The Mixtape

By: Brittainy Cherry

Narrated by: Jordan Cobb, James Shippy

Length: 10 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

Since the death of his twin brother, Oliver’s caught between pleasing his fans and finding himself. Emery finds him first.

Emery has never felt more alone. Raising her daughter is both her pleasure and her pain as she struggles to hold on to her job as a bartender and keep a roof over their heads. With no one to help them - no support system - any unexpected expense or late bill could turn their whole world upside down.

Reeling from the death of his twin brother and bandmate, rock star Oliver Smith is trying to drink his problems away. Apparently he isn’t very good at it; they follow him wherever he goes. Also in hot pursuit are the paparazzi, who catch Oliver at his lowest low.

He could have walked into any bar in California, but he walked into hers. Emery helps Oliver lose the crowd, and they find themselves alone: two people whose paths are marked with loss and pain. However, they hold an unshakable hope for healing. They find solace together, but can their love withstand the world?

©2021 by Brittainy Cherry. (P)2021 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Cherry dazzles with this deeply felt friends-to-lovers contemporary...with its uncommon depth, Cherry’s story will elicit tears in some places, laughter in others. A stellar cast…Readers will be hooked.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

A fantastic story of 2 broken people finding love

If you have a chance you should pick up this book, Brittainy C Cherry is one of those authors you can count on to write a fantastic story and this one doesn’t disappoint!

Wow!

I loved this book the first time I read it but re-reading with the audio really brought it to life.

Complex and exquisite love story

This was complex and exquisite love story complete with breaking generational curses, personal growth, and dealing with grief and loss. The dual narration was wonderfully done.

Could it be I’m Falling in Love

I have had this book in my #kindleunlimited library and my only regret is that I waited to read it. It is a great book with a storyline that will both break and then steal your heart. I devoured it in one sitting unable to put it down. And when I started tearing up I was too through!

If you listen to the audio complement you’ll be soothed but Shipley and ready to go to bat because of Cobb’s voice… and of course the excellent writing of Cherry!

Oh… definitely a good book club read that will draw out the pains of our past and present.

Poignant, beautiful, and tragic

Wow. Just WOW.

That was one of the most heartbreaking, yet beautiful, stories I have ever had the pleasure of reading.

It truely showcased the very best and the most horrific sides of humanity.

How someone so giving, so loving, so... selfless, could come from the most cold and unforgiving parents absolutely baffles me.

Oliver and Emery both have their battles, they both have scars. But, the beauty of their relationship comes through their support of each other—just as friends to begin with, before moving to more.
The songs, their music, their affection and connection, it was all so moving.

I'm going to be brutally honest. I HATED Emery's parents, alongside Cam. I just wanted to jump into this book and shake them.
They were cruel, calculating, and manipulative. Selfish, cold, and just... GRRR! Horrible humans.

There is so much to unpack in this book. A LOT of trauma, abuse, a lot of sad, but also, so much good.

I'm not going to go into anymore detail, as I don't want to give away too much.
However, I will recommend you have tissues nearby—perhaps some comfort food, or a therapist on speed dial —because you are in for one hell of a ride!

Jordan and James did an amazing job with narration.

Great story: Real Life Issues

I was wondering when Ms.. Cherry would present characters that looked like me. She really presented class act characters that struggles like the rest of the world. I loved Oliver's kind and soft spirit and how he became another person when Emery's dad went too far. I loved how Oliver protected Emery from her Dad. I loved how they spent time together before they realized they loved each other. I loved that they had a similar love for music. I ABSOLUTELY loved how Emery loved her sister and the people around her. It was great NOT to hear the "N" word EVER in this book. (I HATE THAT WORD) The female narrator was excellent. The male narrator got a lot better as the story unfolded. Overall, GREAT JOB. I really loved this book. I really loved this story. I really loved the characters. Thank you Ms. Cherry. Another GREAT BOOK!

Kelly, it’s not “all Oliver”

Had to stop and write this review in the middle of listening. Highlight of my week was the “hero’s woman” (Kelly) having a say, a lovely say, into what the protagonist got. It screamed “WOMEN UNITE”!!!! Love.

I enjoyed this!

I enjoyed the characters and storyline. Even though some of the subject matter was a little intense at times, there were parts that made me laugh out loud.

All thanks to kindle!!

I was introduced to this, new to me, amazing author Brittany Cheery from an Amazon/kindle pop up in my feed…it had a list of best sellers I NEEDED to try and this one kept jumping out at me. I’ve been on a new author lick lately and really stroking gold with almost every one of them. This one is no exception!
Oliver and Emery and a real life match with lots of broken pieces. They are both adults and have lived through some horrific things that could have, that almost did, break them. My heart still hurts for them as I write. Don’t worry! It IS a HEA but the journey there? Oofph it was tough at times. Yes also beautiful and painful and therapeutic. This story touched on so many issues we deal with (or bury our heads in the sand about) everyday. I was taken to task by this book. I saw some of my ugly be put on blast and it really smacked me in the face. This concept of loving and BEING loved unconditionally is mostly foreign to me. I was taken back several times throughout this story but also given the biggest shot of hope and inspiration, a reminder that I’m not all bad, that I deserve to be happy one day and that I’m going to keep striving to get there. My family has a lot in common with Emerys, I swear some of my own members lives were plucked right out of reality for this book. That was chilling but made it all the more authentic.
This story itself was about more than a rock star and a struggling single mom, it was about dealing with demons and facing them down, about perseverance in the face of no hope. About clinging to any bit of good by your freaking fingertips that you can. It was about…life. The good, the bad and the ugly.
I’ve been in my feels lately, my black heart is melting and I’m pretty terrified but amazed I’m finding these authors like Brittany Cherry to help me through. Please be careful, there are slight shades of ideation that go along with mental health so please be prepared as you dig into this beautifully poignant story. You won’t regret it!
I did not like the audible portion unfortunately. I only managed to listen for maybe 20 minutes total over the course of the day (I started this book yesterday and gobbled it up as is the norm with amazing authors). Thankfully I wasn’t in my car much to have to listen because Jordan Coob took away from the story and her imitation of a man’s voice was not very great. James Shippy did alright for Oliver though.
Overall, the story was a great one, I see why it made it to the best seller recommendations. I’ve added to my cart to purchase the paperback. Yup, it was that good.

Yes!

Brittainy C Cherry is such a talent. She’s written some REAL tearjerkers and they’re all so well done. She really knows how to capture and express real human emotions. Her characters are so deep and well rounded. If you’ve never read her, what are you waiting for?

This book is another winner for sure! The story is pretty original and dramatic without being unrealistic. Even though it did get a bit heavy at times, I couldn’t stop listening.

The narration was fine. I think they both did a good job and had a nice variety of voices. I do think James Shippy was a bit robotic in some places, but all in all I liked him. He has a really really nice voice. I could listen to him read the dictionary.

My only dislike was the sex in this book. It was jarring to go from like the sweet and relatively clean vibe of the book to such graphic language. They just seemed to be out of nowhere. I was not into the sex like I normally am. Not sure why. I even fast forwarded through the second scene.

Final thoughts: buy it!