Uncaged Wallflower Extended Edition

by Jennae Cecelia

An extended edition off of the best-selling poetry book, Uncaged Wallflower. This edition has over 110 new poems and over 50 images. Uncaged Wallflower is for those who feel trapped in the thoughts their minds produce, unable to express them with the rest of the world out of fear of critique or disagreement. For the people who need an extra dose of positivity in their day and inspiration to follow their dreams. This is not a poetry book for you to read and relate to in a sorrow filled way. It is for you to read and say yes, I can be better, and I will.

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction

180 pages, Paperback

Published October 5, 2017

About the author

Jennae Cecelia is a bestselling author and poet, recognized for her books The Sun Will Rise and So Will We and Healing For No One But Me and the viral “I met my younger self for coffee” poem. Starting in 2016, she self-published her debut book which became a #1 bestseller on Amazon. Her mission is to write words that comfort and resonate deeply with her audience. Jennae spends her time creating custom poetry for readers, turning her poems into illustrated pieces, and teaching other authors how to share their writing with the world.

Reviews

[Jennifer Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uncaged Wallflower Extended Edition is even better than the original edition. It incorporates a lot of new and empowering poems, along with the poems from the original edition. Jennae Cecelia’s poetry is uplifting and powerful and is definitely worth the read if you're looking for some positivity in your life.
To see my full review https://www.boundtowriting.com/poetry...

[Literarily Disturbed · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not bad, just nothing new. Nothing that made me stop and think. Nothing that made me hold my breath as the lyrical prose moved something deep inside my bones. Nothing that made me go "yeah girl, me too". Quite a bit of eye rolling. Idk, it's like "read one contemporary poetry book, and you've read them all".

[Alicia Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

This extended edition is hard to review - mostly because I have to review it with the mindset that this book includes a previous collection of work. I have to review it and not compare it to her later work, like I Am More Than A Daydream, which I did enjoy more than this collection.

That being said, on its own, this extended edition is exactly what her readers have come to love about her. A collection of body-positive, self love affirmations that I envision many young women will write on their bathroom mirror.

I gave it four stars because it is a true extended edition. The original work has been revised and there is a TON of new work...not just a handful of new poems masking around as an extended edition. The addition of the hand-drawn drawings is a great touch and adds to the poem, almost acting as the final line to the piece it is paired with!

I would recommend this book, especially to anyone in their teens/early 20's who are still trying to navigate their way in this world.

[Amanda Koger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just gave this a reread. I still loved this just as much the second time around 💕💕💕💕💕💕💕

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book of poetry for my daughter - and we ended up reading it together. She loved it, so I did, too. Simple, lovely words that uplift and inspire, as well as celebrate the beauty within each one of us. :)

[Jennifer Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uncaged Wallflower Extended Edition is even better than the original edition. It incorporates a lot of new and empowering poems, along with the poems from the original edition. Jennae Cecelia’s poetry is uplifting and powerful and is definitely worth the read if you're looking for some positivity in your life.
To see my full review https://www.boundtowriting.com/poetry...

[Mi Universo Literario Writer · Rating 3 out of 5]

JAMÁS había oído sobre este poemario. Jamás había visto su portada o su título. No lo conocía en absoluto y, es más, ¿por qué iba a leerlo? Me descargué este poemario por error y, cuando lo abrí, dije ¿por qué no?. Así que acabé leyendo este libro en menos de una hora por error. Podría decirse que la pasé muy bien xD.

“She grew up thinking strength meant not being vulnerable.”

Creo que la poesía dice mucho sobre la gente, tanto sobre las personas en general como sobre los que leen poesía y el que la escribe. Sentí que estos poemas decían mucho sobre innumerables cosas y sobre Jeannae Cecelia, así que fue una sensación... peculiar, por así decirlo. Disfruté mucho la lectura, pero siento que no es algo a lo que puedo darle una puntuación. ¿5 estrellas? ¿3 estrellas? Estos versos son como pedacitos de alguien y, ¿cómo (y por qué) debería ponerle estrellitas a eso? Por eso fue extraño leer estos poemas, porque no es sólo entretenimiento y lectura, sino fragmentos de alguien. Aun así, si quieren leer estos poemas, espero que los disfruten.

“Surround yourself with people who don't just ask how you are doing. Surround yourself with people who make an effort to make sure they are part of the reason you are doing so well.”

