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Loves of Our Lives: Poems for Hopeful Hearts
From TikTok star and author of I Hope You Remember—which John Stamos called a “gift to the world”—Josie Balka comes this evocative collection of over eighty poems about the different types of love.
From the coziness of lifelong friendship to the aching intensity of lost love, Loves of Our Lives is a poetic journey through the heartfelt relationships that make us human.
In her highly anticipated second collection, social media sensation Josie Balka masterfully puts words to the indescribable, weaving her signature blend of raw emotion and vivid imagery into poems that speak straight to the soul.
Featuring eighty poems, some already beloved by her followers and others exclusive to this collection, Loves of Our Lives explores six types of love—familial, toxic, romantic, friendship, self-love, and lost love—and invites reflection, offering solace and celebration in equal measure in this love letter to love itself.
From the coziness of lifelong friendship to the aching intensity of lost love, Loves of Our Lives is a poetic journey through the heartfelt relationships that make us human.
In her highly anticipated second collection, social media sensation Josie Balka masterfully puts words to the indescribable, weaving her signature blend of raw emotion and vivid imagery into poems that speak straight to the soul.
Featuring eighty poems, some already beloved by her followers and others exclusive to this collection, Loves of Our Lives explores six types of love—familial, toxic, romantic, friendship, self-love, and lost love—and invites reflection, offering solace and celebration in equal measure in this love letter to love itself.
160 pages, Hardcover
Published January 6, 2026
243 people are currently reading
1912 people want to read
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December 13, 2025Can’t see through the tears it’s fine I’m fine everything’s fine
January 9, 2026
Thank you NetGalley and Simon Element for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.
Some days, I crave all the feelings and wow did this exquisite collection of poetry deliver! From the very first page, Love of Our Lives wrapped around my heart and refused to let go. Josie Balka is a new to me author, but after this, I'm completely smitten. Her poetry is achingly real and beautifully honest that is so raw, relatable, powerful, and vivid in a way that feels both deeply personal and universally human. Every poem pulses with meaning, heart, and a touch of magic that lingers long after the final line.
It explores the six different kinds of love we experience throughout a lifetime. From familial love to toxic romance, from friendship and self-love to the quiet ache of lost love. It doesn't shy away from the messy, tender, or painful parts. Instead, it honors them. This collection feels like a true celebration of love in all its forms of flawed, fierce, fleeting, and forever.
I wholeheartedly recommend this book and already know I'll be purchasing a physical copy to treasure on my shelves. I will definitely be returning to it whenever my heart needs to feel seen.❤️❤️❤️❤️
Some days, I crave all the feelings and wow did this exquisite collection of poetry deliver! From the very first page, Love of Our Lives wrapped around my heart and refused to let go. Josie Balka is a new to me author, but after this, I'm completely smitten. Her poetry is achingly real and beautifully honest that is so raw, relatable, powerful, and vivid in a way that feels both deeply personal and universally human. Every poem pulses with meaning, heart, and a touch of magic that lingers long after the final line.
It explores the six different kinds of love we experience throughout a lifetime. From familial love to toxic romance, from friendship and self-love to the quiet ache of lost love. It doesn't shy away from the messy, tender, or painful parts. Instead, it honors them. This collection feels like a true celebration of love in all its forms of flawed, fierce, fleeting, and forever.
I wholeheartedly recommend this book and already know I'll be purchasing a physical copy to treasure on my shelves. I will definitely be returning to it whenever my heart needs to feel seen.❤️❤️❤️❤️
December 12, 2025
One day, randomly scrolling Tik Tok (like the Xennial I am) and ran across a video of Josie Balka, reading her poetry to the camera. I was so moved by what I heard that she gained an instant follower, and I’ve been enjoying her poetry online ever since.
I bought and read her first book of poetry, I Hope You Remember, earlier this year. It was, unsurprisingly, fantastic.
