A Month of Sundays

by Courtney Peppernell

From poet Courtney Peppernell comes the story of a very long winter, a month of dark and unforgiving Sundays, that will make you question your strength and the purpose of living. 

Bestselling poet and author of the acclaimed Pillow Thoughts series, Courtney Peppernell returns with a story of uncovering the light that resides deep within us all, should we only be brave enough to search the darkness to find it. A Month of Sundays is a tribute to surviving a long winter and a promise that, despite the darkness, the light will undoubtedly return. 

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction, LGBT

253 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 6, 2024

About the author

Courtney Peppernell is an acclaimed best-selling author from Australia, celebrated for her inspirational poetry collections, including the beloved Pillow Thoughts series, Watering the Soul, I Hope You Stay, Time Will Tell and more. With over two million sales worldwide, she continues to lead the forefront of today’s poetry genre. Courtney spends her days writing and working on many projects with her beloved dogs and chickens in tow. She hopes to continue exploring expression and the art of healing through stories, novels and poetry for years to come. Stay tuned for the latest releases from Courtney and her team!

Reviews

[Jessica Goodstein · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dont judge a book by its cover... i was pulled in by the illustrations on the book cover and chapter pages. I read the first page in the store where the author describes a guardian in the woods that rescues the lost and decided i would buy the book! A couple days later, im sitting at gate D14 with flight that has been delayed, delayed, and delayed again and pull out the book. To was surprised to find that the guardian only exists in the preface and the rest of the
Book is about the author's divorce/breakup. I suppose thats ok except that its over 200 pages and is extremely repetitive... it reads like one of my college diaries .. leaving me continually rolling my eyes at the overly flowery descriptions.

The book made waiting at the airport way worse.

[Tammie Anne (Literary.Existentialism) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was 200 pages longer than it should have been. Very repetitive and tedious to get through.

[Brittany Dawn | The Cozy Bee]

I’m not sure how to rate this book so I’ve given it no rating. How do you rate something you read for clarity. This book has been a guiding light for navigating the emotional turmoil I am experiencing now. It does not fall into my usual rating system and I’m glad for it. I feel something that is read for the reason I expressed shouldn’t be categorized as “Oh! A 5 star read for sure!” but rather “This book helped glue some of my broken pieces together again. And I thank you for that.”

[Elle Jayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

one of my least favorite collections from Peppernell, it just seemed like there were 50 poems about betrayal. we get it, you were cheated on, but it's kind of repetitive when that's all the poems talk about. it's giving more and more rupi kaur instagram poetry, and while there is a space for that in the poetry genre, i wish the collection of poems focused less on sarcastic punchlines aimed at her ex partner, and more on how she rebuilt herself and her perspective moving forward.

[Kristjanna Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book felt like a journey to visit my past self. 2015 to be exact. I held her hand and I braved the darkness again with her knowing the journey Courtney was writing about all too well. I wrote new poems. I inked new sketches. I re-drew old favorites. I made a playlist. Lots of inspiration came from her poems, something I’ve been yearning for. Loved this, but don’t think it is for everyone.

[Mikaela S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is so much about this poetry collection that sang to me 🫶 the raw emotions, memories, and poem styles were absolutely gorgeous! I will definitely be rereading this one as the words resonate with change and I believe that in every season of life we ought to revisit things that bring us joy and closure.

[kalen ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

the miraculous thing about courtney peppernell’s poetry / prose is the ability to relate her own experiences to oneself… she lays her vulnerabilities on the table for us to walk toward and realize it’s okay, others feel this same pain in different lights

[valentina · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute, this is my first time truly reading a poetry book. it’s emphasis on soft strength really stuck with me. a little repetitive at times but that’s alright.

[Alexis Shaw · Rating 2 out of 5]

some good lines but not many entire pieces that i was particularly intrigued by. the book felt out of order and even within chapters it felt like the theme was all over the place. the artwork was gorgeous. glad the book was short.

[Bryan Savini · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like many others, I had hopes that the cover would relate to the book itself. I don’t see the connection but I think about book surrounding the characters in the cover would be pretty sick. All that being said, there were some solid poems and points made throughout. It takes a certain type of person to be able to relate to this one.

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel bad criticizing a poetry book in which the author is obviously going through an extremely painful time and writing poetry to get through it, so I will just say that this was not for me.

[Lillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was so interesting and different from anything I have read before.
It’s a mix of poems, prose, and (very) short stories.
It’s about how the author got cheated on by her partner of 7 years and 5 months. Apparently had been cheating for at least a year. It’s her healing journey and it’s like a light that takes you through. Space for sadness but also hope and now a new love.
I enjoyed this very quick read and it definitely made me feel hopeful.
I personally have not dealt with infidelity but it still resonated with me as someone who struggles with depression and has dealt with narcissistic people.
My only knock against this book is that according to the description on the back, and one of the main reasons i bought it, was that it made it seem more general. This was definitely a personal story and it read like one. I thought it was going to be more ambiguous. I can’t decide if that’s makes it better or worse, but I do feel a bit misled. The other main reason I bought the book was because of the adorable characters on the front and in the illustrations throughout. It comes back to that same note of it being more of a personal journey rather than guiding light for all. I wanted more of the ambiguous guardian and the hedgehog.
I felt like I was reading her personal diary and, like a guilty pleasure, I enjoyed finding out the tea of how her relationship ended and her moving on. Simultaneously, it took me out of the “hopeful, you can do it, you are enough” messaging.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. I would not recommend it for everyone, but there are a few people in mind that I would like to share this with and get their thoughts.

