3.5 stars

This poetry collection is divided into sections. Each builds onto the next. It feels like the story of a person — young and still relatively new to the dangers of the world — falling blindly in love, to the extent that all they see is the person they're in love with. And then inevitably, they're left alone, heartbroken, drowning in their pain and diminishing self worth. They fall in love again and it's all wrong again. I could taste the bitterness in these poems, especially when they attributed blame to God. But thankfully, there's more. Because if it's wasn't, then this book would not be as important as it promises to be at the start. The second half of the book shines more brightly than the first. The section titled 'In which we hope' was definitely my favourite.

A lot of these poems read like affirmations. Some of them are prose poems. What drew me into reading this book, however, was Thomas' opening letter(s) to the reader:
Dear you,
I want you to know that I see you.
Something got stuck in my throat as I read Thomas' letters — in the description (cover) of the book, at the start and at the end. He signs two of them "—pleasefindthis". I love the urgency in that phrase. It shows the writer really cares about the reader; even if the reader does not care about the poems just yet.

I read this book over the course of many weeks and took my time thinking about some of them. My favourites included:
'An Infinite Line': which in five short lines describes every poet in love
'A Key Lost in a Field': which encourages one to allow sincere love in
'A State of Being': all of the lovely imagery — a bird, a secret memory in someone's head, rising strings in a song, coffee at your favorite café, light shining through the leaves...
'A Lion Going to Sleep': a gesture of affirmation (of love)
'A Cloud of Dust': how time apart from loved one(s) does not mean they are not thinking of the other
'A Swimming Pool': another sappy love poem
'A Thing You Cannot Point At': encouragement to not be part of the generational trauma that taught children how to love dysfunctionally
'A Voice from Your Past': how parental criticism can become the (dominant) voice in your head
'A Long Shadow': demands that you can be a role model for others too
'A Silver Door': urging writers to write because what they write does indeed matter

Finally, bold (e.g. dark snowy mountain peaks) and delicate (e.g. a dandelion struck by wind) illustrations intersperse the poems, adding to the loveliness of some of these gems. Thomas' calls this collection 'this shared land', inviting readers to visit the book again and again...when required, as needed.

Would recommend this book if you're looking for an easy-to-grasp free verse poetry collection, which leaves you feeling seen.

As someone who has consumed a lot of Iain S. Thomas' poetry, I can very confidently say I am over his entire schtick. When you start reading his work (especially if you're a poetry novice), it feels super deep and personal and written just for you. But then you read more of it, and you realize that the way it's written actually isn't personal at all but instead lacks any real depth or perspective.

Still, I decided to dip back into Thomas' world because I was curious to see if anything had changed. Mostly, it hadn't, but I did appreciate how Thomas seemed to be writing somewhat to the moment. He writes about loneliness, grief, and the times we're living in with empathy and compassion. I really enjoyed those poems. The rest I could give or take.

If you already like his work, this is more of the same from Thomas. If not, I do not recommend starting here.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for making this available..

I liked this collection of poetry, there was a few poems that I enjoyed. But overall the rest of the book felt a little all over the place, I didn't feel like I was on the journey with the author.

This book was sent to me as an ARC on NetGalley. However, all opinions are of my own.
I’ve read this poetry book on the eve of a first death anniversary and I felt like every word cut through me like a knife.
Every single poem was an intricate explanation.
Some were sad.
Others were happy.
While some screamed love and loss.
I will definitely be purchasing this and going back to it when I feel I want to feel my emotions and be really in it.

First of all, I want to say a thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

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I’m not exactly versed in poetry so I can’t be as expansive as I’d like to be in terms of the type of poetry in this book or anything like that. I just thought this was a beautiful piece of prose. It’s so raw, moving and so relatable to anyone whose in love/ has been, it really expresses just how consumed you can become by it, to an extent where it makes you feel like you’re floating outside of your body but, at the same time, it’s excruciatingly painful. These poems reflect heartache, the devilish imposter syndrome that often takes us prisoner, the suffocation of mental illnesses and loneliness, coming to terms with your past, forgiveness as acceptance.

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The poems included in this book are so personal, intricate and delicately written. They hit you deep and resonate with you long after you’ve finished. As well as devastating I also found them to be empowering, the way Iain Thomas makes you feel so seen and heard in ways only beautifully written poems can.

Apart from the poems themselves, which I can’t hype up enough, the illustrations throughout are utterly breathtaking. They are almost as powerful at invoking emotion as the poems themselves .

Overall, I couldn’t be more in love with this gem of a book, and I really can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy upon its release. I would recommend this to anyone who loves poetry, particularly anyone who’s struggling with loneliness or feels alone in their grief, heartbreak, or any other traumatic event causing them emotional pain. I hope this will soothe you and your mind the way it did for me

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for allowing me to review a digital arc of this book.

This is a stunning book. Both the poems and the art work are breathtaking. It felt as though the words came from such an intimate place in our collective consciousness, that all humans can relate to, if not intellectually, than through the pull of the emotions as they read these beautiful words.

Thank you netgalley and publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I finished the book in one sitting- it was an overall solid poetry collection, which I would give 3.5 stars. This is a collection of beautiful uplifting poems about life, love, loss, and self-reflection. The drawings add a nice touch to the book.