This one was equally moving and special to me. I don’t know how to meaningfully review a book of poetry, other than to say I genuinely think that even if you don’t typically like poetry, you would love Josie’s. She is heartfelt and relatable and so many of her poems have hit me directly in the soul. She’s got a tremendous gift with words.
Loved, loved, loved this.
I bought and read her first book of poetry, I Hope You Remember, earlier this year. It was, unsurprisingly, fantastic.
This one was equally moving and special to me. I don’t know how to meaningfully review a book of poetry, other than to say I genuinely think that even if you don’t typically like poetry, you would love Josie’s. She is heartfelt and relatable and so many of her poems have hit me directly in the soul. She’s got a tremendous gift with words.
Loved, loved, loved this.
December 12, 2025
This isn't a book you read cover to cover but a collection that you pick up from time to time and flip to a page and more often than not the words there will speak to you. Josie's done it again with this one. I'd say there's a couple less bangers (or maybe I just couldn't relate to some) than her first book but overall a very solid second collection of her beautiful, nostalgic words and thoughts.
October 23, 2025
Balka does it again!! She has such a beautiful way with words that I am captivated any time she speaks or writes.
As a person who feels deeply, Balka has a way of making me remember that it is a gift not a flaw to feel so deeply and passionately. She captures REALLy feelings and emotions of many different kinds of love. I highly recommend this book to all my fellow feelers (and maybe those who aren't so you can understand us a little better)! ;)
Thank you to Simon Element for the eARC! This goes on sale Dec. 9th! So get your preorders or library holds in now!
As a person who feels deeply, Balka has a way of making me remember that it is a gift not a flaw to feel so deeply and passionately. She captures REALLy feelings and emotions of many different kinds of love. I highly recommend this book to all my fellow feelers (and maybe those who aren't so you can understand us a little better)! ;)
Thank you to Simon Element for the eARC! This goes on sale Dec. 9th! So get your preorders or library holds in now!
November 1, 2025
3.5/5
This is the second book I’ve read by Josie Balka, whose poetry I first discovered through her social media. I still find that hearing her read her own words carries a depth that’s hard to replicate on the page—her voice brings an emotional rhythm that can sometimes feel a bit one-note in written form.
That said, I especially loved her reflections on family and the tenderness of a mother’s love. Those poems stood out as some of her most genuine and heartfelt work.
Thank you to the author and publisher for a chance to read in advance copy of this work.
This is the second book I’ve read by Josie Balka, whose poetry I first discovered through her social media. I still find that hearing her read her own words carries a depth that’s hard to replicate on the page—her voice brings an emotional rhythm that can sometimes feel a bit one-note in written form.
That said, I especially loved her reflections on family and the tenderness of a mother’s love. Those poems stood out as some of her most genuine and heartfelt work.
Thank you to the author and publisher for a chance to read in advance copy of this work.
December 10, 2025
Loves of Our Lives: Poems for Hopeful Hearts by Josie Balka.
Published by Simon Element — thank you to the publisher for my gifted copy.
I opened this collection thinking I’d read a few poems before bed, and suddenly an hour vanished, my tea was lukewarm, and I’d apparently agreed to confront my emotional baggage without consent. That’s the thing about Josie Balka’s writing: it sneaks up on you. One minute you’re nodding along, thinking, “Cute, relatable,” and the next you’re blinking hard at the ceiling like a person in a commercial who’s just discovered bravery through moisturizer.
Balka divides the book into six kinds of love, which sounds orderly enough until you realize she fully intends to poke at every version of you that still flinches when someone says “We need to talk.” Romantic love gets its moment, with poems that feel like both the spark and the aftermath. Lost love shows up quietly, the way it always does, with that hushed tone of things we pretend no longer hurt. The toxic love section? Let’s just say I felt personally targeted more than once, and I don’t appreciate being perceived with such accuracy by someone I’ve never met. Friendship love was my warm blanket section — soft, nostalgic, and surprisingly grounding. The family and self-love pieces pulled me in slower, the way truths do when they’re meant to settle rather than shock.
