Feel Your Way Through

by Kelsea Ballerini

The personal and poignant debut poetry collection from the award-winning singer, songwriter, and producer revolves around the emotions, struggles, and experiences of finding your voice and confidence as a woman.

“I’ve realized that some feelings can’t be turned into a song . . . so I’ve started writing poems. Just like my songs, they are personal and honest. Just like my songs, they have hooks and rhymes. Just like my songs, they talk about what it’s like to be twenty-something trying to navigate a wildly beautiful and broken world.”

Deeply felt and candid, Feel Your Way Through grapples with the challenges and celebrates the experiences Kelsea faces as she navigates the twists and turns of growing into a woman today. She addresses themes of family, relationships, body image, self-love, sexuality, and the lessons of youth. The poems speak to the often harsh—and sometimes beautiful—onset of womanhood. Honest, humble, and ultimately hopeful, this collection reveals a new dimension of Kelsea Ballerini’s artistry and talent.

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Adult, Memoir, Music, Biography Memoir

144 pages, Hardcover

Published November 16, 2021

Reviews

[Noura Khalid (theperksofbeingnoura) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Penguin Random House International for the gifted review copy!

I love Kelsea Ballerini's music! I didn't know she had a poetry collection coming out until recently and I knew I had to read it. Most of the time poetry is either a hit or miss for me but I loved this one! I loved her writing and so many of the poems in here resonated with me so strongly. They were just so beautiful and I think most people would definitely enjoy this one.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did I read this while listening to her albums?
You bet I did ♥

How can you rate someone's personal poems as anything but 5 stars?!
Country Singer-Songwriter, Kelsea Ballerini bares her soul to readers in a collection of poems that are both raw and relatable. I personally don't read much poetry... but being a fan of hers, I couldn't not read this.

I laughed along with Behind the Monkeys -- because we've all been there!
Cried while reading His Name Was Ryan
and connected with; Holding Me Back , Growing and Learning to Love Me .

Overall, a fantastic debut!

[Sydney | sydneys.books · Rating 5 out of 5]

“nothing makes sense
is it supposed to?
or is the whole point of life
to close your eyes
and feel your way through?”

This is not like other celebrity poetry books. There are rhyme schemes and used up space and deep feelings. The poems feel finished, some like they’ve aged a bit too. The poems are along the lines of Kelsea’ Ballerini’s more personal songs, like “A Country Song,” “Doin’ My Best,” “Can’t Help Myself,” “What I Have,” and “High School.” It’s personal and honest. I don’t feel like she put a filter over her insecurities or mess ups in this, it’s just all there for you to observe and judge however you see fit.

TW: eating disorder, body dysmorphia, gun violence, trauma, divorce

The best way I can describe why this one felt different is that it feels like therapy was directly involved. The musings and ideas read like they aren’t necessarily fresh, but they’re heightened and clarified, still potent but less erratic.

I interpret part one as Kelsea speaking to the reader, even the version of herself reading the poems in the future. The poems are shorter, mostly with advice and tokens of wisdom. Part two feels more like Kelsea speaking to her inner child. Part 2 has one of my favorite poems in the whole collection, “If I Had a Sister.” The rest of the poems feel like a precursor to part 3’s tonal shift, with poems like “Edges” and “When it Rains” hinting that Kelsea still has a lot more to unpack.

Part 3 is where the collection goes up in high intensity, with poems about self-image (“Kangaroo”), losing her virginity and regretting it (“Sexy”), witnessing the death of a friend (“His Name was Ryan”), and coming to terms with fame (“Role Model”). Sprinkled throughout are poems that show the deep recesses of Ballerini’s personality, like her tendency to be a peacemaker and get walked on, and her fears of the unknown.

