Reyna Biddy's WE FIND OUR WAY is in some ways a departure from her earlier works (e.g. I LOVE MY LOVE), but in matters of theme and subject that display a greater maturity and depth that should delight fans.

There are, of course, similarities: Biddy's voice comes clear through the text, and maintains that spoken-word style that so evidently proves her experience as a primarily verbal poet. And the subject of nurturing, maintaining, and fostering self-care is more prevalent than ever, though in this collection's instance stemming from a place of retrospection. It's this looking-back framework that underscores the message, and one can feel that Biddy is speaking less aspirationally and more from a lived experience.

To say that there's a pervading sense of exhaustion from these poems isn't to claim that the work itself is rote, but rather that Biddy is truly "digging in" at a point in her life where the spiritual well feels dry. One can certainly feel that her time, as a mother and romantic partner, has left her feeling raw -- no wonder then, that many of these poems assert the universal human need for help, both inward and outward. In retrospect I believe it's this balance between staunchly presenting the individual while also admitting one's place in communal web, that shone brightest to me.

Not every poem exemplifies this: some entries are a bit too short to have fully explored their subject matter in a way that might satisfy readers. But others, particularly those more narratively-inclined, provide the space for readers to empathize with Biddy's position in the world, and stage in her life.

Overall, WE FIND OUR WAY displays a growth in Biddy's poetry that left me feeling optimistic for the direction of her future work, and details a perspective unique from the pack of other poetry collections of a similar vein. If not quite for immediate purchase, certainly this is a writer I will keep an eye on for the future.

2.75 stars.

This was good. There were a few poems that stuck with me, but ultimately I found that a lot of them were much the same and could have been cut to make a more succinct collection. I loved the theme running through the collection and can see this being a very relatable collection.

"A collection of poetry focused on rebirth, ancestors, spirit, and so much more from the unique perspective and voice of a revered spoken-word poet, author, and self-love enthusiast."

This was a thoroughly enjoyable and refreshing read from an established poet who is comfortable with their craft. A few pieces stuck with me long after I had turned the page, which is definitely the sign of a good poetry collection. Would definitely recommend this!

I thought this collection of poems was eye-opening, inspiring and powerful at times. At other times, I didn't grasp the intention behind the author's words and it left my mind wandering.

I always struggle with rating poetry because it's such a personal thing. What is moving and meaningful to one person will do nothing for somebody else. There were a few poems in this book that I really enjoyed, but overall as a collection this didn't particularly stand out to me. The language and overall flow just didn't speak to me in the way I like from poetry.

That said, other people may love this! It's nothing against the author and everything to do with individual taste.

Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you, Netgalley for this arc. I can't speak for black people but my Asian experience really mirrors a lot of the themes in here. As someone who loves poetry, I've got to say this collection doesn't pull any punches and that's what I like the most about this book.

this collection of poetry certainly has potential. sadly i found many of the poems unsatisfying and vaguely uninspired. some of the messages and metaphors struck as mawkish and seemed straight out of a creative writing seminar.

This wasn't really for me, I found the writing really dry and the poems not as impactful as I hoped they would be. I did enjoy an occasional quote here and there and the themes which were relatable, since they encompassed many different aspects of life, but even that felt messy at times, lacking direction. I sadly couldn't connect with this poetry collection at all.

For the most part, this collection was mediocre but there was certain poems that stood out and hit to an almost heartbreaking level. It is clear that the author knows how to write good poetry however the execution for many of these poems were lacking.

This was a solid poetry collection, there was a lot about motherhood and grief. Some poems really struck me to my core.

Some of my favourites:
- In this life
- New age
- Funny like that
- Good woman
- Forgive me
- Void of course
- Get lucky
- My fault
- Universe
- Pour out

To me the first half of the book is very different to the second half, it feels as if it was written by 2 different authors. There was also randomly sentence structure and spelling issues in the second half which was rather annoying.
Overall I did enjoy a lot of the poems and I already have a friend in mind who I would buy this book for cause I think they would really enjoy it. So I'm glad I read it

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC

We Find Our Way by Reyna Biddy is a poetry collection that includes shorter and longer pieces on familial bonds and roots, self-love and perception, as well as other aspects of life and individuality. Some poems contained a more religious/spiritual language that isn't usually my style. In addition, I left that some of the poems didn't affect me at all so as I kept reading I ended up finding myself wondering what I just read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

A stunning collection of work that brings you into the experience of the author, it’s heartbreakingly honest about grief and worry and stress.