Balka’s real talent is in how she writes emotion without dramatizing it. She avoids the trap of trying to make everything profound. Instead, she gives us the sort of small, exact images that stick: the quiet apology baked into a long-distance phone call, the fear of becoming the version of yourself you once pitied, the way self-love feels less like a roar and more like remembering to breathe. She writes with this blend of tenderness and dry humor that makes the whole collection feel like a conversation with a friend who knows you’re struggling but refuses to let you wallow unsupervised.
A line that stayed with me long after I closed the book: “Sometimes love is just the courage to stay soft in a world that keeps trying to make you harder.” I’m not saying I gasped, but I definitely paused long enough for my dog to look concerned.
There’s a cozy rhythm to her poems, even when the subject matter hits a little too sharply. Some pieces are feather-light and read like a sigh; others drag up memories you swore you’d buried under productivity and sarcasm. But that balance — the gentle with the painful — is what makes this collection work. It doesn’t promise healing. It just sits beside you and says, in its own quiet way, “You’re not the only one who felt that.”
Reading this book felt like a long overdue check-in with myself. It made me laugh, wince, and consider texting three different people for reasons I’ve since talked myself out of. It’s honest and warm and occasionally bold enough to feel like a dare. And while not every poem hit with the same force, the ones that did settled somewhere deep and refused to leave.
If you’re new to poetry, this is the kind of collection that won’t scare you off. And if you’ve lived enough life to have loved poorly, loved well, been loved halfway, or struggled to love yourself at all, you’ll find something here that feels written just for you. Balka doesn’t claim to have the answers. She just acknowledges the mess and offers a small flashlight.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5 stars
#LovesOfOurLives #PoemsForHopefulHearts #JosieBalka #PoetryReview #BookReview #SimonElement #NewPoetryRelease2025 #LovePoetry #SelfLovePoetry #RomanticPoetry #FriendshipPoetry #ARCReview #GiftedBook #Bookstagram #ReadersOfInstagram
Published by Simon Element — thank you to the publisher for my gifted copy.
I opened this collection thinking I’d read a few poems before bed, and suddenly an hour vanished, my tea was lukewarm, and I’d apparently agreed to confront my emotional baggage without consent. That’s the thing about Josie Balka’s writing: it sneaks up on you. One minute you’re nodding along, thinking, “Cute, relatable,” and the next you’re blinking hard at the ceiling like a person in a commercial who’s just discovered bravery through moisturizer.
Balka divides the book into six kinds of love, which sounds orderly enough until you realize she fully intends to poke at every version of you that still flinches when someone says “We need to talk.” Romantic love gets its moment, with poems that feel like both the spark and the aftermath. Lost love shows up quietly, the way it always does, with that hushed tone of things we pretend no longer hurt. The toxic love section? Let’s just say I felt personally targeted more than once, and I don’t appreciate being perceived with such accuracy by someone I’ve never met. Friendship love was my warm blanket section — soft, nostalgic, and surprisingly grounding. The family and self-love pieces pulled me in slower, the way truths do when they’re meant to settle rather than shock.
Balka’s real talent is in how she writes emotion without dramatizing it. She avoids the trap of trying to make everything profound. Instead, she gives us the sort of small, exact images that stick: the quiet apology baked into a long-distance phone call, the fear of becoming the version of yourself you once pitied, the way self-love feels less like a roar and more like remembering to breathe. She writes with this blend of tenderness and dry humor that makes the whole collection feel like a conversation with a friend who knows you’re struggling but refuses to let you wallow unsupervised.
A line that stayed with me long after I closed the book: “Sometimes love is just the courage to stay soft in a world that keeps trying to make you harder.” I’m not saying I gasped, but I definitely paused long enough for my dog to look concerned.
