Brittainy C. Cherry is one of my go-to authors for a reason. I adore her storytelling and the emotion she pours into her books. I never fail to feel everything her characters experience, as if I’m living it with them. After reading the first page, I knew this would be another novel to rip my heart out and put it back together again, simply because there was a dog in the story.
Much like the main character, Grace, I tend to worry about the thoughts of others far too often. I honestly sometimes spend more time concerned with how others might perceive me than being able to be able to enjoy myself, which is a huge problem. This is one of those “ab covers” that fits into the stigma of Romance being “Mommy Porn”. Every time I read a book with a cover like this one, I’m always paranoid I’ll be perceived as a heathen by many of those in small-town Texas who happen to check out our blog. Speaking more on that topic, Brittainy Cherry absolutely nailed the “nose-in-everyone’s-business” culture of the South, where nosey people mask their hunger for gossip under the guise of sweet Southern charm. So, in some ways, reading about Grace feeling this way and overcoming it was exactly what I needed. Every so often, I need to be reminded to “do me” and quit overthinking the thoughts of others because I have no control over anyone else. That’s all to say, despite what thoughts this cover may bring, this book is a beautiful and deeply moving story, in the true Brittainy Cherry fashion.
“I wanted to be free to feel whatever I wanted to feel without fear of others’ judgments being placed upon me.”
I truly loved how this story took readers past the characters’ reputations to show the integrity of their hearts – there is beauty in brokenness! It was a great reminder to look past what we think we know about people in our real-lives, to mentally give them a clean slate, and see them as a human like ourselves. Just like we should look past the cover image and dive into the story’s heart!
I was absolutely enamored with the bookstore in the story and the mentions of the books the characters were reading! It was such a nice touch for all of us with book-loving hearts and reminded me a bit of The Silent Waters. I can’t wait to check out some of the novels that were mentioned. I also loved the silent area in the store! I wish there were places like this in real-life, as we could all do with a little less noise at times.
One of the hardest things about this novel was reading about Grace’s mother! She made me so angry, I had to set down the book at times because I felt emotionally drained. Her thinking was so backward it became hard to bear, along with Grace taking her constant criticism with no rebuttal at the beginning of the story. However, as things progressed, I was completely satisfied with the way the author chose to resolve this relationship. She had a great way of making us “zoom in” on really loathsome character and seeing the heart buried deep inside.
Overall, this was a strong four-star read for me and another great emotional novel by Brittainy C. Cherry! I’m a fan!
Ashes Books & Bobs 