Serenity: Poems

by F.S. Yousaf

Soft spoken yet powerful, Serenity perfectly captures the constant battle of fear and courage that lives within us.
The seeds of Serenity were planted in F.S. Yousaf’s last collection of poetry, Sincerely. Struck by inspiration and overwhelmed by the response of dedicated fans, Yousaf wanted to continue this journey in a new collection. While tales of longing, uncertainty, and loss flow through each poem, Yousaf artfully captures the eternal question of how to face pain with courage and quiet resilience.

Featuring 140 poems and accompanying illustrations, Serenity is the perfect escape from daily life, helping readers refocus energy and kindness toward themselves and their cherished relationships. 

Genres: Poetry, Romance, Fiction, Contemporary, Ebooks, Emotional, Art

146 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2022

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]

My third ever poetry collection, and I think it’s one of my best ones yet (personally, unbiased opinion obv).

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you, Andrews McMeel and the author, for providing me with an advance reading copy of the poetry collection.

I am a huge fan of Rupi Kaur and Amanda Lovelace. I find this collection in similar veins with their writing and content.

I really needed more of such poetry collections and suddenly I get to read this collection for which I am so grateful!

The book is divided into three main sections (acceptance, hope and tranquility) which I feel we can choose which section to choose on a particular day we pick up the book to read. Which I did today.

Love the expressions used. Love the simple yet personal lines. They are quite relatable.

Another highlight would be the sketches which I find quite refreshing and related to the emotions described in each part.

I will be looking forward to read all the books by the author. A new favourite!

[Natalie all_books_great_and_small · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

Serenity is a book of poems which are emotional and moving and of which I found vert relatable. This I'd the first book of poetry by F S Yousaf that I have read and I will be looking to read more.
The book itself is sectioned in to three parts - Acceptance, hope and Tranquility. I read this book cover to cover and enjoyed every page. The scattering of illustrations through the book were simple yet detailed and matched well to the poems they accompanied.
If your looking for simplistic, moving and heartfelt poetry, definitely check this book out.

[Hyzie · Rating 2 out of 5]

You know those inspirational or poignant plaques you can get at Target and hang on your wall if you haven't got any other art to use? Think "Live, laugh, love" but a bit longer than that?

This is an entire book of poetry that would make great plaques. Take that as you will.

[Fiona Knight · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another reviewer compared this to Rupi Kaur as a positive - I would completely agree with the comparison, but unfortunately for me that's not the type of poetry that grabs me. Some of the longer ones here were better, but ultimately not a collection that I connected with.

[johnny ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

full of sweet longing.

[Sahar Jennah · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Perhaps you were once told that your voice does not matter- you learned to strap a collar on it holding it back even when you did not have to” I could feel every emotion in this book so deeply, even the ones I have yet to experience. My favorite thing about the authors writing is how impactful his words are even when his words are soft and tender. It’s like a breathe of fresh air reading this book and it is so relatable!!!

[Ave Reads ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4.25 🌟

First and foremost, I'd like to express my gratitude to Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC of this poetry book.

The major reason that take me quite long to finish this ebook was only that I sought to linger over each as well as every poetry in it since it's so brilliant. The author had written about something we all go through at some point in our lives, and it impacts us differently.

[Ve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, just wow.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing me an Arc to this poetry collection!

It was really good I must say. Some of the poems hit way to close to home and many made me cry a little bit. With others I couldn't really connect since I haven't live through anything like that or neither been in love, but F.S. Yousaf has an impactful writing style so almost all of them made me feel something. The stanzas we're also great and I enjoy how the author doesn't use complex words but still manages to make it unique and beautiful to read. I didn't give this a full 5 star because I thought that some poems felt a little bit repetitive in my opinion.

Overall this is a great poetry collection but beware that you may need some tissues while reading it.

[ThatBeMeDiana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is definitely one of my favorite poetry books about love. This is on par with Rupi Kaur in my opinion. Simple yet moving and emotional poems that remind you of first love, feeling secure, hope, and much more. The book is split into three sections. You don't have to read it in order, maybe choose the one that calls to you the most first: acceptance, hope, and tranquility. I want to buy this book to keep it in my collection. Every word just felt so /right/ and the perfect capture of love. I can't get enough of this book!

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

***ARC***
this is the best and most beautiful contemporary poetry book I’ve read in my life!

serenity will be held close to my heart because I’ve never felt this represented through a poetry book.

the first chapter is about love and the way it is described is utterly beautiful, it warms you heart just like these good old romcoms books I love to read so much.

the second chapter was about acceptance, how do you do when you feel like you are not holding anymore and melancholy, depression and anxiety become a grey cloud over your sun. i related to that chapter the most!

the third chapter was about coming to term with yourself, you’ve aknowledge now it’s time to grow and become the best version you can be.

This book is about so many things, important things we all mostly go through. you can feel the heart of the author speaking and it’s aching but beautiful

ive preordered a copy bc I need this book in time of need to comfort myself

thank you for netgalley for allowing me to read this book and give an honest opinion

5♾

[sintiareads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This poetry collection is brilliant. I didn't enjoy that much the first part ''acceptance'', but the last two were great. I loved the poems of the second part ''hope'' where you can read about how it is sometimes important to wait in order to find yourself again. You should be patient, but also learn how to put yourself first and start loving yourself more.
My favourite poems are ''Dear: Me'', ''You will find yourself'' and ''Glory of spare moments''.

