Kelsea is one of my favorite singers. She writes lyrics that I can relate to. Reminds me of when jewel came out with poems. These are enjoyable and beautiful

Feel Your Way Through is a collection of poetry from singer, songwriter Kelsea Ballerini. The poems cover a variety of subjects from growing up, relationships, school, sexuality and lessons of youth. This collection is from the female perspective and has some poems that are particularly relatable for what it can be like to be a woman in this world. Overall I only found a handful of poems impactful, the rest left me a bit underwhelmed. I certainly appreciate the effort and the vulnerability she put into this work and I think her poems will mature and develop additional depth as she continues writing.

Special thanks to Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

The personal and poignant debut poetry collection from the award-winning singer, songwriter, and producer revolves around the emotions, struggles, and experiences of finding your voice and confidence as a woman.

I loved seeing this side of popular artist, Kelsea Ballerini. I thought her approach to poetry was thoughtful and articulate. I also enjoyed how she varied her subject matter. I look forward to seeing if any of these turn into songs in the future!

After learning about Kelsea Ballerini through The Voice, I was excited to read this one! She definitely has a knack for song writing, so I knew her poetry would be great also. Like her music, you can really tell that she puts her whole heart into each poem. Unlike a lot of modern poetry, each one rhymed, which I think a lot of people will appreciate. 4 stars!

These poems are beautiful and so relatable as a 20 something woman! Kelsea’s writing captures the many emotions that you feel growing up. This book made me feel seen!

Kelsea shares intimately in this inspired collection of poems. For me, the best poetry makes you feel something, even when the words seem innocent enough. This collection will appeal to readers of all ages whether or not they are fans. Simply because humans understand struggle and what it takes to find yourself. Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book more than I expected to. I don't normally enjoy poetry, and I only requested this book because of the author. But I was pleasantly surprised.

I was really looking forward to reading this collection because I love her music. But I DNF’d at 33% because I couldn’t handle the sing-songy rhyme scheme (which admittedly is frequently a problem I've seen particularly for singer-songwriters-turned-poets). All of the poems sounded the same because the rhythm and the rhyme stayed the same. I’m a big poetry reader and it missed the mark for me.

Feel Your Way Through was a full story of Ballerini’s life through beautiful words. I especially loved the rhymes that were present in most of her poems because most modern poetry I read doesn’t rhyme. She was very real within her poems, and that is something I can appreciate. I would definitely read something by her again!

I honestly didn't even know this was a singer/songwriter. I have just really been digging poetry lately, especially poetry that speaks to your own life and experiences. This was no different, really good strong poems that are totally relatable. It just took me a little longer to get into it.

like a dandelion can bloom
through a crack in granite

you can become something beautiful
wherever you’re planted

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Kelsea Ballerina, country star, has published a set 52 poems designed to be read and thought over. She touches on helpful subjects (as demonstrated by the example above) and some very difficult subjects (eating disorders, gun violence, and suicide). These obviously come from a heart that has experience brokenness and found relief from her pain.

I was touched by the authenticity the author brought to her work. Though each poem did not touch my pain points, they did touch me as I moved through the collection. Many were meaningful to this reader and forced him to re-examine his own walk through recovery.

I may have met Kelsea Ballerina through her music; but I will remember her because of her poetry. I give this collection five-stars.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are mine alone.

What a pleasant, comfy experience! It was really interesting to read poems written by a musician - these have a different rhythm and beat than a traditional song. And the words feel more real and make you feel like you’re really connected to the simple things that define our everyday lives. This book was a very nice commentary on the tinier, quieter moments of life, and how they all fit together. I loved that the emotion that Kelsea portrays in her songs was also present in her poetry - truly beautiful!

I got this book because it was written by Kelsea Ballerini. I don't normally read poetry but I loved it. This book was so good I loved every poem and all the emotions that came with it.

