Someone Somewhere Maybe by Sophie Diener

Published: September 26, 2023
St. Martin’s Griffin
Genre: Poetry
Pages: 125
KKECReads Rating: 5/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Sophie Diener is a writer based in the Midwest. She writes and shares poetry about mental health, body image, love, and heartbreak. Someone Somewhere Maybe is her first book.

I love the vulnerability that comes with poetry. You can feel emotions that exceed your imagination. The depth between these pages was beautiful.

I wish the arc had the illustrations, but the writing was superb. Sophie is talented and expresses things in such a raw, pure way.

My favorite poem was “I Hope Today is Kind to You.” There was genuine kindness woven into each line. It left me feeling hopeful, and I had to share it.

Sophie Diener's debut poetry collection, Someone, Somewhere, Maybe, is a poignant and beautifully written journey through the complexities of growing up. The collection explores themes of first love, first heartbreak, identity, self-worth, and loss. Each poem is filled with honesty and warmth, revealing something new about the human condition and brilliantly capturing what it feels like to navigate life's ups and downs.

The writing in Someone, Somewhere, Maybe is both relatable and affirming, making it the perfect companion for a rainy day, a quiet moment with a cup of tea, or a day at the beach. The collection offers readers hope, healing, and understanding, reminding us that we are not alone in our struggles.

Overall, Someone, Somewhere, Maybe is a must-read for anyone who loves poetry and appreciates the power of words to heal and inspire. Sophie Diener is a talented writer, and her debut collection is a testament to her skill and creativity. This collection will leave you with a warm heart and a renewed appreciation for the beauty of life.

I have a hard time rating poetry because I know how very personal the writing is. I do not have anything positive to say at all about this collection of poems, however, so I will not be saying anything as I do not want to go on a negative rant.

I really enjoyed this poetry collection. I would definitely recommend it to anyone feeling romantic heartache or who has been through a tough breakup. I also think you’d like it if you enjoy Taylor Swift lyrics or Olivia Rodrigo lyrics. My favorite poems were “Feelings”, “Who are you?”, “Light Source”, and “The Life I Dream Of.”

Thank you NetGalley for gifting me an advance copy of Someone Somewhere Maybe in exchange for my honest review.

This one had been on my TikTok For You Page many times before I got my hands on it. I was excited to finally get around to it! I do think I would have preferred an audio version--I had a more emotional connection to hearing the TikToks than I did to reading the poems. But it was a relatable collection and I did thoroughly enjoy it.

I received an electronic Digital Reader Copy from St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I absolutely love this book of poetry. I will be recommending it to everyone. The feelings the author expresses through the poems are relatable at any age. I look forward to more books of poetry from Sophie Diener.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Griffin for the chance to read and review this book. This book - a book of poems - really hit home for me. The poems are beautifully written and are relatable to anyone, in whatever stage of life you’re in. High recommend.

This was a stunning collection of work that I found myself reading in one solid sitting. It felt like the author's words were pulled from the thoughts in my head, which means they're poems that I know I'll keep coming back to. I can't wait to read more from Sophie Diener in the future.

3.5 Stars

It’s been a while since I read a book of poetry, and I went into this one somewhat blind, since I don’t spend a lot of time online, I am on goodreads more than the others combined, so I had not been aware of Sophie Diener’s poetry, all I knew was she was a poet who shares her poems online.

These poems encompass a variety of topics, although the majority seem to revolve around the complexity of relationships, the aftermath of the end of one, or looking back on one, as well as recalling the highs of giving her heart to someone and having it returned, if only for a time. The heartbreak of the loss also infuses her writing, as well as the heartbreak of having to say goodbye to someone, even if it is a temporary time.

As with most poetry collections, some of these poems will reach into the hearts of other readers differently, some will be relatable, some possibly less so. Some will be memorable, and some will not, but overall, I loved her message of being kind to yourself, holding on to hope, and finding the person that you can call home.



Pub Date: 26 Sep 2023

Many thanks for the ARC provided by St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin

Diener's poetry collection is beautifully written with a variety of poems that can appeal to a multitude of readers. This seems like a great book to have on your bedside table to read a little bit each day or consume all in one night. Reflecting on youth, first loves, lost love, growing and finding self-worth, self-care, and numerous other themes that are universal and necessary the poems made me cry, reflect, and remember many points in my own life that the words brought to life and sorted out vividly & clearly.
I look forward to reading more of what she publishes in the future.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the eARC of this work in exchange for my honest review.

So I think maybe I was a little too old for this one and a lot of the poems about young heartbreak and finding your place didn't really resonate for me. I did like some of the poems about mental health and positive thinking! I would have loved this book in my late teens and early 20s, and definitely would be a great graduation or birthday gift for the "new adult" folks in your life!

This was a nice collection, and I expect her work will come into more as she writes more. I liked many of the poems.

Sophie Diener does a beautiful job taking us through her journey of loss, love and finding yourself. Initially I wasnt so sure if I would enjoy a book of poem as this is a genre I dont usally seek out. Sophie did a great job on her debut novel!

this was meh. i picked it up without knowing that it was tiktok poetry and tbh it doesn't have a lot of the imagery and rhythm that i look for in the poetry that i read. it's more like short vignettes of relationships and her life in prose form but with line breaks lol. i didn't enjoy it as much as i thought i would. kind of aggressively mediocre but since she's still young i hope SD evolves out of her tiktok phase and becomes more confident and mature i her storytelling!

