Between You and These Bones

The writing this poetry collection included was absolutely amazing! I really enjoyed the imagery that was included and I felt that I was there the entire way through the collection. What an amazing job!

This book literally grabs you from the prologue and doesn't let you go.
The first thing that grabbed my attention was the title and the cover. This book is amazing visually. Every five poems or so there is an illustration which, in a poetry book is a great idea because it gives the reader a little break.
The poems are not mandatorily happy but they do have a feeling of lightness about them. The themes range from childhood memories, romantic and familial love, good and bad relationships, womanhood, race and how it is to be alive in general.
Thank you to NetGalley and Vi Verbis Press for this ARC.

The poems in this books are amazingly beautiful. The words truly mesmerised me. It is an anthology I will come back to again and again, to appreciate the wonderful observations and gorgeous phrases. Meltingly lovely.

I was fortunate to receive a complimentary digital copy of this book (through NetGalley) in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this collection of poems. Soul writes about subjects close to my heart, close to the hearts of many including falling in and out of love, relationships, both the good and not so good parts and self-image. I’d never read Soul’s work before and was very impressed. The poems spoke to me. I enjoyed every line. I need to read more of her work. The poems in this collection are easy to read and accessible, no poetry snobbery here.

Disclaimer: I received an advance digital copy of this poetry collection from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I've been looking for new poets and I am so thankful to have found F.D. Soul's poetry collection, Between You and These Bones. All I can say is wow. Yes, WOW!

I loved how she played with words, stringing them together to put an arrow right through your heart. Every poem in this collection will make you happy, feel appreciated, empowered and feel things you're not expecting to feel in the first place.

I'm excited to read her future works, and this definitely made it to one of my personal go-to poetry collections. Plus, the illustrations were so beautiful!

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I needed a little poetry in my life, so I took to NetGalley to see what would call to me, and found Between You and These Bones by F.D. Soul. When the title of a collection grabs you with it's imagery, it has to be good, so I quickly requested and was approved for the collection.

Soul's poetry is broken into four parts: I, XI, XII, XIII. Usually when I've reviewed poetry collections in the past, I break down what is in each part, but since Soul's themes transcend throughout each part, I'm just going to share the overall themes and impressions as I came to them, an not worry too much about the sections.

Starting off the collection, there are a few poems that give the reader background on the poet's childhood- discussing what she's learned from her parents, grandparents, and farming life. She also starts delving into the definition of home, of it's many meanings. Next, there are some transitional poems that relate to growing up, coming of age, learning about love, feeling safe and secure. Then, the reader starts to recognize a pattern of small undercurrent poems relating to something darker. It took me a little time to notice the repetition of the phrase "of this war" as a representation of depression, or some sort of mental illness or inner struggle. This struggle flows into the poet's writing process, how her poetry is created. She writes about being a poet, the complexity of defining poetry, the emotions that become poetry. Often, love is the catalyst in these poems, the expression of a moment or a wish for the future, or as Soul states, how a person can not only be poetry, but home. I really felt I understood that relationship, as the saying goes, "home is where the heart is" and it's with that special someone. Soul also explores faith and what God means to her- often, it is love. The leads to contemplation on marriage, analyzing the human condition, of what it means to be and feel alive.

In addition to the beautiful poetry, Soul also includes illustrations that give a visual representation of her poems. I always enjoy when a poetry collection includes illustrations, as they complement the artistry of the printed words. As a visual learner, I also think it helps with comprehension of what imagery the poet is trying to portray to the reader.

I honestly adored this collection and am eager to get ahold of a published physical copy to add to my poetry collection. I thought the structure of the collection was enjoyable, and the content so relatable and breathtaking. I flagged many favorites, and have decided to keep those for myself, in the hopes that you'll pick up your own copy and flag your own favorites, too.

(This review will be posted on my blog (www.thelexingtonbookie.com) in the beginning of May, 2019).
Expected Publication Date: May 14, 2019

I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of poetry. I did not find myself relating to every poem, but i found that there is a lovely selection. There is certainly something for everyone in this collection. The ones that I did connect with, hit home hard. A lovely addition to any poetry book shelf. I will certainly be recommending this to my fellow poetry lovers.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I truly appreciate it!

A truly emotional collection of poetry that grabs you in from the first page. I thoroughly enjoyed the connecting imagery and I just felt so connected to each piece. I will definitely recommend this to other poetry lovers.

I hadn't read any of F.D.Soul's poetry before this collection, and I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed her poetry style, and the way life is described.

