Our Naked Souls

by Justin Wetch

These poems lay bare a spectacular love, a devastating heartbreak, and a spiritual self-transformation along the way.

In his second collection of poetry, Justin Wetch tackles the most universal and daunting human experience—love. It is a journey through intense emotions, a struggle with anxiety and mental health, and a contemplation of some of life’s biggest questions. Each themed section explores a different part of romance, from the exhilaration of total vulnerability to the isolation of irrevocable loss, and everything in between. Anyone who’s found or forfeited love will see themselves in the lines of Our Naked Souls .

Genres: Poetry

240 pages, Paperback

Published July 28, 2020

Reviews

[fer bañuelos · Rating 1 out of 5]

No, love is the middle
Of a story.
It isn’t a stasis
Of permanent starstruck eyes
And adoring hearts.

Love is the will
Of two people
To fight for the good
Between them
Even when it isn’t easy

*1.5*

Our Naked Sole is a modern poetry collection that I decided to read on a whim because every now and then I like to try different books in this genre. This collection in particular deals with similar themes that these books usually have such as love, heartbreak, healing and relationship issues. I think that the poems included in this book are fairly easy to read and if you are looking for books to start reading modern poetry, this may be exactly what you’re looking for. It is easy to read and the illustrations that accompany the poems are beautiful. Unfortunately that’s were all the positives end for me.

I usually need more than simple quotes when I read a poetry collection. I need something more elaborate, more deep and this collection is very, very simple. Most of the poems don’t have that “poetic” feel to them, they just feel like quotes that were separated with the enter button in order to form a poem structure. I like the themes and the way the author talked about them, but this collection felt so underwhelming and, honestly, subpar to others that I’ve read in the genre. It was really hard for me to connect to what was I reading and ended up not enjoying this collection.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with and advance copy in exchange for an honest review

[Anna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Platitudes

[Jenin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can’t believe there’s a poem in here where the author just shits on andy warhol.

[Shivani · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5

E-Arc provided by Andrew McMeel Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

I really love both reading and writing poetry and I find that it’s something so difficult to judge sometimes because how can you make someone feel and understand your words on a deeper level, that is the struggle of a poet. With a book an author has time to delicately lay a path for the reader to follow and let the story develop over time, but poetry is meant to be direct and impactful almost immediately.
What I liked: There were a number of poems that I really enjoyed in this collection, I’ll leave them at the end. The ones I enjoyed the most I think had a unique twist to them that separated it from other poems about love, lost, and longing. For example, in the poem Act II, instead of just talking about love as this simple, yet deep thing, Justin talked about how there’s more to love than the initial falling in love. It takes work and patience and time for love to develop and continue to exist between two people. I think that sometimes when reading poetry about this topic people can forget that because love is supposed to be this fairytale magical thing, when in reality, there’s so much more. Another poem I really enjoyed was C43H66H12O12S2 (which is supposed to be some organic molecule of sorts) and how the chemicals released when in love (or happy/pleasurable) can be signs of love, but there’s so much more than the mundane sciences when it comes to it. Being a student with a background in the sciences I really appreciated this poem.
I think that some of Justin’s poems were very unique and looked at love in a not so unique way, but put a twist or added an element to it.
What I didn’t like: A good chunk of the poems written were fairly cliche. What I wish to get from poetry is something that will stay with me, impact me significantly enough that I’ll continue to think about how profound the poem I read was (maybe a big expectation). There was a lot of telling and not showing in some of the words. It lacked a certain amount of depth to elevate the work to another level.
With that being said, I think it was a valiant effort and I did enjoy the reading experience. Oh, and the artwork was beautiful!
Favorite poems:
The Tree of Life
Act II
Reincarnation
C43H66H12O12S2
Jamais Vu
Stars Align
The Worst Lie
Train in the Night
Expendable (this one hurt lol)
Explainations
Mature Endings
The Easy Way Out
The Uncertain Road
Freedom
Memento Mori
You Were Always Like That
Talking About the Weather
The Ivory Castle
Cliche Poetry (I found this funny because I mentioned how I found some of the poems in this work cliche and repetitive and I like the perspective).
Philosophical Naturalism
Sculpted

[Flybyreader · Rating 4 out of 5]

“We could fly forever up there
And never come back down
Defying gravity forever
An eternal dance transcending time.”