Though I probably won't reread, I plan on purchasing this book for a few friends.

Another excellent collection from one of my favourite poets. True to his poetic style, these new poems are honest, vulnerable, and comforting all at the same time.

Thomas has a way with words that makes me, as a reader, feel seen and heard. I appreciated the beauty of all the poems, but the ones I connected with the most are those contained in "II: In which we are sad" and "V: In which we hope".

Thomas' poems have been my go-to during difficult parts of my life and I am happy to add this new volume to my collection.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I'm a huge fan of Iain S. Thomas's poetry. He has an amazing talent with his writing, that's for sure.
I will definitely be purchasing a physical copy of this book to add to my collection.

Iain is a master of poetry! He writes poems that not only are relatable but will motivate you, remind you why we are alive, they pull on your heart strings and even give you motivation to keep going. The art in between pages adds a classical touch to the book. The word choices for each poem bring the poems to life making this book of poetry enjoyable. I absolutely love this book.!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read these beautiful poems. Some of the poems are so simple, just a couple of lines or words, yet they are very powerful. Interesting musings on love, loss and life. I'll definitely be revisiting a large portion of these.

Poem that will stick with me - A Bag in a Doorway resonated with me and was such an interesting view about anxiety and A Wave.

I also loved the simple illustrations throughout, specifically the birds.

This author seems to just not know how to stick to one emotion or one subject. They give a sad poem then an inspirational one to try to make you feel hope. Sad then Hope Sad then Hope Sad then Hope Sad then Hope over and over again, it's like "OKAY, WE GET IT"
THEN they try to make it seem like you have no control over your future and no choice on how you succeed.

THE ONLY GOOD THING ABOUT THIS BOOK WAS THE WRITING STYLE. Iain has such a beautiful writing style so it's very unfortunate that his poems are so bad.

“Sometimes people lie to you, because they just want to break something good to see what it looks like when it shatters.”

I received an ARC for this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review! Thank you!

I decided to pick this book up because Iain S Thomas “every word you cannot say“ was one of my favorite reads of 2020! However this book did not make me feel all of those wonderful emotions I felt reading his other book! It was still powerful but I felt it to be a bit repetitive at times!! I would still recommend it as I think everyone can find a poem to relate to in this collection! Overall I’m giving this book 4/5 stars!!

A collection of prose in the shape of poetry. I liked these writings, but I couldn't really see it as poetry. This collection talks about love, relationships, hope, accepting yourself and loving yourself. Some of them were quite memorable and emotional, but as it tends to happen with collections like this, there was some repetition. It was also accompanied by some black-and-white drawings.

I liked the first half more, but it's a nice and relaxing read.

I thank Netgalley and Andrews McMeel for the digital ARC

Absolutely beautiful. Loved everything about this. The words were all so well thought out and powerful. The illustrations were wonderful as well.

This is another beautiful collection of inspirational modern poetry by Iain S. Thomas. As with his other collections, I thoroughly enjoyed this and will purchase a copy for my classroom library so I can share it with others. While reading this, I had many moments where I would read a poem and then turn the page, only to turn back to re-read the beautiful words that hit me hard. As is his signature, Thomas masterfully creates spare, yet moving poems about love, life, grief, happiness, and sadness. I highly recommend this title. Thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel for the opportunity to read and review this title in exchange for an honest review.

Out of these 200+ poems, only about 15 had any impact on me. Perhaps this style just isn’t for me, but I was hoping for a bit more from this collection.

i received an ARC in exchange of an honest review, all the opinions are mine.

***
for me this was definitely the perfect case of the right book at the right time. i feel like it was exactly what i needed to read now and the writing was so beautiful. i enjoyed the small illustrations too and they were a perfect addition.
i have read a lot of poetry books lately and this collection is one of the very best. the style isn't for everyone but the poems had depth and most of them, if not all of them, hit just the right spots for me.
the book deals with different subjects, from loss to falling in love and finding yourself in a realistic but, at the same time, positive and encouraging, way.
i read it all in one night because i loved it so much that i couldn't go to sleep before finishing it and i wish there was more. i'm looking forward to reading more of the author's works in the future.

I enjoyed this a lot. I think this was a good balance between the more modern approach to poetry mixed with a lovely use of words. I think this will appeal to those who enjoy the little snippets like Instagram poetry, but it doesn't completely live in that style the entire way. Overall a really nice collection that I thoroughly enjoyed.

This is a case of a poetic style that just isn’t for me, sadly. Without wanting to sound dismissive of the writer’s work, it’s what I would describe as very surface level, with most of the pieces barely a few lines long. In this respect, most feel like the rough outline of an idea, rather than a fleshed-out poem.

There’s no depth to mine in terms of word choice, rhythm, imagery, structure, and so on. Instead, everything is presented in a straight-forward, matter-of-fact way that makes the collection read more like a thought journal. There’s nothing wrong with this, of course, and I don’t doubt those who enjoy sentimental writing presented in an earnest way will find more to connect with. It’s certainly contemporary and accessible, good perhaps for those who otherwise feel intimidated by the form. But for me, it aimed so stringently for universal relatability that it failed to bring anything new or interesting to the table on a thematic or linguistic level.

Thank you to the publisher for a free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.