I got an ARC in exchange for an honest review and can I just say WOW?

This book is a perfect balance of short, medium, and long. The long pieces have just as much impact as the short one liners. I read a review that said this is too much like Rupi Kaur and I must say I disagree. This book is nothing like Rupi. Does it have illustrations? Sure. But many books these days do. And this book would be amazing without them too. B Maier uses words in a different way than Rupi (and although Rupi is incredible, Maier is too). The work she did is not cliché and nothing like the stuff I see floating around Instagram these days.. I felt every word of every piece of every single length. This book is is about love, loss, and all of the beauty in between. It’s about finding yourself and losing yourself - to the darkness, to the pain... it’s about learning to love to the bone - and not just another human being - but yourself too.

As a reader, I search for passion. I want to feel the emotions coming directly off the page. To Be Loved To The Bone by Beverly Maier is raw & unfiltered. It tells a story. It tells you life, without the sugar coating most people do. It's about being human and being real. There's a specific one that tells a story about depression. As someone diagnosed with it, the author literally nailed it. It was raw but, passionate. It was real. I absolutely recommend anyone who wants something real to read this book. Beverly Maier never disappoints. Check out Detaching Roots by her as well, you will thank me later!

This book of poetry is about love, self love, and pain. It is a short read and a lot like the poetry and artwork of Rupi Kaur. The poetry and art is not very original. A lot of the poems are very short, cliche and repetitive.

To be loved to the bone by Beverly Maier.
I did enjoy this book of poetry. I loved the drawings in it. There was 3 parts. Anchors beacons and Oceans. I liked all the poems. I didn't have a favourite. 4*.

Beverly Maier sits down next to you like a good friend, wraps you in her arms, and speaks truth and beauty. I felt most drawn to the profound sketches and short affirmations (like sharp pricks of a knife, I found them arresting), and while the poetry is generally affecting, perhaps in my mental state when reading this I wasn't as moved as I was with the short little hits of those sketches. Through the whole book, though, there definitely is a connection, a "oh yes, I remember that particular pain" that I wish the shards of the past me could have had access to.