I love the mix of poetry and prose. The authors journey is quite inspiring. I also loved the concept of writing poetry about the pandemic and what came out of it.

I was very excited to get this and couldn’t wait to read it. Once I started I was very intimidated by how long it was. It seemed like it would never end. The cover is beautiful and the writing is even more beautiful! There were so many amazing quotes that will stay with me forever! It is definitely worth the read! Loved this one! The only reason I can’t give it 5 stars is because there were parts that just seemed unnecessary. That seemed they only added to sound better without seeing how talkitive it was.

I really loved the format of this short story/poetry collection. The way the different elements were organized and categorised, with the super cute illustrations throughout was really lovely. I feel like the author put a lot of effort in them.
Although I actually quite liked some lines and quotes, most of which were really personal to Peppernell herself, I found that overall this collection didn't touch me the way I wanted it to. In some ways it felt a little surface level to me personally, especially since it's about themes we've probably all experienced during the pandemic times and thus were topics the author could've gone more "in depth" with. I think it has to do with the writing style, or maybe it's just to do with the fact that I'm a reader who's very inexperienced when it comes to prose and poetry (collections).


A big, big thank you to Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A pandemic collection of poetry. I love the way it was organized and I love the art work between each of the chapter breaks; the themes of each section connected with each other and built upon each other in a beautiful way. This collection was wholesome, inspiring and restorative. I found myself nodding along with certain poems, tears pricking my eyes at others, and smiling through most. Some of this book was prose, some of it was poetry, other parts were stories. I did read it in chunks by the themes.

The Way Back Home di Courtney Peppernell è stato davvero una bella scoperta sia a livello narrativo sia quello poetico, certo alcune poesie erano sottotono e meno epatiche di altre ma non c’è da farne una colpa, è normalissimo.

I've read most of Courtney Peppernell's poetry collections and non disappointed me. That was not an exception! The Way Back Home is about purpose, love, and courage. I believe poetry should be viewed through a very personal lens given its purpose as art is to evoke emotion. think anyone would be able to benefit from parts of this poetry book

''May you be held in the same way that the morning holds the sun, so that each time you rise, you have the strength to light the day.''

I've read all of Courtney Peppernell's poetry books, and I still have the same problem with her books: they are way too long. This took me a month and a half to finish. My rating would be higher if this was 150 pages or so.

Leaving that aside, The Way Back Home is not a part of the amazing Pillow Thoughts series, and it shows. I didn't feel as connected with her writing as I was with I Hope You Stay (one of my favorites) years ago. It probably has something to do with the pandemic theme and that it feels out of place reading it two years later.

Although I didn't enjoy this as much as I wanted to, I think everyone can relate with any of these poems, and it's because Courtney still has that magic in her poems that makes you want to read more.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an e-arc in exchange of an honest review.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

The way back Home is another outstandingly beautiful collection of poems by one of my favourite poets Courtney Peppernell. If the cover doesn't catch your attention to the beauty in this book the first section will. Courtney's poems always resonate deep within me and I often find myself nodding to what she had written as I can relate to so much of her writings on so many levels. The illustrations are just as gorgeous at the cover and I hope to buy all her books in physical form one day to read over and over again. If you love poetry, I definitely recommend her!

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read and enjoy this beautifully written e-arc.
I read this about a week ago and I'm still thinking about it. The writing was gorgeously done.

4 stars.

i really enjoyed this collection of poetry.
The art was beautiful and i could relate to many of the poems.
There were a few references to covid i wasn’t the biggest fan of as i’m trying to move on from that part of my life.
but overall it was a really good book 🤍

First of the illustrations are absolutely adorable. I’d buy the book just for these.
The poetry collection itself was very heartfelt. I could connect und identify with a lot of the poems. I am an absolute fan of the author’s work and this book, although it’s not her best work, did not disappoint. However, I have to admit, that the book bore me in some places. Some of the poems were very similar to each other and made it seem a bit redundant. Overall, I thought it was a good book to read in between.

I've read most of Courtney Peppernell's books, but I'm still on the lookout for something that compares to my favourite of hers, The Road Between. The collection The Way Back Home is about purpose, love, and courage. Some poems are repetitive and express the same idea in different ways. That was the main issue I had. Despite the fact that I enjoyed the book for the most part, I didn't fall in love with it. There weren't many poems in this book that I felt were particularly noteworthy, unlike in other books by her where I would be annotating every page. On a positive note, she never misses with having beautifully illustrated covers.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of ‘The Way Back Home’ in exchange for an honest review.