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the read-now copy of We Find Our Way. One of the best covers for a poetry collection I've seen!

3.5 Stars

Overall, there were only a few poems that really stood out to me and were bookmarked to go back to at a later date. A middle-of-the-road collection. Like most poetry collections, I believe they are best read multiple times to get the most out of the poems, yet I probably won't revisit this in its entirety. I wish that the little advice asides were edited out as they took away from the flow and were too ordinary to really be saying anything new. I think one more edit would have eliminated some of the filler-like poems and opened the space up for a better narration.

Poems that I will revisit: off course, the fool, something tells me, spirit says, and good woman.

We Find Our Way is a beautifully written poetry collection that covers many topics including trauma, death, grief, rebirth, ancestors and spirit.  Each poem is written in a different style and length; the one thing each has in common is that they are thought-provoking. Did I love every single one? No, but for me that’s normal. I went into this collection blind, I saw it on netgalley and requested it under the poetry collection based on the gorgeous cover, I wasn’t disappointed.

Thank you @netgalley and @andrewsmcmeel for this ARC.

Pub date: October 25, 2022.

we find our way is a poetry collection from Reyna Biddy, as collection I did not really connect with this work. Of the poetry collections I have read there is usually a theme and tone but I felt like the poems were disjointed and lacking any flow. Some individual poems stood out, I enjoyed let the bells ring but didn’t have much connection with the others unfortunately

I listened to a classical music playlist the whole reading. The first piece, Open, did the go-signal; it hooked me in instantly while Rose Garden adorned the raw emotion I had. A quarter through, my heart was at my throat. Ms. Reyna's words were velvet whispers in the night — I could almost hear them, feel its warmth in my face. Concepts of shadow work and ascension struck me at the core; it felt as though some of my own fears had been long lurking around until this book appeared, and managed to confront it. I even wrote down those excerpts on a paper so I could keep them along with my agreeing thoughts. But there were a few pieces that didn't make sense to me — fillers that should've been excluded, and better stay as an advice everyone thus far knows of. Overall, I loved the stories and their tone towards me as a reader.

— Read on: 09.25.22 🔖 | Rating: 3/5 ⭐

Reyna's poetry book was full of raw and real messages about experiences of grief, motherhood, love, and spirit. I loved the empowerment she provides to readers about finding ourselves, healing, and having hope. I enjoyed getting a glimpse into her perspectives as a black woman.

The poems ranged in length and style, and I really enjoyed the diversity in presentation. Some of her longer poems with more substance really resonated with me, and I grew in viewing the world in a new light. I liked the shorter poems that really hit you with a tough but true reality.

I did wish that the poems were organized or had some structure by topic. However, this is a personal preference, as I sometimes get lost in poetry books when I don't have a little organization to go off of.

Overall, I think many readers of poetry will enjoy Reyna's expression and art. She has a gift of communicating the experience of being a woman, growing through hardships, and finding your strength.

Thank you NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I will be sharing my review on my Instagram page closer to the pub date!

A contemporary poetry book, however did not connect that much to it. Again, poetry is very different than a normal book it depends a lot on the reader’s experiences in life so I dont feel like I can judge poetry harshly ever.

The book revolves around a lot of topics. Poems, phrases, quotes, sometimes abstaract feelings. The poetry style is something different from what i read usually, maybe thats one reason why i couldn't connect, or because its far from my nativeness. The poems start from deeper feelings and slowly transcend to anger, mostly anger, its anger and relavance to situation, the personal touch maybe loses here and there, because its more style over the feelings, when the feelings turned into different questions or short quotes, connecting to it just becomes very temporary.
But its intersting to see this new style, maybe I'll return to the rest of the works of the writer.

I just reviewed We Find Our Way by Reyna Biddy. #WeFindOurWay #NetGalley