[Andreea-Madalina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Courtney Peppernell has a way with words that usually resonates deeply with me, but A Month of Sundays fell a little short of my expectations. While the collection still carries her signature themes of love, healing, and self-discovery, it felt like it was missing the spark that made her previous works so impactful.

I enjoyed many of the poems, and there’s no doubt that Peppernell is a talented writer, but this book didn’t connect with me in the same way as her others. The emotions felt more distant, and at times, I wished for a stronger, more personal touch in the writing. Given how high the bar is with her work, I couldn’t help but feel that this collection could have been more.

That being said, fans of her style might still find comfort in these pages, and I appreciate the effort and heart she pours into her poetry. It’s just not my favorite from her.

[avery · Rating 2 out of 5]

i was told that this book was a silly little story about a hedgehog and a lil guardian guy. while that is true for the first few pages, it quickly changes pace to a poetry collection about the authors divorce? i have always been a hater of poetry (im a novel girly through and through), so when i saw that, i was so sad. i spend nine of my hard earned dollars on the kindle version of this after so much internal debate (the library didn't have a copy) just to be disappointed. i just wish that this was marketed as a poetry collection instead of a short novel cus i never would have considered buying and reading it if i had known.

also... the poetry was giving rupi kaur - when you read one poem, you've read them all

[Sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

In diesem Band der Autorin findet man nicht nur poetry, sondern auch etwas längere Prose-Texte.
Hier fand ich es manchmal schade, dass sich einige Bilder, die kreiert wurden doch oft wiederholt haben / ähnlich waren.

Insgesamt hätte ich mir dann doch mehr Poetry gewünscht.
Die Pillow Thoughts Texte haben mir insgesamt besser gefallen, daher ein Stern Abzug.

Aber dennoch tolle und gute Texte, die einen inspirieren und zum nachdenken anregen.

[Heidi Ashton · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️4.25

While I don’t recommend buying books just because the cover is cute (which is exactly what I did), if you’re going to do it, I’d start with A Month Of Sundays. That being said, the cover is a bit deceptive, this book is very emotional and dark.

Some reviews that say the poetry is a bit repetitive, and I don’t disagree. But I think it’s intentionally done. AMOS takes the reader through stages of betrayal, grief and recovery; all times where reminders of hope need to be repeated often in order to survive the darkness.

It’s sad to know this book was born of C.P.’s own heartbreak, which was laid bare for all to experience secondhand. I can only imagine readers who experienced what she did would find this book even more tragic than it already is.

[Barb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook, read by author. She has a lovely voice and accent. The poetry is good and she was definitely heartbroken and blindsided by her partners infidelity. Sad poems, dark poems, working through poems, hopeful poems. I think for me, there were too many sad ones in one collection. I admired her sharing her pain and being a positive voice for those who have gone through this too.

[Athénia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I truly needed this read. As with most poetry, you take what resonates with you—what speaks to your heart. This collection was incredibly soothing; each poem felt like a warm, comforting hug to my soul.

[Natalie]

This was a very good collection of poetry. I LOVED the first part, it actually made me tear up, but the second half of the book felt a bit repetitive.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is about processing in fidelity of a partner. There are long passages about 'how could you hurt me so much, I deserve better', that were highly repetitive. However, it got me thinking that it might be the author mirroring their own experience. The pain dragged on and was repetitive. Maybe this book exists because it needed to be written, nooit because it needs to be read. Additionally, on the other side of the pain and grief are some beautiful passages.

[Clare Bateman · Rating 3 out of 5]

On Self-Love and Healing:
“Healing isn’t about becoming who you were before, it’s about building who you need to be now.”
On Growth and Patience:
“There are seasons where you will feel lost, and that is okay. Even the moon is not always whole.”

[Cassandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

very mindful, very demure

[Krista]

Probably not my favorite collection from Peppernell, BUT I can imagine (and appreciate) the level of carthesis experienced in this text. She is still on my top shelf of contemporary poets! <3

[Kayla Cranfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was beautiful in every way

[Danielle Honan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was good. More of like an inspirational book.

[Ally Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

beautifully written

[Alyssa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Genuinely I’m so upset about this book. I got it for the cover and the premise of ice guardian guiding the hedgehog through life, where the reader is the hedgehog. I was sobbing reading the intro, and was SO EXCITED to read this poetry book. But I found that after the foreword, the author wrote about how she got cheated on, and then EVERY poem from here on out was basically dedicated to their ex-lover and about how much infidelity hurts. Which is understandable, but I really really really wanted to read about the ice guardian 😭😭 the only thing relating to the ice guardian were pictures on the front of different sections. I did like the writing style and the way the poems were grouped, but I’m genuinely so gutted that I didn’t get to read about what the book was marketed for?!?!

[Galayne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was definitely expecting something way different. The cover and the blurb spoke to me but to my surprise the guardian guiding a lost soul only takes place in the first 3 pages of the book.
The core theme is the author dealing with infidelity, the break up and healing from this. I do not have any references for a situation like this, so it didn't really speak to me. The book is quite repetitive which could be a creative choice for the ups and down on her journey. The poems sometimes feel a bit cringe, for lack of a better word.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cried, my heart broke and I resonated with every single page of this book.

I even brought it up in therapy because it made me feel so SEEN.

I will always and forever recommend this and reread when I need strength to fight off the darkness.

[Norie · Rating 3 out of 5]

2024 has felt nothing short of a year of sundays, in the worst way