There’s a cozy rhythm to her poems, even when the subject matter hits a little too sharply. Some pieces are feather-light and read like a sigh; others drag up memories you swore you’d buried under productivity and sarcasm. But that balance — the gentle with the painful — is what makes this collection work. It doesn’t promise healing. It just sits beside you and says, in its own quiet way, “You’re not the only one who felt that.”
Reading this book felt like a long overdue check-in with myself. It made me laugh, wince, and consider texting three different people for reasons I’ve since talked myself out of. It’s honest and warm and occasionally bold enough to feel like a dare. And while not every poem hit with the same force, the ones that did settled somewhere deep and refused to leave.
If you’re new to poetry, this is the kind of collection that won’t scare you off. And if you’ve lived enough life to have loved poorly, loved well, been loved halfway, or struggled to love yourself at all, you’ll find something here that feels written just for you. Balka doesn’t claim to have the answers. She just acknowledges the mess and offers a small flashlight.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5 stars
#LovesOfOurLives #PoemsForHopefulHearts #JosieBalka #PoetryReview #BookReview #SimonElement #NewPoetryRelease2025 #LovePoetry #SelfLovePoetry #RomanticPoetry #FriendshipPoetry #ARCReview #GiftedBook #Bookstagram #ReadersOfInstagram
December 17, 2025
Loves of Our Lives is a beautiful reminder that love exists in so many forms and that romantic love is only one piece of a much larger, richer picture. I absolutely loved Josie’s poetry.
I connected most strongly with the sections on family love, friendship love, and toxic love. What stood out to me most was the book’s quiet insistence that we should place just as much, if not more, value on family and friendship as we do on romantic relationships. That message felt grounding and refreshing.
The friendship love section had me smiling from start to finish, while the family love section had me openly crying. I’ve been incredibly blessed with a family and friends who feel like family, and Josie captured that kind of love, the steady, enduring, life-shaping kind, perfectly.
One poem that truly stayed with me was:
To the friend who came a little later in life
Thank God you did
Because even though we didn’t get to be kids together
We got to grow up together
In exactly the way we needed to at the time…
This poem felt like a love letter to chosen family, the friends who arrive after you’ve already been shaped, shattered, and rebuilt, and who love you anyway. The idea of choosing each other for who we became without each other was especially powerful. It made every past heartbreak and struggle feel meaningful.
I also really appreciated the body positivity at the end of the novel. It felt affirming rather than performative, and it tied beautifully into the book’s larger message of self-acceptance and wholeness.
I connected most strongly with the sections on family love, friendship love, and toxic love. What stood out to me most was the book’s quiet insistence that we should place just as much, if not more, value on family and friendship as we do on romantic relationships. That message felt grounding and refreshing.
The friendship love section had me smiling from start to finish, while the family love section had me openly crying. I’ve been incredibly blessed with a family and friends who feel like family, and Josie captured that kind of love, the steady, enduring, life-shaping kind, perfectly.
One poem that truly stayed with me was:
To the friend who came a little later in life
Thank God you did
Because even though we didn’t get to be kids together
We got to grow up together
In exactly the way we needed to at the time…
This poem felt like a love letter to chosen family, the friends who arrive after you’ve already been shaped, shattered, and rebuilt, and who love you anyway. The idea of choosing each other for who we became without each other was especially powerful. It made every past heartbreak and struggle feel meaningful.
I also really appreciated the body positivity at the end of the novel. It felt affirming rather than performative, and it tied beautifully into the book’s larger message of self-acceptance and wholeness.
January 24, 2026
God I love this woman’s poetry! Not all of them hit me but all of them were beautiful. And honestly part of me felt pride in reading the poems about body image issues and feeling like that was something I’m not struggling with right now. It’s been years since I felt the urge to grab a highlighter when I read a book, but my copy is dog eared and highlighted like crazy. These poems felt like a conversation with a best friend. I know I will find myself sharing these and coming back to them for years to come.
