Every Word You Cannot Say

I never really enjoyed poetry, except for a few rare poems, until I read "Every Word You Cannot Say". I think this is due to the fact that it doesn't really feel like poetry. Instead it felt like someone was talking to me, reassuring me, telling me that it's okay to be myself and that it's okay to be sad from time to time.
After reading this little book, I want to buy it and carry it with me everywhere like a companion who tells me every word I cannot say to myself whenever I need them the most.

Wow. I read through this pretty quickly because Thomas’ poetry pulled me right in. This is written beautifully, both in terms of voice/style and the visual presentation of words on the page. Inside the book, you find a collection of formats, fonts, and small visual art pieces to punctuate the poetry, and it’s all very soothing, even at the more emotionally moving parts.

What I loved most about this was the fact that it was written mostly in direct address to the reader. In other words, second person— even in the title, we see the word “you”, and this is a motif throughout the book. It’s all either “you” or “I”— sometimes the words will encourage us to think things, and other times they will give us advice. The overarching message? Self-love. This is a book about being in touch with yourself and allowing yourself to feel, regardless of how much it hurts.

Sometimes, this is all meant to be hard.
- Iain S Thomas

As for the theme, I can’t quite say exactly what it was— and not because it was unclear, but because it was such a universal feeling. Thomas writes about key aspects of the human experience— for example, lack of belonging, loss and heartbreak, and self-examination— in a way that makes it so accessible for any reader. I think anybody can find themselves in a line somewhere in this book. He tells a tale of personal loss, but because of the direct address, speaks to the reader as if they are an intricate part of his personal experience. He includes encouragement to feel deeply, connect spiritually, and let yourself hurt. I can’t say this is a book about hurt— it’s more self-acceptance. It’s done very well and it touches you emotionally; you feel as if Thomas understands what you are struggling. He uses his poetry to articulate the human experience in a very accessible way. I’d love to read more by this writer.

Goodreads link to this review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2655202328

This is so beautiful, it made me happy and it made me sad. I recognised myself in so much of these poems. This poems literally touched my soul and just made me content to read. I am going to pre order this now for a hardback copy because I feel I need this in my life. They are just simply beautiful and I feel would help people with mindfulness. I would give six stars if I could.

This is the first eARC I have gotten and I got to say it was amazing! I am starting to branch out of my young adult contemporary and poetry seemed like a nice step. This week has been kind of rough and this book said just about everything that I needed to here. I sometimes feel that I am completely alone in situations and this book helped by just being a companion. This is a book that I will buy as soon as it is released as a physical copy because I know it will be a book that I can go back to and read whenever I need to hear that I am not alone in life. This book will be there for anyone that needs to feel loved. I typically review books based on favorite quotes so here are a few that stuck out to me:

~ "I know that, sometimes, you wish someone would just say the words you need to hear because, sometimes, you don't even know what those words are."

~ Wait for yourself, and be patient with yourself and others. Wait. There's a kind of kindness that can set on your heart."

~ We only hear the loudest voices when really we should be listening to the quietest."

~ There is only one real sin in the end, and that's not being who you are, not listening to your should, and forgetting who you wanted to be."

~ 1. Have you told the people you love that you love them?
2. Have you gotten out of bed?
3. Have you drunk enough water?
4. Have you read something that wasn't on a screen?
5. Have you taken a moment to remember how important you are to you?
This is a checklist for being human."

~ Why do we hurt ourselves more, when other people hurt us? Why do we beat ourselves up, for feeling beat up?

~ Not everyone wins the lottery, but everyone who does bought a ticket. To live the life you want you have to be brave and buy the ticket every single day.

Iain S Thomas is great poet. His words are so beautifully written. Iain S.Thomas poetry makes you feel as a reader that the poems are written about you.

This book was beautiful and just what I needed to start the year. Iain S. Thomas makes you understand that your emotions and actions are okay to be felt, and that there is no shame in loving. Highly recommend to anyone dealing with self-love hardships.

What a beautiful book.  I think this is a compilation that needs to be on everybody's radars--I think it's going to be big.  It's beautiful both in text but also in design.  There's illustrations, font play, color play, and more.  It's absolutely stunning both inside and out.