If you’re as tired as I am of the post-modern, abstract and meaningless verses the market’s pumping with the speed of light everyday and hate trying to figure what those beautiful random words that mean nothing together mean, then you’re in the right place.
I believe poems should be simple, tell much with few plain words and create countless emotions. I should not feel like solving an arithmetic problem. This amazing poem book contains good, old-fashioned love poems that I’ve been craving for many years. Yes, they’re cheesy sometimes, full of things that you already know, already have heard before but it never gets old. Love and relationships are complicated as ever but the blinding feeling of love, heartbeats, butterflies in stomach, the need to be with that person, the desire, the passion: they are always the same and should be cherished like this. The beauty of this poetry is that it doesn’t hit only one note, other common feelings and concepts like heartbreak, melancholy, depression, existentialism, death, triumph and success are majestically sprinkled between pages:

“Every time we try
To rekindle
This same old match
It only burna deeper
Into the fabric
Of who I am...”

I loved the connections the poet created between cosmos, universe and love. Stars align, planets collide, infinity and relativity is involved, gravity defied, space-time buckles and bends, chemicals clash and create love.

My absolute favorites: C.H.N.O.S,, Defying Gravity, Jamais Vu, Burn Matches, Love Does Not Subtract, Evolution vs. Man, Writer’s Block, To See the Stars:

“Stasis is comfortable.
It asks nothing of us.
But at some point
You have to ask yourself
If you’d rather
Stay comfortable
And never climb the mountain
To see the stars.”

And last but not least, the poem that came to my rescue at the darkest hour:

Triumph

We are not
A collection of failures
Because of the things
We did not win.

We are a collection of triumphs,
A middle finger raised high
Against the forces in life
That wanted to see us stay down.

We are triumphant
Because we kept fighting
Even when it seemed
Like all was lost.


(I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

[I be reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5🌟

I never enjoyed and loved a poem collection like this one I just felt like the author put into words what I always thought throughout the past years i just felt really connected and really related to every poem it was a weird intime experience that i loved and it was such a refreshing experience as well between exams lately i would read a couple of poems before sleeping it wss soo relaxing annnnnd it's making me think I like poetry maybe .... ✨️

[Mai · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Love starts as a feeling,
But to continue is a choice;
And I find myself choosing you
More and more every day."
-Justin Wetch.

This a poetry collection about love, but how to love or how you feel when you struggle with anxiety and mental health.
I found it beautifully written, and I really enjoy it but at first I had some issues cause I feel attached but in the same way it made me nervous.
Anyway, if you like poetry, the kind were your feelings are all over the place, you should pick this up.

[Flor ):) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley, for providing a copy of this book in exchange of a review.

I think that poetry is hard to rate, how do you rate someone else’s feelings? And I’m no expert in the field so the only way I can say wether I like it or not is by understanding what it made me feel, specially how much it connected to me and unfortunately this one didn’t connect as much.

The collection is divided into four sections, each one of them talking about a different aspect of life, love and art. I really like the second one, which deals with heartbreak and the first one had some beautiful ideas too, however I just couldn’t connect with the last part and that was such a let down for me.

Even so, I think that someone might relate and find comfort in this, so if this sounds appealing to you, I would still encourage you to read it.

[Annija Spēka · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Every poem felt like a quote that someone had sad to me while drinking vine over and over again.

[Veronika · Rating 3 out of 5]

do you know that time stretches for an eternity between our moments of perception? you can feel it when you're in love or suffering heartbreak, when you're amazed by beauty or saddened by suffering. love is remembering what you have. nothing hidden, all laid bare. we dance every night, you and i. long past the midnight hour. though we never touch, the temptation is always there. this is the well of unmade memories. take my hand, lead me gently into oblivion. changing the scenery does not change the soul. i’m feeling blue, but is it cyan or more of a teal?

