I was drawn to this collection by the beautiful cover art. There are occasional formatting issues, including large gaps in poems and a title with no breaks either side (on the PC Kindle reader), but in general this is competently presented.

The language is uncomplex, and few of the works have a rhyme scheme. The language level is most certainly Young Adult, but whether the poems would speak to that age group I am unsure. While this is labelled for Young Adults, many of the poems cover adult concerns and fears, for example the fate of a child, finding a husband, married life etc. It may do better aimed at married women with shared experiences. Towards the end, it did begin to get a little repetitive, the the point where I was guessing the content of the poem from the title.

This will seem harsh, but it is meant as constructive criticism:  The poems are good, but there’s never the poignancy that raises them to the great, for example, Day’s Work could be strengthened by an acknowledgement that she enjoys the tasks. While there are many love poems to her husband, we never get a feel for him as a person seen through her eyes or what she loves about him other than that he is her husband and here for her. “Vacations Over” has a missing apostrophe that jarred in both the title and first line.  While enjoyable the poems say nothing new and cast no new light on everyday concerns, no subtle twists or implications for the reader.

Rather than a line-by-line critique, the important part of that sentence is “While enjoyable”, and it is. There are several small gems in here that should appeal to most readers. There are a few religious poems, but they focus on God in the mundane, not the transcendant, such as the everyday prayers of a parent to keep a child safe. This is far more Pam Ayres than W.H.Auden.

If you enjoy poetry about the everyday, this will appeal, and as undemanding and non-threatening as it is, people who rarely read poetry can get into it easily.