Out of the Ashes

by Courtney Peppernell

“When life feels as though it has been burned to the ground, reduced to piles of ash, there is always someone to remind us that life begins again, no matter how hard we fall or how disastrous the crash.”

This is the story of how you rose from the ashes—where every ending is a new beginning.
 
The final installment in a long journey of healing is the fieriest of them all. Out of the Ashes offers a roadmap for readers seeking to emerge from devastation. Divided into seven sections—The Destruction, The End, The Quiet, The Wrath, The Transformation, The Arising, The Resurgence—this very personal and engaging new collection from prolific poet Courtney Peppernell illuminates a powerful journey of resilience and survival. It masterfully charts the process of rising again after your life has been burned to the ground.

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction, LGBT

201 pages, Paperback

Published August 5, 2025

About the author

Courtney Peppernell is an internationally best-selling author, known for her deeply moving poetry and storytelling. Her beloved Pillow Thoughts series, along with Watering the Soul, I Hope You Stay, Time Will Tell, and more, have resonated with readers around the world, selling millions of copies and being translated into multiple languages. Blending themes of love, healing, and self-discovery, Courtney's work has made a lasting impact in the poetry and contemporary literature space. She lives on the South Coast of NSW with her partner and spends her days writing and working on many projects, always accompanied by her beloved dogs and chickens. Passionate about the power of storytelling, she hopes to continue creating work that fosters connection and healing for years to come.

Reviews

[Star]

I always find poetry so hard to rate, since it is something so inherently personal.
I was offered up a chance to read this before its release date from the publisher.
This collection is as heartfelt as it is heartbreaking.
With every single poem, you can feel the heartbreak that Courtney Peppernell was feeling, and how it evokes strong emotions.
There are many poems about her heartbreak, but it isn't all doom and gloom like you might expect. As its title explains - it is coming out of the ashes from such a bad place into someone new, and there are many hopeful poems in here, too.
I especially loved the illustrations between parts - they were so cute, and I found it separated the sections really well.
If you've enjoyed Courtney Peppernell in the past, I think you'll enjoy this one, too.

[Ashley Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Courtney Peppernell once again takes the crown. Her words are beautiful and she brings you on the most important journeys through said words. Will never stop recommending her works. ❤️

[Emmadjghe · Rating 2 out of 5]

fan van de (cover) art en de passie die de auteur te berde brengt, maar minder van de gedichten zelf. then again, ik ben niet verraden geweest door een geliefde en daarop volgend gescheiden.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

The things I read for my students...

[Brooke Kiefer · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who also had a person who was supposed to love me do everything in their power to hurt me, this book was a beautiful piece of art. There were a lot of tears shed while reading this. I think it truly is a blessing of a book for people who have been hurt and need to be reminded of how much they have to live for.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Omg I was sobbing like every other page. If you’ve ever been betrayed, in love, heartbroken, or played you will relate to this book. It teaches some great self-reflection strategies. I really like how Courtney encourages you to sit with your emotions because they’re you. And to listen to others without trying to fix them because we accept others as they are, not who we want them to be.

[Catherine Wicker · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me a week to find a copy of the new release, and then I had to delay reading with travel. This was the needed follow up to her last book that has followed my healing so much with the breakup of my own.

[Hannah D · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 always love a cute little poetry book

[angelpompom · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of her best, in my opinion💗

[Mikaela S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

It would have had the same, lasting impact if I had read this my sophomore year of high school, my junior year of college, and today

[Luke Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding

[Sherri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Courtney Peppernell's Out of the Ashes is a deeply personal and powerful collection that encapsulates the essence of resilience and survival. The book is divided into seven sections: The Destruction, The End, The Quiet, The Wrath, The Transformation, The Arising, and The Resurgence. It serves as a guide for readers navigating their way out of devastation, particularly those who have experienced heartbreak and emotional turmoil. This collection is a tribute to the healing journey and the remarkable strength of resilience, reminding us that every ending paves the way for a new beginning.

Unlike her earlier works, which focused on love, healing, and hope, Out of the Ashes was written during a turbulent time in Courtney's life, giving it a memoir-like quality filled with raw emotions such as grief, anger, and sorrow. This context illustrates how poetry can serve as a guiding light, helping her process complex feelings and encouraging readers to find strength in their own emotional journeys.

[Ciara Hartman · Rating 5 out of 5]

📝 Story Review: As usual, Courtney Peppernell does not disappoint. Her honesty and relatable feelings are inspiring. Her rise from the ashes story is empowering and hopeful. Although this mainly deals with trauma and growth after a bad break-up/being cheated on, so many of these poems/thoughts/feelings are applicable and relatable for various different types of trauma and healing! As always, I appreciate an author who writes from the heart and is strong enough to share those innermost feelings with others. 👏 If you haven’t read any of her books, I highly recommend them!