[Ilana · Rating 1 out of 5]

Delicate illustrations but the poetry is very naive, the kind that you write when you are in primary school...I can understand that there is a certain kind of adult sensibility which resonate with this kind of rhymes but it failed to get my attention and interest so far.
Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

[R A I N · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first it read like broken sentences, not poetry. But as I made my way through, those little fragments started to make sense, started to rhyme in my heart – as a whole. Every single word written in this book is raw with the kind of love that comes with understanding, with maturity.

I fade away without your love
My colors dim and darken
I fall for you more every day
Without a hint of caution.

This gorgeous little book won’t make you swoon and pine over someone out of your reach; it will gladden your heart for the love that you already have, the kind of love that will stand with you, be your support THROUGH THICK AND THIN – no matter what! Reading such a mature and reasonable take on love – with all it’s flaws and complexities – was such a delightful experience.

And yet, with all the practicalities of the worldly love, you can still find – within the lines – the cosmic importance of it, the fact that such a pure emotion intertwines two souls in a bond that transcends time and all other bondage of this three dimensional world – a love that makes you whole, while uplifting you, reinventing you in it’s lovely likeness – a love that traps you together with a beautiful thread, while allowing you to roam freely wherever you will.

There is an uncomplicated magic to Justin’s words, as he romanticizes the mundanity of life – turned interesting in the presence of a deep love.

I refuse to believe that something as perfect
As the meeting of our souls
Could have happened
By accident.

You won’t feel exhilarated while reading it. There won’t be any uncomfortable and fuzzy feeling in your heart. What you WILL feel however is gratitude – gratitude for the quiet and understanding love that you share with your lover – gratitude for the simplicity of life. Gratitude for the fact that the REAL magic lies in the simplest but the most heartfelt of acts.

This book, as the poet says, will show you the art of transcendence through the simplest acts of love.

Promise me you’ll tell the truth
And not let me fall hard
If you’re not ready to fall with me.

Wrapped inside these words are also the seeds of such a passion, that when coupled with maturity and understanding, becomes the most beautiful feeling of them all. This passion will not destroy you, it will widen your horizons, deepen your soul!

These beautiful emotions flow so freely and deeply within the poet’s words that they pulsate with a life of their own – with deep sighs. It is so subtle, so very subtle, that it demands you whole attention or else you’ll miss it. And you’ll be sorry!

These glorious words also vibrate with the impending fear of separation – one that, although can be delayed, cannot be prevented. You will find yourself feeling just a little bit gloomy, as the poet will paint a picture of the world without your lover. How will you cope? Can’t find the words? Let Wetch put them in your mouth, let him sting your heart with this bittersweet realization that all the time in the world, all the memories that you make, will never be enough – never be enough – for you will still feel the pain when you’ll say goodbye, old age will still arrive – taking a piece of your soul with it – wrapping it delicately, to wait until your time comes as well.

You will find yourself in a state of delightful longing – as you’ll make your way through these poems – longing for the sweet and comfortable embrace of your lover. You won’t wanna let go. And anyway, why would you even want to?

This book is also about carefree journeys “up to the mountains”, with a desire to lose your being into one another – enjoying life’s simple pleasures. Isn’t that the most magical thing of all?

With fresh eyes I looked at living
She effortlessly changed my point of view
Dear god, let me forever keep loving
La fee qui rend tout jamais vu.

It’s about turning the most ordinary things into adventures – something that only love can achieve. Your heart will expand as you’ll read this – you’ll feel a comfortable stream of emotions flowing through it to illuminate your whole body – as naturally and effortlessly as the sun illuminates the sky. You will find yourself lost in the poet’s experiences, for the have been your experiences as well.

This book is not about the outlandishness and grandeur of love – this is about a pure feeling that rises when you hold hands together.

It’s about those beautiful moments that can only be found when you are not looking – in your every day – just lose yourself in the beauty that is life. It’ll teach you to be grateful for someone who understands you, is foolish with you, a bit childish with you.

