being the red flag: POETIC ODYSSEY OF UNAPOLOGETIC CURIOSITY by Amol Srivastava

This poetry collection discusses the behaviour surrounding red flags, safety and warning signs in relationship's from a male perspective of feeling you are the red flag and owning that truth and honesty. Some stand out poems of this collection to me were: Uncertain Bonds, Beautiful Chaos, Enduring Seasons, Solitary Sorrows, all poems about the uncertainty of finding an enduring bond and lasting relationship and love. Space As Escape and Fragile Facade, about admiring from afar but respecting to not want to hurt them and keeping distance between you both instead. The poems tell such a story of the way self doubt and worth can really bleed into a relationship and make it feel too good to be true or that you're unworthy of a relationship or person in your life.

Bittersweet Psyche by by Olivia Wheeler

This collection focuses on the devastation of love and life we live through. Some stand out poems to me were: Loved, a simple poem about the simple enjoyable things and how distance isn't even a problem when loved right. Curves, how women can be objectified at face value for their bodies and not their character and person as a whole. Sunsets, was a beautiful poem about the joy of the day ending through memorable beauty. Hands, was a simple sensual poem of how touch can build and nurture connection between two people more than words can. A great collection of poems to make you see deeply into situations around you.

The Girl You Never Loved: A Woman's Story, Told in Poems by Roya Khalili

This was a great collection of poetry reflecting on how after a relationship runs it's course, how you feel reflecting on everything that happened. Some stand out poems of this collection were: Rain Poem, was gorgeous how tears and a cloudy mind of memories lingers like weather. If Only You Understood Poetry, about the beauty words have providing emotion and meaning from simple glances speaking. Wish, about wishing to forget someone after a breakup happens. The Woman I See In The Mirror, about being alone and solitary, yet craving another person and their perspective. Shadows Of Betrayal, was a clever poem using imagery of a person's face, mouth and eyes to convey love and pain, fake care and kindness. 'Hope is a slow poison' From the poem Inflamed, was such an impactful line about how hope can make you feel mad. A collection of deep thinking poetry.

Sweet Poison by Ariel Day

This newest collection by Ariel focuses on the power of love and lust being, as her title says, like a sweet poison. A couple of stand out poems to me were: Love Language, about craving being the one you love desires only. Invisible, about feeling smaller in the same place as you shrink to fit the life of the one you love to be kept in their life in any way at all. A collection to make you think and reflect on the way relationships can play out.

Holiday Encore by Raven

A story about past and present love and the emotions the festive season can stir, Alex and his young daughter, Lily, choosing to embrace the future no matter how scary the unknown seems making a new life as a trio than a duo despite past hurt. The story was told in a dual POV with us reader's as Alex's other half which meant we could slip into the story and feel more immersed in the emotions of how reuniting at the right time can work, a beautiful story of the way second chances and communication can work out right.

Holiday Overture by Raven

Alex and his young daughter, Lily, in the festive season reunite with his ex love and a second chance for them arises by pretending to be engaged to help his music shop business thrive in their village during a busy festive season. The story is split between Alex's POV and us readers slipping into his partner's perspective so we can imagine the depth of feelings and immersing ourselves into the story world alike in a play for deeper moving feeling of the story plot.

Kink by T.L. MacRae

A bold and open book discussing sex and sexual reclamation after abuse and rape survival and challenging the stereotypes sex as we age too. Love, was the deepest feeling poem to me of the collection easily, raw and honest perfectly encapsulating how a loving relationship and sexual relationship should be like.

When They Met by Luckkk K

This was a really short collection of poetry detailing how falling in love is hard, to keep trying and saying goodbye, can be too easy to do especially for fear or feeling scared of being hurt, a relatable collection of poetry for anyone who's been in love or lost love, even unrequited love, a really relatable read.

Where Time Stands Still: Poems of Secret Love and Timeless Longing by Alex Harlem

This was a beautiful poetry collection about the slow lust and desire becoming love and I honestly can't pick any stand out poems because the whole collection flowed in a poetic story like way from both his and her perspectives of falling.

Whispers In The Dark by Rosalie Johnson

This was a great atmospheric poetry collection, with emotive language around dolls, floorboards, staircases, fog, mist, graves, funerals, creepy phone lines, mirrors, clocks, candles, shadows, sounds etc. It was an atmospheric like poetry collection in a haunted house in the woods style poetry theme it's one of those books that with the right instrumental album on as a soundtrack like Peter Gundry, is so immersive especially with carnival language, eerie wind talking, costal observations and sleep themes too, everything is talking surrounding us.