Whether it’s poetry by Walt Whitman or Edgar Allan Poe, children’s poetry by Shel Silverstein, or poetry by singers like Jewel and Halsey, everyone can agree that poetry is meant to make you feel something, whether it’s deeply vulnerable, beautiful, or side-splittingly funny. But in the past few years especially, vulnerable and confessional poetry has become increasingly more popular as readers take comfort from poems about love, loss, and identity amidst lovely images of flowers and more—and the latest to this family of poets is TikTok sensation Sophie Diener.

Her debut collection, Someone Somewhere Maybe, will be perfect for anyone who enjoys personal poetry, confessional poetry, and poetry that encourages emotional reflection, perhaps even for journaling. Fans of Rupi Kaur, Amanda Lovelace, Cleo Wade, and honestly, even Taylor Swift, will absolutely feel at home among Sophie Diener’s poems.

The collection proves to be relatable (in the best way) as Diener broaches familiar topics like the experience of first love, a relationship ending, grief, identity, and self-worth. It’s a beautiful reflection of not only the human condition but the importance of showing ourselves, and those around us, grace.

What really struck me throughout the collection were subtle repetitions that I know were deeply intentional: ghosts, haunted houses, or the transformation of a house. A ghost is something easy to remember, so it creates an echo for the reader of an earlier poem that may have also mentioned a ghost or something like it. These moments were important to me, as they also mimic how our minds work and how memories echo back through other things. While we may not always be consciously thinking of a past loved one or how we lost them, we remember them through other, smaller things. We’re called to remind lessons that we’ve learned, and how we’ve grown, through the site of a certain flower or a distinct smell of bread. Our memories are surprising and can come up at any time, just like the echoes found in these poems, which I found to be both an enriching feature and an endearing one.

Moving away from the content of the collection, I also loved Diener’s control of this collection through her visual elements. Poets generally have a very distinct idea in their mind of how they hope their readers will read their poems in the sense of pacing and pauses. Diener managed to control these through her succinct use of white space and asterisks to break up the moments in her poems, as well as intriguing choices in her enjambment. Her visual selections were fascinating to the eye, but they also assisted in the reading of the poems, like someone leading us expertly, if delicately, through a dance.

The overall message of the collection was powerfully rooted in grace, self-love, and our defined worth. Rather than placing our meaning in our appearances or how much money we make, the size of the beautiful house our ex ended up living in compared to our own, or how we imagined our lives going differently—it’s better for us to show ourselves grace and to practice gratitude through the little, beautiful, and kinder things in life and in nature. It’s fitting, then, referring back to how Diener controlled her poems through their presentation on the page, that in an entire collection of poems that were written in italics, the only moment in the collection where italics were not used was for the words, “You are loved.” Not only is this a point delivered over and over again throughout these poems, by various means and messages, but the reader, too, has to face it in standard text.

Sophie Diener’s Someone Somewhere Maybe is a beautiful and raw examination of the human condition, and it’s easily related to by all readers. Those in need of a warm hug, a good listening ear, and someone who understands them would love this book. Poets and those who love poetry will love this book, Diener’s turns of phrase, and her use of the page. And again, those who love Rupi Kaur and Taylor Swift, as well as Cleo Wade and Amanda Lovelace, and we’ll throw in the nostalgic fans of poetry by Jewel and Halsey, too—they’re going to absolutely love Someone Somewhere Maybe by Sophie Diener.

(An exclusive interview with Sophie Diener was also posted on Lit Shark's website.)

This was a sweet collection of poems. I was not familiar with Sophie Diener prior to reading this collection. I was intrigued on NetGalley and so I requested it.

It was a touch slow for the first third or so but the middle section picked up. There’s a lot about loss and heartbreak; healing after a break up. I didn’t find it depressing. Mostly I just felt sympathy for the person writing. They’d obviously lost love. The last little bit is a lot more hopeful. The collection ends on a happier note.

My one complaint was that I didn’t love the pacing of many of these poems. I’m not an expert, though, so perhaps the fault rests with me. The middle section was by far my favourite and I liked the rhythm best on those poems.

If you like poetry, this is a nice collection from a young person’s point of view. Sometimes reading about something we’re experiencing helps us to feel less alone.

3.5* rounded up.

Sadly I was pretty disappointed by this collection of poems. They felt boring and cliché and so surface level. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more if I was aged 13-21 but even then I think it still would have fallen flat for me. It was not like the writing was horrific, just boring.

I received a free copy of Someone Somewhere Maybe: Poems from Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.
A beautiful, comfortable read, full of powerful ideas and relatable emotions. I enjoyed working my way through this collection with a cup of tea.

Poetry feels like connecting with another despite many possible differences, and Someone Somewhere Maybe by Sophie Diener gave me that much needed kinship.

I love poetry as an audiobook since it feels like you're at a live reading, and that's exactly how listening to this felt. Diener reading her own passages added even more depth and emotion to her words. I loved the added music behind the narration, how it changed with each work, and how each piece of instrumentals seemed to correspond to the tone of each poem.

This poetry took me back to a younger version of myself, to that adolescent version that only age and nostalgia can remember. This poetry met me where I currently am, to what I am currently feeling, this transition I am on the cusp of. This poetry made me project into the future to what I want our daughter to be, to know, and to always remember.

My favourite poems were:
Feelings
Don't Be A Stranger
Have Hope
October 5
I Try My Best
Expectations
Know And Love
The Next Five Minutes
A Poem For The People I Love
The Life I Dream Of
Be Kind To Yourself

There is angst and love and longing and yearning and sadness and mental health struggles and optimism and rain... and each poem was so beautiful.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin and Macmillan Audio for the complimentary copies to read, listen to and review.

Beautiful collection of poems. Bold and sincere description of love, relationships, heart ache. The nuances of thinking like a woman. I just hope the finished book comes with beautiful drawings too.