What an emotional read
It is written in verse which makes it especially poignant
It is written in a simple language

Stunning. Raw. Honest.

The writer give you a sense of their openness and honesty in a matter that is so so personal to them. I love the moments of insecurities and where the hesitation might have been when putting this book together.

It's perfect to engage students with empathy, why we award empathy to anyone even before fully understanding a situation.

I had personal reasons for wanting to read Gut Feelings. I have suffered with gut problems for as long as I can remember and I have never seen someone like myself or what I have gone through represented in books. I am so grateful that disability awareness - in particular invisible illnesses - is getting recognised in writing. Plus own voice stories are so powerful.

CG Moore's Gut Feelings is a story told through poetry and explores Moore's own experience with having an invisible illness. He brilliantly describes the drained feeling of constant hospital appointments, the fear of the next thing you are going to be told by a specialist, the remission and the flare ups. Maybe it is because my experience has been similar but Moore's writing feels powerful.

Invisible illnesses are difficult for the person who has it but equally for the patient's loved ones. They don't know how you feel or what you go through or the pain you feel. However, CG Moore has done a damn good job of describing it.

Gut Feelings is definitely worth a read.

Gut Feelings by CG Moore is available now.

For more information regarding UCLan Publishing (@publishinguclan) please visit www.uclanpublishing.com.

Gut Feelings is a verse novel that packs a punch!

Within each of its short poems, CG Moore crafts his raw experience through young adulthood of living with familial adenomatous polyposis – an inherited disorder characterised by the rapid growth of small, pre-cancerous polyps in the large intestines, into a powerful narrative that carries the reader along with him.

Sometimes you want to gently savour the stories in books, and at other times, it feels like an act of epic proportions would be needed to make you take a break. I devoured this novel in one sitting! With no words wasted, Gut Feelings took me on an emotional rollercoaster with Chris; anxiety, sadness, relief and joy. I felt it all...deeply.

"CHOKED UP
Dad tells me He’s there if I want To talk — A day, A week, A year.
He wants me To know that He is there.
It catches me off guard,
Choking me with emotion."

Me too Chris, Me too!

A very close friend of mine, who passed away a few years ago, had a stoma with Chron's disease. Gut Feelings brought back memories of how she managed her stoma care and diet restrictions. It also gave me extra insight and empathy for how tough this actually was for her.

Gut Feelings shines a light on chronic illness and how this intersects with LGBTQ identity. Chris's experience highlights how both our physical and mental health are inextricably linked.

Ultimately, it is an uplifting novel which, despite harrowing illness and medical intervention, shows the resilience of a young man determined to find his own path and his own voice.

"Some will accept me, Some will reject me
But I must learn to love myself
Because I am done with fitting in” 

I will be highly recommending to Young Adult readers within my High School library.

Thanks to @netgally for sharing this arc with me.

After reading and loving Fall Out by C.G. Moore, I was really excited to read Gut Feelings when it was announced. Having read it in under 24 hours, I can say that Gut Feelings in a worthy successor to Fall Out and everyone should read a copy.

The word, “raw” gets thrown around a lot with books, and I would admit that I do it through, but there is something about Gut Feelings that know it was made for that word. After reading the first section, something inside of me was transported to his emotions at that moment. This rarely happens to me anymore, so when it did, I was shocked because it really took me off guard.

At this moment, I knew it was good.

When I say that the book was raw, I literally felt every moment come off the page. The verse is definitely his medium, and I allowed me to feel every emotion, even how hard it could be. His voice came off the page, and from that moment, I was in for the rest of the story. Listening to Chris talk at his book launch, I know that he wrote a lot of it really quickly, but you couldn’t tell at all. If anything, that made it better as it definitely came from a special place.

Even though this book can stand alone, it is heightened by the illustrations and some of the page’s choices. Everything from some places where the text blurs when he is going under anaesthetic, to different word placements of the page all came together to enhance the story.

Even with more YA books are being published featuring characters with disabilities, hidden disabilities are less common, and even though this is a true story, I hope this continues in the future. As someone who has a disability, all be in a physical one, I still connected to C. G’s progression with his disability and how he learns to accept it. Some of the poems did affect me, and this book will help so many people in the future.

As well as this, there is going to be greater awareness given to hidden disabilities and the discourse that happens when people are seen as able-bodied as they have invisible disabilities. If this can break down stigma and help others emphasise with their own conditions, then it is for the better.

As someone who did not know anything about Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), this book allowed me to learn more, and the condition and I hope that this book gets into the hands of everyone who needs it. C.G. writes about his condition so honestly and frankly and I am sure that so many people will connect with his words on a personal level. Even though I could connect with some elements, some people will need it so much more.

