The Shape Of Loss by Kate Taviner

This poetry collection focuses on the pain of losing someone you love what it leaves behind and the grief that stays. Some stand out poems to me were: The Ward, about loss and how losing someone you love can make your thoughts linger on the turning point moment seeing past and your now present for you alone now. Stepping, about daring to embrace the future and step into the unknown to find better, how brave, bold and daring to try is after loss. This collection is like someone talking to you saying I understand and I get what you're going through and how the shape of any loss of a life in your life also changes you from before and after now.

Ode To An Embryo by Dawn Apiarist

This poetry collection focuses on early pregnancy loss, the hopes for the tender life that was then so cruelly taken away before it had a chance to flourish and explores all the emotions you can feel as a would have been mum facing the heartbreak of losing the chance to have your baby. A stand out poem to me simply titled, Death, was a simple poem reflecting on how people can consider a death of an embryo no loss as it was so early, yet, the fact is that was a life taking shape no matter how early and this collection honours the tender early life that never hot the chabce to flourish.

Love Lies by SaDee Hodge

In SaDee's newest collection of poetry she writes about the deep feelings developing in safety from a truly loving equal connection and the impact of kids and dogs in helping bring joy and love and how when you finally feel settled life can become uprooted unexpectedly and when unwanted. Another deep feeling look into experiences of relationships, trust, PTSD trauma and love.

Forget Me Not: Poems on Loss by Charly White

This poetry collection focuses on grief and the effects of loss, touching on the subject of dementia and how it can feel to be around a loved one adapting to the situation you face now together, during after after loss too. It was such a relatable and devastating collection of poetry about a loved one being lost to dementia over time feeling like you're grieving all over again with every change that happens in the timeline after diagnosis towards the end, a reflective, sad but courageously written book.

Before We Do… On Purpose by T.Euke

This collection was all about the anticipation between two people and the emotions stirred between tension and opportunity building from things we observe in not just words but closeness of actions, scent, how we linger and when you finally make a move, the way it can leave you questioning and hoping after finally letting the tension break and actions lead to reactions, all on purpose choosing each other. I loved the flow of this poetic story of want, need and the way tension building and breaking between two people can lead to a becoming.

Embrace The Dark by SaDee Hodge

SaDee's newest collection of poetry is another powerful honest read and as always, some poems really hit me deeply: Helix Of Survival, was a poem about the danger a partner can make you feel by their hand and a few lines in particular resonated so hard with teenage me: 'survivors don't talk about the aftermath of escaping death' & 'survival takes its toll' both parts of that poem I feel deeply because teenage me experienced similar dangerous behaviour from another's actions. Stream Of Conscious Thoughts, was again so relatable about writing being an escape when facing bad times in life and to cope writing becomes your therapy. Revenge Not So Sweet, was a poem so understandable and relatable how you can feel nothing is truly yours anymore after such a relationship and how that can make you wish you could flip it and make them understand how you felt in the dangerous situation they made you face. Witching Hour Confessions, was a really great relatable poem again about late night thinking and how your overthinking and deepest thoughts can come spilling out in the comfort of darkness and being alone. The dedication to Eve, as well saying my reviews have been noticed was so touching and SaDee if you read this review too, thank you for writing your story and sharing it so others facing dangerous situations in relationships know they're not the only one's and that others out here understand too, never stop writing!

Poems For Ari by Shona More

This book of poetry was a tender collection in tribute to Ari, Shona's little boy, who sadly passed away after suffering with chronic kidney disease. Some stand out poems of this collection to me were: Suitcase, about returning home with item's only and not your beloved baby. Some Days, was a poem about the simple way grief changes day to day and the emotions that it brings day in day out you learn to adapt with. What If? Was a fantastic poem linking nature, hope and grief in searching for signs you can belive in to be from your loved one that has passed. This was a collection of some beautiful long poems which show the depth of a mother's love and even more touching wad the way every poem nearly of the collection ends, Love You Forever, as if reaching out with the words directly to her son, a beautiful loving touch.

Such Small Hands: Poetry on Grief, Love, and the Enduring Spirit by Tiffany Ann Dosal

This poetry collection is possibly the most relatable and heartbreaking one I've read about child loss and suicide so trigger warning for those topic's being discussed. Any death is a tragedy, but for a child or baby even more so when their life was shortened unexpectedly from what we believe they'll get which is decades of life not a handful of weeks, months or years and even more so when it's the result of suicide as a cause and because of bullying which is just completely devastating. The poems talk beautifully especially of how music threads us in life and after loss. The collection speaks of the weight of carrying grief daily through life making you feel like a ghost amongst the living and I think one poem we all can relate to and know is, Do Not Stand At My Grave & Weep and that was included in a quoted poem form as another relatable addition. Little Strawberry, Lovely Music and the line 'the cellist in black play,' all hit me hard as relatable poems as I was once a cellist in all black playing in aan orchestra letting the music speak as it can absolutely speak better than words at times, and the joy of sharing music and food bonds us in a way with each other a lot of the time we'd never get solo or with people who just don't get us Carousels In Heaven, was a melancholic yet beautifully wistful poem about the beauty and joy a carousel can bring and how such a beautiful thing you see in daily life and once saw together can leave a lingering hopeful tie you wish to still be a bind in life and beyond keeping you anchored and close to your passed loved one. Honestly, this collection is possibly one of the best about losing a child I have ever read for the depth and honesty with which it has been written and I truly hope that writing this has helped.

Lost In The Milky Way by Emmie Vale

This poetry collection is a bold and raw look into life post birth when it should be all joyous, instead depression and overthinking takes control and Emmi has really captured her experience and perspective of the situation she lived through and all she experienced with emotional detail. Some stand out poems to me were: An Omen, on the early pain of nothing going right and feeling nothing can or will. Missing Records, lack of evidence of anything you raise being concerned and worried about. She, Selfless, about the strength of a lone new mum and all they have to do caring for themselves as best they can and this nee little dependent one too. k.o, was a literal reflective poem, of how we say the opposite to stop worry so instead of everything being ok, it's not but we wish to raise no concern. I Count To One, I relate to so hard as an only child I realise growing up I was so lucky and my parents gave so much and I've seen others with siblings struggling more with timelessness from parents and pain of them splitting for reasons eventually too where as for one life can be more stable and the family unit stronger, one can mean a strong family unit for sure despite what anyone says, an only one is a precious one and the self awareness of putting them first over the worry of trying again and all you could worry about facing again shows depth of awareness to protect not hinder your family. Misplaced, about fighting judgement from others for your conclusion in building a family, again was a bold and secure message in knowing what you need to do over anyone else's judgement which shouldn't even come into such a decision where the reliance is on you not them. This was a deep emotional ride but I know so many people will feel it and sit with it relating to themselves within the poems too.

Till We Meet Again: For you, Mom by Delton Savio DSouza

I have to start this review with a quote from the book that we can all relate to: 'you have changed me permanently' I believe everyone we meet in life changes us, but no-one more so than a parent who's been right there from the start of our life shaping us and such a true line on love and grief, the love that remains in a new shape to adapt to cope with and make peace with. A stand out poem to me was: Time Has Become Unreliable, all about how the days and hours move the same but now feels untrustworthy for anything could suddenly happen and trying to achieve anything can feel hopeless when we all go eventually after being faced with such heavy grief and sudden loss. It flowed like poetic storytelling of real life learning to live with grief, the same but changed forever after the loss of such a beloved person in your life.