Genre: Poetry & Prose
My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 5/5

Vibes: Raw honesty; real life emotions.

Quote 👇

“transformation is recognizing your own worth”

CW’s 👇

- Being cheated on
- Relationship break up
- Verbal/emotional abuse
- Trauma/grief

[Claressa Hallman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Out of the Ashes is a collection of poetry and prose focusing on persevering through hardship.  Like a Phoenix, devastating circumstances can tear us down but we can rise from them - stronger, braver, and changed for the better.   This is the 5th in a series of collections.

The collection is built around a failed relationship due to infidelity.  However, I truly enjoyed how the MC took a journey through the various stages of grief to rise up from the experience.  This book would be relevant to anyone that has lost someone they love whether it be by a failed relationship, a friendship grown apart, death, or even self-discovery.  The MC's words are profound and deeply meaningful.  I appreciated the vulnerability that was shown to put pen to paper and write this. 

[Kelly Roswell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my gosh! I love Courtney Peppernell’s books she makes me feel so heartwarming and her poems are always a 5/5 read. I feel like they are so relatable in a sense that they are not always happy but they are so real that they are exactly what you need to hear to help you heal and move to where you are destined to be in life to be your greatest self. I think my favorite poem was on page 200 that really felt like what I needed to hear most in my life at the moment. I can’t wait to read another one of her books in the future. I was starting to be in a book slump but after reading one of her books I just want to keep reading more.

[Graceeno · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn’t my cup of tea when it comes to poetry, but I appreciated how accessible this poetry collection was, and I enjoyed the unique format of the book. Peppernell’s compassionate and emotionally transparent voice weaves each of the pieces together seamlessly. Although I found most of the poems to be pretty cheesy, some lines stayed with me.

“You will learn that saying no to others is saying yes to yourself—your needs, wants, desires, well-being. This is how you grow, by understanding that your value is not in how much you can give to others but in how much you can honor your own needs.”

[Corey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poetry is not something I normally go for, but I've seen this author's books in Target stores for years, and I always thought they had cute covers. So I gave this one a shot, and don't regret it at all.

Even if poetry isn't your thing either, this author does a good job with it, and I'd definitely recommend giving it a chance!

This has a good message for people who've been through something tough, it could potentially help with a personal catharthis.

[Mija Kha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got an ARC!
My goshhh is there anything that she writes that I don’t like???? No like seriously. This was so spectacular and I love that there are poems for every stage of life. Loved every single poem written by her and it got me out of some pretty bad times and stress.
Loved this and she’s become my favorite author!

[Brendan McGoldrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great book by Courtney Peppernell! I really enjoyed the theme here with the phoenix throughout the pages. It was one of the most emotional reads I've had in a long time, and I definitely felt more moved by this than even some of her other books I've read lately. This reminded me to keep trying to incorporate poetry into my reading.

[Alisa Robles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did I buy it for the cover? Yes. Phoenixes are my favorite mythical creatures. I have read from Courtney Peppernell before, so I went in knowing I would enjoy it. From the first page I was definitely in it. I love her writing and I related to a lot of her poems. I sure did have a good time reading it.

[Becca Lloyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exactly what I needed at this point in time. As always, Courtney manages to create a warm cup of coffee and a hug in a poetry collection.

I’m obsessed with the illustrations too.

It is all so perfect wow, thank you for this collection.

[Jessica Loveless · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was a beautiful and timely book that left be both crying like a baby about the past and hopeful for the future. I fully recommend for anyone healing from a soured relationship, just keep the tissues nearby.

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

not my favorite from her. mainly because I didn't relate to most of the poems about divorce, but that's a me thing and not a book thing. I wasn't a fan of the longer poems/sections being the entire book instead of it being broken up in digestible chunks.

[Jon Coupal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was wonderful. I liked Watering The Soul better, but I was in a different place then. Being happily married for 12 years, I feel less connected to content of Out Of The Ashes, but still found much beauty in the poetry.

[Madison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some pages wrecked me and had me in tears. I sat there reading with different emotions and memories of a past relationship throughout the pages but also found some comfort and healing throughout the chapter of my life

[Gabriella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cheating, grief, loss, self doubt, falling apart and rising from the ashes... I needed this collection of poetry right now. I needed the reminded that its okay to struggle, but always get back up again.

Favorite quote: "If I deny my worth, I deny my life."

[Necessittee · Rating 4 out of 5]

For seasons change, and so do we;/A page is turned, leaving nothing/But memory.
I think even though it relates to healing from a romantic relationship, a lot of the sentiments can be applied to other relationships too. I really enjoyed this collection.

[Cassandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book.

[molly j · Rating 5 out of 5]

definitely needed this after the hell ive been through these last couple months 💔💔

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5