Behind the Bars

By: Brittainy C. Cherry

Narrated by: Erin Mallon, Kevin Free

Length: 8 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's Summary

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, I became her darkest storm.

©2017 Brittainy C. Cherry (P)2018 Audible, Inc.

✫✫ 4 Stars ✫✫

Another great book from this author. I know going into a Brittainy Cherry book that it will be an emotional roller coaster and that is exactly what this book was! Jasmine & Elliott were both great characters. Jasmine had some baggage thanks to her mother and Eli had a very rough time in high school. Eli is damaged by tragedy until Jasmine helps to bring back the boy she once knew. It was rough, sweet, emotional and heartbreaking.

The narration was 50/50 for me. Erin Mallon was great, her Elliott was fantastic. Kevin Free wasn't what I thought Elliott sounded like and his female's came across too excited and high pitched for my taste.

Brilliant and emotional!

Brittany Cherry keeps writing better and better books! This audiobook was an angst filled emotional ride with wonderful messages of loss, forgiveness and perseverance. The characters are so real that you feel like you know them. The story revolves around two people destined for each other that get separated by circumstances and their finding the way back to each other. Narration was perfect and I just can’t recommend a better story.

LOVE IT!!!

Really enjoy this author. This was another great one!! It was so beautiful, & just shows again that family is deeper than blood, & love can exist. Two things that lately I've needed a reminder of. I cried, & laughed. Just loved it!!!

"Sometimes people do not need words"

Brittainy did it again! I loved every character in this book! I felt like I was part of the story! The writing was so beautiful! I felt every emotion in the book so vividly! This is simply another must read. Just dive in and know that you will not be disappointed!

Another Winner From Brittainy!

Once again, Brittainy C. Cherry has written a book about real heart -aches in real life. This time, instead of writing about a deadbeat dad, she writes about a heartless mother, bullying, murder, and forgiveness. Her books are not always easy to read, but they are so beautifully written that you cannot help but stay in that story until the very end. Most of the time her stories end with a happily ever after, but getting to that point is just excruciatingly difficult because you ache for these characters. I have gone through every one of her books within two weeks. I have loved all of them and I recommend you reading them yourself.

As always, Erin did a fantastic job narrating from the viewpoint of Jasmine. This is the first time I’ve heard a book performed by Kevin Free, but I think he did an amazing job voicing Elliot.

Love. Love. LOVE. This story

Yes....it's long, but I cried through out the whole book. It was emotional and romantic. While some reviews didn't like Kevin F's narration, I enjoyed it. I felt he maneuvered through his multiple characters well. They were very believable.

2.5-3 Stars

I'm thinking Brittainy Cherry's books are a little hit and miss for me. I've loved two of her stories, but the other two were just okay. Behind the Bars was another that was just okay.

As has been mentioned, the first half is very intense, harrowing and heartbreaking. Although difficult to read at times, I liked the first half with Elliott and Jasmine as teens more than the second half. The second half felt more contrived and rushed. I struggled with the often forced dialogue and more telling than showing. Elliott and Jasmine needed more time and development for me to buy into there connection, as well as Elliott's turn-around. I'm sure this has a lot to do with having only half a book to share their potentially full-length adult story.

Audiobook note: I started with the audio of Behind the Bars, but was put off by the female narration and had to switch to solely reading early on. The male narration was decent, if not a little amateurish.

Jasmine and Elliott...

Okay, so I have to first say that I've read or listened to 6 or so Brittainy Cherry novels and I have devoured them all. They get me right in the gut. I mean, MAN, do they make me feel the characters pain, triumph, etc. in a way that very few authors do. She has a way of making you care about the characters so dang much. It's why I love her books. This one didn't quite hit the mark for me for some reason. Don't get me wrong, it's still a great story and I'm glad to have spent a credit on it and am happy that I listened to it, but it just didn't connect with me as much as some of her other novels, such as The Air He Breathes and The Gravity of Us.

This is the story of Jasmine and Elliott. They meet in school when Jasmine moves to New Orleans. They become fast friends and their feelings towards each other change in time. In true Ms. Cherry style, just when everything should be going great, something happens that tears their worlds apart. Fast forward some years. They reconnect but Elliott is a changed person and doesn't want anything to do with Jasmine. They eventually begin to reconnect and you have to listen to find out the rest! Now there is a lot more to this story than this rough, quick summary, but I don't like to give away anything in my reviews. Like I said, this book is in true Brittainy Cherry style, so if you've listened to any of her other novels, you likely have an idea of how the story ends.

I thought that both Erin Mallon and Kevin Free did a great job narrating Jasmine and Elliott's story. Some people weren't thrilled with Kevin Free's performance of Elliott, as they didn't think that hi narration fit the character, but I was perfectly happy with both of them and it didn't stop me from creating a vision in my head of who Elliott was and what he looked like. I really enjoyed their take on all of the various characters and would listen to them narrate a story again in a heartbeat!

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Beautiful and sure to make you cry

I was in tears yet again after reading another book by this amazing author. Behind the Bars was so amazing. I loved Jasmine and Elliott. These two characters formed the best and most beautiful relationship ever. I loved watching them fall in love and how much they were willing to do to protect one another. Elliott was so perfect and innocent and made it damn hard not to fall in love with him immediately. Jasmine was so sweet and I felt so bad for her situation, but Elliott makes life and music her beacon of love and passion. He is her home.

It broke my heart to see how much Elliott changed when Jasmine returned to New Orleans, but she breathed life back into him and it was utter perfection. I also really loved TJ, Elliott's mom, and his sister. I can't help wanting to get emotional just thinking about this book. It was so beautiful and I loved every moment reading this book. Brittainy C. Cherry is such a poetic writer who will get you so lost in her books.

Erin Mallon was so great. I loved her as Jasmine. She was complemented excellently alongside Kevin Free who definitely nailed down how I would expect Elliott to talk, especially with his stuttering. I highly recommend listening to this audiobook because they seriously killed it. I felt all the emotions while listening to this book and I never wanted it to end.

Always amazing

Any book by Brittainy Cherry is amazing!!! Hands down. Behind the Bars does not disappoint. Through out the well written story of heart break and pain the characters shine. I plan to read/listen again. There are so many. many wonderful quotes through our the book.

Loved it

I was with the characters all the way, guessed the ending but it was still great. Every bit had a picture in my head, wouldn't like to see it on film it would ruin for me I like the way the book flowed, brilliant. Thankyou

Wow

All Brittany Cherry books are amazing the narration is excellent characters are excellent what more can I say would highly recommend this book

Wow - that grabbed me by the heart

This author is exceptional at weaving a tale of happy precious moments glimpsing out from utter heartbreak, and this book was well on its way to being rated 5 stars. However, the last part of the book tried way too hard to be poetic and romantic and it just seemed forced and fake. Compared to all the ‘real’ for the majority of the book where it grabbed my heart and emotions hard, this was a disappointment. All the drama was from real life strife rather than between the couple or a lack of communication which was a refreshing change from other books out there.

I suspect the author has experienced strife in real life to be able to write that so well, but maybe the romantic side is just the author’s daydreams and wanting to give readers who may connect with the tough storylines hope in their own life. Still worth a listen, even though you will feel heartbreakingly sad at times.

Good read

I love all of brittianys books, I loved Elliot and jasmines relationship, how Elliot great from a boy with a stammer who was bullied to a gym buff who wouldn’t take any bs, the book was very sad in parts, ending was lovely