[Leila Tualla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to begin my 2018 with positive affirmations, and I knew Jennae Cecelia who oozes positivity and light in all her words was something I needed to read. This extended edition didn't disappoint. I was already a fan from her previous works and I continue to be a grateful fan for the way she pieces together her poetry. Some read like bite size affirmations that I need to hear on repeat, others sound like a friend who offers her support and implores you to listen to yourself more, love yourself more and share your dreams to the Universe more. I have a few earmarked that I know I'll keep coming back to for years to come.
Some of my bite sized faves:
Comfort Zone
One life.
Many stories
to make.
A comfort zone
should no longer
hold you in place.

Dreams are meant to be chased
not buried in fear.
- get running

[Beetle The Bard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful poems that I encourage you to read! But for me, only a few really jumped out there.. but enough for me to read other collections by her!

[mar✰ · Rating 5 out of 5]

“It’s hard to say yes
when the voice of anxiety
screams no.
But this world
offers too much to not
explore out of fear.
I’m still learning to live
outside of my comfort zone.
 
-shut up, anxiety”

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had some beautiful excerpts! Stunning work.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really nice collection of poetry; it was uplifting and inspiring. I loved every word and look forward to reading more by Jennae.

[Christina J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poetry has never been my thing. I only read poetry when we were forced to do so in class. I prefer to read dystopian/ YA novels that are around 400 pages. Poetry never fit into that category. It never interested me because in my prior experiences poetry books just seemed out of place. One book is usually less than 100 pages long and each poem just seemed random. They was no clear story to tell, so I always tried to stay away from poetry. However, this year, I wanted to take a break from reading large novels, so I decided to give Poetry a try. I read Uncaged Wallflower by Jennae Cecelia, and I actually enjoyed it.

Uncaged Wallflower consists of about fifty poems, based on her journey to discover herself. In the Introduction, she explains how trapped she felt in her own mind, and the struggles she had to face in order order to find herself and her place in this world. For example, one of her poems, We are Broken, inspires the reader to pick up the pieces of their lives and put them back together.

I don’t usually enjoy Poetry books, but that wasn’t the case for this book. As I read the poems, I felt like I was going on a journey with her as she discovered herself. When I read the first poem, I could feel the burden that she was carrying on her shoulders, however as I made my way further into the book, I could feel the burden slowly lifting. A lot of the struggles she’s overcoming is psychological and overcoming her inner struggles, which I can really relate to. I feel like step by step, poem by poem, I watch her grow and discover herself. I really gravitated towards the struggle of finding oneself, because I’m still discovering who I am. One of my favorite poems is We are Broken, because after reading it I wanted to be one of the “few [who] choose to pick up the pieces [of life] and form something new out of the debris.” It just resonated with me.

This is definitely one of the first poetry books that I’ve actually enjoyed, but there were a few things that I didn’t enjoy as much. Overall, most of the poems had one overlapping theme, but some of the poems, to me at least, didn’t fit that theme. Some of the poems in the book were too short and I felt like didn’t belong with the overall big pictures. Overall, this is a great short book one can enjoy, even if they’re not a poetry person. Her writing is powerful, but at the same time easy to understand, so I would definitely recommend one gives a try. I’m glad I did.

[Stephanie Froebel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I keep looking for deep, powerful poetry yet I keep stumbling myself upon books like this one. Their aesthetic covers reel me to content that is bland and dry. This outburst of what people refer to as "millennial poetry" just doesn't settle well with me. This book felt more like a series of motivational quotes and scenarios than carefully crafted play on words. I'm not saying Cecelia's writing is bad— actually she's one of the better "millennial poets" I've read; however, I cannot find myself truly enjoying this style of poetry. It isn't for me. That being said, some of the poems were pretty alright and served more as motivational script than anything else, but nonetheless, I liked them. In general, though, it was just words printed on a page.

Overall, I would not recommend this to a reader who is trained to see and use the English language in a complex metaphoric-filled way, but rather this book would be good for someone who is at an all-time low in their life and is good with any motivation they can get.

[anaeliteratura · Rating 5 out of 5]

absolutely loved it. will, for sure, come back to this one in the future.

[Anna Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is good for my soul...💜

[Lili Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I have changed a lot over the last year and a half. I have grown, learned, and expanded who I am. If we no longer align, it is what it is."

True that!

[Anastasiya M · Rating 4 out of 5]

As you can see, I went on a bit of a Jennae Cecelia poetry binge.