“so now here it is, not filtered or fixed
I am not perfect, it doesn’t exist
I am tattooed in flaws
I know them by name
even when shrouded
were far from erased
and if you think it’s wrong
to walk tall in my shoes
and won’t sing along
to those parts of me too
then maybe I’m not
the role model for you”

Part 4 is the shortest, with poems that feel bittersweet reading them in late 2022, knowing Kelsea and Morgan’s romance will come to a breaking point. This section includes “The Little Things,” which ended up inspiring the absolute bop off her fourth album Subject to Change. And part 5 is about looking ahead while reflecting, encouraging self love ("Learning to Love Me") and aging (“Growing”), being intentional with time and relationships ("My Mother"), leaning into the messiness of life ("Aesthetically Pleasing"), and, one of my favorites, being alone with yourself ("Uncomfortably Alone").

I would say the central theme of Feel Your Way Through is Kelsea reflecting on her life and the younger version of herself that was going through those defining moments. That’s a natural response for your twenties, especially if you endured trauma as a teenager, both of which I relate to. I think I read this at the perfect time in my life, because with my many life changes I am also reflecting constantly on my childhood and my past self, even from a year ago.

“thinking of my younger self breaks me like glass
things in her future, now things in my past
will sharpen her bones, and burden her back
I see her so clearly, but can’t keep her from that”

My pattern with poetry collections is to read them straight through, then return months, years later and read them again with fresher eyes, more intent. I usually don’t mark up my books, but I do with poetry collections. However, this collection I marked up on the first go. So many of these poems struck a chord with me in ways I don’t usually expect with poetry. A collection has so many offerings, with so many facets of life and pondering that it’s hard to relate to all of it. But I relate to almost all of these stories—if not the exact circumstance, the feelings that went with it.

“after all, if I’m going to die on a hill
I’m glad it’s for tarnishing a crown once so glittery
and trying to be on the right side of history”

If you are someone that thought Swimming Lessons: Poems left something to be desired, may I present Feel Your Way Through. Similar subjects, with the latter executed far better and with more feeling and nuance.

Overall, I loved and related to this poetry collection deeply and would highly recommend it to anyone. I have not read the audiobook yet, but want to. I love hearing the words of a person in their own voice. Even those who aren’t a fan of Ballerini will still take away something special from her poetry.

[literaryelise · Rating 1 out of 5]

amanda lovelace’s tethered

[Jess]

I picked this up on a whim when I was in a bookstore and didn't realize the author was also a musician. I can see some of that in the poems in this volume, and while there wasn't a single poem that shouted out at me the way I have sometimes found in reading books of poetry this year, I did find the whole thing quite moving. I need to look up their music now, I think I might like it if it is anything like their poetry.

[Jennifer Galang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Feel Your Way Through by Kelsea Ballerini
Rating: 5/5⭐️

Synopsis:
Deeply emotional and candid, Feel Your Way Theough explores the challenges and celebrated the experiences faced by Kelsea Ballerini as she navigates the twists and turns of growing into a woman today.

My Overall Thoughts:
The way I started getting more into country music this year from listening to Kelsea. I love Kelsea Ballerini with my whole heart and soul and life. She’s the sweetest and beautiful woman. She became my favourite person ever. I honestly wanted to go to her concert not gonna lie in Toronto. Her poetry book is amazing. All the things she had put and wrote into this is good, heartbreaking, and heartwarming. I’m not really that type of reader to be reading poetry but this one just made me want to read more poetry. I saw her poetry book at the public library today and knew that I had to borrow it because of how much I love Kelsea’s music and her personality. I recommend you read this if you love country music, Kelsea Ballerini, and love poetry books.

[andi · Rating 4 out of 5]

i really appreciate Kelsea as a songwriter and i was really excited for her poetry book, that's why i picked up her book. i really liked it, i resonated with some of the poems, some weren't my type, but overall it was a strong debut. i loved how it told a story and how real it felt because of her confessional writing.

[Nora Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would give this book one million and five stars if I could. This was so thought provoking and beautiful, with poems about relatable experiences written from such interesting point of views. I love Kelsea Ballerini’s music and I was so excited to read this. It impressed me, even though given her line of work, it shouldn’t be surprising. The storytelling in these poems is fantasic, it paints a clear picture so you can empathize and feel your way through (see what I did there?). There are so many genius lines and I gasped because of how good they were.

I probably said a thousand times “I don’t want this (the book) to be over” even after just reading the first few poems, with many more to go!

