A gorgeous collection of poems and drawings. I absolutely loved reading every poem and would highly recommend it! The drawings add a nice touch to the book and honestly, it’s a great read.

*Thanks Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for letting me read this arc in exchange for an honest review*

This collection of poems was so beautiful! The writing amazed me and I felt connected to so many pieces. A brilliant author, I'll definitely have in mind when I'm searching for poetry.

There are some poems that speak to you. They feel like you, you ache to read them, and often it's hard to stop because you feel like you're meant to keep seeing the words the way they've been written.

Many of the poems in The Truth of You were like this for me.

They weren't all like this, some were misses that didn't grab me but others I stopped to read again and felt touch me. This book is full of poems about life, death, love, hate, and self reflection.

You will find some of the poems in here will speak to you as well if you take the time to try them.

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

"The Truth of You" is a beautiful poetry collection whose words express the love and sadness we all experience at some point in our lives. It would be hard to read through this selection and not feel some kind of connection to the words on the page. I'm sure most readers will be able to relate to many of the poems in this book. Thomas does an excellent job writing about happiness, loneliness, grief, and love. Though not all of the works are attention grabbers, the book certainly does its job of making the reader reflect on themselves and their own feelings.

These poems were beautiful. So many resonated with me. Some made me so emotional. They were wonderfully written. The illustrations were beautiful too.⁣
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Modern, non-rhyming poetry is usually a hit or miss for me; when it’s done well, it really connects with me, but when it’s not it usually ends up being fairly anticlimactic. Luckily, the former is the case with The Truth of You.

Despite many of the poems exploring fairly straightforward subject matter, this poetry collection does an excellent job of bringing a fresh perspective to the common themes of sadness, love, joy and navigating life. It perfectly straddles the line between crafting poems that are relatable and easy to connect with, and incorporating a deeper perspective or new exploration of the topic at hand to keep things interesting and avoid compiling a surface-level, generic collection.

One element I most appreciated about this collection was that none of the poems felt like throwaways. Though not even poem was a favorite or particularly resonated with me, they all felt well-crafted and thoughtful, rather than added in to reach a page goal, which I’ve unfortunately encountered with some other poetry collections.

Overall, I’m excited to give more of Iain S. Thomas’s poetry collections a try. Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A beautifully written collection of poems which span all manners of emotions from the melancholy, love, happiness and grief. The author expertly weaves words together that are absolutely relatable and it feels like he is almost reaching inside and speaking on your behalf. A section of self discovery and self reflection and all in all a validation of all cycles of emotions which we all feel at different stages of our lives. Lot of description linking to nature and natural phenomenon which appealed to me that much more. Definitely a collection worth owning and an author i will be sure to follow from now on.

I loved everything about this. So much growth can be found in this book. I look forward as usually to reading more of the authors work. Just beautiful

beautiful collection of both poetry and pictures. i surely tabbed my favorites and there were lots of those! will definitely be reading more by this author.

I enjoyed this a lot. I think this was a good balance between the more modern approach to poetry mixed with a lovely use of words. I think this will appeal to those who enjoy the little snippets like Instagram poetry, but it doesn't completely live in that style the entire way. Overall a really nice collection that I thoroughly enjoyed.

i received an ARC in exchange of an honest review, all the opinions are mine.

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for me this was definitely the perfect case of the right book at the right time. i feel like it was exactly what i needed to read now and the writing was so beautiful. i enjoyed the small illustrations too and they were a perfect addition.
i have read a lot of poetry books lately and this collection is one of the very best. the style isn't for everyone but the poems had depth and most of them, if not all of them, hit just the right spots for me.
the book deals with different subjects, from loss to falling in love and finding yourself in a realistic but, at the same time, positive and encouraging, way.
i read it all in one night because i loved it so much that i couldn't go to sleep before finishing it and i wish there was more. i'm looking forward to reading more of the author's works in the future.

This is another beautiful collection of inspirational modern poetry by Iain S. Thomas. As with his other collections, I thoroughly enjoyed this and will purchase a copy for my classroom library so I can share it with others. While reading this, I had many moments where I would read a poem and then turn the page, only to turn back to re-read the beautiful words that hit me hard. As is his signature, Thomas masterfully creates spare, yet moving poems about love, life, grief, happiness, and sadness. I highly recommend this title. Thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel for the opportunity to read and review this title in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely beautiful. Loved everything about this. The words were all so well thought out and powerful. The illustrations were wonderful as well.

A collection of prose in the shape of poetry. I liked these writings, but I couldn't really see it as poetry. This collection talks about love, relationships, hope, accepting yourself and loving yourself. Some of them were quite memorable and emotional, but as it tends to happen with collections like this, there was some repetition. It was also accompanied by some black-and-white drawings.

I liked the first half more, but it's a nice and relaxing read.

I thank Netgalley and Andrews McMeel for the digital ARC

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read these beautiful poems. Some of the poems are so simple, just a couple of lines or words, yet they are very powerful. Interesting musings on love, loss and life. I'll definitely be revisiting a large portion of these.

