Blog Tour~~Behind the Bars by @BrittainyCherry
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.
Dawn’s 5 Blush Up All Night Review
A TOP PICK OF 2017
500 hundred stars***** for Behind the Bars by Brittainy Cherry.
I am so overwhelmed with emotions right now. I have not stopped crying for the past half hour. This book is devastatingly beautiful. How am I supposed to review this?? When I am utterly speechless. First of all, Behind the Bars imprisoned my heart and soul right from the beginning. I didn’t just read it, I LIVED IT. I was right next to Jasmine and Elliott. Through all their pain and joy. When they hurt, I hurt… When they loved, I loved. I AM STILL HURTING but healed. A lot of their journey was beyond painful, but it was also remarkably beautiful. Two people who were never supposed to connect found love. From their youth to adulthood, Brittainy made me feel and live it all. This is my first book from her, and she has made me a fan! There were so many poignant words throughout; I was literally overwhelmed…..
“No. Sometimes people don’t need words, Elliott. Sometimes they just need the space to feel what they need to feel, with someone present as a reminder that they’re not alone.”
When nerdy and skinny Elliott, who had a pure heart and soul, met beautiful and popular, but so lost Jasmine, their lives were forever entwined and changed. They saw beyond each other’s appearances and into each other’s truths…. This is what happens when true soulmates collide. Two 16-year-old kids who were just trying to survive their loneliness. No child should have to experience what they had to go through. Elliot was tortured and bullied, yet so loved by his family. While Jasmine was welcomed and enchanting, yet lived an unloved life. To her mother, she was always a means to an end. Some of the scenes were so heart-wrenching and appalling. I was left aching… But the magic and joy happened when Jazz & Eli were together, everything was better! For a brief moment in time, their worlds were happy and bearable until outside forces tore them apart. Everything they endured literally killed me. Separated for years, ravaged and disappointed by life, both just existing, until they come face to face again… Their hearts and souls never forgot what they shared, but life changed them. Could they find their way back to each other?? OMG, My heart bled for them. I needed them to find peace and happiness… TOGETHER. This was one rough road! As much as it hurt, I found there was always an underlying HOPE.
All the characters in Behind the Bars were extraordinary…. Ray, TJ, Laura, and Jason all had starring roles, which made this book exceptional.
Tera’s 4.5 Blush Review
Brittainy can totally slay some words. You would think I’d get used to her always writing such amazing books, but she still impresses me every time. The characters are always amazing, the setting is always amazing. The culture is always amazing. The storyline itself is always amazing. She is amazing. I can honestly say I will read anything she puts out.
Behind the Bars is no exception. This novel has so much soul. The story begins with Jasmine and Elliott in high school where Brittainy builds so much of the story. We see such a lively and spirited young boy in Eli who grows into a hard shell of a person. We see Jasmine fall apart and always hoping for someone to love her. I loved the touch of YA transitioning into NA.
“All I wanted, all I ever wanted, was to be the hero of the story. Yet somehow over time I lost my way, and I was certain I was too far gone to ever go back.”
While Jasmine and Elliott have devastating events that worked so hard to break them, Brittainy does bring on the healing in such a beautiful melodic way. She grabs all the notes and composes a symphony of emotions throughout the entire story. With every decision. With every character. While she heals Elliott and Jasmine, she healed me as well.
Behind the Bars is a story of acceptance and healing. It’s a story of forgiveness. It’s a story of redemption. It’s a story of a boy who showed a girl she deserved to be loved and a story of a boy who was always enough.
“You’re the music in a mute world. You’re the lyrics to every song. My heart beats because you’re here.”
Louisa’s 4.5 Blush Review
Have you ever read a book that has captivated you from the first page? A book that while reading you had a constant lump in your throat due to the angst and sadness for the characters? If not, you are in for it. If you have, be prepared to have your emotions thrown all over the place.
As expected with a Brittainy Cherry book, you have characters with depth and soul. Brittainy has the ability to lead us to her characters with her heart and soul, they are complex, real and so damn likable. This book spans quite a few years as these characters grow into adulthood.
Elliot – a high school boy who isn’t part of the in-crowd, a nerdy kid who has a stutter. He’s THE boy to bully.
In comes the new girl, Jasmine. Everyone wants to be her friend and she’s finally in high school after years of being homeschooled. The best years of your life, right?
They both have music in their lives. Jasmine’s mother wants her to be the next “it” girl even though Jasmine wants to sing soul music.
“I couldn’t just be a great singer, I need to be the best actress and dancer out there too. More talents meant more opportunities, more opportunities mean more fame and more fame meant Mama might be proud of me.”
Jasmine’s life was about pleasing her mother and Elliot’s life was about taking care of others too. They both weren’t living until they found each other and the commonality of their love of music.
“Life was hard sometimes, but maybe God gave us music as his apology.”
My goodness, my heart broke numerous times while reading. Gut-wrenching sobs to say the least at times. My heart broke for both of them, each bearing such sadness that I just couldn’t hold the tears back.
“When Elliot had his music, his soul was free. Because of jazz, Elliot was able to breathe.”
“People don’t care about me, Elliot. People just take pieces of me and then throw the rest away.”
Brittainy Cherry continues to amaze me with her stories and characters and ability to evoke emotions with such beauty and grace (there was no beauty and grace while I was sobbing but it was so worth it.) Watching these two navigate their teenage lives and as they grew and fell in love was breathtakingly beautiful at times.
Another timeless, thoughtful love story from one of my favorite authors.
“Sometimes they just need the space to feel what they need to feel, with someone present as a reminder that they’re not alone.”
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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