Sometimes a book enters your world at just the perfect time, and so it was with Wild Hope. I adored every single word in this uplifting and comforting collection. I cried, I felt connection and most importantly, hope. I know I will return to these words over and over as a solace and a refuge.

I really enjoyed this collection of poems. Some were uplifting and some very sad but conveyed the sentiment well.

I enjoyed the nature aspect of the poetry and will look out for the authors work.

Thank you for the arc

Another book by Donna Ashworth full of her beautiful words. This time all of which surround the theme of hope. Donna's words are far from clichés sentiments, they are real and authentic and seem to get the challenges of life, offering you a hug in a paragraph when you need it most.

I will certainly dip in and out of this when I need moments of encouragement.

This is definitely a brilliant book to have to hand or on your bookshelf! As the title suggests the poems within all have the theme of hope within them. The book cover features butterflies and the byline “Healing Words to Find Light on Dark Days”. The byline truly fits the book perfectly as there is a poem in it for every situation. The poems are comforting, like a warm hug or a kind word from a close friend. Some of the poems are very Aesop fable-esque, it’s difficult to explain but they are very descriptive and kind of teaching you something in their own unique way. I found some of the poems extremely poignant and emotional in relation to the deaths of my parents such as,
Threads From Heaven, is one I could relate myself and really loved the concept as its true I think of most people who look upwards to the sky when they think of loved ones no longer with them.
Also Their light Will Find You which is a about a loved one dying, and that those left behind can no longer see their light but in time, though you are “left behind” you can and will “feel” their light
Another I loved and I thought fit anyone with Dementia was In Rest They Remember, it puts across a very comforting idea

Another poem that had me smiling and reminiscing was After Party as I have the fondest memories of staying up after the New Years Eve party at my aunties and not even going to bed because of all the tidying, cleaning, sorting the vinyl records back into their correct slip cases when everyone had left in the early hours of the morning of New Years Day!
The other poem that had me feeling emotional was Great Friends it is accurate and true, as this poem says great friends are like stars you maybe don’t always see them, or see them regularly but they are still there.

Other poems were like lessons in how we can improve ourselves for example, Just Visiting the notion is that we are just visiting this planet, that we are being gifted access to it and that we, humans, should be better much guests & take care of this world we live in so it is in a decent state for our children.
Another such poem was The Story Of You, it’s about a woman writing down all her thoughts, her life & her story in a blue book. The blue book is then forgotten but is later found by the woman’s grandaughter who shared it with the world.
I also really loved the explanation of karma poem which is called The Karma Thief. It says we all have a jar of light (aka karma), you give this light away in good acts and then it returns to you and it’s even brighter and it’s when you most need it. However, if you are mean or unkind or nasty you give away a light that will never come back to you, or be a comfort to you.

The major lasting message that I took from the book that was loud and clear was about being yourself regardless of what others think, doing things for yourself, saying no, reminding you to just stop, breathe and enjoy being.

Summing up this book has a great selection of motivational poetry. I readily confess to not being a big poetry reader or poetry lover but I did enjoy the collection. It's the type of book you need to have on your book shelf so you can return to it on those days you need cheering up and spurring on. Definitely a book you will keep on returning to and dipping in and out of.

Donna Ashworth gifts her readers an exceptionally beautiful collection of poetry with this latest offering. The themes of the poems address universal human experiences and emotions, including grief, tenderness, and love in its many forms.

There is the loss of a parent, a lover, a friend, and how each of those things hit us - leaving our souls irrevocably changed, and our powers feeling diminished.

There are the things we want to say or wish we had said to those that we love. Like the lessons a mother wants to pass on to her children about what they should consider prioritising in life. Or reassuring them of the depth and eternal fidelity of her love for them.

Above all, there is hope and there is joy - two key things we need to keep us going. There is so much to relate to and so much that will resonate in this collection, I don't really know where to begin. So I think I will just say: read it, please. You will be glad you did.

Hope-that thing we sometimes lose sight of often in the darkest times just when we could do with it and it slips from our grasp. Early on Donna explains about this and to perhaps “ keep it next to our car keys” so we know where it is and like the keys we won’t get far without it. I'm now thinking this when I reach for said keys- perhaps a good mindset and habit.

