SYNOPSIS:
Moments.
Our lives are a collection of moments. Some utterly painful and full of yesterday’s hurts. Some beautifully hopeful and full of tomorrow’s promises.
I’ve had many moments in my lifetime, moments that changed me, challenged me. Moments that scared me and engulfed me. However, the biggest ones—the most heartbreaking and breathtaking ones—all included him.
I was ten years old when I lost my voice. A piece of me was stolen away, and the only person who could truly hear my silence was Brooks Griffin. He was the light during my dark days, the promise of tomorrow, until tragedy found him. Tragedy that eventually drowned him in a sea of memories.
This is the story of a boy and girl who loved each other, but didn’t love themselves. A story of life and death. Of love and broken promises.
Of moments.
(Book Three in the Elements Series. Complete Standalone.)
*****Dee’s Review*****
One Million Beautiful Stars****************
(ARC kindly provided by author)
(BR with my lovelies, Patty and Mel)
Brittainy C. Cherry wrote a book that spoke to my heart; every word consumed me, pained me, and enlightened me. The beauty and power of this novel felt unprecedented to me. An encouraging story that will forever stay engraved in my heart.
Maggie May was a girl that was always happy. She fell in love with a boy who gave her light, when she was scared of the darkness. When she was ten years old she witnesses something horrific that took away her voice, her childhood and her faith in the world.
Brooks has only ever loved one girl; Maggie May. When they were little he used to get annoyed by her plans for their future wedding, but as they grew up, her smile was the one thing he couldn’t live without.
Brooks and Maggie had a special bond, they could communicate through a simple look, or with a song. Their mutual love of music was something that solidified their bond through the years. Sharing lyrics and stories, and getting lost together in a world where there was no pain or darkness was the most precious thing they had.
Life isn’t easy for Maggie, fear always reigns over her life. Guilt and pain affected every person around her. Her once easy relationships with her mom and sister are now almost non-existent , thanks to all the demons that live inside their little yellow house.
Luckily for Maggie, Brooks is always there, and also her dad. They are both her constant. The ones that no matter time or distance, no matter how many times she disappoints them by allowing fear to keep her trapped, they are always there, loving her.
The center of this book is love; beautiful, patient, loyal love. Through love, Maggie will be able to break the shackles that have held her hostage, through love she will be able to give back to her family everything they gave to her, and because of love, she will be able to forgive and mend those relationships that have suffered because of the silence.
This book was a hard read, but I can also tell you, that I swear I could see the pages of this book glow with a powerful shine, that will blind your eyes and fill your heart with hope and courage.
This book is a gift for those who lost their voice, to those who are afraid to speak and are missing out on life because they are scared.
A beautiful, romantic, and heartwarming novel full of music, that you are going to want to give to everyone in your life, and you will treasure forever.
*****Mel’s Review*****
5+++ Love Is The Loudest Stars!
(ARC provided by author)
(BR with Patty & Dee)
-Those who believed in you when you didn’t believe in yourself were the ones to hold close.
Maggie May Riley is a vibrant, happy little girl who adores her daddy. I really loved her relationship with her father. When she is six years old her father re-marries & she gains a new family she adores. They are all wonderful to her & she lives in a big home in Wisconsin near Harper Lake where she quickly settles into her new wonderful life.
One of her favorite things to do is tag along and spend time with her new stepbrother & his friends. She quickly grows quite fond of Brooks Tyler Griffin who lives across the street. He’s her favorite of Calvin’s friends & has a kindness about him she’s drawn to. She decides Brooks is her forever & lets him know he is the one for her. Eventually, he comes around to not thinking girls are gross & realizes he likes Maggie May too. They are absolutely adorable!
When Maggie May is around ten years old she has an experience that changes her life. She isn’t the carefree little girl full of joy anymore. She’s so traumatized she loses her voice. It’s like her soul, innocence & youth are stolen from her. Through her darkest days, Brooks is her light. The one person who always stood by her & fought for her. He gave her time & space and never made her feel broken. Eventually, Brooks moves away to follow his dreams. He returns and later tragedy strikes his life as well. Life throws many struggles their way, but together they can survive anything.
-Maggie always reminded me of music. She was my music.
-It was freeing to feel so much with someone who felt it too. It was during those moments that I felt I learned the most about her. It was in those moments that she learned the most about me. I hadn’t known you could hear someone’s voice so clearly in the silent moments.
-The last time I’d been kissed was by the same boy who wrapped his arms around me, who held me as if I were a promise of a dream he didn’t know he had.
-I felt his soul, my body pressed against his.
-Everything about his soul lit me on fire, and I was proud to burn beside him.
-Every time he touched me, I wanted more.