If you have not read "The Pillow Thoughts" by this author - go & read that now!

As soon as I saw the cover I immediately thought about Pillow Thoughts & that's how I got to pick this one. Talking about the structure of this book is a mixture of prose & poetry with added illustrations peeking in. The concept & plot of this book was contemporary with the last 2 years we have all faced, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

While the Blank verses were great & the prose helped us relate to the story of the poetries, but it failed to establish the connection that I usually get from this author's work. Usually, these books entice your critical thinking which felt a little misplaced in this book. Apart from that everything else was good & I am still looking forward to other works by this author. Would like to close this review with my fav. lines in this book:

"For even in the stillness
of this life,
Your existence matters
Courage lives in the
Refusal to surrender
And the will to stay."

The Way Back Home by Courtney Peppernell is a touching take on our collective thoughts during the pandemic & what it means to live! It's raw & emotional. She covers love & loss & grief & finding the strength to keep going despite the odds being stacked against us. Many of the poems have such an ethereal feeling that makes reading this collection feel like a magical experience.

I absolutely adore the characters that appear on the cover & throughout the poetry collection. They're such beautiful representations of the emotions within the poetry! These characters are a major reason why I was drawn to Courtney Peppernell's collections at the very beginning.

I enjoyed reading The Way Back Home by Courtney Peppernell. This collection of poetry and prose explores courage, grace, resilience, grief, faith, and love, all in the span of 240 pages. Peppernell used beautiful language to express inspiring overarching messages throughout the mixtures of poetry and prose. There was about a 50/50 mix of poetry and prose, while I was expecting a lot more poetry. Still, both types of writing were equally beautiful. The book also included some cute illustrations at the beginning of each section. Although some of the poems seemed a bit cliché, especially the sappy writing about love, the powerful messages that the beautiful words created made up for it. I loved the stories included in the book that personified different emotions and concepts, including Courage, Resilience, Poetry, Strength, and Doubt. The book also included some LGBTQ+ representation, which was unexpected for me. Overall, I found this collection to be uplifting and inspiring.

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Courtney Peppernell's newest collection is mostly prose and personal/confessional stories about love, mental health, growth, and finding your way back to the place you call home.

This collection fell flat for me. I am reminded of the way I felt about Amanda Lovelace's new work as well. Early Peppernell's poetry and prose was lush, enticing, and enjoyable. This collection felt stale, overdone, and repetitive. Now, I will not rule out the fact that maybe I have outgrown this author...but when I was thumbing through some of her pervious work I became envious that I'm not getting to read that for the first time! I still enjoy her earlier books!

I'm all for breaking the mold when it comes to traditional prose/poetry, but the lack of titles/segues left me feeling lost and frustrated. It flowed well but I felt like I didn't have any sort of natural breaks and rests.

The illustrations are cute and charming and bring the collection some of the life it is lacking.

this was so good i love this author!! she tells it in such a beautiful way and it is very detailed. i love this book so much and all her other books

This book is a beautiful premise that finds and loses its way from time to time. I loved the gentle and tender arc of the message and the underlying connection to loss and the earth. The author’s warmth and pathos come through so vividly in many parts. At times I felt like the thread frayed a bit too thin and the narrative felt a bit lost, but ultimately this is a beautiful piece.

The Way Back Home
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Thank you Netgalley & publisher for the ARC!

I really enjoyed the gentle and easy words used throughout this book. It felt very soft spoken and well written and touched on topics that were about the smaller things in love. I enjoyed a majority of the poems, prose, and short stories. If I’m being honest, I felt like the book lost its theme of “finding the way home” and “building yourself up” so to speak once the focus on love and romance started makings it’s way in.

Overall I enjoyed this read, I had high expectations going into this and although they were not met, it was sweet.

The Way Back Home by Courtney Peppernell is another inspirational, poetic masterpiece from one of the most talented voices of our generation. Courtney tackles the trauma and pain of the Covid 19 pandemic with a series of beautiful, hopeful poems and thoughtful observations. She speaks of resilience, grief, love, and loss in a raw way that invites the reader to join in the journey towards healing and rebuilding. I recommend this book to anyone who will read it!