, and infused with infinite intelligence,” (Foster). This is a philosophy that I cannot agree with and given to the wrong mind can be taken and used as a way to excuse unforgivable actions. Although it is mentioned you don’t have to act on these urges.

Overall, I gave the book 2/5 stars. The ideology was not something my soul aligned with and I could not get passed the repetitive nature of the poems.

These poems look simple and short from the outside but if you really dive into them and digest their wisdom, you will find yourself more at peace with yourself. In his introduction, Jeff Foster says that “there is nothing wrong with you.” These poems, if read and absorbed, make us believe just that, and help us to live accordingly.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Utterly phenomenal. Every poem in this collection is bursting with heart, sincerity and understanding and I could not stop reading from the first to the last page.

I absolutely loved these poems, it lifted my spirits and definitely made my day lighter. His writing has a way of making you feel motivated and clear headed.

Thankyou netgally and publishers for the early release

I enjoyed reading this poetry collection. It felt a little abstract, but still lovely. The author tells the reader that they should be their authentic self. Rating: 3/5 stars

Thanks Netgalley and respective publisher for sending me a copy.

"You don’t need to take your life.
Just let your life be taken by all that you see."


The book comprises of four parts :-
A field of Meditation
Saying Yes to the mess
The Courage to stand Alone
Reasons to stay Alive

Each part starts with a detailed introduction on the topic along with the poet sharing his own experiences. This collection of poetry takes us through a journey of discovering that we're more than just our feelings, insecurities etc but that we all have a deeper power

The language is very conversational, its like Poet is in your head. The poet uses friendly tone and easy language in his poetries. Beautiful watermark effects on the pages, brings out an aesthetic feel. The poet has used repetition in many of his poems to lay emphasis on his points.

His poems are really amazing, self empowering, emphasizing, mysterious. He asks to enjoy the present moments, the feels, the sensations, the smells, the sounds and the tastes. He makes us understand the importance of living in the moment.
"Be present, be here
The teaching is damn simple
Be present be here"


"Oh, the truth you wanted to speak! The words you wanted to
scream. The tears you longed to cry. The uncontrolled, wild ways in
which you wanted to move your body. The healthy human responses,
the urges, and yearnings you intelligently squished down in order to win love, stay safe, even stay alive."

I extremely like the poetic devices he has used especially the one with the sacred lotus.
Honest and true exploration of his journey of self healing and self acceptance.

"Perhaps loneliness is like a cosmic"

"Contact your sadness, and you contact the sadness of all living beings.
Contact all living beings, and your loneliness disappears"


Your wounds, your turbulent and sorrowful places, your
imperfections, are not mistakes; they are the places in you desperately
yearning for love, waiting to be penetrated with a curious Light."

Your Life: You Were Never Broken by Jeff Foster is a raw and personal journey of the author's struggles with self-loathing, fear, and suicidal ideation. The author breaks the poems into four sections discussing meditation, embracing the mess of your life, having the courage to stand alone, and reasons to stay alive.

The writings and poems ranged from sad and desperate to enlightened and accepting. The theme I discovered is to allow yourself to feel every emotion, not to expect the difficult ones to disappear overnight, and to be kind and gentle to yourself and to be okay in your present moment. When times are dark, not to be afraid to reach out and to breathe in and out and take one minute at a time.

I found myself highlighting several entries and sentences to reflect upon further.

Thank you to Jeff Foster for sharing your struggles and finding the strength to keep moving forward and provide hope for others in need.

#YouWereNeverBroken #NetGalley

Amazing short quick poetry read. Warning does have suicidal talk and references. It was very touching and laid out so well with a good message. The light was specifically impactful to me and the struggles I have had with depression and self love. Recommend. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy.

There were some pieces in here that I did enjoy, but overall I wasn't particularly blown away by any. I didn't feel any of the pieces in my chest or stomach the way I have some other poetry collections that I have read recently. This one just wasn't for me.

I really enjoy what writers are doing with poetry in our current society despite the fact that I loathed studying poetry in college. This collection was beautiful. When I first started reading it, I felt like Foster had somehow gotten into my head and put my own thoughts to words. This is a very peaceful collection that really makes you think about the expectations that we set for ourselves.

This collection of poetry takes us through a journey of discovering that we're more than just our feelings, insecurities etc but that we all have a deeper power and Jeff is a reassuring voice of reason proving anyone can hit rock bottom and come back fighting for life.



Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

Name: You were never Broken
Writer: Jeff Foster
Source: Netgalley
Genre: Poetry, Self-Help
Rating: 4/5
Review:
"Your wounds, your turbulent and sorrowful places, your
imperfections, are not mistakes; they are the places in you desperately
yearning for love, waiting to be penetrated with a curious Light."

The book is divided into four parts.
Part One : A field of Meditation
Part Two: Saying Yes to the mess
Part Three: The Courage to stand Alone
Part four: Reasons to stay Alive

Each part is divided into different sections dealing with different topics based on a single theme. Each part starts with a detailed introduction on the topic along with the poet sharing his own experiences.

The language is very conversational, its like the poet is directly talking to you. The poet uses friendly tone and easy language in his poetries. Beautiful watermark effects on the pages, brings out an aesthetic feel. The poet has used repetition in many of his poems to lay emphasis on his points.

His poems are really amazing, self empowering, emphasizing, mysterious. He asks to enjoy the present moments, the feels, the sensations, the smells, the sounds and the tastes. He makes us understand the importance of living in the moment.
"Be present, be here
The teaching is damn simple
Be present be here"

I really liked the way he used metaphors is his poems, especially the one with the sacred lotus.
Honest and true exploration of his journey of self healing and self acceptance.

"Oh, the truth you wanted to speak! The words you wanted to
scream. The tears you longed to cry. The uncontrolled, wild ways in
which you wanted to move your body. The healthy human responses,
the urges, and yearnings you intelligently squished down in order to win love, stay safe, even stay alive."

"Perhaps loneliness is like a cosmic"

"Contact your sadness, and you contact the sadness of all living beings.
Contact all living beings, and your loneliness disappears"

"You don’t need to take your life.
Just let your life be taken by all that you see."

His poetries are raw and vulnerable. But the poems are too monotonous for a book of 218 pages. It kind of gets boring till the end.

I think this book is amazing for anyone struggling with mental illness. I wish I would have read this when I was suffering from severe depression. Great poetic reminder of your worth.