Thought Garden Poetry by Stacey Nicole Douglas

This collection of poetry contained very short verse poems about being so in love with someone even when you split they play on your mind like a song on repeat. How going back wouldn't be right when the feels weren't fully reciprocated enough and shown in caring actions, that walking away will heal you and mourning the loss of a person like they died, yet they left your life not the world, by choice. A particular poem about Ghosting rang very true about the joy of them acknowledging you again but it's too late to feel respected and another how wisdom comes with age versus youth, touching on many truths we come to realise and learn growing up. It was a great book with a mix of fonts, text type and illustrations to keep the flow intriguing as to what you would come across next too.

Texts I'll Never Send by Stacey Nicole Douglas

This book tells how a relationship can sour when effort is only coming from you and not reciprocated by the other person too. Talking of how you can be present, showing up when you get the bare minimum back to you. I love the dear you letters addressed to her ex could be love and the vulnerable side we see sharing this must have been deeply moving to do. I related so bad to this book. How liking a guy a couple years younger, how music can unite you, grow closer and how slowly them pulling away, helps you heal in time with writing your feelings and not sending messages too again, very true and relatable collection.

Heartbreak Royalty by Havilah Mae

This was a poetic look at life as a relationship leaves trauma from a connection being less than loving and adoring instead the reflection looking back over the relationship showing the negatives over the positives and how it can leave you wondering and questioning why. A delicate collection of poetry of the ways control and emotional abuse from a partner can linger.

Fractures: Poems of Breaking by Evelyn Valehart

This poetry collection focussed on trauma, grief/loss and how you can find yourself feeling dealing in the aftermath of life. Some fantastic poems of this collection to me were: A Language Without Sound, about how actions speak more than words can. Between My Ribs and the Rain, a beautiful rhyming poem about where ache remains of pain as it lingers affecting you. The Body Keeps Its Secrets, how when memories in the brain fade, touch can remind you and still trigger you of the past. The Body Remembers Before the Mind, almost descriptive of triggers to trauma your mind can bury to try protect you from feeling. How Silence Cuts, about the pain of losing someone and it being finite. A lot of deeply moving poetry and definitely one of the best I've read relating to trauma and loss.

The Little Book Of Grief by Sadie Green

The book is tiny but mighty the weight of emotions heavy in these short poems showing how grief accompanies you in daily life from items they used daily to one's left in their place awaiting a return never to be, a beautiful collection capturing the way grief lives alongside you after loss.

Define Me Divine Me by Phoebe Garnsworthy

This was a brilliant poetry collection about life in general and all the feelings that make us simply human. Some stand out poems to me were: Boundaries, was a simple poem of how giving is beautiful but when you give always to no return to keep yourself safe with boundaries and respect as a basic to receive. Against, Foolish and Confrontation, were all poems about feeling the relationship and love changing for the worse but falling anyway even if they think you're too much for them. Fencing, about protecting yourself not fighting to feel safe and chosen by another. Fighter, about being you despite people trying to tear you apart and change you. Saviour & Teacher were two poems about feeling broken and realising you are enough as you are. Loneliness, about books being a way to escape from feelings and find comfort and escape when needed. It was a collection that touches deeply on parts of life that can feel heavy from love and loss, to loneliness and never feeling good enough.

The Latter by Maniyah Pulley

This poetry collection focuses on the battle of mental health and feeling like you are trapped in your mind alike a maze, stuck unable to progress or find a way out. The poem, I'm Only Suggesting, I feel any of us with mental or physical health conditions can easily relate to about how others feel they're being helpful when they're not. The epilogue as well served as a powerful conclusion telling of how the mind and thoughts can make you feel and trap you in from the author's perspective and I too related to how depression can cloud your mind and you feel held back from feeling pure joy in things you do like a void is there.

Heartbreak Cocktail by Dominika Stančíková

This poetry collection has many lengthier poems with beautiful rhymes and impactful messages behind each one. A stand out poem to me was, Love Is Kind, a beautiful poem talking how love should be so simple and caring. It was a detailed and honest collection of poetry all about love, honesty, reality in a relationship of it undoing and learning to be ok again in the aftermath of the heartbreak.

Skeleton by Ryan Sam Turner

This poetry collection is so relatable about the struggles of growing up and feeling behind or not enough in life, from pressures to be ok and not feel depressed or finding love and settling down pressures. Pills Pills Pills and Pill Game, were two so well written descriptions how the pills can seemingly have no effect so you take more and more to try feel something at all better despite not feeling they'll make a difference at all. The Heron, about the beauty of their freedom and uncaring at the world around them feeling no pressure like us humans can put on each other. Pure O aka Purely Obsessional, about how your mind can make you feel so low, see yourself so negatively and distorted your mind plays tricks on you. Missed Milestones and Time Only Moves One Way, about feeling life is passing you by without reaching expectations others assume you want to, which can be and also not be the case as everyone has different goals and dreams. So deep into the discussion of mental health, feeling pressure you're not enough in life as your peers seemingly grow up to have kids around you whilst you feel life is on pause for you, the discussion around panic attacks too was utterly relatable as someone who's experienced and lived with them for half my life now, it was great to read someone capture the feeling that seems indescribable when it occurs in such an honest relatable way.

All My Monsters by Honey Holloway

This poetry collection focuses on some dark subjects around how feeling hurt and facing harm from others can effect you and your trust. The Ghost, was a powerful poem of how pain someone causes you can linger even after they've gone. The Thief, about how hands that hurt can make you fear others doing the same. It was quite a short collection easy to read in an evening and sit and reflect or relate to, some beautifully deep poems.