Is this my favourite book of the year? Probably, yes! December 26th is never too late to read a new favourite, I guess!

Oh and I forgot to mention: I think it’s really cool that she included a trigger warning and I think that should be a required thing in all book.

[Justine · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was really looking forward to reading this collection because I love her music. But I DNF’d at 33% because I couldn’t handle the sing-songy rhyme scheme (which admittedly is frequently a problem I've seen particularly for singer-songwriters-turned-poets). All of the poems sounded the same because the rhythm and the rhyme stayed the same. I’m a big poetry reader and it missed the mark for me.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It starts out sweet and flowery, and slowly becomes more revealing and personal. the poems deal with quite a few painful subjects, and yet often still reflect and search for joy. I am sure you can find many people to gift this book to!

[Kiana Stockwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vulnerable, relatable, some poems I really loved. This felt like a memoir, but in poetry form. 3/5 stars because sometimes I felt like the rhyming on every poem was a bit much.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was OK, though it didn't evoke as much emotion as good poetry usual does.

[Guillermo · Rating 1 out of 5]

So we're sticking to one type of scheme? And it's all going to sound like Dr. Seuss wrote this? Ok. I guess that's a plan.

[Renée · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book of poetry by Kelsea Ballerini reads a lot like her songs do. Some lines are profound, others feel clunky, but for the most part it’s just a girl talking plainly about the universal experiences of being a girl and growing up. I liked reading a few poems at a time and taking my time with the book. It was good at times, but nothing spectacular. I think a lot of 15-25 year old girls that also enjoy Kesea’s music will love this, though.

[Millie Cullen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

[Emily Hewitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really really enjoyed this book. Please keep in mind that my opinion & review may be biased because I am a huge fan of the author’s music and songwriting. Additionally I don’t normally read poetry so this isn’t a genre that I have a lot of experience reading & reviewing. However since I find Kelsea Ballerini’s songwriting so relatable, clever, and beautiful, I was not surprised that I found her poetry to be the same. She certainly didn’t shy away from any topics and while many of these poems will be relatable and therapeutic to young women (mainly from teenage years through their early 30s), several of the poems are also very intimate and reveal a lot about Kelsea’s own past and experiences. This book discusses eating disorders, gun violence, and body dysmorphia, among other sensitive subjects. This book is definitely a necessity for any Kelsea Ballerini fan, but it is also an introspective and emotional read for any young woman. Some of my personal favorites that I related to the most were If I Had A Sister, Looking Sideways, You’ll Always Have Me, Dandelion, More Than I Need, Showing Up, and Know It All. I would even consider buying this book as a gift for my girlfriends who aren’t huge Kelsea Ballerini or country music fans because I feel that these poems are words of wisdom that I will even come back to read myself whenever I need to feel inspired, understood, or comforted.

[Lauren Curtis · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOAH!
1. Thank you for the trigger warning. People don’t realize how important that is.
2. I’ve loved Kelsea Ballerina and her music since 2015. I always feel with each album she becomes more vulnerable in her song writing.

BUT THIS

thank you for your bravery, your honesty, and making me feel less alone. So proud to be a fan of someone like you!

[Emily Christensen • honestbookgirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Kelsea and her music but this one kind of missed the mark for me.

It covered some important topics (school shootings, body image, etc) but most of the poems and the rhyming felt a bit immature and not as artful as I expected from her.

(Kind of reminded me of poems I wrote in middle school?)

Thank you Ballantine books for the #gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Geneviève · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third time I read this book. I’m sure I will read it quite a few more times. I feel validated, heard and understood when I move through this book of poetry. I also just love Kelsea Ballerini as an artist, so it’s great to be let into her thoughts and feelings.

[Alessia · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Miriah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would give this book a million stars if I could. I loved it so much!! ❤️

[Dana ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

As much as I hate all lowercase modern style of poetry, I actually really enjoyed Feel Your Way Through. I heavily relate to it at this point in my life. Part of why I don’t like a lot of modern poetry is because it feels shallow and tries too hard to be important. Here, Kelsea just writes honestly and even though a lot of it wasn’t top tier poetry, it still felt nice to read. I like some of Kelsea’s songs too, so that helps create a connection to the poet.
My favorite poems were Dandelion, Jumbled, When It Rains, If I Had A Sister, Holding Me Back, and Put The Camera Down.

