Stitching the Soul (Pillow Thoughts IV) by Courtney Peppernell Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing, August 4th 2020 Genre: Poetry Format: eARC Page Count: 288 pages My Rating: ⭐⭐ (2/5) This is my first time trying Peppernell’s poems. I love her novel Keeping Long Island, which I am sure I talked too much about already. Unfortunately, I am unsure what I am feeling after finishing Stitching the Soul. The first few sections of the book were somewhat depressing. Peppernell has a very soothing tone in her written words and the sadness manifests in all the lines. The book does take a happier turn in the latter half and becomes more therapeutic as I had initially thought the whole book would be. Some of the themes were repetitive, and oftentimes, I find the feeling glum and others cheesy. However, it was totally worth a read because there were still some great lines here and there. “She is not confined by time
/ she is a running river
/ seeking freedom to flow through life unchained” How powerful is that? Another nice touch in this book was the inclusion of Justin Estcourt’s illustrations of foxes, a jellyfish, and occasionally an owl and the heart. The sketches made me smile. I am glad I finally read Peppernell’s poems but sad to say this collection was not for me. I received an e-ARC from Andrews McMeel Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.