This collection is super accessible and the writing is very straight forward. It definitely was not for me, but I think it is great for first-time poetry readers and for introducing teens to poetry. So while I didn't really enjoy it as a personal read, I am glad to have this as an option to share with patrons.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

I really loved this. It was beautiful words that I felt I could connect to. It was imagery and human experience without being vague and confusing like I find so much modern poetry to be. I found it to hit that sweet spot between thoughtful and full of depth but also "accessible," and easy to connect with.

I will admit that I picked this title up as a free eArc from Netgalley because I enjoy the songwriting of this particular artist/author, so perhaps take my comments with the usual grain of salt. Having admitted to my bias however, I will also note that this title – while slightly shorter than expected – did not disappoint my admittedly high expectations. Ballerini’s writing lost nothing to the lack of musical accompaniment and each poem was heartfelt and honest. The rhythm of the poems carried the emotion of each piece effectively and varied among the individual poems. The arrangement of each section was also effective in keeping the attention of the reader. I will definitely be watching for more poetry from this debut author.

I enjoyed reading the poetry in Feel Your Way Through: A Book of Poetry by Kelsea Ballerini. Easy to read and at times very relatable. #FeelYourWayThrough #NetGalley

Thank you Ballantine for the free ARC for an honest review!!

“You can become something beautiful wherever you are planted”

Personally I’m not a big poetry reader; however, being familiar with Kelsea Ballerini’s music, this immediately caught my eye. Like music, these poems had a rhythm to them that made it so easy to feel the intended emotion and get lost in the words. I quickly finished the book in one sitting.

Feel Your Way Through, while a work of poetry, was also a memoir of Kelsea through stories of her adolescents and early 20s, struggles of making it to where she is, and her current fears and goals.

While there were lighthearted topics such as putting the phone down to enjoy the present, these poem didn’t shy away from tougher topics such as eating disorders, school shootings, and finding one’s self worth. While reading through each poem I just found these experiences emotional, relatable, and brave. Kelsea truly opened up about her life, past and present, as well as experiences she regretted and ones that caused her to grow. She did not hold back the honesty or try to falsely paint these stories has happy memories.

I’ll definitely have to get my hands on a physical copy because reading this only once is simply not enough.

Thank you for the ARC copy @netgalley and @penguinrandomhouse I couldn’t put it down.

As soon as I started reading this book I began feeling nostalgic -of my childhood, my past, and all of the simple things in life that have made me happy (and sad). This book has a way of making you feel that way and reminding us that we live in such a fast paced world that sometimes we forget to look up, and in doing so - we miss out on the beauty that surrounds us.

Kelsea touches on comparison and describes it in such a way that really shows you how it can truly be a thief of our joy and cause us to miss out on our own potential. She reminds us that our weaknesses are not as obvious to outsiders as they are to us, and our failures are not as bad as they seem. A lesson learned I learned while reading is that being in control of our thoughts can really make a difference in the way we perceive the downfalls we endure.

Her piece “The Cheerleading Team” was a wonderful inside look of how not making gave her so much time to pick up a guitar and realize that her true dream was to sing. She details the heartbreak of her parents divorce and you can feel her pain, but also the pure joy she has that she became who she is despite the adversity she faced.

“Feel Your Way Through” touches on having a negative body image and dealing with the struggle of eating disorders, but learning to love your body despite it all. It also describes her experience as a sophomore dealing with the tragedy of a school shooting.

Ballerini shares the weight she felt on her shoulders acquiring fame at a young age and trying to be a role model, all while trying to hide her personal pain and scars. She soon realized that being unapologetically herself was the way to go, and once she figured that out she became unshakable.

This is a beautiful book about reminiscing, soaking in the beauty around us, and using the trials and failures of life as opportunities to rise and grow stronger. It takes you on a journey through the life of a star like Kelsea, and shows you that while we may be worlds apart and on different levels, we all experience similar highs and lows in life.

I absolutely loved reading through Kelsea’s poetry book. As someone who grew up listening to her music, it was so lovely to see a side of her that the big lights and Hollywood would never share.