It's really a good collection, I would recommend it!

[Marys.bookgarden · Rating 5 out of 5]

A proper eview to come soon. I need to compose myself first. I feel like I'm finally understood after reading this.. I need a moment to process. Absolutely beautiful. Incredible. Impeccable. Stunning. Brilliant. Heart warming. Gentle. Kind. Loving. Endearing. I genuinely feel like F.S. Yousaf read my life and then wrote a book of poems on it and I am utterly in love with what I just read. Wow. This warmed my heart in ways I didn't know I needed. Iv desperately needed this book. I feel validated.

[Laura Ramsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an absolutely gorgeous collection of poems.

I cannot praise these high enough. There is a strong focus in relationships, both with oneself and with cherished ones.

Each poem was unique but they all tied together into one beautiful collection. All of the poems are short, but powerful.

I cannot wait to purchase a physical copy of this book to read it again.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Serena · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of poems made me feel things. That’s what I think poetry should be. It elicits feelings from the reader. These poems did that so when I’d read a line I’d think, wow, that applies to my life. The poems were aptly titled and the way the poems embodied their titles reminded me of when a teacher would say to define a word without using the word in the definition. It all just made sense as the poem progressed. Definitely worth the read and it is so beautiful.

[Shelby Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great collection by F.S. Yousaf about love and life! Yousaf's style is so eloquent yet simple, which I love about his work. The poems about self-doubt resonated most with me, although many topics are covered in this beautiful book. Also, the cover is stunning.

[Urtė Caspo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Čia ta poezija, skirta keverzoti ant popierinių kavos puodelių ir viešų tualetų sienų. Dar ji man priminė beveik be klaidų rašyti mokančių vyrų, apsimetančių didžiais poetais, Instagram'o įrašus, po kuriais dūsauja sekėjos, nes "labai gražu ir gilu" 🥰.

[Vania · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/★★★★★

[jagodasbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rtc

[Liván · Rating 2 out of 5]

genuinamente una mierda de poesía, pero entiendo que puede servir para personas que buscan algo básico, simple, superficial y que llene un vacío emocional inmediato.

[Michi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Know that the sunrise looks different every day

[Aiyana · Rating 5 out of 5]

These poems really spoke to me! I loved how it felt like the poet actually laid themselves bare. I highly recommend! OUT MARCH 1st!!!

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a beautiful and deep feeling collection of poetry! The expression of feeling and experience through word, is a stunning example of art!

[Zahra · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️
Healing, captivating, & beautiful <3 Read that very fast while quite literally tearing up at certain points. I wish it was longer, because it felt too short & I wanted to read a bit more. Loved the first section very much, it was my favorite of the three.

“You saw me broken, weak, and in a place I had never been. Yet, you stayed through it all.”

“How remarkable is it that beautiful, vibrant days, always follow gloomy ones. We are constantly reminded that the good parts in life will always outshine the bad.”

[diana · Rating 1 out of 5]

This reads more like a person imagining being in love, rather than someone who actually is or was, and even then it's not very good imagination. It's quiet repetitive and generic most often. I feel like if there were more details, more uniqueness to it all, that would actually feel like we're observing actual, real love between living people, then I could have seen why this book could speak to people, but unfortunately it didn't really, bar maybe 2 poems that had some more detail but still didn't really manage to stir anything within me.
The word choice at times was also...weird, it kinda disrupted the rhythm and flow of sentences and just seemed randomly chosen to seem well-spoken and educated

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, while this was beautiful, this was definitely not my favorite poetry book. It truly felt like it lacked something, there were emotions running through the words, however I felt no emotion from the author. It felt like Yousaf was pouring their heart and emotions out onto the page, but I felt none of that while reading.

The author obviously went through love and loss, it just did not seem that genuine to me that they seemed particularly upset over that loss. Like me, they seemed pretty “meh” about it. That’s pretty much how I felt while reading it. It was very well written, and I’ve seen a lot of praise for it, I don’t know, it just wasn’t my cup of tea, perhaps.

[Fichie · Rating 2 out of 5]

With all respect to the author.

This work feels a bit blend. Personally, the words didn't hit and the content of the poems was plain.

When I'm reading poetry, I want it to stand out. I want it to be bold, trigger me, enchant me. I want it to slap me in the face with an opinion or I want to be able to resonate with the words, slide into a trance. I want poetry to take me on a journey. Sadly, Serenity does no such things. It stays on the surface of the topics it touches without profiling itself. No nice play with words. All sentences seem to blend together into a goop with no distinct flavor.

I did not find a connection with this book. Hence the rating.

[Nott · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok, it's very sweet and spice and everything nice. But, unfortunately, I was here (in the poetry part of the world I mean) for YEARNING. It's just not what I wanted. And what I wanted was to feel bad about my loneliness, not to feel sated because someone is happy to be in love, argh (no offence to happy people)

[penthesilea]

there were a couple of nice poems but i felt like i was reading the same thing all over and over again.

[Nadia · Rating 5 out of 5]

My second best read this year ❤️