I Wrote This for You and Only You

It is always a pleasure reading any of Iain S. Thomas' poetry books. His writing has the ability to touch the reader's heart in the most pure and breathtaking way. Every page, every poem is a small life lesson that has the ability to impact the way you think and act and, in my opinion, this is the biggest victory of this book.

Like the title suggests, this poetry collection revolves around the topic of love, but not in a cliche way. The romance depicted here has has the purest undertone and it will leave you with a nostalgic feeling. It is all about putting fear aside and subjecting yourself to potential hurt with a greater goal of being happier in the grand scheme of things.

Overall, the formatting of I Wrote This for You and Only You worked perfectly for the type of book it is and it ended up being a rather enjoyable read.

Iain S. Thomas is a wonderful wordsmith.
I Wrote This For You and Only You is a collection of poetry about love, but not in the way that is obvious or overdone.
In the poems, love is discussed on different levels: for friends, children, life, emotion, and romantic of course.
I love the way the poetry tells a story and encourages recovery and search for love in everyday life.
I will never tire of Thomas's writing.

This collection of poetry....resonated with me. It’s a collection of heartache, hope, Love, life, and eye opening sentences that make you feel an entirety of emotions.

Poetry is a genre I don’t read often and in all honestly don’t know much about....... however I found this to be relatable, enticing and I was immersed in the beautiful words and photography


I’m looking forward to reading the other installments as well

This book is almost a philosophical work, the way that it brings the reader on a journey. A journey where self-discovery and wonder meet together and explode into fireworks of words and images. The pictures in the book are so vivid. First, you see the photo and then you see the words which somehow work alongside the photos. I remember being in amazement when I read the first book and thinking how much I wanted to write a book like this that would be radical in a manner of speaking.

This book and the whole series of poetry books from this author have a special place in my heart. I thoroughly enjoyed how the poetry and photos took me to a whole new world.

I really loved the first installment of "I Wrote This For You", but wasn't as taken by this third installment. Still a lot of touching poetry/prose though for sure. Definitely recommend if you like short poetry/prose and the past work.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance reader copy in exchange for a review.

This book is a continuation of a journey. It makes me think. It makes me feel. It even caught my breath a few times because it was so relatable.

I couldn't put it down.

I've read snippets of poetry from the first book by this author and found myself drawn to it, but I believe the fact I'd read the most liked and reposted poetry set me up for failure upon actually reading the book.

That being said, I still enjoyed the book and a number of the pieces resonated with me nonetheless. My favorite poem that I'd read prior was actually in this book as well, reminding me what I enjoyed so much about the authors writing.

However, on the other end of things, some of the poems just fell flat. They felt forced, or they were nothing more than a sentence that didn't have much to it in the way of poetry.

Overall, I finished the book in its entirety very quickly and a lot of the poems will remain with me (partly because I loved them, partly because I saved them to my computer, but I digress). I'm sure the poems that weren't really poetry to me resonated with someone out there and that's all that really matters.

I wish I could sit with Iain S. Thomas for 30 minutes and just listen to him talk. About anything, or nothing, I don't care. I'd just like to get a glimpse into the mind of someone who writes such beautiful poetry that feels so extremely personal (as if he really DID write this book for me and only me!) yet be so universal at the same time. He is amazing!

What is also amazing is how much emotion he can capture in so few words. He excels at getting his point across succinctly.

Write on, Mr. Thomas! I look forward to reading anything you write!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for allowing me to read a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. I loved it!!

Iian S. Thomas is a world wide bestselling Canadian author and poet, and currently lives in South Africa. "I Wrote This For You and Only You" is an innovative form of writing that speaks directly to the reader, giving the reader an intense deeply personalized reading experience and emotional connection with the surrounding world. Original excellent photographs of various subjects and compositions are featured throughout this collection by Jon Ellis. Thomas began writing this poetry series in 2007, and since then the appeal and demand for his books has steadily increased.

In the book's powerful introduction, Thomas begins with "Dear You" explaining to readers he has written the book which had been previously lost, and was leaving his hands-- finding its way to each individual reader. He continues, that he hopes the writing, poetry and photos will find "You" well and simply signs it "Me".
Another short poem: "The Dreams On The Line"... "I chased my dreams until I caught them/I chased my thoughts until I stopped thinking/And I chased my heart until I found you.
Thomas addresses the constant evolving universal force: "There are days when you might feel a/little more certain than others, but in/truth none of us can see ourselves/The person in the mirror changes every/time you look.

This brief review is based on the free material available on Amazon and from online reviews, interviews and blogs. It is amazing how much Thomas seems to love and care about his fellow man as expressed in his unique and one of a kind poetry and writing style. For readers who understand and "get it" they will be rewarded and richly blessed.

This is the second volume of I Wrote This for You and I think I liked this one even more than the one before. Simply for the reason that I could relate to almost every poem in this volume, which wasn't necessarily the case with the first volume. I even shed the occasional tear and copied some of the poems I liked particularly. All in all 4.5/5 stars.
I'd also like to thank Iain S. Thomas, Central Avenue Publishing and Netflix for this free copy!