There are poems about love, family, home, and how they are all interconnected. There are also some poems about understanding herself.

I really enjoyed how the poems were organized. I felt that the first poems were introductory and that the later poems were more encompassing of the various themes. There are also some gorgeous illustrations along the way.

I'm a huge fan of this style of poetry. This collection was lyrical and ethereal. Such beautiful laid out with stunning illustrations too. This really is the full package.

F.D. Soul is one of my favorites, partly due to the active Instagram pages that gives me just the dose of poetry and emotions that I need on any given day, and partly due to the topics. Boyfriends, family members, depression, etc. are all topics I can connect with. While I love a good poem that makes me feel like a warrior or a princess, I also like a poem that keeps my feet on earth, my sensible thoughts in my head. F.D. Soul gives beauty to typical moments. I so enjoyed The Land That Wraps Around You and A Love Letter to Today made me take a moment to appreciate the day. The poems in Between You and These Bones aren't all new, but each read somehow new to me. Some made me feel nostalgic, some happy, and some made me think for awhile.

"I like to think I'm someone else's
half-away
dreams softly piled up in their hair
still ..."


Like all poetry books, Between You and These Bones is best read in small doses. Reading poems all in order, page after page, leaves my soul and mind exhausted, and so I flipped through F.D. Soul's latest in a leisurely fashion. I found myself drawn to the artwork, to the varying lengths, to the almost-stories that fill some of the pages. I do, however, wish this book was organized by subject. I am a mood reader when it comes to poems and being able to find a section of poetry about a specific subject is something I really enjoy about many of the poetry books on the market. In this case, I had several favorites and while I can flag them, I just think it would've been nice if those of similar topics, like love, were placed in the novel together.

"Sometimes it is a very sad thing
to be human
and longing
oh,
but if we weren't."


Between You and These Bones is, in my opinion, a solid selection of poems that poetry readers will enjoy.

I knew from the introductory love letter that I was going to love F.D. Soul's writing. Her style of poetry is very personal, honest, and vulnerable. I greatly enjoyed the wide variety of subjects she covered while keeping the language simple and linked throughout various pieces to keep it cohesive. A few of the poems were a little too literal for me, but her language was lovely.

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing me with an ARC and opportunity to review this beautiful collection.

I enjoy this poetry book. I didn’t love everything in here but there was many lines I wrote down. I did really like her writing style and the word choices. There was also art in here that I found beautiful. Over all I had fun reading and related to some of the lines.

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley!!


The cover is stunning. The poems in this book are raw and heartfelt.

Poetry always gets me in the feels, and this book did that as well.

I was surprisingly in love with the writing in this one. FD Soul does a beautiful job in haunting the reader with her words, so much so that you are left reeling long after the book is over and the poems are dead. I loved loved loved this book.

Between You and These Bones is an raw and emotional, yet beautiful poetry collection with some amazing artwork.

Between You and These Bones by F.D. Soul

3.5 stars

“There are flowers in my chest again
the kind
that do not lose their bloom.”

Between You and These Bones is a poetry collection filled with soul and the breathtaking grit of poetry. F.D. Soul is an innovative poet compared to most of what scatters the shelves today. Her poems are short at times, but they are also long. She isn’t afraid to have three or four-page poems which is saying something. The art in this collection is absolutely stunning and is cohesive to the poems. As much as the poetry speaks, the images smattering through the pages speak and interweave with each to convey a full message. This collection has a lot of soul and there were poems that I really loved, but there is a lot of lines within this collection that don’t make much sense. My eyes had the tendency to gloss over and have to reread when I got lost. I suspect this collection is very sophisticated and I’m probably not very smart about deciphering it. It’s a good collection and I think it will find a good-sized audience. If you are looking for a collection with more heart and a bit more grit then I think this one will be a good pick.


Whimsical Writing Scale: 3.5

Plotastic Scale: 3.25

Cover Thoughts: This cover is stunning. One of my favorites.

Thank you, Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing, for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

"good poetry is closing your eyes when you hear my heartbeat
and wonder if it is your own."

I wanted this collection to last forever. The imagery was beautiful, the illustrations as well. The poetry felt good. It wasn't repetitive, and was written in a variety of formats. I'd recommend giving this one a try.

From the prose, to the poetry to all the illustrations, Between You and These Bones is a great book.
With the type of writing that catches your attention and doesn't want to let you go anymore. That makes you wanna feel everything with every word, so that even while you want to keep on reading, to taste the next and the next, you feel yourself stop and FEEL.

An amazing read.