Behind the Bars, the first beautiful and emotional standalone in the all-new Music Street Series from Brittainy C. Cherry is available NOW!
When I first met Jasmine Greene, she came in as raindrops.
I was the awkward musician, and she was the high school queen.
The only things we had in common were our music and our loneliness.
Something in her eyes told me her smile wasn’t always the truth.
Something in her voice gave me a hope I always wished to find.
And in a flash, she was gone.
Years later, she was standing in front of me on a street in New Orleans.
She was different, but so was I. Life made us colder. Harder. Isolated.
Caged.
Even though we were different, the broken pieces of me recognized the sadness in her.
Now she was back, and I wouldn’t make the mistake of letting her go again.
When I first met Jasmine Greene, she came in as raindrops.
When we met again, she was the darkest storm.
How often do we start a book and say "just a few pages before bed"? When was the last time you forgot to stop reading and go to bed?
Tonight, technically it's morning now. Last night. Last night, I started Behind the Bars by Brittainy C. Cherry. Now hours later and not even a potty break to slow me down, I am wrecked. I am completely and totally strung out in all the best ways. Ms. Cherry is one of those authors that must contemplate maximum damage. I swear she sits in her office chair (it looks surprisingly like the bad guy from the cartoon version of Inspector Gadget) stroking a cat, contemplating the worst was to destroy a person from the inside. I say this in a loving way because I'm a tad bitter.
You see,...insert your name..., I know the author can write. I know that she makes the pages emote. I know that Ms. Cherry can actually make the screen of your Kindle or Nook, your paperback, or an audio book bleed heartache, agony, and despair. I felt the effects with her other books. I honestly am not sure which killed me more Behind the Bars or The Air He Breathes. It's not even close to the same story but the way it twisted me up inside...I am no longer sure Tristan is alone as my favorite character. I'm pretty sure a gangly teenage boy stole my heart on a street corner years after I thought Tristan had stolen sole ownership.
As a tragic hero, Eli takes the cake. Or is the phrase "he's the frosting on the cake?" One small, bullied boy with the weight of the world on his shoulders saw something in the eyes of the pretty popular girl. One connection. Just one connection and everything was...different.
There's so much I want to say! Let me start by saying some of the most gut wrenching heartbreaking quotes are my favorite. While other simple ones caused me to break down. Behind the Bars had me going from perky excited healthy person to a mouth breathing, nostrils that were clogged from crying too much, too hard. I had multiple lumps in my throat and had to fight my sobs on more than one occasion. It is BEAUTIFUL.
IT. IS. BEAUTIFUL.
Behind the Bars has many meanings in the book and each one is deep and might bring up a fresh batch of tears. But don't let my waterworks try and talk you out of this epic read. Mouth breathing, eye squinting, and nervously reading as fast as my brain could process, I devoured this book.
You will swoon. You will despair. You will learn some truths...Behind the Bars. The profound title still has my girly self in a tizzy.
Reviewed for Sweet Spot Sisterhood
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As soon as I started reading I knew this book was going to be an emotional rollercoaster. This was a story I savoured and took my time with it really is that good.
Of the two main characters Elliott and Jasmine I’m really not sure who I liked the most. When we first met them it took me back to my school days. I’m sure I’m not the only person who will be able to relate to the socially awkward and shy Elliott. The saying ‘old soul in a young body’ fits him perfectly, when we see him come alive through his music it is truly beautiful.
Jasmine is a young woman who looks like she has it all but underneath her pain is like a festering wound. Struggling under the weight of a parents ambition, Jasmine is a people pleaser who only wants to be loved.
This story is written beautifully, the way the author pulls you in by her words is breathtaking. Several times I walked away because I was there feeling every harsh word, feeling every conflicting emotion and feeling the gentle stirrings of first love. I’ve read books where the characters are described as soul mates and not felt it but this book these characters truly are the only one for each other.
This is one of my favourite books this year and as an introduction to a new to me author it couldn’t have been better.
Reviewed by #TheUnratedBookshelf & Sweet Spot Sisterhood
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Excerpt:
By the way, what happened to Todd’s nose?” I asked. “I broke it,” Elliott said matter-of-factly. “What? How? Why?” He shrugged before turning to look out the window. “He called you a bad name.” “What was it?” “It doesn’t matter.” “Eli,” I started. He turned my way and locked his hazel eyes with my browns. “Jazz…” He shook his head. “It wasn’t true.” I swallowed hard, a big part of me certain Todd’s words held some form of truth. Elliott saw it in me—my fear. He kept shaking his head and whispered, “I don’t feel sorry for you. Sometimes you look at me like you think I feel sorry for you, and I want you to know I don’t. I think you’re perfect the way you are.” I quietly laughed at him repeating the words I’d told him earlier. A few tears rolled down my cheeks. “I’m a little messed up.” “I know.” He nodded. “That’s why I like you.” He went back to staring out the window, and I kept staring at him. And there it was. So small, so tiny, so real. Love. It wasn’t love, but it was the beginning of it. I knew I was young, and I knew it was stupid, but in that moment, I began to fall in love with the quiet boy who quietly cared for me. The boy who was scared and still strong. The boy who stood up for me when he was surrounded by reasons not to do such a thing. I hadn’t known much about love. I hadn’t known how it looked, felt, or tasted. I hadn’t known how it moved, how it flowed, but I knew my heart was tight and currently skipping a few beats. I understood the goose bumps covering my arms. I knew this stuttering boy who was sometimes so scared was someone worth loving. He was worth being the first one I gave my heart to. I knew Elliott Adams was love. And I was falling into him so fast.
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About the Author:
Hi! I'm Brittainy! Join me as we travel through my mind as a Romance Author. This includes such things as my random thoughts, tricks, tips, things I'm learning, things I'm re-learning, things I'm forgetting, and my weird ways of crafting stories.
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