Hold The Cork by Lee Mawdsley

This poetry collection not only has a fun title, but the poetry spilling out covers so many vast areas of life we all encounter and have to adapt, change and cope with. An Empty Letter, about wanting to regain contact after being close before yet struggling to be able to communicate. Rain and Pain and The Darker Hours, were two poems looking at how the weather makes us feel more deeply and relates to our thoughts contrasting or inspiring. Life Lessons and Old Habits, how we can feel like the constant cycle of living means we're always learning whether it's good or bad developments. Support, about all the ways, you can find someone truly caring deeply for you and wanting to help. A great collection about all the good and bad times in a relationship and how it can be testing, ending and ultimately makes you feel deeply.

An Ode To Motherhood by Annie Noor

This collection of poetry talks about all aspects of the journey that motherhood brings, from the delight and wonder as your body creates the tender new life to the birth and awe of the new little one to treasure right through growing up and adapting, learning and guiding each other through it all. The book was laid out beautifully with simple black text on a light coloured background with white flowers, a symbol of the purity of life and really fit the collection well as does the fun cover too showing the delight and wonder mother and baby share together. A beautiful collection as an insight into how life changes in a beautiful way welcoming a little one.

Lies & Games by R.R. King

This poetry collection is set to chapters of confessions through poetry and details the heartbreak experience from the male perspective utterly raw and open emotionally from feeling like the back up option, a juxtaposition of wanting to help the girl he admires, love her and feel her best yet knowing deep down there's feelings of unease especially around another guy that plants the seed of doubt in the mind and stop you from opening up and being fully vulnerable. The collection talks of many experiences such as being scared to admit feelings for fear of rejection and playing games and the chase and the exhaustion it can cause you and personally as a female I relate the opposite way as I've only known guys to play the games so to read from the view what happened to me and knowing happens to males too makes me feel there's just good caring and kind people out there and a whole other load of people who just enjoy games and playing with feelings and unfortunately you often encounter them! The collection is illustrated with great sketch style outlines of a male and female in various situations matching the poems main topics and all of the collection ties in well to the title and cover of effectively feeling trapped from a males perspective in a web of the girl's making surrounding him. A great collection about guys embracing their feelings and processing them healthily.

Regretting You by Mae Ellison

This poetry collection was about love and the way you can loose yourself in the relationship and that person so deeply, it isn't until it's over and on reflection you see the ways you changed to fit their ideals. Some stand out poems to me of this collection were: The Weight Of What I Didn't Say, how you can feel alone in the company of others you were once so close too. When Love Became A Mirror, about how the one you love can affect how you see yourself negative rather than good and the toxic way it can alter your own thinking. My Body, My Boundaries, about owning yourself and the confidence you have first. Reclaiming My Reflection, about making you happy first over anyone else. The Art Of Being Alone, preserving space and time for what you love. Each poem had a selection of songs relating to the poems subject and made it even more impactful I often find when writing with music they works best together like a team I feel and the inclusion of Banks's songs especially as a huge fan of her music fitted with the collection seamlessly.

Out Of The Darkness by J M Edgley

As the title suggests of the collection, this poetry collection focuses on coming out of the darkness and depths of depression and living with PTSD too. Some stand out poems to me were: Into Despair, about the way depression can sneak up again and pull you back under and into it's depths. Trapped By Time, was actually really relatable and so similar to something my mum once said to me I'm too oretty to feel so sad, which I never understood and this poem really hit me deeply and completely. A Date On A Calendar too, about the fragility of life's monumentous moments that can hurt years after loss, again a really relatable poem at this time of year especially when December is seen as a joyous month, in our family, there's so many anniversaries of loss it can be more sad than a glad time of year. The collection also includes poems on child loss and the fragility of life and the open discussion of mental health around such a saddening time especially really struck with me as it doesn't get written about or openly discussed in my opinion and truly, it was a fantastic collection of poems.

Love Notes Volume 2 by Cheryl Bradshaw

This collection was deeply impactful and deals with the topics of abuse and how one person can affect you so much and the desire to help them can make you put yourself second. The poems that stood out to me didn't have titles in this collection but were numbered: 16, about safety and how it can effect you. 23, about the illusion of life and feeling how it is going or right 24, about seeing love different at teens to your twenties from toxic to loving. 25, about knowing yourself enough to know good and bad behaviour signs. 55, about fearing an explosion from a toxic partner and choosing to stay silent instead to not risk it. I love collections of micropoetry where you can easily read it say on a bus or train journey and feel still as deeply as if you've read an in depth collection which this collection did seamlessly each piece making you think and reflect.

Thoughts That Haunt Me by Ariel Day

Another beautiful short collection of poetry by Ariel. Wordsmith, Morning Make-up and Ambush, were some shirt stanza poems detailing short but effectively how abusive or controlling behaviour as well as cheating can impact you and the relationship you were in. The title suits the collection heartbreakingly perfectly.

She Speaks In Petals by Mrs Heidi Prowse OAM

This poetry collection is split into sections, starting with a lot of self love and acceptance poetry. Some stand out poems to me were: Her Own Skin, was a powerful poem of strength about one's self perspective. Silhouettes, was a beautiful poem of how others can help our own view of our bodies to cherish, especially a loving partner. Beauty, about the daily life moments and of beauty over painting our faces daily with make-up, covering over embracing ourselves. Betrayal and Wounds, were two stunningly written and deep feeling poems of the emotional weight of being hurt so cruely by the one you loved the most. Forgiveness, about not forgiving those that hurt you because it hurt you so badly. Healing, was a powerful poem about owning scars others caused you. It was a powerful collection of poems to find strength and resilience in and one of the best in depth collections detailing moments of a girl growing into a woman's life.

Sad Girl by Logan Kaur

The rythmic flow of this collection read smoothly and was beautifully set into short verses too. My favourite poems were The Feeling Of That Love Is Suicide as well as Broken Inside, about unrequited love and how all consuming desire and limerence can be to deal with. It was a really touching selection of poetry and I read it through it one go, leaving me to sit and reflect, if you have ever deal with unrequited feelings this collection will resonate with you for sure.

Letters To The Unreachable by Miraya Mittal

This was a beautiful collection of poems/letters to people and items encountered in memory and appreciation. To A Friend was easily the most relatable poem to me, about being so close with a friend before you unravel and lose the friendship, contact and are left with only the memories you once shared. To The Clouds, using them as a metaphor for crying and freeing your emotional weight that's being a burden on you. It was really touching to read and really made me reflect on life moments that have been tough to face and what I would say to people I've lost in the past in various ways.