Sincerely,

by F.S. Yousaf

Searching for a profound way to propose to his love, F.S. Yousaf reread the letters she had written him. In them he found his proposal, as well as inspiration to write his own prose and poetry. From this inspiration, Sincerely was born. It carries messages of positivity, hope, and most of all, true love.

Genres: Poetry, Romance, Nonfiction, Contemporary, Adult, Self Help, Love

160 pages, Paperback

Published February 1, 2020

About the author

F.S. Yousaf is a poet and writer from New Jersey. He is the author of six poetry collections, and finds himself writing about love, spirituality, and boyhood. He has a Bachelors in History and Secondary Education and an MFA in Creative Writing from William Paterson University.

His forthcoming poetry collection is titled ‘Notes on Love’, and will be published June 2026.

Stay connected with F.S. Yousaf for daily updates through Instagram (@fs.yousaf).

Reviews

[F.S. Yousaf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, I proposed to my wife with this book. Yes, she said yes. Love is cool.

[Karla Martínez · Rating 3 out of 5]

por qué esto fue tan lindo? como que me dieron ganas de llorar.

[Noura Khalid (theperksofbeingnoura) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection of poetry was absolutely lovely. Beautiful words meant for (I’m sure) a beautiful person. I really enjoyed the poems in Sincerely. The illustrations in between were also very lovely. Overall, I think what was written here was very simple and wonderfuly put. Looking forward to reading more from F.S. Yousaf.

[Amanda Kay ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

My sweet Husband surprised me with this poetry book a while ago. 🥰
I loved every bit of it! ❤️

✨️"You became the occupant of my mind, the beat of my heart, and the tranquility in my soul. You became my life, My solace, The best person I ever knew."

✨️"You saved me from the dangers of my mind, Your hand was the only one that could reach me."

✨️"She came into my life to show me that mere moments can create lasting memories. She revived my hopeless eyes, so I could see the true beauty this world held."

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

back in my hopeless romantic era

[Jessi ❤️ H. Vojsk [if villain, why hot?] · Rating 4 out of 5]

If my significant other doesn’t write a book full of poems about us and gifts it to me while proposing, my answer will be uncertain. 🖤

One of my many goals in life
Is to give you the type of love
That I had always desired.

[SA · Rating 3 out of 5]

A light read when you just want to scroll mindlessly

[Safina Khan Soudagar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Masha Allah Farhan. Very well written. The beautiful flow of words and emotions. And even the illustrations are apt. This book truly captures how much you love and adore your wife. Let's the reader have glimpses of your journey with her. Looking forward to reading more brilliant works from you in the future. insha'Allah. God bless you both.

[Sindy Castellanos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful collection of poems about the process of falling in love, that discover the joy and depth of love. They are written in a simple language, so they can be read by everyone and can help to recognize and reveal one's deepest feelings.
______
Hermosa colección de poemas sobre el proceso de enamoramiento, que descubren la alegría y la profundidad del amor. Están escritos en un lenguaje sencillo, por lo que pueden ser leídos por todos y pueden ayudar a reconocer y revelar los propios sentimientos.

[Hadeel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel indifferent

[Mandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

If I
Write like
This
Does that
Make me
A
P o e t ?

I cant wait for this friggin' trend to bite it.

[sahra (readwithsahra_) · Rating 5 out of 5]

you know I am a huge fan of f.s yousaf’s work and I was more than excited to dive into sincerely. you should know that this collection isn’t just a simple collection…

these poems are part of his wife and him story’s. he wrote this entire collection as a wedding proposal. yes yes yes you read it right. he proposed to his, now wife, by giving her a notebook full of poems inspired by her. so you are holding a proof of love in your hand. that she motivated him to publish. knowing that made the reading process already very special

first, I knew this book was amazing from the get go, when I cried TWICE at the authors note….

my favourite thing about this collection was how it mixed love and spirituality. two of the most beautiful things on the world

in my opinion and this is why I love his work so much, it is his ability to put his whole heart into his writing

i grew up being taught to read french poetry and I never connected with it. arabic poetry was a way to my heart but it’s not a mainstream art. contemporary poetry often looks like Instagram motivation post (which I’m okay with)

but for me poetry always has been about touching you. to go and break the barriers around your heart to reach you to the core

for me, this is the true definition of poetry. we say that the eyes are the windows of the soul, well poetry is the window to the heart

and there is truly something that connects to my soul and heart in fs yousaf’s poetry.

I don’t even know what to say to convince you to read it. it’s just a personal experience to have. it’s an adventure. a journey.