You know how in The Tale of Winn-Dixie there are those lozenges that taste like melancholy?  That's kind of what this book is.  It's sweet and not really bitter while also filled with, well, a certain type of melancholy that's utterly and absolutely relatable if you've ever been in a relationship and gotten out of one.  

Be on the look out for this book for when it hits the shelves and make sure you get your own copy!

This was my second poetry collection by Iain S. Thomas, the first being <i> I wrote this for you </i>, and I must say that I really enjoyed it. I think for me it's easy to find myself in the words of this author and that's probably why I always connect with his work and appreciate it so much. I highly recommend this one!

“Kindness is not a currency, and if you treat it like one,
then that is not kindness.”

This really touched my heart. I loved the theme of this poetry book, which is really based on getting to know yourself and loving yourself and knowing you’re worth it. I LOVED THE ENTIRE MESSAGE THIS BOOK HAD. It all flowed into one another and had an overall message at the end which I was living for. Flow? Great. Messages? Great. Artwork and formatting? A+. The one thing I sometimes didn’t get with was sadly the writing itself. Sometimes it was put so simply that it didn’t pack a punch or make me feel anything. That being said, I still enjoyed it and would rec to anyone looking for a poetry book with wonderful messages about self love.

Some poetry is hard to follow or understand. This is not that type of poetry at all. I thoroughly enjoyed “Every Word You Cannot Say”. The way it was written was like the author was talking to me instead of telling a story. It very easy to relate to as well. An excellent book!

I really enjoyed not only the poems but also the pictures, the use of coloured words. I also enjoyed the shaped poems a lot, but I sometimes struggled to read them because I got so distracted by the shapes.

This poetry collection was everything I didn't know I needed. Typically, I don't read a lot of male poets, not because they are not brilliant, I just don't relate strongly to a lot of the thematic and personal elements that, in my opinion, make poetry so enjoyable. But, I saw this particular book on Netgalley and was in the mood for something poetic. 

As a full-time graduate student, graduate assistant, and part-time marketing specialist, I have been insanely busy, and my mental health has started to deteriorate because I haven't had much time for self-care. This book gave me all of the reassurances I needed to get through this semester.

Iain S. Thomas spoke to me the way I needed to be spoken to. He spoke TO me. His writing was personal and engaged the reader. He preached self-love and introduced the reader to themselves through his stylistic creativity. He empowered me, and made me feel as though it were my own doing.

For those that need a pick me up, this book is everything you need. This book really is every word you cannot say to yourself, but that you should.

i want to rate this higher
this book spoke to me as if i were speaking to myself
this was so relevant to a lot of what i've been feeling the last few months and i understood and still felt taken aback by how impacting these words are
i could read this every day
i cried at the end
i felt this like a crushing weight on my heart but it also released a lot and made me feel more free inside

i am Here

Here

I  received a free digital copy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

What a delightful book this was. I picked this book because the title just grabbed me. It is one of those poetry books you have to put down every few pages just to soak in the messages. I would definitely recommend this book.

This was the most beautiful collection of poetry I have ever read. Every word was exactly what my heart needed. It was beautiful, moving, and hopeful. It reminded you that cannot forget the past, but you can let it go. It reminded you to notice the magic you have now, the magic of self love and appreciating the world around you.
This is a book I truly believe every person can find something they love in.

This book reads like a letter from my own heart to my ex-husband. Anyone that has hurt someone or has been hurt by someone should read this book. It reminds us how powerful kindness and empathy are, not just for others but also for ourselves.

Full review and other posts to appear on my blog soon.

I was granted an e-ARC of this book by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Raw, real and vulnerable. Iain S. Thomas still has that magic with words, making you feel that you are human and you have emotions. This book was more than the sum of its parts, and I was here for all of it.

Every Word You Cannot Say is a book that punches you hard. I first read on of Thomas' book, I Wrote This For You, during one of the darkest days of my life. It spoke to me on different levels. He did the same thing with this book. These are not just words -- these are stories that we see and feel every single day but we dare not speak of them.

Iain S. Thomas shared that he was suffering depression when he wrote this book. This book is so much more because these were the words he wanted to hear (and maybe heard) when he was in that point of his life. He didn't just write it for him. He wrote it to everyone who needed to hear these words.

I couldn't recommend this book enough. And if you know someone who needs to read this, please give them a copy of the book once it hits the shelf. Trust me, maybe all they need to hear are these words.

