Echoes Of The Heart by Marius Burger Lourens

Marius has written a beautiful trio of books around the subject of love from a male's perspective which is always wonderful to see guys picking up their pens or typing out thoughts and feelings more, this being the final book in this collection. The Ache That Stays, was one poem which did really stand out to me about love lost that's ended, even though you had imagined the future with them. I love the rythm and flow of this collection with lots of musical references too relating to the beats, tempo, rythm of hearts and love in sync, melodies and tunes ended. Lots of dramatic rise and fall, really melodic well flowing poetry, painting your mind with imagery as you read. I have to say this was easily my favourite book of the collection, I really do recommend reading the series through which I have reviewed them all on here now too!

Daily Glimmers by Bridget McNulty

This book was one I completely believe in and get behind, finding joy in everyday moments that boost your mood and uplift you amidst the busy chaos life can bring and have you live in. From simple acts as enjoying the feeling of rain and embracing the weather, writing or drawing for fun and practical, finding a love of new music genres or coffee flavours. My own example, me and my friend came up with happy socks, we usually wear all black for our work uniform but the socks we even got our work to get behind, sharing fun prints to smile and laugh over together, a bit of light in darkness whether in uniform or daily life, our own little daily glimmer and conversation/connection starter!

Affirmations For Self-Love by Zanna Keithley

This book is great if you struggle with relaxing and feeling less anxiety or stress from life, a bit of guidance in stripping back to the core values of life, even simply just appreciating being alive and breathing this book really captures the feeling that it is enough and encouraging you to listen to your mind and body and trust in how it's feeling and telling you to react to life situations you face. One particular area of the book focuses on stillness and sitting with yourself, often feeling everything we are trying to process deeply and how reflecting alone we can work through healing the emotions not just cope. Another great point about being less harsh on judging ourselves too I think we can all relate to and appreciate steps we make most of all towards goals. The pages are laid out well with various font sizings and eye catching colours, shades of pink with white and black text to be easier to stand out and read a really nice light colour pallete for the subject matter.

The Quiet Grief by Chloe Jones

This was a really tender book of poetry that explores how grief is the guest that never leaves even when you want it to, you can't change events, just treasure the memories and try to process the loss in your way, the best you can. A short collection but nonetheless deeply heartfelt.

Somewhere In Between Your Heartbeats by Christina Loizou

This collection of poetry centred a lot on self love and growth, falling in and out of love, trauma and finding peace in your self. My Home and I Want You To Be My Forever Bliss, two beautiful poems about falling in love, deep love and how you can be swept up in feeling home in them and desire the future with them. A beautiful little collection about the joy of falling in love and all that can ensue and discovering deeper self love throughout everything too.

Ice Cream And Suicide by Jack Ray

This collection was looking into how love is a blessing but can feel like a curse when it begins to falter, how people can blind you before showing their true personality and keep you as a back up option. Some stand out poems to me were: Happy Birthday! Was a stand out poem about as we grow up we realise how the world can be a dark place that we were once more shielded to, younger and naive to life's complexity's. Another poem, Self Contained, I could actually relate to, just trying to get through life as unscathed as you possibly can especially after being hurt before and just keeping to yourself. Guardian Angel, was a powerful poem about trusting others early on when meeting them and easy believing them to have good intentions and the impact of alcohol in that situation too where it can take a sinister turn. It was a great collection of poems to immerse yourself in and really feel the depth of the emotion written into each poem included.

Bae, I Wish You Knew by Shizuku T

This was a modern language based set of poetic messages exploring what can be hard to say and easier to type and send to your loved one. Through hard times, worrying times and detailing loving and adoring undertones to most messages even after what could be an argument showing the devotion to their partner they have, a raw and openly emotional collection of how even in hard times, simple messages can make such a difference in communication for positivity in a relationship to blossom.

To A Girl I Haven't Met by Zack Grey

This was a unique poetry collection exploring the ways love can come and go, leaving traces, in various ways such as, sharing song lyrics like a love language between you both. With poetry about finding or feeling at home, your mentality and physicality, ageing and coping with anxiety and nervousness. One of the final poems, I just want to be the person you think I am, was a beautiful poem hoping to find love to feel blissful and just right eventually. Each part of the book had beautifully evocative photography in black and white to accompany the poems visually inspiring us alongside the words, a well crafted collection.

I Love You More by Brandon Deem

This was such a beautiful poetry book especially using the photography to background some poems too. The collection speaks a lot about trusting and loving, the desire to be close as you can be enjoying life's most magical yet mundane to some times. I also really enjoy the way Brandon makes us think kindly of ourselves, talking to us readers, realising we're all art in our uniqueness and that's to be embraced no matter how anyone else makes us feel which is such an honest thought to be left with after finishing reading the collection, we should all always speak more kindly about ourselves.

The Void Love Made by Imani Reverie

This was a great poetry collection showing the impact love and a relationship can have on you and your life. Some of my favourite poems of this collection were: Passion, about all consuming love that is, passionate encounters and heart racing moments. Distance, about loving someone despite being far apart literally or feeling them distancing themselves emotionally which hurts as bad. Captive, about feeling so deep in love, it consumes you wanting them, even if they don't want you. Showing a relationship going from all in happy love to falling down and apart, feeling despair at the breakdown and finding vices to try cope with it, this poetry collection was honesty written in it's purest form, super emotional and deep feeling not holding back.