January 15, 2026
I cried so many times reading this book it's not even funny, 5 millions stars for miss Josie 🌟
December 10, 2025
Josie Balka is the undisputed millennial queen of making us feel all the emotions, and her second poetry collection, focused on the different types of love we experience in our lifetimes (lost love, romantic love, familial love, toxic love, friendship love, and self-love) will make you cry, guaranteed. I do think many of these are probably better as spoken word poetry, and I tried to hear Josie reading them in her own words even though I was eyeball reading.
And sometimes being ruined by someone is the best thing that could have happened / Because it’s always a beginning disguised as an ending
Pub Date: 12/9/25
Review Published: 12/9/25
eARC provided at no cost by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
And sometimes being ruined by someone is the best thing that could have happened / Because it’s always a beginning disguised as an ending
Pub Date: 12/9/25
Review Published: 12/9/25
eARC provided at no cost by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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January 14, 2026My Ranking: loved it!
Josie Balka’s poetry never fails to move me or make me emotional, and this collection of hers is no exception. She has a way of capturing emotions and feelings that I’ve never had the words or the time to express, so reading about them feels really cathartic. A handful of the poems in this collection are some of my all-time favorites now and are definitely pieces of art that I can see myself rereading and coming back to. If you need a reminder of how beautiful it is to be alive and how blessed we are to have the privilege of loving and being loved, I’d definitely recommend this collection, as well as her previous publication, “I Hope You Remember.” I think both will stick with me for a long time!
Josie Balka’s poetry never fails to move me or make me emotional, and this collection of hers is no exception. She has a way of capturing emotions and feelings that I’ve never had the words or the time to express, so reading about them feels really cathartic. A handful of the poems in this collection are some of my all-time favorites now and are definitely pieces of art that I can see myself rereading and coming back to. If you need a reminder of how beautiful it is to be alive and how blessed we are to have the privilege of loving and being loved, I’d definitely recommend this collection, as well as her previous publication, “I Hope You Remember.” I think both will stick with me for a long time!
December 15, 2025
I loved Josie’s earlier poetry release this year, so I knew I needed this one too. Her poems capture that feeling of thinking you’re alone—then gently reminding you that you’re not. I resonated with so many pieces, and I really loved how the book is divided into six sections centered around different kinds of love. You can read it cover to cover or jump straight to the section that fits your mood, which feels both refreshing and intentional. And honestly, we’re so lucky to sometimes hear her read these poems herself on her page—it makes them feel even more personal.
January 1, 2026
Oh Josie, you are a mastermind at your craft. Just like with her first book of poems, I could hear the author's voice narrating as I was reading each page. So many poems went straight to my heartstrings and I especially related the most with the ones from Romantic Love and Family Love.
There's just something about the unique way Josie articulates her own experience into these passages and prose. It's gut wrenching but also endearingly sweet. Just works up your emotions in the best ways. Will never stop recommending her work!
There's just something about the unique way Josie articulates her own experience into these passages and prose. It's gut wrenching but also endearingly sweet. Just works up your emotions in the best ways. Will never stop recommending her work!
December 12, 2025
4.5 ⭐️🎧 Love, love, love! Despite being a huge fan of Josie’s poetry on social media, I didn’t plan to buy this book after being disappointed by 𝘐 𝘏𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘙𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳… until I heard that this one had background music. This is exactly what was missing from the last book! 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘓𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 was relatable, insightful, evocative, vulnerable, and just the perfect collection of poems for being in your feels walking on a cold, dark, snowy street admiring Christmas lights and the glow of the holiday season. I wished there were less poems repurposed from social media, but still a great collection and an amazing audiobook experience. Can’t wait for (hopefully) the next one!
December 29, 2025
3.5 rounded up to 4. Poetry is hard for me but this is still a beautiful book. Solid way to end my year of reading.