It’ll teach you how to look up at the sky – with wonder in your eyes and love in your heart – as you’ll sit on the terrace at night, holding each other’s hands, knowing that the love you bear in the depths of your beings is meant to be. Why else would the stars shine so brightly? Why else would the cosmos invite you to lose yourself in it – just like darkness loses itself into the night? It’s in these wondrous moments that you’ll realize, your own importance against the vastness of the universe – and you’ll know, you’ll know for sure that it’s because of the presence of love deep within your atoms that the world is suddenly such a happy, such a magical place to live in.

You should look at yourself
With the same wonder
With which you look at the stars;
You, my love, are a miracle.

It will also show you pain – the poet’s and your own – it will guide you through the unexpressed emotions welling inside you, eager to burst out, and all will feel calm again.

The fear of losing someone you love so deeply is something that every one of us has experienced and it’s this fear that grips the heart of the poet – you will feel it in your bones as you’ll read through the sunny parts and arrive at the gloomy ones.

The hurt that follows a heartbreak is unbearable and yet, through it emerges a renewed soul, a stronger heart and a desire to love again – this time a bit more cautiously but a bit more passionately as well. You may lose the person but the memories remain – a warm reminder of the moments you shared; there is no time to lose and so you give live your all – you take a chance despite everything. That’s how you create something beautiful out of nothing, a phoenix rising out of ashes willing you to live again, to burn again – that’s the beauty of love, you are happy in it’s presence, you are wiser as it leaves – no harm done. In the end, it was all a lesson.

Our Naked Souls is also about taking pride in what you have, what you meant to each other – never losing the sight of what’s important. Love is all about complacency and the poet is here to teach it to you in the most beautifully simple way possible.

”Love is remembering what you have” and then reveling in that remembrance,

It teaches you the art of a steadiness and passion – urging you to not burn out, but rather burn with each other, keeping yourselves aflame, with the feelings that flow in your body – so pure, so alive, so powerful.

So, dear reader, let the words flow through you and settle in your heart.
Let the poet teach you how to turn your whole life into art.

[daniela sofia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately when it comes to poetry I feel that it is never easy to please the reader completely. The few times I have tried to write a poem myself I have failed roundly. This is poetry, complicated, whether to write or even to interpret. I admire the poets immensely, who in their veins run poetry and the talent to transmit a thousand emotions with brief words. If with a book of fiction we can write everything in detail, in poetry I feel that we have to look for the right word to describe what we feel at the right moment.

"Our Naked Souls" captivated me right from the first poems, I found myself identifying with the poems and even saving a lot of them to re-read and reflect on later. The synopsis suggested that they would be poems more related to love and relationships, which is the only reason I felt like reading them.

What I liked the poems the most was the poetic and sentimental form with which the author manages to talk indirectly to the reader. It's that kind of poem that warms your soul while you're reading. Certain poems seemed to have been written by me, or the writer was reading my mind. In the end it turns out to be one of those books that anyone can easily identify with or relate to.

One of the negative points, and most probably the only one, was that many of the poems, although we know beforehand that the main theme was love, turn out to be a bit of a cliché. I say this because I have read some poetry books on this subject, many of them very recent. And what makes me feel the most is that in the end they all look the same. There's so much to talk about love, I felt I should have improved a little, try to explore other aspects of love, without being cliché.

However, the poems turn out to be easy and light reading. From those books we want to spend hours enjoying the reading, land and pick up again to warm the heart. For me, this is not one of those books that can be read at once, it is necessary to read and reflect. I was really surprised with the writing, I was not expecting such captivating writing at all. No doubt I intend to read more of the author's works, he managed to win my heart in a magical way.