Poem that will stick with me - A Bag in a Doorway resonated with me and was such an interesting view about anxiety and A Wave.

I also loved the simple illustrations throughout, specifically the birds.

Iain is a master of poetry! He writes poems that not only are relatable but will motivate you, remind you why we are alive, they pull on your heart strings and even give you motivation to keep going. The art in between pages adds a classical touch to the book. The word choices for each poem bring the poems to life making this book of poetry enjoyable. I absolutely love this book.!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I'm a huge fan of Iain S. Thomas's poetry. He has an amazing talent with his writing, that's for sure.
I will definitely be purchasing a physical copy of this book to add to my collection.

Thank you netgalley and publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I finished the book in one sitting- it was an overall solid poetry collection, which I would give 3.5 stars. This is a collection of beautiful uplifting poems about life, love, loss, and self-reflection. The drawings add a nice touch to the book.

Though I probably won't reread, I plan on purchasing this book for a few friends.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for allowing me to review a digital arc of this book.

This is a stunning book. Both the poems and the art work are breathtaking. It felt as though the words came from such an intimate place in our collective consciousness, that all humans can relate to, if not intellectually, than through the pull of the emotions as they read these beautiful words.

First of all, I want to say a thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

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I’m not exactly versed in poetry so I can’t be as expansive as I’d like to be in terms of the type of poetry in this book or anything like that. I just thought this was a beautiful piece of prose. It’s so raw, moving and so relatable to anyone whose in love/ has been, it really expresses just how consumed you can become by it, to an extent where it makes you feel like you’re floating outside of your body but, at the same time, it’s excruciatingly painful. These poems reflect heartache, the devilish imposter syndrome that often takes us prisoner, the suffocation of mental illnesses and loneliness, coming to terms with your past, forgiveness as acceptance.

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The poems included in this book are so personal, intricate and delicately written. They hit you deep and resonate with you long after you’ve finished. As well as devastating I also found them to be empowering, the way Iain Thomas makes you feel so seen and heard in ways only beautifully written poems can.

Apart from the poems themselves, which I can’t hype up enough, the illustrations throughout are utterly breathtaking. They are almost as powerful at invoking emotion as the poems themselves .

Overall, I couldn’t be more in love with this gem of a book, and I really can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy upon its release. I would recommend this to anyone who loves poetry, particularly anyone who’s struggling with loneliness or feels alone in their grief, heartbreak, or any other traumatic event causing them emotional pain. I hope this will soothe you and your mind the way it did for me

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This book was sent to me as an ARC on NetGalley. However, all opinions are of my own.
I’ve read this poetry book on the eve of a first death anniversary and I felt like every word cut through me like a knife.
Every single poem was an intricate explanation.
Some were sad.
Others were happy.
While some screamed love and loss.
I will definitely be purchasing this and going back to it when I feel I want to feel my emotions and be really in it.

3.5 stars

This poetry collection is divided into sections. Each builds onto the next. It feels like the story of a person — young and still relatively new to the dangers of the world — falling blindly in love, to the extent that all they see is the person they're in love with. And then inevitably, they're left alone, heartbroken, drowning in their pain and diminishing self worth. They fall in love again and it's all wrong again. I could taste the bitterness in these poems, especially when they attributed blame to God. But thankfully, there's more. Because if it's wasn't, then this book would not be as important as it promises to be at the start. The second half of the book shines more brightly than the first. The section titled 'In which we hope' was definitely my favourite.

A lot of these poems read like affirmations. Some of them are prose poems. What drew me into reading this book, however, was Thomas' opening letter(s) to the reader:
Dear you,
I want you to know that I see you.
Something got stuck in my throat as I read Thomas' letters — in the description (cover) of the book, at the start and at the end. He signs two of them "—pleasefindthis". I love the urgency in that phrase. It shows the writer really cares about the reader; even if the reader does not care about the poems just yet.

I read this book over the course of many weeks and took my time thinking about some of them. My favourites included:
'An Infinite Line': which in five short lines describes every poet in love
'A Key Lost in a Field': which encourages one to allow sincere love in
'A State of Being': all of the lovely imagery — a bird, a secret memory in someone's head, rising strings in a song, coffee at your favorite café, light shining through the leaves...
'A Lion Going to Sleep': a gesture of affirmation (of love)
'A Cloud of Dust': how time apart from loved one(s) does not mean they are not thinking of the other
'A Swimming Pool': another sappy love poem
'A Thing You Cannot Point At': encouragement to not be part of the generational trauma that taught children how to love dysfunctionally
'A Voice from Your Past': how parental criticism can become the (dominant) voice in your head
'A Long Shadow': demands that you can be a role model for others too
'A Silver Door': urging writers to write because what they write does indeed matter

Finally, bold (e.g. dark snowy mountain peaks) and delicate (e.g. a dandelion struck by wind) illustrations intersperse the poems, adding to the loveliness of some of these gems. Thomas' calls this collection 'this shared land', inviting readers to visit the book again and again...when required, as needed.