This review is posted on my Goodreads page. An additional blog post will also be added on my blog soon.

I already few books of Iain and I wouldn't dare say that I'm a fan of his writings and honestly I wasn't expecting much from this book. But it knocked me upside down with its words, font, color, deeper meaning and the selective topics it stressed on.It mostly delivers us message that says standup and speak for yourself because darling it's always now or never and there's probably no tomorrow. Stick to yourself, your opinions, idealogies and flaunt them proudly by speaking up. An amazing poetry indeed!

So many people can relate to this one. Not feeling understood. Having an opposite opinion than everyone else. Feeling invisible.

I absolutely loved this poetry collection! It’s written in such a beautiful way. You actually feel like they’re the words running through your head—in fact, I’m pretty sure they have sometimes! This is a definite must read for poetry lovers! 4.5*

I received a copy of this book from Netgallley in exchange for an honest and fair review

I was pretty much crying all the way through reading this poetry collection. I don't think anything else has touched my soul the way Every Word You Cannot Say did. Ian S. Thomas somehow always finds a way to sneak into your heart and make you feel and relate to everything he's saying.

This poetry book featured some of my favorite topics, such as the relationships with others and yourself, dealing with feelings and letting yourself just experience the moment, knowing that there isn't a correct way to feel and live. I found myself relating to almost every scenario in Every Word You Cannot Say and I truly feel like this is going to be one of my favorite reads of the year.

I know this is listed as poetry, and free verse is a thing, but there was a very poetic prose element to this collection that I think bears at least remarking on. This is the first collection I've read by this poet, so I'm not sure if this is a standard to his style.

I also want to say that, all the way through, this was full of gorgeous writing and sentiment. I needed just every single page of this. It lifted me up. It made me feel like I wasn't alone. It gave me hope.

This is also a poetry collection that has a lot of art within the pages, as well as words making up imagery at various points. Visually, it was very appealing.

If I had to choose one favourite piece out of this collection, it would be the checklist a little over halfway through:

Wait:

1. Have you told the people you love that you love them?

2. Have you gotten out of bed?

3. Have you drunk enough water?

4. Have you read something that wasn't on a screen?

5. Have you taken a moment to remember how important you are to you?

I'm not going to say that this was a perfect collection. There are obviously going to be some things that don't appeal or aren't relevant or seem wrong to some readers. But the overall message was clear and beautiful and I adored it.

Iain Thomas binds a beautiful book of self-love, anger, purpose and silences that we can’t shake. I’ve read his previous books and there’s a running theme between them, a similarity that would otherwise be overdone but it works for his poems. This collection was exactly what the title promised: every word you can not say. Everything you’ve wanted to say but couldn’t. Every emotion you’ve felt and it couldn’t explain. Every hurt you experienced and couldn’t talk about.

It’s like everything inside me, everything I have ever wanted to say when my father told me I wouldn’t succeed because I was depressed, when my mother told me to leave her house, when I was the talk of the household and I couldn’t find my voice, when I was bleeding and nobody said anything.

And the silence. Sometimes I can’t talk; I physically can’t make words come out of my mouth so the part about silence that was inside me, silence that I couldn’t shake.

And purpose like there’s something for you and nobody is going to call you and go and do this and be great. And deserving love and good things, of having hurt so much we think we’re undeserving that we’ll never feel good again.

This poetry collection was therapy in a book. If you have ever had anything troubling you, anything- big or small- burdening your head or your heart, you need to read this book.. It’s the equivalent of someone lovingly wrapping a warm blanket around your shoulders, giving you a long tight hug, and saying “I understand. And I am with you.” Because let’s be honest, that’s all we really want as human beings, right?

I wish I could write something more to explain what I'm feeling about this book.

This book is a work of art and the beauty inside the book is not just about the visuals. The words are so true and they speak to me on so many levels about different emotions I feel.

Thank you "Every Word You Cannot Say", for making my day brighter.

“Not everyone wins the lottery,
but everyone who does
bought a ticket.

To live the life you want,
you have to be brave
and buy the ticket every single day.”

This book would make a great graduation gift. If adult life came with an instruction manual - this would be it. We are all seeking, we are all struggling, we are doing the best we can with what we have at any given moment.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the free review copy in exchange for my honest review.