[Jungian.Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Andrews McMeel Publishing for making this book available to me via #Netgalley.
I have fallen into the world of poetry and this book is a great addition to the list of poetry books I have read this year. This book follows the journey of a lover who seems to understand the importance and inevitability of finding and losing love as he struggles through social, mental, physical restrictions. There is the exposure of man's inner workings and how vulnerable we as people are.
There are so many poems that I have come to love in this book, poems like "Clovers" that expresses the importance of finding love through hope, "Love is like magic" which expresses the requirement of love and how giving yourself fully into love increases the possibility of it lasting longer
"Love demands unshakable faith;
The more you believe in it
Without hesitation or vacillation
The more love transcends possibility"
Then there are poems like "The Tree of Life" that expresses the fragility of love and how it needs to be cultivated. I think one of my favorite poems has to be "Act II", here 'love like a fairytale' is exposed and one is reminded that Falling in love isn't the end of the story, it is just the middle and the tribulations come after and you have to work hard to maintain your love. Love is not immune to anything, it can crumble and fall if not cultivated with care and dedication.

Then there is also "Captive"
"I am a prisoner of your memory, A captive of possibility" when love is lost all that is left is memories you become a slave for all the things that you could have done differently.
There are so many poems that I could just chant over and over again because they are just so lovely and hard-hitting and a few I really loved include
"Art becomes complete"
"Selfish"
"These Words"
I hope you check this book.

[ania · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
this is a book of modern poetry about love, heartbreaks, depression, self-acceptance and more. the writing style is simple, so anyone who wants to read simple, short texts should be able to read it. the words are full of emotions and strong feelings from the author, i could feel that. and i can say that i related to some of the poems.

the book is divided into four chapters, each one having different kind of emotions and tones to it. personally, the third part was my favorite, in which i could experience the harsh, painful and poetical words of the author in a very personal way. and perhaps it’s because i am very drawn to strong feelings such as sadness and longing portrayed in books.

and yes, this is another modern poetry book that does fall into the range of this kind of books. i don’t think is much different than other modern poetry books, all of which speak about the same kind of emotions. nevertheless, i really think is a book worth reading if this is the kind of books you like or what you’re looking for.

[Stacie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Naked Souls is an interesting book of poetry split into 4 sections: Naked Souls, Broken Hearts, Weary Spirits, and Cosmic Minds. Naked Souls is the weakest section of the book and it’s elimination would have made the book far better in terms of tone and depth. Weary Spirits and Cosmic Minds delve into trauma, pain, life and all its ups and downs, depression, and existentialism. I think this book is worth reading despite the uneven tone and somewhat cringey love poems at the start.

“We are not destined to relive the sins of our fathers. The mistakes of those who came before us are not written in our DNA. The choice to transcend rather than imitate remains ours. I am not them. I will never act like them. I am my own, and I will not hurt others the way I was hurt.”

[Ann 🦢]

* I am only rating this a no star because I can’t decided what I want rate this*

Our naked souls, a beautiful poetry to read about love, sadness and finding your place in the world. This was such a comforting read, to see his feelings on paper was such a beautiful thing. Poetry to me is soo beautiful ( how can a small passage with few words hold so many truths). Definitely recommend:)

[Ixxati · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are 4 parts in this book but I think I loved part 1 & 2 more than 3 & 4. Goshh it's hard to review poem because it come from the heart. Ohh btw I loved few poems but I forgot to list out the one that I love 🤣

[Michelle M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wetch seemingly has a profound understanding of life and art, and his reflections of such allow the reader to gaze deep into his soul. What an absolutely delightful experience this was!

[Aimee Alvarez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great poems that actually make sense 😅
If you like Atticus you will definitely love this book.
First half is definitely leaning more towards love the second half is more towards society/life.

[Corinne Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the poem entitled, Night. It was one of my favorites in this collection. The pieces were short and to the point, eliminating a lot of flowery language for the most part, and you can understand the love and connection the speaker has with the woman he loves. My main comment would be the lack of variation of the layout of the pieces. Very limited punctuation was utilized, and every first letter of every line was capitalized; it made it seem like there should have been some kind of significance to the words being capitalized, but I think it was just a formatting choice. I recommend playing with capitalization and some punctuation in the layout. The pieces read a bit clipped and a bit too fast. The love the speaker is talking about seems like it is slow, like a sweet honey, but the pacing of the pieces don't really reflect that.

