Iain is one of my favourite poets and this book just added more reasons for that. With so few sentences he has the ability to make such powerful prose and beautiful lines that feel like your soul is bare. Gorgeous stuff.

I listened to this as an audiobook, read by the author. I'd like to revisit it again with my own voice inside my head. Either way, this came to me in a way and at a time I needed it. It was a valuable way in which I came to myself and sat with myself, a meditation in a way. For this, especially after the last couple of years, I am very grateful. Thoughts and questions don't have to be profound to hit us just so--and sometimes the simplest thoughts and questions turn out to be the most profound. I don't know how it might hit others, but if you're open to some reflection, I'd say it's well worth the time. I give this review freely having received an advanced copy from NetGalley.

I've only recently begun to listen to audiobooks of poetry, typically because I don't consume very much poetry at all. But this lends itself quite well to the audio medium, after all poetry is meant to be read aloud. The content was raw and emotional, relatable in ways that I didn't know could be put into words. I also enjoyed the music/soundscape in the background, it helped enrich the listening experience in a way that would have likely been lacking without it. This is the first of Iain's work that I have read, but it was a warm and welcoming introduction.

A beautiful, earnest poetry collection about our vulnerabilities and relationships. I especially adored the poems ruminating on love and loss. The collection is well narrated by the author, Iain S. Thomas. Though the background music is distracting at times. Overall, a wonderful volume of poetry.

Thank you Andrews McMeel Audio and NetGalley for providing this ebook and audiobook ARC.

I received an audio ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

I enjoyed the fact that the author, Iain S. Thomas, read the poems himself on the audiobook version of this poetry collection. Thomas has written many poems full of emotions that readers/listeners will identify with. Poetry is something I didn't particularly enjoy when I was younger, but after listening to Amanda Gorman recite her poetry at the inauguration, I decided to give it another go. I'm glad I picked up this book! The poems were well crafted and powerful. I liked that in the audiobook, music and sounds were added in the background to help set the mood.

Thank you NetGalley and Iain S. Thomas for the opportunity to listen to the poetry in audiobook form for a free and honest review.

I love poetry. I find it very comforting. And Thomas's writing offers strong prose with a very clear theme throughout. Optimism chases doubt and bitterness. Collectively, the poems seem to document the realities of life, how being a human is full of moments of breathtaking joy and crashes of reality.

Almost meditative as the collection's narrator uses descriptive language to evoke feelings and scenery alike. Very enjoyable. Could almost hear the water sluicing along the rocks as I listened. And Thomas narrating really helped as well. I was able to understand the lines and meanings from inflections. Perhaps speaking a slightly faster audio would have helped since I had to bring it up to about 1.5x to really follow the cadence.

Its been a while since I came across a collection of poetry that could and tattle me at the same time. "The truth of you" is a simple yet one of the best compilation of pure emotional poetry with dashes of the conflicts of the lives well lived. Spans across various themes, the poet incredibly lets his imagination create magic and pours it out in form of intelligent synchronisation of words. The poems that were themed around family were my favorite because they had this unfathomable charm of sweetness, united feeling of love and affection that touched my heart.

○Another aspect that I absolutely loved was all poems were written without any vulgarity. At times I have read poems where the poet tries to supposedly engage and awaken the dominant feelings of a reader by masking them in form of vulgar language and if not by being down right offensive. And not everyone is going to be comfortable going across all of that and I know that's why there are trigger warnings and all but sometimes it get missed by. However, this book doesn't contain any of that ultimately enhancing it to a graceful and overall a delightful read. I'd definitely recommend it to all the poetry readers. Happy Reading!

I received an advance reader copy of this book to listen to in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

****AUDIO BOOK VERSION****
The Truth of you, written and narrated by Iain S. Thomas is a captivating and relatable book of poetry all relating to everyday life and relate to love, joy, sadness, happiness, children, family and life in general.
Each of these poems are beautifully told and Iains voice is relaxing and entrancing. I couldn't pull myself away from listening to these poems.
A few of the poems brought tears to my eyes they were so beautiful and told in a new, fresh perspective.
This is a book I would love to own a copy of so I can revisit it time and time again as it is certainly one I deeply felt and connected with.
Thank you for such a beautiful work of poetry.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing an advanced read in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly, there were tears, there were sighs...this book clearly spoke to me...
but by-golly I am so tired of people thinking we want to hear coarse language in poetry, of all things.
Get a grip! Those words are like grinding nails on a chalkboard to some of us...especially in an audio book.
I do wish I could also see the written words so I could go into more detail...but no doubt...I will be buying a copy for myself and others.

