The poetry collection was heartfelt and definitely worth the time, effort, and money required in acquiring it.

I really enjoyed this one. Well written, and hit me emotionally. I would love to read more from this author.

When I first dove into this collection of poetry I was immediately drawn to author, Marala Scott's opening notes. Her words reflected wisdom and hope and I believed that the remainder of the book would spark increasingly more of the same. Unfortunately, despite a few nuggets here and there, the majority of the poems fell short for me, reading more like motivational quotes than poetry with depth. Given the theme of gratitude, I expected to feel moved with each poem, or to be left with a new and profound piece of knowledge. Sadly, this was not the case. Nevertheless, "With Gratitude" may still serve some readers well, if even just to be readily available to flip to when feeling anything less than grateful.

Thank you to Marala Scott for sharing your wisdom and to Andrews McMeel Publishing for this advanced readers copy.

2.5/5

couldn't finish because it was so bad. Reading it was a struggle, I wasn't interested and just felt annoyed trying to push through hoping it would get better.

Some of the poems really resonated with me, others not so much. They are quite short, so this book is perfect for when you need a short and light read that nevertheless will make you think deeply.

With Gratitude by Marala Scott is a beautiful collection of poetry to cultivate gratitude, generosity, and lovingkindness. So many of these poems resonated with me, prompting me to pause and fully contemplate them. Many illustrated in of my most favourite quotes-

'Auguries of destruction be a lullaby for rebirth.'
~Key to Twilight

Be grateful for all experiences in your life. Destruction invariably leads to new growth. Take time to appreciate the little things in life. These are the things that truly have no price. Hummingbirds on flowers, a painted sunset, a thunderstorm lightshow. The stray kindness of a stranger, and the small kindnesses you can pay forward to others.

The poems were short free-verse. I loved that it was the last line, italicised, that formed the title of the poem. It was a lovely structure, one I don't recall seeing before and I adored it. Highly recommended!

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Andrews McMeel for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

With Gratitude by Marala Scott

3.25 stars

With Gratitude is a simple poetry collection that focuses on finding and cultivating gratitude in your own life. These poems have heart and it’s obvious that this message is very important to Scott. I will admit that a lot of these poems sound like cheesy inspirational posters that hang in doctor’s offices, but those sayings are popular for a reason. People like simple things that remind to be grateful and this poetry collection does just that. I do think that this is an important side caveat that some of these poems in this collection are incredibly idealistic and overly indulgent in optimism. The problem is that not everyone can see the good because this world is so bad and some people will argue that cultivating this form of gratitude is impossible if struggling with mental illness or trauma (I would argue against that as my own personal testimony, but people lead different lives). I think this collection is all about perspective, but because not everyone understands their own perspective they make walk away from this collection filled with resentment instead of letting their hearts be opened to a different way of living. Also Scott is a Christian, so if you don’t want a sprinkling of poems about Jesus and God then this one may not be for you. I really liked this collection. It was full of poems I needed to hear in the moment and I recommend this collection if you are looking to cultivate gratitude or be reminded of where gratitude can be found in your own life.


Whimsical Writing Scale: 3

Plotastic Scale: 3.25

Cover Thoughts: I love the cover and the combination of the flower with a soft blue background.

Thank you, Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing, for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

It is wonderful to share ideas and attitudes that have transformed your life of inspire you to be better.
Poetry and emotive prose can capture in short bursts feelings, concepts and life-affirming values other writing reflects but ends up overwhelming and burying.
With Gratitude, seeks to share ideas that we seldom notice or acknowledge, provides positive outlooks when we see problems, pain and poverty of spirit and love.
A collection to raise appreciation and open the reader's eyes to what they have and have let slip through their hands. Not to gauge it as half full but not yet empty and live for the moment. See the now, dismiss the past and embrace the future.
Strong words and a positive surge of energy in the reading of this collection.
Some my cringe at the simplicity and point out life's open sores and unhealed wounds. Some may bounce along and take it all on board in a sense of thankfullness euphoria.
For me it isn't a question of challenging the twee, or saying my burdens are greater. This is a rich source of reflection on seeking a more positice outlook and grasping life's essence.
Even if the words make you take issue at least you are now thinking in a new way; scared? One day you may turn the page and that poem resonates and brings a new contentment.