The poem, Drive With Me, felt like I was reading the same line twice; some of the titles were repetitive of the first line of the poem and I think the power is lost a bit when you repeat like that. This happened a few times, but this particular poem was such a powerful piece, that I wish the first line was the title, and we started the poem on the second line to really draw us into the setting.

Part 3&4 seemed completely different than 1 & 2, it didn't really fit the theme that the other two chapters had established, It felt a bit erratic, jumping from one topic to another. I'd almost like to see the chapters shortened, and some of the pieces pulled and collected together for a separate collection of poems. The current event based pieces were much more emotionally charged and I think detracted from the love poems in the first two parts. Some really wonderful pieces in here though.

A few of my favorite pieces included: Fluorescent Infinity, The Forest "this is where I keep my love for you," what an incredible line!, Blacksmith, Derelict Castles, Horcruxes, Your Favorite Place, Burns, Shadows Against Crimson,
The Roadblock to Utopia, Ape, and The Fourth Wall,

The art that accompanied these works was beautiful. I loved the black and white images throughout the collection.

[Neriah · Rating 3 out of 5]

"We must build a bridge
Between our love languages
So that I can speak enough of yours
And you enough of mine.

Understand that no two people
Perceive love exactly the same:
There are as many dialects of love
As there are perceptions of reality.

-Kings and Queen of Bridges Burned"

Thank you NetGalley and Andrews McMeel for providing me with a temporary e-arc.

'Our Naked Souls' is the second poetry collection by Justin Wetch tackling the most universal and daunting human experience—love. In this collection, Justin, with poetry, lays bare a spectacular love, a devastating heartbreak, and a spiritual self-transformation along the way.

Divided into 4 sections: Naked Souls, Broken Hearts, Weary Spirits and Cosmic Minds, 'Our Naked Souls' is a moving collection of soft and unfeigned modern poetry & prose poetry.
The collections seems to be a collective experience-like story which begins from being in love, so blinding & deep, cheesy & heart-warming and full of passion & desire (Naked Souls) TO what one might think to be the end- the separation and the heartbreak after experiencing such love (Broken Hearts). But instead, it reminds us that it is not the end and explores coming in-terms with life &its intricacies, realising it is alright to seek help, the idea of knowing the need for healing from such emotional & psychological distress, acceptance and finally, taking the first few steps towards healing (Weary Spirits). To end with, it explores seeing the beauty of it all, appreciation for music & art, cosmos & multiverse, power/revolution and philosophy (Cosmic Minds).

With metaphors and imagery of cosmos, physics and chemistry to explore love and existence, Justin Wench's writings are bound to steal the hearts of those who love such metaphors and imagery with his simple and beautiful usage of them. I suck at identifying fonts by their given names, but the font used in this collection took me back to my childhood and stirred nostalgia inside me about all the times I read poetry printed with the same font. I think it was a standard font used to print poetry books, mainly classics, back in my day (I say it like I am 81 when I haven't even been alive for two whole decades LOL.) The font made my reading experience stir some strong feelings inside me like how one constant thought in my head was how this was what that made me adore poetry in the first place. The font and the themes of the collection (which I am a sucker for, GIMME EXISTENTIALISM AND MAKE ME SO FREAKIN SAD AND PLANT SOME COOL ASS IMAGES IN MY HEAD BORN OUT OF THE METAPHORS USED) crashed my mind in figuring out the styles of poetry but they are written pretty fine!

The illustrations are gorgeous and thought-provoking . You can stare at it for hours wondering about the details and how they complement the poetry they are associated with. Special shoutout to the illustrator for that!

And finally, there was something about this book drew my energy to it in a way that I haven't experienced in a long time! I would advise you to not take my rating seriously (my ratings are personal rather than critical, unlike my reviews) and go for this, this is far too good to pass on. And if you are someone who is beginning to explore the genre and sick of getting recommended to check out Amanda Lovelace and Rupi Kaur, this collection by Justin Wetch is perfect. Also, this is truly a nice and quick read for fans of Nikita Gill.

