Really enjoyed this one! I should have read it so much sooner! But I don’t regret it. This maybe a new obsession! I love the characters, plot, etc.

The collection was organized into sections (find courage, find support, find strength, find grace, find resilience, find love, find purpose, and find faith). The poetry within each section serves the purpose of helping the reader find the exact theme that it is organized into. Each poem was handcrafted to be different from the next. Some felt traditional while others broke the norm. I really enjoyed how each section really invigorated me. It felt very soft spoken and gentle. so homely. Such a nice read!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.

I've read most of Courtney Peppernell's works over the last few years, but this latest collection is sadly not my favourite.

This poetry anthology was written with the panic and claustrophobia, the grief and the uncertainty that the recent pandemic brought to all our lives... and it didn't really work well for me.

I felt mostly apathetic throughout book. A lot of the content was very repetitive and I wasn't a fan of the self-help, life coach tone. There were a few stories that reminded me of fables and parables, except that they completely missed the mark for me too.

It consists of both essays and poetry, with themes revolving largely on healing and rebuilding. The author also discusses the pandemic in a 'all doom and gloom' manner.

The artwork was beautiful though, and I wish there was more of it throughout the book.

I love, love, absolutely love, the images and art in this book! It is so adorable it could easily sell just based off of it. I need this one for my collection for sure!

Yet another Courtney Peppernell poetry book that made me cry. It's been almost a year since I recieved the ARC/it was published, but I finally read it when I knew I'd need it. Can't wait for more from them.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.


I absolutely love Courtney Peppernell. I don't understand why some of her work doesn't get higher ratings. I know not every poem is going to be everyone's cup of tea.... however, I've easily found several poems in each of her books that I can relate to.

This wasn't my favorite book of hers, BUT it was a great read. I may buy a physical copy!

I’m such a fan of Peppernells previous work, but this really just seemed to fall short for me. I didn’t have that lining of hope that I always appreciated in the past and it just made this book very heavy and sad.

I didn't have a chance to finish this title before it archived, but that's mostly due to me needing to be in the right mind space for poetry. I adored Courtney's Pillow Thoughts series and have read a few of her other poetry collections as well. I have to say, I didn't feel the same connection to The Way Back Home as I did with Pillow Thoughts, which is why I think I didn't reach for it as often and didn't end up finishing. But also, I need to be in the mood for poetry, and I just wasn't wanting to read it prior to the archive date. I read maybe 30% of the book and only had a few poems that resonated with me. I don't feel great giving a starred rating since I didn't finish it, but my rating reflects what I did read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I was able to read this book in exchange for an honest review,
***
This book took longer to get to than I had originally planned, mostly because poetry is always such a personal thing but also because 2022 was rough in so many ways. The Way Back Home is described in the description as “a tribute to rebuilding our lives after loss” and I’d agree it most definitely was. Inspired largely by Covid but I’m sure other personal thing in the author’s life this is a collection of poetry and prose that walks you through a journey of healing body, soul, and mind and putting your foot one in front of the other and keep going even on those days when you stumble.
***
Full of courage, hope and resilience I think this is my favorite Courtney Peppernell collection yet (and I think I’ve read them all now).

I. Love. Courtney. Peppernell. I am not one to typically be drawn to poetry, but upon seeing this cute little guy on the cover I had to give it a go. Courtney has become one of my go to poets, anytime I see her work in Target I have to pick it up. That being said, this collection was a little lacking for me. It made me a little more sad that uplifted, which is disappointing due to the nature of the poems (pandemic stuff). I still highly encourage people to read her other works.

The Way Back Home by Courtney Peppernell is a collection of heartfelt poetry. The collection was organized into sections (find courage, find support, find strength, find grace, find resilience, find love, find purpose, and find faith). The poetry within each section serves the purpose of helping the reader find the exact theme that it is organized into.
Some poems were written in a traditional poem style (with line breaks) while others were written in a more paragraph style.
While I didn't connect to all the poems, I did connect to many. Some brought tears to my eyes because it was something that I needed to hear.

One of the poems that I fell in love with
There was a defining moment, and I looked in the mirror and I apologized. I apologized to my eyes, for I have never loved the color. I apologized to my hands, for I have always thought they were too small. I apologized to my smile, for I have always tried to hide it, too focused on a single crooked tooth rather than what a smile truly means, that I feel joy. I apologized to my legs, for I have always criticized their size and forgotten that they have carried me miles and miles. I apologized to my arms, to my stomach, to my chest, to my whole body, for I have not been its best friend for quite some time, when despite all that I say it has always been mine.

I only read one poetry book by this author before and i can't lie that her poems are fascinating. I also love the type of cover designs. So glad that i read this one!!

Thank you to the author, the publisher and netgalley for approving this free book.

Thanks to the Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing me with eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The cover of this book grasped my attention immediately. I have read other Peppernell books, and I like them. Honestly, this book wasn't as fun for me to read. It took a very long time for me to finish it, causing me to go on a full on reading slump. The concepts of the book are nice. The writing is well done, but the story doesn't flow enough for me to want to continue reading it. Overall, I think it's slow.

The Way Back Home is a beautiful work exploring love and loss and all that comes with it. It goes from poetry to essays/prose from dealing with grief, the pandemic "era", and how to go from there. It's the kind of book you want to pick up after the dark times, when you're trying to heal again.

I did receive an advanced copy of this book from netgalley. If you are looking for poetry and something that just really resonates with you, I would definitely recommend this book. I did have to read the poems a couple times just because I wanted the words to sink in and stay with me. Overall, this was just a really nice read for me personally because I do like poetry and if poetry something that you like as well then I would suggest this book.

I thought this was going to be a very quick read and ended up being much denser than i expected. Mainly about the pandemic and coming back from it.

I've been reading Courtney Peppernell for years (this is my 8th book) but her latest collection is sadly not my favourite. It consists of both essays and poetry, with themes revolving largely on healing and rebuilding. The author also discusses the pandemic in a 'all doom and gloom' manner.

I felt mostly apathetic throughout book. A lot of the content was very repetitive and I wasn't a fan of the self-help, life coach tone. There were a few stories that reminded me of fables and parables, except that they completely missed the mark for me too. A very dry read overall.

The Way Back Home is a beautiful work exploring love and loss and all that come with it. The cover is absolutely gorgeous. The writing is relatable, and this book found me at the right time as I work my way through grief. It's definitely the kind of work you want to pick up when the time is right.

A really nice piece of poetry! It’s not my favourite of Peppernell’s, but I enjoyed it all the same! I struggle writing reviews for poetry as I know it comes with a lot of meaning from the author, so I feel as though a four star is a good rating!