I started reading this book and literally could not stop. I was drawn to the layout of the entire book, not just the words. The colors used and the intermittent pictures, the shapes made with words, the pages where only one word or few words were used and so much more. It all worked together to create a wonderful piece of artistic expression.

I believe there were poems that would speak to different people included within the pages of this book. I say this because certain poems spoke to me differently. Some spoke to my insecurities while others spoke to my experience with loss. I was comforted and encouraged by many of the words and the way they were expressed.
This is a book I will go back to again and again.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“You do not know the weight of what swims in my chest.”

Excited to have received an eADR from the publisher via Net Galley. Another beautiful addition to Thomas’ collection. This book is different than his “I Wrote This For You” books. It more closely resembles “How to be Happy: Not a Self-Help Book, Seriously.”

In tune with his usual style of making the reader feel heard, spoken to, and validated, each page is filled with gentle reminders that the reader is Here. Here. Here. We so easily forget where we are, so Thomas write 200+ pages to remind us. This book will come to you when you need it most.

I recommend this book to anyone and everyone who’s been through a hardship. Who has ever been uncomfortable being in their own skin.

Thank you Iian S. Thomas, for writing the words I cannot.

4/5 simply due to my preference for his “I Wrote This For You” style.

I'm not a big poetry fan, simply because I've yet to find the kind of poetry that I enjoy. This was pretty close to it, to be fair, even though there were bits of it that might've flown over my head a bit. But that's the way most poetry is for me.

Iain S. Thomas has a wonderful way with words which found their way into my heart and helped in ways I really didn't even know I needed. I'm someone who holds their feelings inside and finds it hard to express them most of the time. So in a way it felt like this collection was written about me.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I was able to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
***
“May this book find the person it needs to. May they find every word they were looking for.*

This collection of poetry is beautiful and peaceful. Iain S. Thomas’ latest work reads like he is addressing you and only you, that this work was meant for you, to get into your hands and find a connection with you. I think this may be my favorite of his work or it could be I’m writing this review immediately after finishing reading it without letting it sink in for awhile like I usually do. Who knows, but I know it was amazing and it’s exactly what I needed to read and hear right now.

Had really good potential. Love the title and the premises this book had, but it just fell a little flat. I would still recommend this to others. Some of the poems did resonate with me and were very touching. I really liked how some of the poems were displayed/illustrated.

I'm still trying to find my way through modern poetry and prose and this book does it for me. It feels like a sort of self help book or pep talk written in poetry form. The author has written as if he is talking directly to the reader. A number of times I stopped to read a passage over two or three times just to take it in and ponder over what it meant. I really enjoyed reading this even more than I thought I would and plan on picking up a physical copy for myself so I can read it again.

This is an amazing collection and I can't give it enough praise. Thomas's words make you take a step back and reflect on yourself and moments in your past. It's articulated so well and the emotion hits straight at the heart. I can't wait to read more of his work.

Iain Thomas once again manages to be the everyman's poet, delving into the emotions, hopes, fears, disappointments that we all share simply by being human.

This work seems to have a theme of finding yourself, accepting who you are, and not being afraid to open yourself to the world. Getting hurt is part of life, messing up is part of life, wanting to be alone at times is part of life; but so is being there when it's important, being brave even when you think you're not, trying again and again and again each day, and being open to all the joys and good the world holds.

I look forward to each new offering by this poet.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Andrew McMeel Publishers for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased opinion.

HOOO MY GOD.

I recognised the author through his previous writing that enticed me, but unfortunately, fell short to entertain me.

However,
Every Word You Cannot Say was excellent.

Unlike some contemporary poetry books that have several themes into one, EWYCS dabbled in only one: love. Love yourself, love others, love your significant others, unlove them, unlove toxic person, they all have the same thread.

I adore some writings and I am glad to get the digital ARC so that I can appreciate it now.

4/5

<i>(I received a digital ARC via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)</i>

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

This book was a pleasant surprise. A beautiful book of Poetry filled with life lessons. In fact, I wrote some of hte poems in my journal because they made that much of an impact on me. I even shared some of these poems with my daughter who is in the thrones of teenage drama.

"There is only one real sin in the end, and that is not being who you are, not listening to your soul and forgetting who you wanted to be."