“Hey, you’re good
Because life is so good
You’ve made it through times you never thought you would
Look at the craziness that you’ve withstood
Just stay on the ride; everything’s good”
“Hey, you’re good
Because life is so good
You’ve made it through times you never thought you would
Look at the craziness that you’ve withstood
Just stay on the ride; everything’s good”
December 20, 2025
I found Josie on Instagram, as many of us have, and fell in love with her poems she shared. She has big feelings and an even bigger heart. She reminds me of me, and I wish I could meet her. I loved this book of her poems and cried through 75% of it 🥹 Love love love!🫶🏻
January 2, 2026
Everything I needed to read/see/hear … Josie Balka’s eloquent prose was simply perfect.
January 7, 2026
Love love
January 16, 2026
No words! I sobbed through the entire book. All the stars!!!
January 19, 2026
Wow. Josie Balka is such a great poet. Many of these poems made me ugly cry. If you like poems that will stab you in the heart then you will like this collection of poems. I need to read her earlier published poetry book asap.
January 24, 2026
and she does it again
January 18, 2026
I’ll always be a Josie Balka fan girl
December 17, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC! This poetry collection is for everyone who strives to find love in all aspects of life. Josie’s words are sweet, emotional and nostalgic and I can’t wait to come back to them over and over again. If you want to feel your feelings, this is the book to grab.
October 18, 2025
Josie Balka just 𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝙞𝙩. 🥹 The way she captures the 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘵𝘺 of love, every type of it, is beyond words. 😮💨
The 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥 and 𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛-𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 sections hit me the hardest 💔💖 I’m almost 35 & 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 warns you that growing up means 𝙜𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 the versions of people (and yourself) you once 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸. Friendships shift, people drift, and it can be so hard to accept that love looks different in every season. She reminds us that 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 people, even when it’s hard, is still one of the most beautiful parts of being 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣. 🫶🏼
𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 relationship that’s entered your life, whether it 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘥 or 𝘯𝘰𝘵, has 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙪𝙚, & 𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙨 that shape who we become.✨ Josie captures that truth with such warmth & empathy that you can’t help but nod along, thinking, 𝘺𝘦𝘴, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴. 🙂↕️😭
She’s truly a 𝙜𝙚𝙢 through and through, & every time I read her work, my heart feels 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 again. This book is a love letter to love itself; 𝘳𝘢𝘸, 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦, and 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙛𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙡𝙮 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣. 💌
𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗦&𝗦 / 𝗦𝗶𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 & 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝘆 𝗲-𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄. 💕
The 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥 and 𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛-𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 sections hit me the hardest 💔💖 I’m almost 35 & 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 warns you that growing up means 𝙜𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 the versions of people (and yourself) you once 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸. Friendships shift, people drift, and it can be so hard to accept that love looks different in every season. She reminds us that 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 people, even when it’s hard, is still one of the most beautiful parts of being 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣. 🫶🏼
𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 relationship that’s entered your life, whether it 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘥 or 𝘯𝘰𝘵, has 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙪𝙚, & 𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙨 that shape who we become.✨ Josie captures that truth with such warmth & empathy that you can’t help but nod along, thinking, 𝘺𝘦𝘴, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴. 🙂↕️😭
She’s truly a 𝙜𝙚𝙢 through and through, & every time I read her work, my heart feels 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 again. This book is a love letter to love itself; 𝘳𝘢𝘸, 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦, and 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙛𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙡𝙮 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣. 💌
𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗦&𝗦 / 𝗦𝗶𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 & 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝘆 𝗲-𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄. 💕
October 15, 2025
Thank you Josie Balka and Simon Element for my #gifted copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Not going to lie, I freaked out a little (a lot) when I got approved for this one.
I will forever be grateful I came across Josie Balka’s poetry videos on social media. I don’t read much poetry, not because I don’t like it, but it’s just never really been my jam until Balka’s writing. Everything she writes is so incredibly relatable and easy to digest.
Broken down into 6 different categories of love (romantic, lost, family, toxic, friendship, and self) there is truly something for everyone to relate to - often in each category.