Would recommend this book if you're looking for an easy-to-grasp free verse poetry collection, which leaves you feeling seen.

The Truth of You: Poetry About Love, Life, Joy, and Sadness (Paperback)
by Iain S. Thomas
The audible version is read with an Australian accent. Making the poems full of light and mystic.
The poems are thought provoking, telling about love, life, friendship, how we must look at the world. In the audio the transcendence of meditative music add to the need and desires in the stories.
I had to reach out and get the print version of the book, only to see the divisions of the poems, since they seem to go as a transcendent thought a conversation between and elder and and younger. Between the poet, and the audience teaching, empowering and belonging. The inspiring words are something you could grow with. I could see children listening to this or having each of them read the poems aloud to each other, with thousand moments of inspiration to look not only in your self but beyond to the things that make life worthwhile.

The Truth of you is a collection of poems about love, life, sadness, and hope. I enjoyed this poetry book a lot - poems are beautiful, and some are quite emotional. A few of them are pretty short but great all the same. I liked the vast majority of them, and I could feel what the author wanted to say.

I listened to an audiobook first and then decided to review an e-book also. Both formats are great, so a reader can choose what suits him/her most. In an audiobook, the author narrates the poems, and his narration is perfect. Also, music in the background helps to create the mood. In the e-book, illustrations are a great addition to poems.

Thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read this! All opinions are my own.

This is a lovely little collection of poetry. I enjoyed the themes around which the poems were arranged, and while I wasn't blown away by the depth of the poetry, there were some bright little moments.

This was an absolutely incredible collection. I felt every word and so many of the words resonated deeply in me. It was a collection of strength, hope and exactly what i needed to read right now. I'm so glad i've found this book and will be buying a copy the moment it's released.

Lain S. Thomas' writing is so raw, beautiful and captivating. I flew through this poetry collection. The poems where painful at times but also healing as well. I really recommend this poetry collection to anyone really!!

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for this free eArc, this is my honest review.

Dieser Gedichtband ist in mehrere Abschnitte gegliedert, welche die Gedichte thematisch in "glückliche Beziehung", "Trennung", "Neubeginn" u.ä. unterteilen. Die meisten Gedichte umfassen nur wenige Zeilen, gelegentlich finden sich längere dazwischen. Hübsche, liebevolle schwarz-weiß Zeichnungen fangen die Stimmung der Gedichte perfekt ein.

Insgesamt hat mir diese Zusammenstellung gut gefallen. Die Gedichte haben mich berührt und einige regten mich zum Verweilen und Nachdenken an. Auch die Sortierung der Gedichte in die jeweiligen Abschnitte fühlte sich passend an. Die kleinen Zeichnungen waren eine schöne Abwechslung und machen das Buch zu etwas Besonderem, sie gefielen mir sehr.
Ein wenig schade fand ich, dass sich einige Gedichte so stark glichen, dass ich kurz dachte, sie würden sich wiederholen. Innerhalb der Abschnitte hätte ich mir daher noch ein bisschen mehr Abwechslung gewünscht.

Ich vergebe empfehlenswerte 4 Sterne.


In English:

This volume of poems is divided into several sections, which thematically categorize the poems in "happy relationship", "separation", "new beginning" and so on. Most poems only last a few lines, with occasional longer poems every now and then. Pretty, loving black and white drawings perfectly capture the mood of the poems.

Overall, I liked this compilation a lot. The poems touched me and some made me linger and reflect. The sorting of the poems into the respective sections also felt appropriate. The small drawings were a nice change and make the book something special, I liked them a lot.
I found it a bit unfortunate that some poems were so similar that I thought for a moment that they would be repeated. I would have liked a little more variety within the sections.

I give a recommendable 4 stars.

A beautiful, earnest poetry collection about our vulnerabilities and relationships. I especially adored the poems ruminating on love and loss. The collection is well narrated by the author, Iain S. Thomas. Though the background music is distracting at times. Overall, a wonderful volume of poetry.

Thank you Andrews McMeel Audio and NetGalley for providing this ebook and audiobook ARC.

Firstly, I would like to thank NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the eARC for an honest review.

I felt that this was such an uplifting and honest collection of poetry that I really enjoyed. I think the first section of poems that focused on love and relationships was really nice. I loved connecting to the words and being able to share in that with my partner who also enjoyed and related to what I showed him. This collection is one that aims to build its readers up. It definitely did that for me. It spoke of acceptance which a lot of us struggle with. This collection made me feel seen.

It probably isn't the most traditional poetry collection and leans more towards poetic prose but I really did enjoy it. It felt like a pick me up after a really hard day (or year). I would recommend this collection to anyone who struggles with self doubt, even if poetry isn't really your thing. Open your mind and let the words of Iain S. Thomas speak to you.