This collection was all about body positivity and self-love pieces to embrace with open arms, and it wasn’t soul-sucking sad. Yes, there are collections built on positive themes that leave you sad. I know, it doesn’t make much sense but that’s not important right now. I loved the hand-drawn illustrations which were a great touch to liven up the collection.

I can’t comment on how it compares to the previous version as I decided to dive into the extended one instead (because more of Jennae’s poetry!)

Read more here: https://sincerelyyoursannie.wordpress...

[Ali · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting collection of positive messages and affirmations but I wouldn't call it poetry. Stylistically, there's nothing really poetic about this work. Although there were a handful of poems that resonated with me, many others were a bit cliched and the book overall had the feel of a bunch of Facebook quotes strung together. That being said, this genre of uplifting poems is a welcome change from other poetry books overrun with bitter complaining.

[Elizabeth Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this set of poems!! There were a lot that I enjoyed and bookmarked for future me to come back to you and read again. I will have to check out some more poems by this author. The poems did feel very raw and were written in a way that resonated with me.

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, Love, Love! One of my top reads in 2017. A must-read for everyone. Such an uplifting and motivational collection of poetry.

[clara · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could,
I would dip my fingers
in the sun,
and smear its brightness
around the world.

- we need it

[Victoria Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

For young minds only. Enjoyed it anyway...it’s difficult to judge poetry :)

[Moussaoui Amira · Rating 5 out of 5]

definitely poetry ! it was amazing i loved all the poems , they were so heart touching and made a lot of sense unlike the other trash called poetry i'v read before , my favorite was this one
***it's okay to ask why :
i was envious of the "A" students as i stared at my C's .
i didn't realize until latter that they were just better at meeting demands ,
while i was asking "why" and being rejected for questioning what else could be done .
i wanted to do things in my own way.
not be a cookie cutter in the shape of an "A"***
for the lovers of poetry and positive energy investments ,you should try it , it's quick and very powerful

[Aleksandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Touching and uplifting poetry collection. Key topics are self-love, finding your voice and not being afraid to be in this world and chase your dreams. I rarely read poetry collections that are centered around positivity and I appreciate the mood and theme of Uncaged Wallflower.

I do believe these poems can help many people but for some reason they haven't touched my heart. I appreciated the message and the artistic form but I was reading the poems with detached interest, unfortunately.

Dreams are meant
to be chase
not buried in fear.
-get running

[Gracie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple read full of reminders and realisations we all need to hear.

‘If the words that spewed out of your mouth were the clothes wrapped around your body, the hair on your head, the flesh of your skin, would you think you are beautiful?’- I like this quote especially as we should all be more mindful of the words that come out of our mouths.

‘Negativity is a chain reaction virus that only ends in devastation. The problem is, only a few are vaccinated’- powerful but honest truth about our society, negativity is contagious.

[Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think Jennae is a beautiful, bright human being who is documenting her struggle in the way she feels fit. I support that but all in all, I didn't absolutely love her book. I thought that it was too short. I thought that the poems weren't as thorough as they could be. She left me empty, I craved more description and metaphors and all. To me, this book falls into the micro-poetry trend that every new poetry book seems to follow. That's just not my flavor.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

My FAVE one by far!

I was gifted the first Uncaged Wallflower which is when I first introduced to the words that spoke life to me. Jennae is INCREDIBLE! The one I was gifted, the words in there were perfect for how I felt at that time. 3 years later and I just come across the 2nd one and it's a keeper. Her growth is beautiful to read and there is no doubt that the readers will feel her poetry on a deep level. Highly recommend!!!!

[Asmaa · Rating 3 out of 5]

We are all works in progress.
The first draft of a book.
The blueprints of a house.
The child learning to read.
 
We are all works in progress.
We choose to finish writing out
a story untold,
building a house out of
bricks and wood
that once started out as ideas
on paper,
and reading chapter books
with ease late into the night.
 
We are all works in progress.
Slowly but surely coming together.
We are the ones who never give up.

[lizsreadingjourney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Out of the poetry books I read by Jennae, think this one was the most powerful. It filled me with hope and motivation to stop waiting for life to happen for me and to get off my ass and make it happen. I can spend my days saying “tomorrow, next week, next month, next year” but until I get up and say “today” my life will remain stagnant. I’m ready for my life to be where I’ve always wanted it to be, so today I make the first change.