I would give this book ten stars if I could. It’s one of those books that will stay on my mind for a while. I adored Brooks so much! He had my heart from the moment with the night light. I was gone for him after that. Brooks simply is Maggie’s joy. He’s everything good & pure in her life, and the one constant she can always count on. I loved how music & books were so much a part of this story, & we’re almost like therapy.
Every time I finish a Brittainy Cherry book my heart is overflowing with emotion. No author has ever made me feel so much reading a book the way Brittainy does. Her words are beauty, truth, wisdom and love all woven together to create an unforgettable story that touches your heart & soul.
-The thing about love. It didn’t leave because you told it to go.
-Being in love with someone didn’t mean you only loved them during the sunbeams. It meant you stood by their side during the cloudy nights, too.
-She was right about me, and her, and us. She’d be the one girl I’d love until forever. No matter how life tried to change us.
-I wanted to make her smile. If I could only do one thing for the rest of my life, it would be to make her smile, and it was time for her to know that, to know how I felt.
-I’ve had many moments in my lifetime, moments that changed me, challenged me, moments that scared me and engulfed me. However, the biggest ones- the most heartbreaking and breathtaking ones- all included her.
*****Patty’s Review*****
*****FIVE+++++++++++++++ STARS*****
{ARC Generously Provided by Author}
(BR with Mel and Dee)
In that moment, I knew she had been right about everything all along. She was right about me, and her, and us. She’d be the one girl I’d love until forever. No matter how life tried to change us.”
Just reading that one of so many quotes I loved in this book, gave me the chills. THE SILENT WATERS is nothing short of a MASTERPIECE. If you’ve ever read anything by Brittainy C Cherry, then you are already aware of the amazing gift this woman has for storytelling. It was apparent from the very beginning of this book that it had the makings to be one of the ”Best of 2016”!!! The author is going to make you experience a gamut of emotions during this journey with Maggie May and Brooks. Having read several of Brittainy’s books in the past, my heart was prepared for an emotional rollercoaster ride and I was more than ready to take the plunge!
Maggie May and Brooks Tyler have been childhood friends ever since she moved to Wisconsin with her father who had recently married a woman with two kids of her own. The cute letters back and forth between young Maggie and Brooks had me laughing so hard that my tummy ached. Oh but the laughter soon will die along with the adorable and exuberant voice of little Maggie May. Fast forward a few years, a ten-year-old Maggie has plans to wed her one and only true love, Brooks, out in the woods on the outskirts of their neighborhood. It is in these woods that Maggie goes through a traumatic experience that leaves a devastating psychological effect on her. Maggie has lost her ability to speak. But even through her darkest of times, there is a bright shining light that brings joy to her life in the form of a beautiful boy—Brooks!
Brooks’ and Maggie May’s friendship was very much the pinnacle of the story for me. Even though Maggie has lost her ability to express herself vocally, the two communicate as if they were two halves of a whole. Their love of music and reading deepens the bond between them and during some particularly trying times it also soothes them. I fell so hard for Brooks. It is virtually impossible not to. His love for Maggie May knows no bounds, and really how could you not love a guy who would read his girl’s favorite books and then mail them to her with tons of post-it notes with his thoughts included??!! Seriously swoon-worthy to the millionth degree!!
There are several amazing secondary characters, one who deserves special mention is Mrs. Boone. The feisty old lady and Maggie have a truly special friendship. I got a kick out of her snarky attitude. What I love about this story is that it made me realize that I am too quick to judge people for their faults. There were a couple of characters that I immediately despised and I was not even willing to question what might be causing them to act out the way that they were. As the story develops we learn what drove those characters’ actions and it enabled me to forgive them.
This story is hard at times to endure and it had me bawling my eyes out one minute and then screaming in frustration the next. My advice to those of you who have not read this yet is to have a friend buddy read it with you. You are going to need someone to talk you down from throwing your kindle or iPAD across the room!! That is another thing that makes this story so fantastic – it really turned me into an emotional wreck. I felt so passionate about these characters and the heartbreak that transpires almost annihilated me!!
Do yourselves a favor and don’t wait even a minute to one-click and start reading this beautiful story! Whether or not you are a Brittainy C Cherry fan, I honestly don’t think you will be disappointed with this book!! For me, THE SILENT WATERS is going to be categorized as THE BEST BOOK OF ALL TIME!! It is one I will surely be re-reading over and over again for many years to come.
Make sure you read the author’s note at the end. If you didn’t love her before, that note will definitely turn you into an instant fangirl. I have even more respect for this amazing woman.
US: http://amzn.to/2cIZzKM
UK: http://amzn.to/2cJ0bAj
Wrapped Up In Reading 