This poetry collection was amazing from start to finish. I connected to most of the poems in the beginning, and they were so powerful that I was almost in tears. Like, actual tears. They were so emotional, and you could just feel the emotion rolling off of the page. As the collection continued, however, I just didn’t connect as much to the poems. I could still feel the power in the words, but there just wasn’t as much emotion in them. This poetry collection was phenomenal overall, and I will absolutely be picking up more from this author. I’d say that you should probably give this collection a go if you’re looking for some new poems to love.

I received an advance copy of this book through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I definitely enjoyed Every Word You Cannot Say, this style of poetry was slightly different than I’ve read before. It read like one long poem however each poem is also it’s own... if that makes sense? Finished in one night and couldn’t put it down. I’ve read other works by this author and looking forward to more! Thank you Netgalley & publisher for the e-copy!

🌟🌟🌟🌟/5

I recieved this arc by netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

"And we must be gardner's of all the things we find in our hearts"

This was different to other poetry books I've read and that's not a bad thing. It was more or less one long poem but you could easily see when the theme changed. As someone else described, it was almost like a therapy session and i needed to read it. I enjoyed this quiet alot!

"You need to remember because life has a way of making you forget."

This poetry collection is beautifully written. You can easily connect to the poems because they are relatable. It makes you question life in general. It's heartbreaking and meaningful at the same time.

This book is about allowing yourself to be yourself. The way it is written is you'll feel someone is talking to you. I also liked the illustrations and color play.

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

“I know you hurt and that you love and that, sometimes, love is the reason you hurt.” - Iain S. Thomas

EVERY WORD YOU CANNOT SAY by Iain S. Thomas is a poetry collection that stays with the reader long after. I was twenty pages in when I couldn’t keep the tears at bay anymore. The poetry takes an in-depth look at themes people often don’t discuss. It’s words that we think but don’t say, like the title says. I was surprised at how much I could relate with the words. It felt like the author had a peek inside of my mind and composed a series of poems. The poems also made me feel less alone, like someone else understood me.

If I had read this collection when I was a teenager, it would have helped me lot. Especially since our earlier years are when we need someone to tell us everything will be okay, and that what we’re feeling is normal. I highly recommend this book to poetry lovers, people who feel alone and misunderstood, and anyone who have emotions they can’t put into words.

* Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this collection of poems about questioning what life is all about and the ways in which we express how we feel. The book does stick to a singular topic and not every poem is remarkable, but as a collection I think it works extremely well.

The concept of Every Word You Cannot Say was original and I could relate to a lot of the poems since most of them dealt with love and forgiving yourself. The book itself was also pretty as well.

I loved this book so much. It has a way of just making you feel good. I sent a few quotes to my girlfriend because I thought they'd make her happy, and I was right.

Sadly I couldn't´finish this copy in time. After half of the book my time run out and I couldn't finish it. I still want to give a review about the half I've read.

Ian Thomas is a well known author but for me its the first book I read. I want to change this soon because I absolutely adored it.
He gave me the emotions, the hopes and fears and disappointments that we all share by simply being human. I got goosebumps while reading and that doesn't happen very often.

The theme of this book is accepting who we are and finding yourself in a world full of strangers. Getting hurt is part of our life but that should not define us. Being brave even if you think you are not and always trying again each day should.

This book is giving you hope in the darkest of times and turning on even the tiniest light. And when I couldn't read farther I was so sad because I felt like something was stolen from me ^^.

I now have several of his books on my tbr and plan on reading them soon.
Ian S. Thomas is a poet who truly writes with his heart. I loved everything.

"Your story is special.
And whether you know it or not, you are adding new
words to it every single day.
If things are good, they will change. If things are bad,
they will change.
Because change is the nature of every story."

The poems in this book and are beautifully touching. I took breaks reading this so I could truly embrace and absorb the words I was reading.

I would like to thank the publisher for giving me a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed reading this!

Thank you Andrews McMeel Publishing and Netgalley.

Thank you Iain Thomas for bringing this book to me and showing me the absolute beauty of poetry,

I am trying to read more poetry, sometimes I enjoy it, other times I can give it a miss and return to my usual go to genres. This book has
Shown me the absolute beauty in words, I loved so many of the poems, the themes, the language.

Highly recommended for anyone who wishes they loved poetry more than they do, This could just change your mind in the most fabulous way.

Thank you for this ARC.