As it is a true story, it seems so weird to comment on those in the book, but I think by sharing his family’s story, C.G. will help so many people so thank you for writing it.

You can tell the love and care that uclanpublishing put into the book because the attention to detail and the small things make a world of difference. It shows that these are supported for books that focus on disabilities, mostly hidden ones.

This has further cemented C.G. Moore to be one of my favourites, and I can’t wait to read more of his books. He is definitely one to watch!

The Verdict:

Gut Feelings is a raw and lyrical look at life with a disability that hits readers to the core. It is a must-read for all YA readers alike.

Gut Feelings cut deep. This was such a powerful, eye-opening read that felt so poignant and beautiful.

This is a deeply personal story and it’s incredibly brave of Chris to be sharing such intimate details of his life, but I truly feel like this is a book that could change people’s lives. It examines living with a chronic illness and hidden disabilities through searing language that you can’t help but deeply emotionally connect with. I’ve spoken before about the innate emotional power that exists within poetry for me and Chris perfectly utilises the sparsity of the language here for maximum effect. Each word is obviously carefully considered and chosen. There’s also no room for sugarcoating or dishonesty, instead we are presented with the raw truth. In this way, I think it reflects the experiences of so many incredibly well.

There’s a plethora of conflicting emotions presented within the book, each of which I felt distinctly and I found myself connecting to Chris’ voice deeply. Some aspects of the story really hit home from familial experiences and this kind of representation is sorely needed. Invisible or hidden disabilities need to be spoken about more and we need to erase the notion of assuming that we need to always see someone’s disability in order for it to be considered real. No disability is more important than another and in particular the poem about using a disabled bathroom in public is exceptional.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that I absolutely flew through this in the space of an evening, unable to tear myself away from the stunning yet devastating writing. Chris is definitely an author to watch and now I feel like I need to read everything he’s written.

Gut Feelings is a heart-wrenching, no holds barred discussion of living with a chronic illness, yet it also showcases the importance of family and the reclamation of your own narrative.

I discovered C.G. Moore last year when I had a chance to read his debut novel, Fall Out, which I loved. So, when I found out about his latest release, Gut Feelings I knew automatically that I had to read it. I was intrigued as to how this book was going to differ from his debut, especially as it was written in verse and had the topic of chronic illness.

Gut Feelings follows Chris as he battles with his chronic illness – Familial adenomatous polyposis – An inherited disorder characterised by the rapid growth of small, pre-cancerous polyps in the large intestines. Written in verse, we follow Chris through diagnosis, surgery and recovery. Ultimately, we see Chris’s journey through his eyes and how that’s changed him.

Well, this was such a beautiful, poignant, powerful read that had me in awe. It felt so personal like I was there with Chris on his life-changing journey. I was so moved throughout the book that at times I felt tears starting to fall. You do get deep into the gritty side of living with a chronic illness, and as someone who doesn’t live with one, I felt like I was learning as I went along with the book. To discover the stigma that people living with chronic and invisible illnesses face did open my eyes, and it did get me thinking as to how much these people go through both physically and mentally. You also get an idea of how illnesses not only affect the person with them, but their families too, and this was evident throughout Gut Feelings. I felt for not only Chris but his mum, dad, aunt and other family and friends that we are introduced too. Also, one final thing, I found it interesting to see how Chris’s illness affected his relationships as a gay man. It’s not something I would have thought about before reading Gut Feelings, so my eyes were also opened to this and I found myself gaining knowledge as well.

Novels written in verse are becoming one of my favourite ways to tell a story, and with Gut Feelings, this was no different! The writing was stunning and pulled on my heartstrings several times. Each poem brought a different edge to the story and each one wasn’t out of place. The way the story was set into three parts also stood out to me, as we got to go deep into the diagnosis, treatment and aftermath, all important things when you have an illness. Each part was so intricate and detailed and you got to learn a lot about Chris’s condition on a personal basis.

Gut Feelings was a distinctive, gorgeous, emotive read that affected me in more ways than one. I am in awe at how entranced I was by the beautiful storytelling and heart-rendering poetry. C.G. Moore is certainly an author to look out for, and I am excited to read what he releases next.

Gut Feelings is a powerful and personal story, that is well told and instantly pulls you in, It educates you too. Fantastic read!

You know from the very beginning, right after reading the first poem what is about to happen. And the fact that this is written in poetry form does nothing to lift the weight of the meaning.
It's beautiful. Sad, and strong and full of suffering, but beautiful. There is so much power in these poems, so much energy... It's so beautiful to read and if I have to recommend just one thing in 2020 - I wish it could be that one. But I have a couple of books I have to say this about, so it's a really difficult choice
I was a mess after this book. A total mess, but a happy mess. This book is about strength and fight and pain and loss and struggle - it is a truly amazing read!


I received a free ARC by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.