This book made me laugh, cry and feel completely understood. Balka writes about human emotions in such an empathetic and understanding way. It’s both complex and simple in the same way human emotions are.
I can’t explain all of the emotions this book brought to the surface for me (but trust me, I tried to in therapy this week). All I know is that this made me feel deeply human in the best and worst ways possible and I think whether you are a poetry reader or not, you will find yourself in these words.
I can’t say enough positive things about this collection and am looking forward to reading through it again (especially looking forward to listening to the audio once it’s out because I know it’s going to be just as incredible). I couldn’t recommend this more!
I will forever be grateful I came across Josie Balka’s poetry videos on social media. I don’t read much poetry, not because I don’t like it, but it’s just never really been my jam until Balka’s writing. Everything she writes is so incredibly relatable and easy to digest.
Broken down into 6 different categories of love (romantic, lost, family, toxic, friendship, and self) there is truly something for everyone to relate to - often in each category.
This book made me laugh, cry and feel completely understood. Balka writes about human emotions in such an empathetic and understanding way. It’s both complex and simple in the same way human emotions are.
I can’t explain all of the emotions this book brought to the surface for me (but trust me, I tried to in therapy this week). All I know is that this made me feel deeply human in the best and worst ways possible and I think whether you are a poetry reader or not, you will find yourself in these words.
I can’t say enough positive things about this collection and am looking forward to reading through it again (especially looking forward to listening to the audio once it’s out because I know it’s going to be just as incredible). I couldn’t recommend this more!
January 21, 2026
Review copy provided by Simon Element (thank you!).
I Hope You Remember was one of my favorite reads of 2025 so I was really looking forward to picking up another poetry book by Balka!
This one didn't hit quite the same for me? The poems didn't resonate with me as much and I found myself wishing the types of love talked about varied more. The focus is mostly on the ups and downs of romantic love so I recommend this if that's something you are looking for.
"When you're growing up
Your parents love to tell you stories about the things you used to do
"You used to be so small"
"You used to love that toy"
"You used to crawl into bed with me when you had a nightmare"
You never really realize the power of those two words
"Used to"
Or the fear that comes along with the idea that you will use them
when you talk about your parents one day
"My mom used to make that joke"
"My dad used to love that place"
"My mom used to call every Sunday"
"My dad used to play that song all the time"
The smallest words, with the most meaning
The were, the was, the used to
Because it's the way you describe something that is no longer
Something that only lives on as a memory
Something that happened
And in the same way your parents told the stories of the used-to
With a smile on their face and an ache in the pit of their stomach
You will tell stories about them and the things they used to do"
I Hope You Remember was one of my favorite reads of 2025 so I was really looking forward to picking up another poetry book by Balka!
This one didn't hit quite the same for me? The poems didn't resonate with me as much and I found myself wishing the types of love talked about varied more. The focus is mostly on the ups and downs of romantic love so I recommend this if that's something you are looking for.
"When you're growing up
Your parents love to tell you stories about the things you used to do
"You used to be so small"
"You used to love that toy"
"You used to crawl into bed with me when you had a nightmare"
You never really realize the power of those two words
"Used to"
Or the fear that comes along with the idea that you will use them
when you talk about your parents one day
"My mom used to make that joke"
"My dad used to love that place"
"My mom used to call every Sunday"
"My dad used to play that song all the time"
The smallest words, with the most meaning
The were, the was, the used to
Because it's the way you describe something that is no longer
Something that only lives on as a memory
Something that happened
And in the same way your parents told the stories of the used-to
With a smile on their face and an ache in the pit of their stomach
You will tell stories about them and the things they used to do"
December 2, 2025
Loves of Our Lives: Poems for Hopeful Hearts is another truly lovely poetry collection by Josie Balka. I had read her previous collection earlier this year and it quickly went to my favourites list. When I saw that she was coming out with this book, I was very excited to be able to read and review it and I was not disappointed. It is just as wonderful as I Hope You Remember.
