I had high expectations for this considering that I'm fan of Courtney's works, but this one just didn't fit my current mood. It's been a long time since I've read a poetry collection, and I read little this year. It's harder for me to focus and this one didn't particularly catch my interests. I think the main problem was that it really reminded me of one of Courtney's previous works I Hope You Stay and I didn't like that one either. I hope I'll like Courtney's next collection more.

Thanks to the Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing me with eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this collection of Courtney Peppernell’s poetry. There were times where it felt like I was reading a self-help book which was interesting. I loved that mix of poetry and self-help. A couple of the themes that the poems focused on are forgiveness and gratitude. There are 9 chapters in the book with illustrations at the beginning of each of the chapters. The illustrations went really well with the poems. I really enjoyed reading this collection and can’t wait to read the next one.

Beautifully written for any young adult or adult. Many people go through heartache and this book shows you that your feelings are valid, and that there is light at the end of the tunnel. The whole collection works on growing your soul by listening to it, valuing it, and feeding it with what it needs. At times, it felt a bit repetitive but I can understand that we tend to get stuck with the same thoughts in our head when going through troubling times. The best way to rid yourself of that negativity is with repetition of the good. Any High School teenager or college student should read this since that age group is especially vulnerable to how they see themselves.

Most of the poems in this book are pretty standard "instagram poetry". They're uplifting but not particularly memorable and get repetitive if you read too many at once.

I really enjoyed this book! The writing is beautiful, and I enjoyed the overall message of this book! How in-depth the writing went into renewing your soul was enlightening!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

I very much enjoyed Courtney Peppernell's previous collections, but this one just fell flat for me. I honestly found it quite boring and finally gave in and put it aside in the DNF pile. Perhaps I will come back to it later and it will be the right time, but as of halfway through, it isn't doing it for me.

3.5/5
If you like Rupi Kaur Poetry, you will probably like this collection. the poetry is what I like to call accessible. It is straight forward and not too deeply metaphoric.
I did enjoy the longer prose and the blocks of text describing memories. those were well written and vivid.
However the shorter, "shower thought" aspects of the book I enjoyed less, it seemed to be filler and take away from the content of the book.
The book is well structured taking you on a clear journey of redemption and self growth, the moments that happen really shape where the author is mentally and parallels the prose well.
It was very relatable to me and my experience with leaving teen-hood, figuring out who I am and being nice to
myself through the hard times. like most poetry collections there were things I liked more than others but it was a cute read.

This book felt like a warm hug. The poetry was beautiful. The prose was enchanting. The illustrations were to die for. In fact I would die for the little woodland creature. I loved this.

This collection of Courtney's poetry definitely did not disappoint! I have read their collection of poetry Pillow Thoughts and fell in love with Courtney's poetry. This collection of poetry was different from her past poetry but, is still absolutely brilliant! Courtney is a poet that I will read everything they write! While I was reading this collection I definitely felt inspired to make sure others in my life know how much they matter because you never know what they may be thinking in their head. I highly recommend any poetry by Courtney Peppernell!

This book is all about rebirth - healing, making amends, setting yourself free from the guilt you might feel inside of you. I'm going through a bit of a rough patch right now and reading this book really helped me clearing my mind and moving forward. I have nothing to say but wonders regarding Peppernell's writing - it always touches my heart deeply. I would like to thank Netgalley for allowing me to read this amazing poetry book, and Courtney, for also writing magnificent pieces.

Oh my gosh! What a beautifully thought out book. A lovely read and it makes your spirits lift within the first few pages. I love it,

Watering the Soul is a collection of poems, thoughts, and essays centering around loneliness, anxiety, depression, hope, kindness, and confidence. Of these themes, the book is divided into 9 sections to describe these feelings and how to address them. Courtney Peppernell does a stellar job describing each, and it was difficult not to feel the angst and heartbreak each piece presented with.

I didn't know I needed this book until it found me. As someone who is socially anxious, Peppernell's words resonated deeply with me. She puts common sentiments into words that helps readers to remind themselves to take a step back and reflect. We are so often caught into the details that we forget the bigger picture in life-- our happiness. Our self-doubt, negative thoughts, and anxiety can be our self-made downfalls that we forget that falling only means we can look up.

Watering the Soul by Courtney Peppernell

Full feature for this title will be posted at: @cattleboobooks on Instagram!

Firstly, thank you, Netgalley, for providing an eARC for review.

"I am learning to forgive myself when I have lost my way, because being lost doesn't change who I am or how capable I am of seizing the day."

Watering the Soul did exactly what the title said... watered my soul—an absolute refreshing title to read in the midst of the world's craziness. To me, this felt like one long meditation that I couldn't get enough of.

Not only did I feel enlightened, but I truly felt motivated to use the enlightenment I gained. This touched me deeply with poems speaking to the power of forgiveness, not only to others but to oneself.

The publisher provided me with an advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review. What's not to love about this book? I've read more of this author's work in the past, including the pillow thoughts series, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Given the crazy and stressful times we are still living in, the theme and content of this book are very relatable. I needed something to read before I went to bed.

I usually love Courtney Peppernell’s works but this one didn’t really do it for me. I absolutely love the idea, and the little character is adorable but the actual poetry throughout feels like it’s lacking creativity and is so repetitive. It also just seemed to be a lot of slabs of word rather than just poetry. Overall I was a little disappointed by this title. But it may be interpreted differently by others and others may really relate to the poems so I certainly will recommend it to some people.

This book was refreshing! It is a good reminder that we all need to stop, take a breath, and take in the beauty and moments around us. We are always in a rush and sometimes forget to just enjoy life and remember to be kind/let our light shine.

The poems in this book had a great flow within themselves and the poems around them. I also enjoyed the beautiful detailed illustrations throughout the book as well.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a digital copy of this book for my honest review.

First I wanted to thank Netgalley for giving me an advanced copy of this book in exchange of my honest opinion.


Watering the soul is a beautiful book, that talks about how to grow a soul, give it maturity, peace and everything it needs to grow, the author says all the steps with a beautiful writing and I couldn't be more amazed.

Something I liked about this, was the way I feel sometimes the book talked about some things that I felt and were happening to me, so it made me emotional in that way

Everything was good, and it's interesting so I think it deserves a rating of 4 stars.

I was really excited about this book, but unfortunately I didn’t like it. The images were beautiful, but the written form felt more like someone trying to write a self help book than a poetry book.

Very lovely collection of poems about inner growth and how to be gentle with oneself. I thought everything was nicely written and the illustrations that accompanied the book were stunning and cute! I wished the poems (most of them written in prose) had a title for the most part because half of the time I was just guessing what it was all about. As I said earlier, they were well-composed but never left a lasting impression on the other hand. Collections of poems are best digested slowly overtime anyway, so maybe it’s my own fault for trying to finish the whole lot in one single afternoon.