This was a great poetry book. I always absolutely enjoy his work and I can't wait to read more in the near future. I highly recommend it.

Thanks NetGalley and Publisher for this book.

This is not a typical poetry collection and the lengths of poems vary and there are paragraphs as well.
This is a message sent to the person reading. The hug they really want but can't ask for, aren't given.

I could feel the warm thoughts and soft words woven in the poetry one needs in their difficult times. I did start this book when things were going well in my life and I could not understand a single word, now I do and I feel so glad to have read this book.

The poems are a comfort, its like a story being told, the words told to one in times one really needs those.

DNF. My kindle stopped working so I wasn’t able to finish this one. And “skip” for a review wasn’t available as an option. I’m so sorry. Giving it 4 stars so I don’t drag down a rating.

Beautiful writing, just like Thomas' other works. I will purchase a copy for my classroom. This will be another great addition to my poetry unit.

Clear poetry that I enjoyed somewhat. It didn't have quite the same amount of poignancy and pathos to it that I've found in a lot of other poetry though.

I'm so glad that I just recently read this, as it ended up being just what I needed to read in the midst of everything that is happening in the world right now. Reading this book was like the equivalent of having a successful therapy session, the kind of session that you leave, feeling like you are unburdened, your shoulders a little less heavier and your steps a little lighter. It was like curling up with a blanket with a cup of soothing hot tea after a long hard day and feeling more relaxed. This book spoke to my extreme anxiety, and told me that everything will indeed be okay. Really, it spoke to my soul. So many of the poems and words within this book spoke to me, and told me exactly what I currently need to hear. I didn't know before starting it, but this was something I needed to read, and i'm so happy that I did. Thank you Ian S. Thomas, for making me feel better!

Iain has a way with words. As someone who has always struggled with self-acceptance, this one really had an impact on me.

I have to admit that I struggled with this book. I'm really picky when it comes to poetry and this one wasn't for me.
One thing that always irritated me was that some words or phrases in a poem were written in another color, like red, green and blue. I doesn't seem like much, but it took my focus from the whole poem, slowed my reading pace and added emphasis on things I wouldn't consider otherwise.
I find this is an intrusion to my normal reading process and it also messes with the interpretation, it forces the reader to think about certain things more than others and that really annoyed me.
I want to decide myself what I find important and what I think about.

I also didn't vibe with the adressing of the reader - poems were written to a 'you' and they sounded like the came from a father or mother or other parental figure, which could be endearing but I found only annoying. All the advice and reassurances sounded like they came from above, like a little child was addressed, something that couldn't think for itself and therefor needed guidance from the narrator. I felt belittled reading this.

Last I wanted to point out that I liked the graphics and spacing from the poems, I found the handprint really nice and enjoyed the experimental ways of presenting a poem.

Every Word You Cannot Say was a lively follow-up to Thomas’ previous collection. The emotion expressed was felt in so much depth. It is an inspiring work.

I love this collection. Ian Thomas is one of my favorite poets and once again he didn't disappoint. His collection is uplifting and powerful. He can bring tears to your eyes in the simple lines that hold so much truth. I am in awe of this collection and his writing as always.

Nothing to wow me at the moment.

Might come back to it to reread when I'm not in a mood – it could be that I read this and Lovelace too close together.

Iain. S Thomas is an absolute master at what he does. This, like his previous work, is full of moments that make you go "Yes! I've felt that but could never have articulated it so beautifully!" Every Word You Cannot Say is beautiful, although in parts feels like nothing new - the danger with being such a distinct voice is that it can be difficult to differentiate between his different collections. That is no bad thing, though, when they're all as good as this. Poetry like Iain's is so important, and is going to be how people who think they don't like poetry are won around. I can't wait to see what he does next.

Thank you Andrews McMeel Publishing and Netgalley.

Thank you Iain Thomas for bringing this book to me and showing me the absolute beauty of poetry,

I am trying to read more poetry, sometimes I enjoy it, other times I can give it a miss and return to my usual go to genres. This book has
Shown me the absolute beauty in words, I loved so many of the poems, the themes, the language.

Highly recommended for anyone who wishes they loved poetry more than they do, This could just change your mind in the most fabulous way.

Thank you for this ARC.

I would like to thank the publisher for giving me a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed reading this!

I received the ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have mixed feelings on this collection. I like the appearance and intent behind the poems more than the poetry itself.

I liked the ideas Thomas expresses. I like how poems are arranged, for example one is shaped like a fish. The text coloring was unique. Asterisks are used creatively. The organization of the collection was great.

However, I didn’t like many of the poems. Poems often have vague imagery, which weakens the impact of the poetry. Filter words are abundant. A few poems contain cliches. Telling instead of showing is common. There’s two poems of one sentence repeated over and over. The best poems in the collection are the shortest.

With poetry I don’t enjoy on a technical level, like Rupi Kaur’s Milk and Honey, I sometimes still connect with the poet, because I’ve gotten to know this person and their experiences through their writing. In Every Word You Cannot Say, the poet is a blank slate. Even in the poems that aren’t addressing the reader, Iain S. Thomas never provides specific, personalized details.

While Every Word You Cannot Say contains good messages, the execution is lacking,

Just average. It had some good stuff in it that I could relate to but overall I wasn’t very into it. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc!

Unfortunately this was not for me and could not finish it. I read a lot of Iain Thomas when I was younger and really loved his work, but something in this collection missed the mark for me.

Thomas's Every Word You Cannot Say is a letter of encouragement and reassurance to those who struggle with loneliness and loving and forgiving themselves. This collection is definitely not for everyone and tends to be somewhat too melancholy for some.

The poems in this book and are beautifully touching. I took breaks reading this so I could truly embrace and absorb the words I was reading.

Okay, I liked the concept of the book. I really did. It was refreshing and original. However, right from the first pages, I felt like I wouldn't like the writing of the author. The first two pages made me think that the author either is not capable of self-reflection or wants to appear as if he wasn't, when he is. Well, I am of the opinion that self-reflection and self-awareness is of the outmost importance to write, specially poetry, so let's say we didn't have a good start.

Then, maybe I'm not interpreting things right, but, making blanket statements as an effort to include the reader in the collection? I thought poetry was supposed to be personal. And, also, I'm not a fan of assumptions.

I also felt like I was back to 2013 when writing fanfics in second person was the trend. I started getting bored of being addressed when it is clearly the author speaking. I don't want to be anyone's puppet.
I feel like the book could've benefitted from addressing specific groups of people every now and then rather than trying to fit every reader all the time. For instance, yes, we all struggle but there are different kinds of struggle, and they are different depending on the social-class you belong to.

Also, the repetition of words through entire pages is unnecessary, tbh.

I have to say, I have enjoyed some of the lines in the book, and I generally like the concept even if I think it could've been done better in a different way.

I think that there is great potential for this book to be loved by people, just not by me.