Every once in a while I get in the mood for poetry. I think there’s something about spring that just makes me want to slow down and reflect. I Hope You Remember was the perfect collection of poetry for this!

I was a fan of Josie’s on TikTok and was so excited when her book of poetry became available as an ARC. The cover is beautiful and I loved how it was split into 3 parts- and the poems in each part reflected that mood perfectly.

I did like the second portion of poems better than the first, but Josie did an incredible job of using the poetry to make the reader feel something. I could be transported back to a specific moment in time and remember exactly how I felt in that given moment. I think this is what makes great poetry, and I really enjoyed this collection.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Simon Element for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

A solid collection. It's always fun to watch someone who you've followed online get their own book. I enjoyed taking this one slow and really savorig my favorite poems in this collection.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC

I used to not really be interested in poetry as much but there’s a few authors that have led me there and being an emotional person; I fit in. I feel like it is hard to rate however because most of the time it is their thoughts and opinions, kind of like a memoir. I enjoyed this. I connected to quite a few of the pieces, some of my favorites being about dogs and the anxiety piece. My favorite line, although sad, was probably “we hadn’t laughed enough yet, for the lines to find a permanent home on our faces.” Whew.
I actually recognized her name, but could not recall the voiceovers and had to look them up and it became more familiar (I am not a Tik-toker) even at my age lol and I think some of these are written more for that or in that tone. There’s some repetitiveness where if spoken you can get a different point across but when read it could be too much maybe. An example of this is “I hate seeing my parents getting older, But I am so blessed to be able to watch my parents keep getting older.” I know what’s trying to be said here, but still the “getting older” back to back takes away a little bit from something so profound and meaningful when it could have just a tiny tweak. There was a few other spots where this happened and it kind of slipped me up and I had to read it again but other than that I enjoyed this.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and Simon + Schuster/Simon Element for the DRC.

I am normally not drawn to poetry, but this book was extremely well done and spoke to me. It felt real and genuine - not trying too hard to be quirky and different, which is what has steered me away from poetry. The author is relatable and makes you think yea... that's how I feel too!

I thoroughly enjoyed the 2/3 of this book. I felt like the first part of it was a little repetitive but I also felt as though it wasn’t as relatable to me personally. Sometimes It feels like we’re missing out on the life that we currently live because of the pressures through society and this book portrays that feeling so well. Overall I did enjoy this one a lot!

𝑰 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 to add this one to your TBR because 𝐖𝐎𝐖—this book wrecked me in the best way possible. ❤️‍🩹✨

You know that feeling when a book just 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑠 into your soul, shakes it up, and then gently puts the pieces back together? That’s exactly what Josie Balka’s poetry did to me. 🥹💘

This collection is 𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐚 𝐠𝐮𝐭 𝐩𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞. Josie just 𝑔𝑒𝑡𝑠 what it’s like to grow up, to feel 𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒, to carry the weight of 𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑡 versions of yourself, and to 𝑤𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟 if the world sees you the way you wish it would. Every poem feels like flipping through an old diary—the kind you wrote in when you weren’t sure if anyone would ever understand. Except here, 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧, 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐝.

I choked up. I sobbed. I felt a lump in my throat on almost every page. 😭💔 But I also found so much 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆 in her words. Even the parts that weren’t my own story still carried a weight that made me ache in the best way.

𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐨𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥, 𝐧𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐠𝐢𝐜, 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐚𝐰. It’s the kind of book you dog-ear, highlight, reread a million times, and press against your chest after finishing, as if holding it tight enough will keep its words imprinted on your soul forever; Then, pass on to your best friend with 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒐𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒚 sticky notes. 🥹💌

I already know I’ll be returning to this collection for years. Some books are just 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐭 to stay with you, and this is one of them. Josie Balka is a gift to poetry lovers, and I 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑 a physical copy on my shelf 𝒊𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒚. 💕

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐉𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐞, 𝐒&𝐒, 𝐒𝐢𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, & 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐑𝐂! 💖

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy of Josie Balka's book I Hope You Remember: Poems on Loving, Longing, and Living. I've been an Instagram fan of Josie's for several years, and her poems always tug at the strings of my heart. I was so excited to hear that she was releasing a poetry collection.

This book could easily be read in one sitting, but I wanted to take my time with it. I read a few poems before bed each night, and it gave me all the feels. The poems speak to your soul and make you feel like Josie understands your pain, your grief, your love life, and the life you're trying to live to her core.

5 stars! I could definitely see myself reading her poetry collection again, and I hope she writes more!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I have followed Josie for years. Her poetry always hits me where I need it the most when I need it. This book is perfection on so many levels. All the feels from nostalgia to sadness to complete happiness.

This is the first poem book I've read since I was a child so my expectations were quite low so I was pleasantly surprised on this compilation of poems. I feel like readers will be able to connect with a majority of these poems in one way or another. Weather it be about a love lost or the longing of missing the past. Some of these poems definitely put me in my feels and a few tears were shed along the way. Overall it was a great quick read!

I have followed Josie on social media for over a year. Her poems are so spot on and hit such a special part of my heart. I cannot wait for this to be out in audio too!