I read romance because I lost hope in love. but sincerely, showed me that not all hope is lost 🤍

wishing you the most and best to you and yusra in this life and all the others. thank you for sharing this piece with us

[Amélie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I knew that I wouldn't be fond of this book as it's a modern poetry book built on a foundation of aesthetic drawings and short 'poems' (if that's what you would even call them) that are simply a waste of paper as they take up not even a quarter of a page. Simply, this book was just bad. The poems all repeated themselves and talked about the future, leaning on his now wife for his troubles, and love. Sure, it was admirable as to why it was written, but it was just such a drag to get through. I pity people who read these types of poems, go read something that expands your thoughts and brain rather than something that was written in a couple of minutes. Both thoughts and even words were reused over and over in these poems. The least F.S. Yousaf could have done was look up a synonym or two. Sorry to be harsh, but not only did these poems waste space on paper, but they also wasted my time.
I did think it was cute though to propose with this, that was very praiseworthy and I compliment the author for that.

[Yasmin Ayman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Take me to the places
Which i have never seen
And tell me the stories
Of their past
Teach me the many ways to live,
More so than i have ever known

It could just make me love the details of the girl he was talking about in the entire book without even knowing her ❤

[Emilee Carsner · Rating 2 out of 5]

Naive

It’s very sweetly written book but seems more lustful and naive about love than real love itself. Happiness is something you choose and you’re the only one who can save yourself. Putting pressure on someone in the way that you have no one without them is unhealthy.

[Aeysha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read it in a 20 minute train ride. No real depth. I got fooled by a over romanticized tiktok of one of the entries.

[Natalie all_books_great_and_small · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

This book is beautifully written and very heartfelt and heartwarming. You can feel the live felt for this special person it was written about and for through each and every page.
These poems are very simple in style but very well worded and written.
Thank you for sharing this beautiful collection with us, I look forward to reading more from you in the future.

[Amina Akeyshi · Rating 5 out of 5]

***** Mighty Mite *****

In this unputdownable book “Sincerely”, the author – Farhan Yousaf – depicts his long and enduring love. Since being earnest is way more important for a “real world” love poem, the writer sweeps his audience off his feet with his intentions rather than literary conventions. There is also acknowledgement of an inner spiritual core, where pure thoughts and emotions lie. Not only does this great little love poem show that true love is feasible, but also makes you feel things for people you have never ever met. What I found special about this poem is the fact that it diminishes usage of the “L” word by sparking emotions.
May this marriage last as long as eternity and bring endless joy to everyone close to these beautiful souls. May Allah shower the two with everlasting peace and happiness!

Vision
Once we harmonized,
Your goals and dreams
Also became mine.
And I so dearly
Wanted to see you
Achieve them all.

[Zoë Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

when i tell you i SOBBED while reading this, i mean it!! the love the author displays for another human being is absolutely beautiful. this book gave me so many feelings. his way with words is absolutely breathtaking. i was hanging on to every line Yousaf wrote. this book will be on my mind for a long time



An Ode To You
When I first saw you
I could hardly pull my eyes off you
Leaving me full of emotion
Leaving me breathless

You left me wondering
Over a hot cup of coffee
Under the beaming sun outside my favorite cafe

Maybe you could be the person I spent my life looking for
And carried the power to change my life for the better, I
Rolled the dice one. I
Rolled the dice twice, and yet,
You would refuse to leave my mind

Maybe you could be good for me
Even destiny could be pointing towards your name

(Now read every single letter at the beginning of each sentence)

THIS POEM, ahh. I think it was one of my favorites, if not my favorite.

[Piya ⏾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

this poetry book felt like the tender letters of a long-lost soulmate, whispered across time. each line wrapped around me with a quiet familiarity, as though the verses had always known my heart. lyrical, warm, and achingly intimate- i was spellbound by this brief but beautiful collection

[Yekaterina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though these poems were beautiful and well written- I found it hard to relate. I felt like they were too specific to be interesting to others. I will still buy and read his other book.

[em (lattereads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't expect to love this poetry collection as much as I did, but F.S. Yousaf's writing is just so. damn. beautiful.

[oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

gf got me this for graduation and annotated it with mentioned of how each poem related to our relationship. hand in marriage instantly.

[nika🎀 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

[Chaimaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

♡An Ode To You ♡
When I first saw you
I could hardly pull my eyes off you,
Leaving me full of emotion,
Leaving me breathless.
 
You left me wondering,
Over a hot cup of coffee,
Under the beaming sun outside my favorite café.
 
Maybe you could be the person I spent my life looking for,
And carried the power to change my life for the better. I
Rolled the dice once, I
Rolled the dice twice, and yet,
You would refuse to leave my mind.
 
Maybe you could be good for me,
Even destiny could be pointing towards your name.
 
(Now read every single letter at the beginning of each sentence…)

[Briana Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing emotions and writing

Absolutely relatable. Adore how he writes his feelings so beautifully. Definitely going to purchase a paper/hardcover copy I want to read this over and over. ❤️

[Raine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

The romance of it all……the depth of his words. Even though he is speaking to the love of his life it is easily portrayed to LOVE as a whole.

[Valerie Hazelwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a good book of beautifully written poems and love stories!

[Melly-Jade Fournier · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Falling autumn leaves
Remind me of you.
You made the descent look beautiful,
And brought color
To the very ground you fell on.”

[Shanil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Drawings so beauty :)