Beautiful! The author to this book digs deep into the aspect of meditation and helps readers understand the aspect of letting go. Release the pain and heal the soul. The format is unique and I have never saw poetry written like this. It was well written.

You Were Never Broken
Poems to Save Your Life
by Jeff Foster

Sounds True
Poetry | Self-Help
Pub Date 28 Jul 2020


I am reviewing a copy of You Were Never Broken through Sounds True and Netgalley:


In this book Author Jeff Foster points out that meditation is touching life where life touches you.


We are reminded too of the importance of slowing down as well as the importance of listening to the silence.


The author reminds us too of taking the time to slow down, to allow ourselves to feel both the joys, and the sorrows, and of the importance of having the courage of standing alone.


If you are looking for a good book, of Mediative Poetry, one that will remind you of the importance of taking a moment just to breathe, I highly recommend You Were Never Broken.


I give You Were Never Broken five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

This collection of poems was an interesting way of looking at life and the troubles that come with it. Especially good were the poems that encouraged that its okay to feel and to love the feeling and let it pass through you. This book was a great inspirational book, not only for those who are struggling with tough feelings, but for all people.

I received an advance copy in return for an honest review from NetGalley.

Firstly can I just say I squealed in delight upon receiving this book. I had heard so many great things about it and wanted to read it myself.

In summary, with a very intelligent and healing tone, this book, Jeff Foster, delivers an exceptional break from reality for those who need it most. As a mediation rookie (and skeptic) this opened my eyes to what I have been missing out on… “True meditation just means being awake and alive to this precious moment”

This book truly spoke to me. It established a connection with the reader from the very beginning. I felt as if Foster was speaking directly to me, and it was so relaxing and helpful that sometimes the tone of the book turned into the voice of my psychologist (whom I am a huge fan of) so this was a welcomed surprise.

I quite often long to be told I am worthy and that I have purpose in this world, and this book confirms that without even knowing me. Like I said, it SPOKE to me. With a very warm tone every sentence and every word in so incredibly comforting. I want Jeff Foster to be my friend, and be there to listen to me and encourage me of my darkest of days (but now I have this book).

The phrase “cry the tears you were never allowed to cry” resonated with me. Here I was thinking I was the only one not allowed to cry. We all have our different interpretations of this phrase i’m sure, but how did Foster know. It’s like he knows ME! This book has taught me new things, and reminded me of things I already knew, but forgot.

Foster has taught me to find joy or beauty in what was previously a burden and a shame. I do believe this book will truly and genuinely save some lives. Beautiful, broken, hurting but not sick, lives. I cannot wait to reach for it again on my darkest of days. Overall, an absolute pleasure to read.



My sincerest thanks go out to Sounds True and Netgalley, for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion

This was a collection of poems from a poet I've never read before. Themes of unconditional love resonate through them. The author looked at life's troubles, and the poems gave the reader things to ponder.

The book is divided into four sections:

1. A Field of Meditation
2. Saying yes to the mess
3. The courage to stand alone
4. Reasons to stay alive

This is a quick read overall. Some of the themes/poems seemed a bit redundant, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

As with most poetry (and even books, in general), these poems will connect with some readers more than others.

This is a great collection of very emotional poetry by an author that has obviously been through a lot. I could easily empathize with a lot of the content and gut wrenching sadness. If he was able to find purpose again, anyone can.

I like how he divided the book into 5 parts:

Part One : A field of Meditation
Part Two: Saying Yes to the mess
Part Three: The Courage to stand Alone
Part four: Reasons to stay Alive

Beware some of these are not uplifting but each of these poems is meant to make the reader feel. I was just amazed with this collection and raced through because I felt like I was right there with him. I have had my dark times too. A necessary read!

Thanks to Netgalley, Jeff Foster and publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Available: 7/28/20

I enjoyed some aspects of this book but didn’t find as much comfort within it as I had hoped. While it was certainly empowering and I found some of it helpful to ponder, it seems to be missing a little of the focus on moving past what makes us feel so broken. While I understand it can be helpful to look to the future rather than into the past, it would have been good to have a little bit more in there to feel less alone, This book feels like it’s for a very specific stage of trauma healing as well (or perhaps specific type) where mindfulness and attempts to move on are attainable and reasonable. There’s a lot to be celebrated in that stage, and I hope people who are there find this book and make it theirs. Sometimes it’s enough to just be present. There’s power in that alone.

I tried my best to enjoy this poetry however it really just wasn't to my liking and I found it very hard to get through however I do think Jeff Foster has a way with words and will attempt to pick up more from him in the future

🌞🌞🌞 2.5/5⭐

I liked some poems from here. Some of them made me think about my life and made me question my mental health, but the rest of the novel was just not memorable.

The theme is fine and how it was written was beautiful, but I felt, for the most of it, like I need to sleep, I almost felt asleep one time so that's not a good sign.

I really liked the passages that were written about the every part of the book. About the life of the author, they were fantastic and I love them.

And even I liked how he talked about spirituality and God, even though I'm an atheist.

So, it wasn't a fantastic poetry collection, but neither an awful one, it was something in the middle.

Really interesting poems and something to think about. Poems to think about letting go and moving on (to me anyway). Good for any poetry collection.

Reading this book is like being in a meditation class. I felt calm and relaxed. It is a quick and enjoyable read.