“nothing makes sense.
is it supposed to?
or is the whole point of life
to close your eyes
and feel your way through?”

[Caitlyn DeRouin · Rating 5 out of 5]

kelsea ballerini is one of my favorite artists and i've owned this book since it's release, however, i haven't read it until now and i'm almost ashamed that it took me this long.

something i love about kelsea is how open and honest she is, and this poetry collection is no exception. she truly bares her soul through this book of poetry and i am so thankful that she did. so many of these poems deeply resonated with me, and even the ones i couldn't fully relate to gave me things to think about and lessons to keep close to my heart. i know that i'll be revisiting this many times.

[kal ★ · Rating 5 out of 5]

so good, some really hit home for me also love kels so much so :,)))

[Britt B]

Never feels right giving something like this a rating. Always find it interesting when a singer does poetry like this, kept wondering whether she considered putting any of it in a song

[Megan Ferguson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will admit that I picked this title up as a free eArc from Netgalley because I enjoy the songwriting of this particular artist/author, so perhaps take my comments with the usual grain of salt. Having admitted to my bias however, I will also note that this title – while slightly shorter than expected – did not disappoint my admittedly high expectations. Ballerini’s writing lost nothing to the lack of musical accompaniment and each poem was heartfelt and honest. The rhythm of the poems carried the emotion of each piece effectively and varied among the individual poems. The arrangement of each section was also effective in keeping the attention of the reader. I will definitely be watching for more poetry from this debut author.

[The Voracious Bibliophile · Rating 5 out of 5]

***Note: I received a free digital review copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.***

Kelsea Ballerini is the third singer-celebrity in recent memory to release a poetry collection. Following Lana Del Rey’s Violet Bent Backwards over the Grass and Halsey’s I Would Leave Me If I Could, Ballerini’s Feel Your Way Through is as much a memoir as it is a collection of poetry. It is also delightfully unpretentious and genuine in a way one wouldn’t necessarily expect from an artist who has achieved such success at such a young age.

Poignant, haunting, and yet never overly melancholy, Feel Your Way Through leads the reader on a journey with Ballerini chronicling her life up until now, with all of its fierce loves, heartbreaks, hard knocks, and triumphs. The title itself is revealing and may carry multiple meanings for both readers and Ballerini herself. Feeling one’s way through could refer to moving along a path which you can’t see clearly, so you have to rely on your gut and your instincts to keep from stumbling. It also could be taken more literally, urging readers to lead with their hearts even when it hurts.

Written with a seasoned songwriter’s ear for rhythm, this deeply heartfelt and startlingly intimate collection is sure to delight long-time Ballerini fans as well as people who haven’t listened to her music. I can confidently say that this is a book I’ll be eagerly putting in the hands of my customers.

Feel Your Way Through: A Book of Poetry is due to be released on November 16th, 2021 by Ballantine Books and is now available to preorder wherever books are sold.

This review also appears on my blog The Voracious Bibliophile at https://thevoraciousbibliophile.com.

[Abby Greaves · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a big Kelsea Ballerini fan. I find her to be extremely genuine and an overall good person. I didn't know much about her, but this book of poetry was very well written. She shares many things about her life, and growing up, that many can relate to, and many can not. She showed her vulnerable side and it was much appreciated it. I plan to read this one again!

[Gracie Mae · Rating 5 out of 5]

The poems were absolutely BEAUTIFUL. I love Kelsea Ballerini’s songs, and her poems were just as good as her songs! I wish she would write another one! It inspired me to write my own poetry, which is nowhere near as good as hers! I can’t wait to listen to her new album, Heartfirst, especially because she said future songs may be inspired by poems! Counting down the days until April 8th!

[Karsyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this! I have always steered clear of poetry books and never really enjoyed poetry units in school, but this was very enjoyable, very relatable. I’m a big fan of Kelsea Ballerini’s music, so this was definitely a treat!