Welcome to GraceBought, lovely readers! This is the October 18th stop for the Fifteen Blog Tour! So, yes, you’re in the right place! 😀

If you got turned around and landed here by mistake, welcome all the same! You can find the full schedule for the tour on the first stop here.

Without further ado, here are my thoughts.

Fifteen by Amie Wolesagle

Poetry. 121 Pages. 4 Stars

Synopsis:

You’re not alone.

You’re not the only person who struggles with mental health issues, not the only person with
demons floating in your mind. Amie Woleslagle wrote Fifteen because she deals with them as well. Not to fix your pain, but to reach out and hold your hand. To remind you that you are not alone, to ask you to stay and make the world a better place. Because the world will never be the same without you and your unique take on life. Fifteen is a book of poems crafted from one teenager dealing with mental health issues to another teenager in the same place. It walks through the battle of pretending to be okay, of having people you thought were trustworthy shatter your heart, and the battle of not giving in when your brain has given up. Fifteen covers true friendships, embracing joy, self acceptance, and living your faith while struggling with
mental illness, all the while showing that, in the end, flowers will bloom in the ashes of your pain.

My Review:

Wow. What a beautiful book.

Truly. There is such heart here. From the writing itself to the artistic touches and formatting. I really enjoyed this little collection of heartfelt poetry.

Though poetry isn’t always my favorite to read–I’m a little picky–I do have a healthy appreciation for the art of poetry. I’ve sure written my share of it and I must say Amie, you are one brave girl for sharing the depths of your soul with us. Oh, but what a gentle, strong, and beautiful soul it is. This collection of art, poetry, and tidbits is chock full of hope and hurt. It shows us that it’s okay to not be okay. And that this isn’t the end.

I knew as soon as I read the synopsis for this book that it was going to be something special. Amie opens up wounds that run deep and she doesn’t shy away from exploring those soul words that so many, many people think, but never speak. My sister was actually the first person that came to mind when I saw this book and the very first words I read in the book confirmed that this was something I needed to share with her. My sister and I have both used poetry as a coping mechanism–though she’s far better at it than I am–and that allowed me to connect with Amie’s words on a whole new level. I can only imagine we aren’t the only ones who will connect deeply with this collection of musings. This is just one girl trying to navigate a hard life in a broken world, one girl who desires to share her heart with us, one girl brave enough to speak when few others will.

Each poem is crafted with imagery that simply resonated with me. From raindrops and storms to dances and ballet slippers, music and colors to the flowers littered all throughout the book. Amie, I’m half convinced you’re my long lost sister <3 The delicate aesthetic of this book brings the poetry and messages to a whole new level. Amie balances the confusion, hurt, and loss with such bright moments, like shafts of light as the sun peeks down through the canopy in the forest.

It’s a short read, one I only just finished in time to participate in the blog tour–yay!–but I’d love to stretch these little bits out and to soak them up, to ponder them. The poetry is freeform, and some of the rhythms felt a little clunky here and there, but something about the imperfection of that is freeing. We‘re all a little clunky, tripping up here and there. It made them more real to me. So, very well done, Amie. It’s been an honor and a pleasure to read this. I can’t wait to give my sister her copy for Christmas!

Content: Though the poetry and snippets explore some deep themes, there is nothing graphic or explicit. Some of the artwork also explores a visual take on some of these themes, but honestly, I’d feel comfortable giving this to a pre-teen or maybe even younger. No foul language, romance, or graphic violence.

More:

Okay! The first stop and info for the tour can be found here.

The next stop on the tour should be up tomorrow, Oct. 20th, here.

In case you missed it, this is your keyword: We

There’s a raffle giveaway you can enter here, and preorder goodies if you order the book before it comes out on Oct. 23rd.

Preorder links can be found here for ebook and here for paperback.