45 POEMS, 17 ILLUSTRATIONS, 1 DEBUT POETRY COLLECTION
“Heartfelt Heartbreak” is a bittersweet debut collection of poetry inspired by loves that happened and loves that didn’t. Illustrated with hand-drawn images, drawn by Zuurbier.
Curated over the span of multiple years, this debut poetry collection is a collection of poetry works of various types and styles, though all remain in the theme of, as the collection’s title suggests, "Heartfelt Heartbreak". Most poems are autobiographical, inspired by loves past. Not all are. It show the highs, lows and melancholy of dating and love from the perspective of a guy in his twenties who has had a taste of both the heartfelt and the heartbreak.
Heartfelt Heartbreak
Author Jake Zuurbier
Page count 58
Illustrated Yes
Genre Poetry, Romance, Heartbreak
Language English
Format Paperback
Size 5” by 8”
Jake Zuurbier, born in 2002, is a multifaceted Dutch artist and author whose creative endeavors span far and wide. His hobbies include weightlifting, cooking, playing the guitar, and reading. He's held many very different jobs, ranging from working in a casino to working in a hotel-restaurant's kitchen, a hardware store, a refugee center and was a floor manager in a clothing store.
As the founder of Apollo Imperium, he has established a platform that reflects his diverse artistic passions. Through Apollo Imperium, he seeks to spread the love for art and literature. He loves working with artists and authors, and enjoys being a part of the community on social media. He is adamant about not using AI or drop shippers like AliExpress, not for creating things but not for selling them, either.
"There is enough 'quantity over quality' out there. I want to focus on quality, on retaining the humanity in human fields. The easy route is not always the right one." – Jake Zuurbier
In literature, Jake is recognized for his innovative narrative techniques and unique perspectives. His debut novel, "The Detective," published in February 2023, offers a modern twist on classic murder mysteries. His second book, "Erisseth," released in January 2024, delves into themes of magic, love, and betrayal, showcasing his versatility as an author. In 2025, he released "Darius," his first romance/drama – a queer one, at that.
Beyond writing, Jake's artistic expression includes painting and sketching, with his visual art characterized by a blend of traditional techniques and contemporary themes. He prefers physical art, but enjoys creating digital art every now and again, too. His photography reflects his keen eye for detail and composition.
Reviews
This is my first time reviewing a poetry book, but I really enjoyed it. I don't read much poetry since leaving high school, but something about this one really made me appreciate it again. It was really well written and each poem game me a different emotion even though it was all under the same theme. I really really loved the artwork! Like, I knew Jake was a talented author, but each illustration was just a perfect addition to the poems that had them.
My favourite was "Three Sides to the Story". Just that way it was written and how you could read it really gave it different perspectives, and it made you feel different each time you read it.
Overall, I really enjoyed it.
This is a truly amazing little poetry booklet, and I’m encouraging all of you to go pick it up rn!
Jake’s poured his soul into these poems - all full of love and heartbreak and I love them 🥲🩷 they’re raw and real and absolutely beautiful. I can’t choose a favourite poem because they were all amazing.
It’s been an honour to both beta and alpha read for you Jake, I hope you write much more and I’ll be right here supporting you 🥹
This ARC read was an easy yes, because as we know girly loves a poem, and we are all in love with a heartbreak.
I am of the opinion that Jake captured quite whimsically those glimmers of the ups and downs of grief and loss we have all felt. We even slipped in a few moments of hate at just the right moments.
There is something about the way we grieve that keeps us yearning and wanting. So it is my recommendation to pick this one up if you find yourself in the midst of growing, not quite ready for resolution.
Heartfelt Heartbreak by Jake Zuurbier is a short book of poems about love and longing. Received a review copy from Apollo Imperium, and here goes my review.
The book has 45 poems, some about real relationships while others just thoughts and feelings. And I liked those random musings. They take you through happy memories and heartbroken moments
The poems are short but hit hard. Jake writes in a way that feels honest and personal. He shares how love can be exciting but also painful. The writing is simple, easy to understand, but deep... and sometimes, you can connect with the pain well.
Heartfelt Heartbreak might not be the choicest read for everyone. However, if you're going through a tough time, this book might feel comforting and healing.
ARC Review ~
I don’t usually read poetry. It’s never really appealed to me as much as other genres but I had the privilege of beta reading this book before the ARC and reading the ARC as well. Both times, I really enjoyed it! I could feel the emotion of each poem spilled out on the pages. I loved the addition of the drawings as well. They weren’t there in the beta version. I think the drawings really brought the book to life and added something it was missing. What I found interesting was some of my favorite poems were on the shorter side. I personally think this is the case because despite only being a couple of lines, the poem still had an impact. Enough of an impact that I connected immediately. Overall, I found myself connecting to a lot of the poems and even the ones I didn’t, I could find understanding in them. The structure of each was planned out nicely. I especially liked the formatting of “Long Gone farewell” and “three sides to the story”. Everything flowed nicely and felt uniform as a whole. I look forward to purchasing the finalized book!
Some of my favorites:
1. Savior
2. Swimming with no vest
3. Done before our time
4. Unjust equation
5. Not in love
6. I am yours, forever
7. Rusted Machine
8. For a whole night
As someone who has spend hundreds of hours curating their poetry into their own work of art it is obvious our author, Jake, has poured both heart and soul into this collection.
Many of these pieces hit deep, the grief and discomfort of heartbreak though different in everyone, remains a continuous and rooted pain that can lead to so much creativity.
Creativity was delivered immeasurably, well done!
I had the pleasure of reading an advanced readers copy of Heartfelt Heartbreak by Jake Zuurbier. I am grateful to have this opportunity.
I always think that as a reader, you need to be able to read all kinds books and genres even if it’s not exactly your preferred choice. Because there will always be those rare chances that you fall in love with it. Poetry is that for me, it’s a genre I’ve always been interested in but have never had the guts to explore it. I’m thankful that Heartfelt Heartbreak gave me the chance to explore it and oh how it’s opened my eyes.
Heartfelt Heartbreak brings to you beautiful poetry that details a male in his 20s who has experienced a lot, heartbreak being one of them. As I’ve said, I haven’t read a great many of poems but I found this collection of poems to be quite interesting. I do recommend for you to try out this book <3