Rating: 3.5/5

[deedee megadoodoo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Telescope

Look at the vastness of the stars
Through the glass of a telescope;
Feel the smallness within yourself.

Your cosmic insignificance drips
through an apathetic atmosphere
Leisurely, slowly, like honey.

Do you see the crescent moon?
only a dozen men have set foot there
and yet their names are already forgotten.

Know that history will not remember you
Even your great-grandchildren
Will not recall your name.

Look at the smallness of your life
Through the glass of infinity;
Feel the vast void within yourself.

Abandon fear, abandon restraint;
Let the fierce winds of your deepest desires
Carry you toward fulness and happiness.

This in my opinion is one of the better poems, better meaning poignant, in this collection. The first section about love was bleh, the next about heartbreak was somewhat better, and then the later sections about revolution and anguish were back to bleh.

The problem with this poetry collection (in my opinion, a small little nobody in a sea of nobodies) that it lacks a profundity to it. Each poem is like the random thoughts I think to myself and sink in my notes, not putting much value to them but you know, reading back on them I can glean a little bit of knowledge and entertainment from them.

Should they be a whole curated book though? No... not really.

I think if poetry were on a spectrum of really easy to read, very basic, it looks like a poem but you don't have to think much about it... this book would fall on that side of the spectrum. The opposite side would be Walt Whitman. For me, I like the middle ground where the meaning can be gleaned into a few versions, but it's still determined by the reader. I like when I see words I haven't seen in years. I like when a line sticks.

And while I can see a lot of redeeming qualities, a lot of reasons why others would like Justin Wetch's Our Naked Souls, it's just not for me so it was a DNF.

[Parker (Paperback Parker) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing me with an E-ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

"Our Naked Souls" by Justin Wetch was an absolutely delightful surprise. I went into this book thinking it would be very dense and difficult to understand, not realizing that it is in fact modern poetry. I was happy to see that, as it was very accessible to someone like me who often struggles with traditional poetry. "Our Naked Souls" is a poetry collection that discusses love, mental illness, social justice, and existentialism. The collection is broken up into separate sections tackling each of these topics, but I am struggling to remember how many sections there were. I believe there were five, but I could definitely be mistaken.

I thought the writing of these poems was quite beautiful. There were many lines, and sometimes even whole poems, that blew me away and that provoked both internal and external reactions from me. I deeply enjoyed the exploration of every single topic in this collection, and I never found myself rolling my eyes at the poems about love either (which I often do lol). Justin Wetch's way with words felt entirely unique, and I am eager to read more of his work.

Additionally, along with the poems, there are illustrations throughout the book by an artist named Travis Kalani. There was an illustration at the introduction of each new section, as well as some accompanying specific poems. I thought these added such a wonderful touch to the overall reading experience. They were absolutely stunning, and I immediately followed the artist on Instagram upon finishing reading the book. I don't know whether the art will be full colour in the finished copies of "Our Naked Souls", but even in black and white, they were beautiful.

Overall, this was a lovely poetry collection and it lended itself to a great reading experience for me. I would give it a 4.5/5-star rating. The only reason it's not a full 5/5-stars from me is just because I didn't find myself relating personally to a lot of the content in the poems, and therefore, it just lacked that bit of connection for me. But obviously, that is completely subjective, and I truly believe this is a great collection that a lot of people should read.

[Alexis Patterson · Rating 2 out of 5]

“Our Naked Souls” by Justin Wetch ⭐️⭐️

“Our Naked Souls” is a collection of poems about relationships, love, heartbreak, depression and self acceptance. With the title being “our naked souls,” this collection is not raw enough for my personal tastes.

I hate the structure of these poems. The lines break in weird places that don’t make any sense. It’s as if Wetch truly believes that each line NEEDS to be either 4 words long or shorter because that’s what poetry “is.” To me, poetry is the continuous flow of words that are only broken by a pause in the reading. That’s not this. This is a stanza chopped up in the weirdest places that only make sense half the time. AND IN THE SAME STANZA.