This collection is divided into six sections encompassing different forms of love including romantic love, self love and family love. The poems are simple, poignant and effective at conveying the sentiment in different ways. Balka has a very elegant way of expressing complicated emotions in very straightforward, beautiful writing. Whether it is something as mundane as getting coffee or as profound as the love between a mother and daughter, these poems cut right to the heart of it.
I truly appreciate the different forms of love explored. Some of the poems were familiar from her previous collection, I Hope You Remember, but they definitely fit the theme. My only wish would be that the poems were numbered (since they don't have titles) or that there was an index of first lines because that would make recommending a specific poem much easier. Overall, this collection felt like being wrapped up in a cozy blanket while looking through an old photo album. If felt comforting, familiar and warm.
Thank you very much to the author and to Simon & Schuster Canada via NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this lovely collection. All opinions are my own.
This collection is divided into six sections encompassing different forms of love including romantic love, self love and family love. The poems are simple, poignant and effective at conveying the sentiment in different ways. Balka has a very elegant way of expressing complicated emotions in very straightforward, beautiful writing. Whether it is something as mundane as getting coffee or as profound as the love between a mother and daughter, these poems cut right to the heart of it.
I truly appreciate the different forms of love explored. Some of the poems were familiar from her previous collection, I Hope You Remember, but they definitely fit the theme. My only wish would be that the poems were numbered (since they don't have titles) or that there was an index of first lines because that would make recommending a specific poem much easier. Overall, this collection felt like being wrapped up in a cozy blanket while looking through an old photo album. If felt comforting, familiar and warm.
Thank you very much to the author and to Simon & Schuster Canada via NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this lovely collection. All opinions are my own.
November 28, 2025
Thank you @_simonelement for my #gifted copy!
Loves of Our Lives is a heartfelt poetry collection from TikTok sensation Josie Balka, exploring the many forms love can take—familial, romantic, toxic, lost, and more. With over eighty poems, Balka blends raw emotion and vivid imagery to capture the relationships that shape us. Some pieces are longtime favorites among her followers, while others are brand new, creating a reflective and comforting ode to love in all its stages.
This is my second book by this author, felt like one of those gentle heart-to-hearts where someone somehow knows exactly what you need to hear. A lot of the poems really landed for me, even though her earlier collection still holds a bigger place in my heart. As someone still easing into poetry, I love how her writing feels both approachable and full of emotion without ever trying too hard.
There were lines that clung to me long after I’d finished reading, and a couple of the pieces, especially “long distance daughter” and the one about grieving parents hit in a way I wasn’t prepared for. They carried that quiet, lingering ache that comes from feeling truly seen.
Even though a few poems didn’t echo my own experiences, I know they’ll speak loudly to someone else. And without a doubt, I’ll be picking up more of her work.
Loves of Our Lives is a heartfelt poetry collection from TikTok sensation Josie Balka, exploring the many forms love can take—familial, romantic, toxic, lost, and more. With over eighty poems, Balka blends raw emotion and vivid imagery to capture the relationships that shape us. Some pieces are longtime favorites among her followers, while others are brand new, creating a reflective and comforting ode to love in all its stages.
This is my second book by this author, felt like one of those gentle heart-to-hearts where someone somehow knows exactly what you need to hear. A lot of the poems really landed for me, even though her earlier collection still holds a bigger place in my heart. As someone still easing into poetry, I love how her writing feels both approachable and full of emotion without ever trying too hard.
There were lines that clung to me long after I’d finished reading, and a couple of the pieces, especially “long distance daughter” and the one about grieving parents hit in a way I wasn’t prepared for. They carried that quiet, lingering ache that comes from feeling truly seen.
Even though a few poems didn’t echo my own experiences, I know they’ll speak loudly to someone else. And without a doubt, I’ll be picking up more of her work.
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