You were never broken is a sweet collection of poems about the obstacles we face in everyday life. Jeff weaves an interesting commentary on the situations we face everyday, the feeling of inadequacy that rules our emotions sometimes as well as how we can work to be in the present moment. The poems are divided into 4 collections, each with its own preamble at the beginning. I really liked these introductions because they gave insight about the poet and his life, giving more context to the poems that I was reading, rather than just freely interpreting them.

I read this collection in a time when I needed to practice some self-care and it was a great pick! The poems were easy to read, had some quite memorable lines that I will add to my bullet journal as a reminder. I liked the way Jeff described different emotions and what their existence is telling us. I had never thought of anger as giving me "the courage to speak up" and that was a good insight to it. In a time where we try so hard to live by other people's rules as well as project a perfect image on social media, Jeff's poetry collection was a reminder to be real and embrace oneselves and time for what it is.

Many thank to the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader copy of the this book via NetGalley.

The format of this book was unreadable for me, I got a few pages in but I just couldn’t concentrate on it.

I received an ARC of You Were Never Broken: Poems to Save Your Life by Jeff Foster from NetGalley. This poetry collection is broken down into four sections:

1. A Field of Meditation
2. Saying yes to the mess
3. The courage to stand alone
4. Reasons to stay alive

These sections contain an introduction which is written in a friendly, chatty manner. The poems within each section relate to the matter at hand. Two which stood out to me for their fantastic use of figurative language and hidden meaning were “Listen from Silence” and “Victory”. I think the poem “Victory” sums up the intent of the poetry collection well “Breath how you breath, make mistakes and screw up and learn to love your stumbling,” (Foster).

This collection is a quick read at just a touch over 200 pages. The main problems I had were that the poems were repetitive. There was not a unique punch that really got down deep into my bones. Many of the lines did not use concrete imagery to help place a picture in the mind of the reader. Some cliches were noticeable such as “the ocean tides going in and out” being compared to our hearts beating and emotions flowing in the poem “The Sacred Lotus”.

I also struggled with the approach to trauma and the deduction that “trauma is simply “stuck life energy...”. Also the idea “These impulses you learned were “sick” or “dangerous” or “wrong” or “shameful” were always natural, and normal, and healthy, and infused with infinite intelligence,” (Foster). This is a philosophy that I cannot agree with and given to the wrong mind can be taken and used as a way to excuse unforgivable actions. Although it is mentioned you don’t have to act on these urges.

Overall, I gave the book 2/5 stars. The ideology was not something my soul aligned with and I could not get passed the repetitive nature of the poems.

These poems look simple and short from the outside but if you really dive into them and digest their wisdom, you will find yourself more at peace with yourself. In his introduction, Jeff Foster says that “there is nothing wrong with you.” These poems, if read and absorbed, make us believe just that, and help us to live accordingly.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Utterly phenomenal. Every poem in this collection is bursting with heart, sincerity and understanding and I could not stop reading from the first to the last page.

I absolutely loved these poems, it lifted my spirits and definitely made my day lighter. His writing has a way of making you feel motivated and clear headed.

Thankyou netgally and publishers for the early release

I enjoyed reading this poetry collection. It felt a little abstract, but still lovely. The author tells the reader that they should be their authentic self. Rating: 3/5 stars

Thanks Netgalley and respective publisher for sending me a copy.

"You don’t need to take your life.
Just let your life be taken by all that you see."


The book comprises of four parts :-
A field of Meditation
Saying Yes to the mess
The Courage to stand Alone
Reasons to stay Alive

Each part starts with a detailed introduction on the topic along with the poet sharing his own experiences. This collection of poetry takes us through a journey of discovering that we're more than just our feelings, insecurities etc but that we all have a deeper power

The language is very conversational, its like Poet is in your head. The poet uses friendly tone and easy language in his poetries. Beautiful watermark effects on the pages, brings out an aesthetic feel. The poet has used repetition in many of his poems to lay emphasis on his points.

His poems are really amazing, self empowering, emphasizing, mysterious. He asks to enjoy the present moments, the feels, the sensations, the smells, the sounds and the tastes. He makes us understand the importance of living in the moment.
"Be present, be here
The teaching is damn simple
Be present be here"


"Oh, the truth you wanted to speak! The words you wanted to
scream. The tears you longed to cry. The uncontrolled, wild ways in
which you wanted to move your body. The healthy human responses,
the urges, and yearnings you intelligently squished down in order to win love, stay safe, even stay alive."

I extremely like the poetic devices he has used especially the one with the sacred lotus.
Honest and true exploration of his journey of self healing and self acceptance.

"Perhaps loneliness is like a cosmic"

"Contact your sadness, and you contact the sadness of all living beings.
Contact all living beings, and your loneliness disappears"


Your wounds, your turbulent and sorrowful places, your
imperfections, are not mistakes; they are the places in you desperately
yearning for love, waiting to be penetrated with a curious Light."

Your Life: You Were Never Broken by Jeff Foster is a raw and personal journey of the author's struggles with self-loathing, fear, and suicidal ideation. The author breaks the poems into four sections discussing meditation, embracing the mess of your life, having the courage to stand alone, and reasons to stay alive.

The writings and poems ranged from sad and desperate to enlightened and accepting. The theme I discovered is to allow yourself to feel every emotion, not to expect the difficult ones to disappear overnight, and to be kind and gentle to yourself and to be okay in your present moment. When times are dark, not to be afraid to reach out and to breathe in and out and take one minute at a time.

I found myself highlighting several entries and sentences to reflect upon further.

Thank you to Jeff Foster for sharing your struggles and finding the strength to keep moving forward and provide hope for others in need.

#YouWereNeverBroken #NetGalley