The first paragraph touched homeI felt like I wrote it
584888
The first paragraph touched homeI felt like I wrote it. Agnes..I could t be prouder of your journey and your educating people along the way. Wishing I spoke with you before. Keep going and keep sharingI loved it.
4035462
I could read the poetry and feel as though I was in the old tin roof house with the author as a small boy.
371095
Coco writes from a position of feeling that leads to healing.  I'm not an avid bookreader, yet once I started, reading it to completion in one sitting was totally justified
2214174
I felt as if the author took a journey through my thoughts and childhood experiences and took notes. Not only did she catapult me into my own past but she also captured the words, that as a father of three daughters, I would wholeheartedly express to them.
926331
As I began reading this book I felt like I had been drawn into the elements.  I could visualize that young girl running home when her mama called.  No I felt I was running with her.  I could feel her passion about every word she wrote.  Knowing these words were truth I felt the love run deep, in each chapter.  As she cried, I cried, when she laughed I was laughing.  I have never been drawn into a book like this before.  Teresa has a beautiful soul and when she writes you feel it along with the love and passion for what ever she is writing about.  I suggest if you have the time you read this book.  You won't be sorry.  In fact it will inspire you.  I'm sure by being raised with values and being taught respect for others, gives her the insight to drive herself within her writing with so much passion. God has touched this young writer and I would expect new writing to come about soon.  Be ready for a phenominal read!!
962548
While reading Cassies story, I kept recalling lines I had scribbled down years ago while reading Andrew OHagans Be Near Me.  Theres a way of feeling homesick, Hagan wrote, not for any house, not for any particular place, but just feeling homesick as a manner of being alive, every day a sense of existing in exile from a place where you might belong. The Germans have a word for it: Heimweh.  Like OHagan, ONeill uses words to actualize a feeling that troubles so many of us who have struggled to find our place at different times in our lives.  As we travel along with Cassie through a journey that is at once both raw and comforting, we recall all of the twists and turns our own lives have takenthe moments of confusion, the times we drove away quickly thinking oh holy hell, what was I thinking?! wondering if wed disappointed others as much as we had ourselves, the moments of weakness and those of courage, the times we avoided mirrors and the times we forced ourselves to look in them.  Cassies sense of exile and of not belonging is one that can resonate with all readers, but in bringing us home again, she reminds us of the importance of movement, of continuing, and of the agency we all possess in the story of our lives.  This was a wonderful first publication.
4209644
It's been a couple of months since I read this book. It has taken me this long to finally feel I can write a proper review like I said I would. My first reaction to this book was to go to my kitchen and make brownies. My second reaction was to paint an abstract picture. I wanted to capture this book somehow and that was the best way for me to do it. But since I can't post a painting as a review, (even though a picture is worth a thousand words, right?) I am going to attempt to capture what I felt about this book in words. Here it goes...

This book is real. Real things happen. Things that hit a little too close to home. Things that made me pause. Made me think. Made me feel. Made me laugh and cry. Things happened in this book that I didn't want to happen. I fought, hoped, prayed, and willed with all my might that they wouldn't happen. But they did. And I was angry. However, despite my feelings and thoughts, I understood the why. Beautiful and true things happened too. It was a perfect balance. Which made me appreciate the writing and the story even more than I already did.
I struggle with words. The right words to capture just how beautiful this book is.
It is a roller coaster. A jumbled mess of real emotions. Highs. Lows. Happy. Sad. Nervousness. Anxiety. Fear. Hope. Blue. Black. Red.

There was a line written at the end of the book. I won't give it away, but it gave me goosebumps. It was an a-ha, high-five kind of line. A line that made my heart swell with happiness with its perfection. It was everything.
This book made me make some brownies and paint a picture. I'm not exactly sure what that means, but it has to mean something. And it is something good. Something special. So, go read this book and then make brownies. You will be glad you did.
845879
It feels good but a little lighter than I expected.
4021502
I love poetry.  When this book was presented to me, the first page I opened to was Greatful.  That moment was exactly how I was feeling as I sat eating dinner with and meeting family for the first time.  The words jumped out, described my emotions and filled my heart with so much Joy.  Thank you for an inspirational and meaningful work of art. - Beverly
2371275
For a first time writer, I thought Mr Reardin did an excellent job. His descriptions were so clear you felt like you had been there before.
264731
As I took in the first drags of the smoothly written first chapter, I told those around me that I felt nothing.  Anticipating the change that I knew was to come, I was surprised by the emotional volatility that followed.  I literally cried and laughed out loud (while on an airplane) reading stories that floated off the pages.  His humorous yet touching anecdotes circled my head, filled my chest, and left me with a hunger for more.  This is pure stuff.
3983951
I've read tons of novels in my time and the writing style of this book is a new experience. It feels much like a breath of fresh air compared to normal styles of writing. My first time reading this book, I became engulfed in this story. I carried the book around with me and cherished it and read it any time I got the chance. Upon finishing it, I probably had tears in my eyes, a smile on my face, and I bet I looked dumb, but I didn't care. This book left me with so many feelings and it's hard to come by a novel where you are so invested in the story that you can physically feel the emotions of the character. I've read it a few times and when I start to miss it after a few months or so, I'll just open it up and read a few pages to try and get that feeling back. The first time finishing this novel is a feeling I'll never get back, but I cherish it so much.
4856615
I truly loved the writing here. The book makes you feel as though you are a part of the story.
3846979
When I hear this song, I feel like picking up the pen or rolling my fingers over the keyboard.
4606259
My first impression based on title alone, before reading the wonderment of this poetry book was "Not too sure about this type of literature." It simply made me feel a bit uneasy and vulnerable. However, after reading the carefully and sincerely respectable poetry, so well written and as if doing an innocent erotic dance of their own, I knew I was no longer allowed to make any type of preconceived notion when it comes to sensuality and the human touch. There is such an enormously simple beauty intertwined among each word and sentence, written in such a way that the reader may find themselves lost in another world, unlike they have ever experienced. The images portrayed are delicately and genuinely full of enamored care and lingering laces of love, as you move from one poem to the next, barely leaving the short empowering narration of the last, before being welcomed into the next room or scene of another time and experience. I give this beautifully written book of poetry a heart filled 5 stars. Pure adoring admiration for a very gifted writer. Keep the pen to the paper every so ingeniously and wonderfully.
1845780
This poetry, bought on a whim, felt so special to me. It was personal, messages I was supposed to receive. Read this .
799879
From a personal place, this book was equal parts well-written and well-timed for me. I picked it up as a reader who is in the midst of a life season that has me both restless and exhausted, feeling as though there's so much to achieve, and I'm accomplishing so little. And Emily's words were a little like coming up for air. She gave the perfectionist in me a quiet place to sit and be still at a time when I desperately needed that space.

Emily is a master at writing from a truly relatable place, and she infuses life and grace into her words. If life and grace are things you need right about now, as well as a gentle voice saying, "me too?" Please pick up a copy. I can't recommend it highly enough.