I had a hen called Hope who died not so long ago. She was a rescue and came with issues which meant she was not expected to live very long. She ended up thriving almost twice as long as her healthy counterparts (who themselves lived a good long life) and she was so calm and determined and just got on with things, a force to be reckoned with. I mention this as it taught me that there is always Hope and I always remember her when I hear the word. She was and is such an inspiration- exactly what this book is for those that don’t have an animal reminder. It's explanatory, it's inspirational and it's uplifting. One of those reads you can pick up and flip to a page to give yourself that little reminder. My favourite is “ Joy”, one I shall be reading again and again, one to keep on my bedside table.
Thank you Donna, you really do bring hope and joy to so many. Your words are a strength we never knew we had. 10* If I could.

For more reviews please follow me on Twitter or Threads @nickisbookblog (amazon posted- misfits farm)
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I loved this book. Donna Ashworths writing is beautiful. This book tells us there is hope, even on our darkest days. It reminds us about self love and worth. Some of her poems brought tears to my eyes, they moved me so much. I am definitely going to buy this book when it’s published. I want to read it time and time again.
Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the opportunity to read and share this book.

I became aware of Donna Ashworth on Facebook, I think, when I noticed people sharing her posts over the lockdown period. At a time when, let’s be honest, world was a very scary place, her wise words brought comfort and hope. And hope is what this book focuses on in a mixture of poetry and short passages of prose.

I don’t read an awful lot of poetry, something I’m trying to remedy with a book which has a poem for each day of the year. However, I found this to be a beautiful collection and I was moved by many of the themes covered in the poems. I was reading a Kindle version of the book and started highlighting the titles of various poems so I could go back to them. Before long, I realised I was marking each one. I could quote so many pieces from the book which spoke to me but here is just one which is called You.

If every single person who has liked you in your lifetime were to light up on a map, it would create the most glitteringly beautiful network you could imagine. Throw in the strangers you’ve been kind to, the people you’ve made laugh, or inspired along the way and that star-bright web of you would be an impressive sight to behold. You’re so much more than you think you are. You have done so much more than you realise. You’re trailing a bright pathway that you don’t even know about. What a thing. What a thing indeed.

Isn’t that just lovely?

It can be difficult sometimes to find hope and encouragement when life is difficult but it can help to know that others have also experienced the same situations and feelings. In this collection of wisdom you will find poems about finding joy in unexpected situations, about mother and child relationships, accepting yourself with all your flaws, nature, the seasons, loss, friendship and so much more. In other words, poetry which speaks of being human and how that feels.

Wild Hope is a beautifully written collection full of wise words and encouragement which will speak to the soul. It is perfect to dip in and out of, to find just the right words to give hope at just the right time. The poetry is easy to understand yet has a depth of understanding of the difficulties and worries we all experience at times. I would really recommend getting a physical copy of this book as it’s one you will want to turn to often to find just the right words of comfort. It is a book which will be treasured and pressed into many hands bringing hope on dark days.

These are beautiful poems, which all loosely connect to the theme of hope. A lovely collection that would be great to dip into on difficult days.

A wonderful book of poetry from Donna Ashworth.

Wild Hope leaves no hopeful stone unturned! There are so many poems in this collection and each one is so special. Donna's poetry is simple to understand, and relatable. The considered topics are dear to my heart, such as: mother and daughter love, being proud of you, living life to the full, seizing each day, being who you are and living with nature, and the moon and the planets. Finding joy in the simple but memorable moments of life. There is an abundance of positivity, love, compassion, understanding and humour in this collection. At a time, when we all need a boost so much!

It's the kind of poetry you could dip into whenever you feel the need. Or if, perhaps you are going through a particularly difficult time. The poems on grief, women and growing older were positive, and illuminating. I'm sure they would be a much needed anchor and beneficial to those in need.

I absolutely adore Donna Ashworth's poetry and so was thrilled to have the opportunity to read Wild Hope.
Donna's writing is so insightful and on so many occasions I feel she is putting into words how I feel. Her poetry is so powerful, moving and comforting. I am going through a challenging time at the moment and so poems about hope really resonated with me. I particularly loved Hope Floats and have printed it out to remind myself of the words which give me strength and encouragement. Other favourites include Joy Chose You, Just a Day and To the Wind but I know I'll come back to the entire collection many times.
This is another beautiful collection that I would highly recommend and I'll be buying a copy of the hardback for myself and friends and family members.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.