Thank you to Victory Editing and Netgalley for the eBook.
I loved and deeply related to so many parts of this collection, but some of the parts felt a bit repetitive. I also wasn't the biggest fan of some of the formatting choices, but others were incredibly beautiful.

Half of this was pretty good, ‎‎but the other half felt like a rewording‎ ‎of what had already said.

I had a difficult time finishing this book. I don’t feel it offered me any new perspectives, while the writing was relatable, it didn’t speak to me. I think there was a lack of structure in tying the different poems together, and made it hard for me to follow. Maybe someone will enjoy this, but it was not for me.

I was able to read about 30% before I got a new phone and downloaded the ebook again to find that thr formatting changed and made it very hard to read. I wish I could include a screenshot here. But from what I did read it was very deep and just the kind of poetry I love reading. I will definitely check out getting a physical copy in the future when I can.

Thank you NetGalley and Megan E. Hoffman for the ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

I haven’t picked up poetry in a while, but am sure glad I did with this. The poems in Biting Thorns Off Roses explore the themes of trauma, hurt, and shifts to the journey of healing and letting go. The pieces are poignant and raw, some of which I could relate to.

Loving the artwork as well!

3 Stars!

Thank you to Netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review. I don't know how to rate this because this is clearly deep and meaningful to the author and I really felt that. I think Part One definitely made me think and feel a lot more than Part Two.

I think my issue is that some parts felt slightly repetitive.

I do have to say though I did enjoy the illustrations throughout.

Due to formatting I couldn't read this on my kindle so had to read via my phone.

I typically don’t read a lot of poetry, but the description of this book appealed to me. I’m so glad I decided to read it. The poems were beautiful, powerful, thought provoking, and even at times inspiring. I got an advanced readers copy from netgalley but my review is unbiased.

Biting Thorns Off Roses was a surprisingly deep and powerful collection of poetry. I found myself feeling much more emotional than I expected as I read through these poems. At times it was like the author was speaking right to me through the prose and I nearly cried. These poems were about so many different things but some themes that stuck out the most were grief, love, attachment, and vulnerability. If you're a fan of lyrically haunting prose or even just poetry in general I definitely recommend giving Biting Thorns Off Roses a try.

Thank you to Megan E. Hoffman and the publishers for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Biting Thorns Off Roses by Megan E. Hoffman is a deep philosophical journey of prose though the lows and the whys of life. "If there is only one thing you hold close to your heart, let it be softness" The book is a bit dark, but I think a lot of people will relate to it.

”Biting Thorns Off Roses” by Megan E. Hoffman is a beautiful and heartfelt collection of poetry by a young poet with a lot on her heart and mind. It is about – emotional – trauma and healing, love and hope. An emotional journey, it is both individual and universal. Her pain may not be your pain, but pain is pain and part of the human experience. Read with your heart rather than your mind – the way all poetry should be read – and learn what walking in her shoes is like, if just for a mile.

Here are some of my favorite passages:

“We are only soul”.

“They say time heals, but in my experience
Time does nothing unless you make use of it”.

“Each improperly healed bone must break again,
To be reset.”

To me, these passages combine to describe a roadmap laid out for us should we wish to follow in Hoffman’s footsteps on our own journeys through life.

〝yesterday is not today though i carry it with me; an expired bottle of hard pills to swallow.〞

★★★★.5

this collection is a transmutation of deep pain. through poetry, hoffman strives to not only remove, but to also intimately examine the masks we all wear to hide from the world—and perhaps most importantly, the ones we wear to hide from ourselves. it brings into question the ways in which we, as individuals and as a society, approach trauma. she shakes the very foundations of our judgements around mental health, challenging us all to walk through our own suffering with open minds and empathetic hearts. this collection is designed to thoughtfully carry readers on a journey, from hopelessness to hope.

this is exactly what I want in a poetry collection. give me dark themes and a beautiful rhythm and I'm sold. it tackles a lot of themes surrounding trauma so It's important that you check the trigger warnings beforehand but she takes each and everyone of them on beautifully. one problem I often have with poetry collections is that a lot of the poems end up blending together since they cover the same themes but this luckily didn't happen here. since trauma can stem from so many different experiences every poem has a different story which I think is absolutely genius. not only does it help distinguish each poem as it's own but it also includes a lot more readers experience which is always something I personally look for in poetry. I want it to hit me where it hurts and I want it to dig deep and that's exactly what I got.

the whole collection was stunning including the illustrations, I might've even gotten some new tattoo inspo. if you liked bless the daughter raised by a voice in her head, american melancholy or anything by orion carloto; I recommend checking this out.

This was a solid poetry collection. I enjoyed the author's voice and loved the floral illustrations. I found myself highlighting a few lines that stuck out to me. The most significant to me was: Someone once told me that I am an, 'out of sight, out of mind' kind of person.

I overall enjoyed this collection. It was easy to read and understand but still had deeper meaning and purpose. If you enjoy Amanda Lovelace or Rupi Kaur, then I think you would enjoy this collection as well.

This was a different format to what I was expecting.
I not overly sure what I think of this collection of poetry and prose.
There were some great pieces of writing, and then some that felt really overindulgent and lost me.

It was OK - but can't say it will stay with me!

I enjoyed reading this collection of poems. I love the way Megan Hoffman writes about real raw stuff that most people can't. These poems make you feel the pain and hurt most people are afraid to write about. I love the simple illustrations and watching the flowers bloom after a while.

Although some may find these poems to be too dark and personal, I enjoyed every minute of it.

Thank you Netgalley and Megan Hoffman for the opportunity to receive an ARC.

Biting Thorns Off Roses isn't just a collection of poems, but a well crafted story told through poetry.

The author is quite good at writing poems that have a rhythm and read almost like music in your head.


TW domestic violence, abuse

Thank you Netgalley, Victory Editing, and Megan E. Hoffman for letting me receive this arc in exchange for an honest review. Let me just say that this was a beautiful read. The poems in this book is written so beautifully in a way it weighs and carries so many meaningful and emotional themes like attachment and relationship issues, trauma, depression, grief, finding yourself, etc. let’s just say empathy and empowerment was coursing through my body as i read this book