“I need you to understand something. I wrote this for you. I wrote this for you and only you. Everyone else who reads it, doesn’t get it. They may think they get it, but they don’t. This is the sign you’ve been looking for. You were meant to read these words.”

Iain S. Thomas does it again. This edition of I Wrote This For you was even more emotional and even more raw filled with stunning artwork and incredible words.

Sprinkled in are powerful prose, incredible poetry pages, and even deeper emotion than the first. Every page has emotion and every page turn leaves the reader truly wanting more.

My favorite page was “The Reason For Airports” “You can only hurt someone until there’s nothing left to hurt.”

This book is so real and is a must read if you are interested in poetry, emotions, artwork, or simply want a change of pace from the standard book.

Iain S. Thomas breaks the mold on literature with something so different and so powerful that everyone needs to take notice. In a world where attention spans are shortening, this book can really dominate the market.

I Wrote This for You and Only You is a book of poetry by Iain S. Thomas paired with photography by Jon Ellis. Thomas’s short prose poetry covers topics like the self, love, suicide (or rather, not doing it), and heartbreak..

Each poem is paired with a photograph. Many of the images are black and white; some are full color. They often depict landscapes and urban scenes and occasionally include portraits.

This book is a follow-up to Thomas’s earlier two books and collects entries from both of those.

I bought the earlier version of this book when I saw it in a bookstore while visiting my mother in Florida. I was mesmerized by the combination of poetry and photography, both of which are compelling in their own ways. Together, they add more nuance to one another.

This book provides that feeling once again. My favorite entries in this book are The Anxiety Inherent in Air, The World Is Not As Dark As It Seems, and The Truth is Different Every Day.

I recommend this book to those who like short form prose and poetry, as well as those who enjoy photography.

Disclaimer: I received an advance-read copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed to see two of my biggest passions (writing & photography) in the same book. The writing is clear and easy to understand and the photos that go along with the text are breathtakingly gorgeous.
Although some poems got a little bit repetitive, I'll still give it a sold 3stars.

A beautiful series of poems, poem quotes and truths expressed in these words, accompanied by startling photographs which frame and illustrate the writing. A beautiful book in all senses.

This was a very beautiful collection of poems. This was my first read by Iain S. Thomas, but I definitely see myself reading more in the future. Since this was a follow up to his first piece “I Wrote This For You”, I expected the read to be a bit out of context for me, but the lovely thing about his writing is that it never did feel that way. His prose is very unique in format which I apappreciated. I particularly enjoyed the photography and illustrations associated with each piece. My favorite of the book: “The Dreams On The Line”

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this, I'm very grateful.

This was the first Iain S. Thomas poetry books I have read and I have been wanting to read some from him for a while now. I have this a four out five stars, I really enjoyed it. There's some quotes I really liked. There's some lies that gave me an idea to write about myself. I love it when that happens while I am reading. I would totally recommend this, but if you don't like modern poetry then maybe get a sample from amazon kindle first before you buy it or borrow from a friend if you can. It won't be for everyone.

"If the thing you said you'd do makes other people happy, that's great but don't say things or do things just to make them happy." pg 15

"may your own soul be company enough" pg 16

"you will watch them lose their minds and their hair. You will watch them get sick and get better. You will watch them succeed and fail. You will watch them get married, get divorced, get pregnant and yes, eventually, you will watch them die. Or they will watch you die" pg 20

"Don't be angry and make art often. For those of you who do not make art, will make war. And those of you who do not make war, will be left to make art from what remains." pg 22

"I know they don't even know me. And maybe would be ok with me, if they did." pg 24

"Never stop and never settle but settle down for the one who makes you want to be better. And settle down." pg 35

"Just so you know, there are certain people who were put her to break you. So you could learn how to pull yourself back together again." pg 170

I Wrote This for You and Only You by Iain S Thomas is a haunting and beautiful collection of poetry paired with photography. I really enjoyed the poem ‘The Illusion of Things Never Changing’. It deeply resonated with my current spiritual and psychological states. Other favourites include 'The Mouth Moves but No Sound Comes Out’, 'The Things I Would Have Said’, 'The Story Can Be Neither Created or Destroyed’, and 'The Truth is Different Every Day’. The poem 'The Age at Which It Happens’ really swung a mallet upside my head. It hit so very close to home. It was during the run up to the disastrous 2016 election that I learned people I had thought would always be a part of my life had vastly different and incompatible values. As this poem says… these are people I'll never look at the same way again. We are no longer friends. And gods but that hurt. It still hurts today. To some part of me, it feels as if they've died. I was already a very mistrustful person, and now I find it even harder to trust people. Highly recommended for those who love poetry.

***Many thanks to the Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Iain is a master at his craft. The way he combines photography with poetry is fantastic and unlike anything ive ever seen