These poems literally read like those Instagram/Facebook generic quotes like “live laugh love” and all that other bullshit. It all just feels superficial. There is absolutely no depth to any of these pieces. A rare few are decent enough and I agree with the message they are putting out, but there’s not a lasting effect.

Honestly, the pages I liked the most contain prose rather than poetry. That is where the author really shines, but these pages are so few and far between that you have to get through the countless pages of boring, surface level free verse to find anything of substance. I don’t think I have ever yearned for a sonnet or anything that rhymed more than I did reading this.

The only other positive thing I can add is that the illustrations are good. Not my cup of tea, but they are thought provoking when they come around. I wish the poems were like that.

[Hopey’s Journey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an arc of this book by Netgalley.

"There is a duality in all of us that demands to be acknowledged. To admit to yourself that you are only human, that you are flawed, is a step toward reconciling the irreconcilable."

The cover art for this book, is what made me initially pick this book up. It was quite the eye-catcher. I just got back into reading poetry books and this was quite a nice one to get me back up into it.

The book is separated into four chapters/parts that talk about a man falling in love, having a relationship, the ending of a relationship and life with all of the highs and lows in short.

I really liked this poetry collection even though, some of the poems were quite simplistic, but I don't feel like every poem should be convoluted and hard to grasp.
The writing wasn't as flowery a lot of the times, but more to the point. However they did really described the feeling and tone that was necessary for the poem.

The drawings by Travis Kalani were also just really beautiful and intriguing to look at whilst reading. However it was quite nice that there weren't so many that it took away attention from the words.
Chapter three and four hit me the most, where Justin Wetch writes more about mental health, being an artist, society and life in general. I felt like I could really relate to that.

[Pretty Little Bibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Thanks to Netgalley for the arc copy.

I really liked the voice of the poet. The lines were beautiful and I was thoroughly moved.
The illustrations were intricate and yet aesthetically minimalistic.

The poet also covers a wide range of topics:
1. home being a person versus a place.
2. love as not the end but an ongoing journey.
3. learning to open oneself up to love again despite past experiences.
4. loves that sadly, do not last, despite what the two parties wish for.
5. relating to the nature of lost loves.
6. of lovers that keep coming back to each other, etc.

Although the poems are mostly about love, they diversify towards the end and cover themes of social topics, mental health, and personal fears, etc. There is also fantastic imagery.
I rated it 3.5 stars!

[Jesse Carrasco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally, some instapoetry that actually feels more like real poetry (not just cliches that put on a page with awkward line breaks - I'm looking at you Rupi Kaur). This book is broken up into 4 different sections. The first two are many poems that deal with the standard topics of love and heartbreak. To be honest, those got old and repetitive quite quickly. However, the 2nd half of the book deals with many other topics such as mental health, philosophy, art, life, etc. and these were much more interesting to read. I found myself highlighting a lot of lines in this part of the book. By the end I was really enjoying what I was reading and, overall, thought this was a great book to prove that there is some legitimacy to instapoetry.

[V · Rating 1 out of 5]

not my thing - the poems are bogged down by cliches and oversimplification- the author definitely has brilliant moments where he could even estimate the stripped down prosody of Billy Collins or Charles Simic - but steps back into the known and reknown and uberknown.

but, these poems can also be really comforting to someone who is going through a breakup, or who just likes a cheesy poem once in a while (or all the time), and if that’s you then fire up that kiln and shape this shrapnel into anything you want- who am i to judge?

Thank you NetGalley for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Juli R · Rating 3 out of 5]

[ESP]
Tristemente pensé que Our Naked Souls me ayudaría a amigarme con la poesía, pero me encontré con mucho amor romántico clásico y muy pocas poesías que realmente me gustasen.

*El ebook me fue entregado a cambio de una opinión honesta.
*Muy pronto reseña detallada en el blog.

[ENG]
Sadly, I though that Our Naked Souls would help me to be friended with poetry but, instead, I found myself reading about romance in a way that I didn't enjoy at all.
Therefore, I would recommend Our Naked Soul to you If you love the poetry and love every aspect of the romantic love.

*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*