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.

9 of 9 people found this review helpful

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.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

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.

A story of true love ...

A book of love together with friendship. My second book by Brittainy Cherry and another great read! Erin Mallon and Kevin Free awesome narrators. So important to get the right mix of narrators because without... a great book just won't make it.

Can you handle your personal truth?

As always, Cherry has an ability to see straight to the heart in this story of Elliott and Jasmine. She can take you to the highest heights and the very lows. She truly must be an old soul. For example: TJ tells Elliott at the funeral: “Guilt has a way of swallowing individuals whole, and now they are remorseful. That guilt they are feeling; that’s not between you and them; that’s between God and them.”
And that’s only one of many insights from someone with true emotional intelligence and the gift of storytelling.
Mallon and Free do a great job with narration.
Recommend for anyone not afraid to be pulled to their personal truth.

Great but bad male narrator

Of course Erin Mallon is fabulous she should have narrated for both. The male voice was not good.
Brittany Cherry IS AMAZING!!! One is my top 3 authors!

Amazing Book

I loved this book. It is a beautiful love story that is filled with the very real and honest ups and downs of life. The character development is stellar. I laughed and I cried, and in the end I was reminded of all of the beauty in the world. I love this author. This is a must read!

wow

what am amazing story...I enjoy this author...but wow this story blew me away...grab a box of tissues...very moving...heart warming story

Absolutely Stunning!

Any additional comments?

“One can’t truly heal if they pretend the cracks don’t exist.”

Wow! My heart! Brittainy Cherry always writes the most emotionally hitting stories, and Behind the Bars hit me like a ton of bricks. It’s a beautiful roller coaster of emotions that grip you from the start and never you let you go!

These characters! My goodness, this is a network of beautiful, caring, loving people that are written with such heart. You fall in love with them all. The love and support from Laura, Ray, and TJ makes your heart sing.

“Whenever I thought of home, I didn’t think of a place; I thought of people, the ones who shaped us into the people we were meant to become, the ones who loved us with our scars and told us those scars were beautiful, the ones who allowed us to make mistakes and still loved us fully.”

The writing! So passionate and full of heart and soul. My heart ached for both Elliott and Jasmine, each going through their own emotional turmoil. The sweetness and tenderness of their hearts is overwhelming, both so compassionate. The way they view each other through each other’s eyes is heartwarming. The beautiful blossom of friendship, the hurt and disconnect, the way they, through each other, helped each other heal, it’s stunning.

I was swept up in this story, I couldn’t put it down, and I felt everything! There were parts of this story that were hard to read, my heart ached, and then were so many incredibly beautiful moments that made my heart soar. So full of emotion!

This is a beautiful story of strength, healing, hope, forgiveness, and love. It resonates deep and will stay with you long after you’ve finished. Simply stunning!

“You’re the music in a mute world, and my heart beats because you’re here.”

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