With Gratitude is that book you thought you wouldn’t need but will. It certainly was a ray of positivity time spent. Very relatable pieces of advice that daily occurrences that would be very helpful finding and refocusing all that negativity into a different perspective.

I find the overall message of the collection well received, it was inspiring, truthful, and nothing but the message we all need to hear and take into heart for a gloomy day.

However, as the time goes the collection grows repetitive and tedious to read. It is advisable to read through it in chapters. Or in parts where one could pick it up and just feel lighter through. It is an impactful, insightful collection that one would love, it was just not that for me. I am sure it will be better suited for others out there. Totally would recommend.

With Gratitude was just okay for me, I had some trouble connecting with these poems, they all felt very similar as well, I enjoy reading poetry because each poem gives me a different outlook and I didn’t find that with this one.

I felt very moved by many of the poems in this collection. I can be a very negative person and cling to difficult and negative experiences for years. I still have issues with being bullied when I was a kid. I still write poems about someone I broke up with15 years ago. The poems in this collection focus on turning negatives into positives. Something I’m sure many people could do more of. The situations explored are universal. The poems are very free and easy to read. I felt they lacked real depth but were nevertheless enjoyable, perhaps because of their simplicity.

The poems and snippets of beautiful thoughts in this book seem so simple. In a way they are, and that is what makes them so great. I noticed that often they really touched my emotions. Some instances I was moved to tears, because there on the pages was exactly how I felt, or had felt at a certain difficult moment in my life - while still pointing at the good things.

With Gratitide is an amazing poetry collection that pulls your heart strings with relatable topics. I highly recommend reading it.

The premise of this book is very appealing: an inspiration and motivation to live and think positively. To see what you can be grateful for, instead of only seeing the obstacles and the wrong. That's something I, like many others, struggle with every day, and I always appreciate anything that helps me keep my thoughts positive and optimist, instead of figuratively dying in my dark ways of thinking.

This poetry book sounded like one that would inspire me to a positive attitude, but at the end, all I felt was bored. These poems does have a meaning and purpose I appreciate, but they are way too vague for me to feel engaged. To feel...anything. They are more like a lecture on what you should do and feel, and not how you should do it... they don't show to you the beauty in life, in the little things. They merely state there is, and that's it. They lack depth, and they don't deal with anything concrete. While reading them, I didn't feel like there's a person, or some stories behind them.

These poems are nicely written little things, in a nicely coated package, with a bow on it, that you put on the shelf and never again step closer to - you simply know it's there and don't think about them any deeper than acknowledging the nice wrapping paper.

There is so much to appreciate in this small, but lovely book. From its beautiful cover to the stirring words within its pages, I knew right away that I was holding something special in my hands!

Ms. Scott wants our journey through life, the good times, the hard and challenging times, to be all put into the framework of being grateful for the multitude of things we have been given, and continue to receive and have available to us each day if we but notice them. Of course, this isn't a new idea, and yes, many others have told us the same thing. But this author backs up her opinion by sharing beautiful, personal poetry with us.

There are so many poems that touched me within this book; among them A Painter's Canvas, Those Little Gifts, Inside the Storm, The Reward, Reframe the Picture, Conquered, Loving the Journey, Lifelong Teacher, Implementing Change, The Unseen, Letting Go and Direct Connection. I especially liked that the title of the poem was not given until the end so that the work could not be prejudged by it.

Marala Scott has a way with words, and she shows her skills here. I am indeed grateful that NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing let me read an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions here are my own. The book will be available to the public on 4/2/19.

Cute short little poetry book. The poems were clear, concise and to the point. No interpretation needed. It lacked a little depth.