Here is a collection of poems that leans towards the personal. It asks readers to engage and contemplate. An interesting read and worth a look.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.

i've loved all of the poetry books I've read from this publisher and this is another on that list. Lovely collection. Enjoyable, touching read. I'd for sure recommend it to my poetry loving friends.

It’s the second poetry collection that I’m reading by Courtney Peppernell and I think that she is just not for me. I can see why people would like it, but I find the poems repetitive. But I do want to highlight that most of poems are about F/F relationships which I’ve appreciated.

for fans of rupi kaur and lang leav, this collection of poetry by peppernell is sure to be an enjoyable read

I wasn't able to read this title because it was only available on PDF, which my computer nor phone has, but I am looking forward to picking it up at the local book store. I heard great things about this book, so I have no doubt that I'll love it. Thank you for the chance, though.

This was a good collection of poetry. Some of the poems were very poignant and touching. I enjoyed it for the most part but there was something about the writing that did not draw me as into the poetry as I would have liked. Overall, I really did like the poems.

Courtney Peppernell has quickly become one of my new favorite authors. This was yet another beautiful collection that truly spoke to me. Peppernell has a great talent for creating short and deceptively simple poetry that has a much deeper underlying meaning. Her striking prose flows perfectly, and each line packs a strong emotional punch. This particular collection is about the journeys that life presents all of us. Specifically, these poems deal with the process of finding yourself again after becoming separated from it along the way—how we have to carefully piece ourselves back together until we feel whole.

The theme of finding oneself is something that, at this time in my life, really speaks to me. I’ve definitely been taking this exact journey over the last few years, feeling like I had lost touch with myself and trying to figure out who I am and what I need in my life. I’ve been feeling a deep need to settle into and truly come to terms with every aspect of myself. It’s this sort of work that I can connect to very easily—that makes me feel more confident in who I’ve discovered that I am and what love means to me. Peppernell’s words are wonderfully profound and they deeply touched me.

I always think it’s fantastic to see more LGBT+ work coming into the the literary world. Even though many of the poems that focus on love deal with a romance between two women, I believe these poems will speak to anyone, no matter their orientation and how they love. Love is love—it is a universal subject that can touch the hearts and souls of all of us. I’ve already gone ahead and purchased her two novels and I absolutely can’t wait to read more of her work.

Review copy provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Great collection of poetry, but not the best. Overall, I enjoyed this though and if you love poetry, you'd probably enjoy this too. I also appreciated that it is an LGBTQIAP+ collection.

Sorry download had timed out so couldn't read and review. Still happy to review if I could have another copy but sorry for the delay.

A collection of poetry and prose that is mostly about love, relationships with others, relationship with oneself. It is in my opinion, heartfelt storytelling, things that the author feels strongly about but it will probably be not to everyone's liking. Still it is a quick and easy read and enjoyable for those who like their poetry that way.

I'm not typically a fan of poetry, but Peppernell knows how to dig deep and find the emotions that we all feel. The way that she phrases certain things speaks to me in a way that other poets have not been able to do. This is the second work by Peppernell that I have read, and I've thoroughly enjoyed both.

A charming, if uneven, collection of poems about relationships and heartbreak. The prose sections were significantly weaker, in my opinion, but I heartily recommend for young adult readers!

I really enjoyed this book. Courtney Peppernell's voice is like a lighthouse guiding hurting people home. She does not candy coat life's challenges, particularly as they pertain to being a lesbian in a world that can sometimes be both unsupportive and cruel. While acknowledging that the judgement and harshness is there, she does not dwell on negativity, but instead on love and possibility. This book is a love letter to young women who are searching for acceptance and looking for their place in the world. It is, by turns, both realistic and hopeful, both joyful and sad. I highly recommend this book. It's frank and tender, and it should be on the shelves of every library, so young people of all ages can feel free to be themselves and know that someone out there accepts them exactly as they are.

I grabbed this book because I had loved the cover of the author's other book on NetGalley, Pillow Thoughts. This book didn't have a cover that would have grabbed me. Seems too much like a classic adventure story which isn't really my speed. I was just going book happy.

The book itself is ok. There was nothing remarkable about it to me. It felt like a bit of a let down compared to the other book. The poems didn't hit as hard for me. They were a bit more timid. They were still well written and impressive, but lacked the emotional punch. There were more poems that were just slightly off, like there was one about being FtM that struck me funny. I always get a bit weirded out when an author writes from the perspective of a trans person when they are not trans. It was done very nicely here, but it felt too pretty. Someone going through that scenario isn't that at peace with it generally, of course everyone varies. It just felt disingenuous for the author to tackle that subject for a single poem and then move on.

The love poems got much more mushy and the longing poems lost their edge, which I can only hope means the author has found love and that is where her emotions took her.

The Road Between

by Courtney Peppernell

Andrews McMeel Publishing

Poetry

Pub Date 29 Aug 2017

I am reviewing a copy of The Road Between through Andrews Mcmeel Publishing and through Netgalley:

Poetry is probably the most genre to review because it is one of the most personal forms of writing:

This collection of poetry speaks a lot of sorrow and loss, a lot of the poems are sad, but the collection does not entirely lack hope.

I give The Road Between four out of five stars.

Happy Reading!

Thank you Andrews McMeel Publishing for ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After being underwhelmed with Pillow Thoughts, I think Courtney Peppernell's writing improved in this book especially on its arrangement. It flows smoothly and some of them are heartfelt and profound. Honestly, I'm still not a fan of the ones in paragraph form. Overall, this one is good.

The Road Between is a poetry collection by Courtney Peppernell, an author I feel is slowly becoming a new favourite of mine. She has, once again, delivered a well-thought out collection, where her honesty, talent, and unique way of storytelling shine once more.

The Road Between was another pleasant collection of poems. Her poems are easy to read, relatable, and fun. I like the themes and the way she uses the English language; had it been another author, someone less talented or someone I couldn’t relate to, I’d probably find her way of writing way too simple. But it works for her, and it works wonderfully.

Her second collection is also divided into sections. My personal favourites where “the closet”, “the sky” and “the home”. The closet especially struck close to home; it was the most relatable section out of them all for me, voicing so many of my fears, thoughts, and worries. I can’t believe I actually spent my day reading sapphic-themed poetry, both of her collections have been such an unexpected gem. Like I said in my review of her previous work, I really like the way she portrays f/f relationships, attributing to further normalizing them. I think I will always be thankful for the amount of healthy representation I’ve gotten through her work.



**An ARC was provided via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review**

I have mixed feelings about The Road Between. The poet does some things really well. For example, the poet knows how to handle rhyme and rhythm and manages to make the sing-song style of the poems sound natural. I enjoyed the different styles of poems including traditional verse and prose-like poems. It’s clear the poems are written from the heart. However, so much doesn’t work. The poems inside don’t match the blurb. The collection is stuffed with angsty love poems, many of them about relationships that have gone wrong. Love poems are ten-a-penny and it’s rare to find one that doesn’t sound like hundreds of others. Unfortunately, I found nothing particularly original about any of the poems. There are also a load of one-sentence self-helm poems that left me cold. Some of the love poems felt like they were written by a teenage girl pining over the cutest boy/girl in school.

great poetry with some beautiful imagery! Highly recommend to poetry fans.