Lain S. Thomas does not disappoint as he soothes one's soul with his poetry and his voice, now that is a great combination. Mr. Thomas's poetry has a place for everyone and anyone who can find solace and comfort in his words. Definitely worth listening to again and again. Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Audio and Publishing for giving me this opportunity to listen and review this book. #NetGalley, #AndrewsMcMeelAudio. #AndrewsMcMeelPublishing

I really enjoyed these beautiful, thought inducing poems. I am not usually a poetry reader, but these were so wonderful.

Disclaimer: I am typically not someone who reads poetry, but something about this book drew me to request it and I am so thankful it did. I knew from the second I started to play the audiobook that this was something special. Between the content and the actual words of the poetry, to the way it was read, to even the composition of the music, this was short but oh so sweet. There were many times while listening when I would rewind just so I could hear the words again, because they were that beautiful. This was a collection of raw emotion, pain, pleasure, happiness and hope, sadness and feelings of alienation, and so much more. Needless to say I highly recommend and think that everyone should take a listen.

I picked up this audiobook in a moment of need of something light and easy to finish. Although I started it with quite small expectations based on the review I read on Netgalley, this poetry book ended up being everything I needed at that moment. I liked how every chapter dissected a certain feeling. I loved the images and metaphors. I loved the relatability of those words and how they reached the darkest places of my heart. It's true the quality of the audiobook is not THE BEST but the quality of the poetry definitely made it up for me. Thank you NetGalley for this chance.

Such a great collection, beautiful and a reflection of so many personal experiences and feelings we all go through. I deeply connected with much of this book. I listened to the audio version and loved the narration and music. I'm definitely picking up a physical copy as well. I can't wait to read more from Iain S. Thomas.

The Truth of You by Iain S. Thomas is a beautiful collection of poetry with powerful and relatable words. I listened to the audio version of this poetry collection and the combination of the narration and soothing background sounds was a winner. I felt connected to the words and would eagerly listen to this collection again. I would also like to read the print version of the poems in order to better be able to identify particular favorites that resonated with me.

I received an ALC of this title from the publisher via NetGalley which did not affect the contents of my voluntary review. All opinions are honest and my own.

Nice book of poems read aloud by the author. There's something both beautiful and super awkward about having poems read aloud.

These poems are love based and good if you are in the mood for pining.

This collection is divided up into parts, each beautiful in their own right. Some poems are more memorable than others. Some border on cliche. There is an intense focus on looking inward and examining our place within the universe. The most powerful poems are when the author examines the past and how to grow from it, not be pained by it. Would recommend.

Narration is a bit slow and the music makes it seem more like a sleep story. A lot of the poems match the music, but there are some that really need a deeper dive that only the text can provide.

The Truth of You
by Iain S. Thomas
The audible version is read with an Australian accent. Making the poems full of light and mystic.
The poems are thought provoking, telling about love, life, friendship, how we must look at the world. In the audio the transcendence of meditative music add to the need and desires in the stories.
I had to reach out and get the print version of the book, only to see the divisions of the poems, since they seem to go as a transcendent thought a conversation between and elder and and younger. Between the poet, and the audience teaching, empowering and belonging. The inspiring words are something you could grow with. I could see children listening to this or having each of them read the poems aloud to each other, with thousand moments of inspiration to look not only in your self but beyond to the things that make life worthwhile.

This audiobook of poetry had such a beautiful narrative structure to it. These poems are both flowing and direct, and they explore love and loss in all of their forms in a way I've never heard before.

Read by the author, the book felt personal and captivating, as though I could trust the authenticity of the performance in a special way. However, the music in the background, while useful in setting a tone and unique, was often distracting from the innate musicality of the poetry itself, and at times overtook the poetry in both volume and presence. In this same way, the poet's narration could occasionally use more enunciation.

I really enjoyed this book of poems, which seemed to act as a single unit as opposed to individual pieces of poetry, and I highly recommend reading it in either book or audiobook form.

Thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the ARC.

This book takes an empathetic approach and gives bite size approaches and allows you to have kindness and patience with yourself when dealing with life. This is so necessary for everyone to read in life. Highly recommend. Especially loved the reflection to true life to humanize my feelings and relate. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.