I recently had the pleasure of meeting Brittainy C. Cherry at Book Bash in Lexington, and she was so warm, personable, and kind! The Silent Waters is yet another beautifully crafted story that completely stole my heart. Brittainy’s talent never fails to amaze me—her storytelling is extraordinary, and her love stories leave such a lasting impression. This third book in the series is emotional, powerful, thought-provoking, and intense.

The Silent Waters

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 incredible stars

This book y’all, is heartbreakingly beautiful. It was everything really. Endearing, unforgettable, heartwarming, moving… I could literally go on and on.

So this may be book 3 in the element series, but it is a complete standalone. Somehow, this is my first book by Brittainy Cherry but you can bet your booty it won’t be my last.

Maggie and Brooks are the MC‘s and I honestly cannot find one single fault with either one of them. The book starts out with them as kids. Maggie has the biggest crush on Brooks, but he is her brothers best friend. Maggie even plans a wedding for them in the woods… Instead of the wedding, she witnesses something horrific and her entire world is changed from that moment on.

That’s it, that’s all I’m giving you. I do not want to ruin any part of this book for you. It’s so good though! This book you need to read it. This is one that will live rent free and your head for a very, very long time. You will probably even thank me after you read it.

A series of endless bad mistakes...

Maggie was six when she met Brooks for the first time. She was seriously crazy about him for years. I felt bad for him until they started kissing and kept on kissing.
This books follows them for years, as they kiss and make bad mistakes.
Angsty for sure.
Purchased.

I adore this book. I thought it was perfectly heartbreaking as well as being able to put it back together. This book had me tearing up and smiling all at the same time.

"The world keeps spinning because your heartbeat exists." I loved that line so much. It spoke to me. That and squeezing a hand twice to say yes. I adore how that kept popping up.

Theres not much to say other then the characters are so wonderfully crafted in this book. You see them from childhood to adults. All the hickups, mess ups and memories they make along the way. I really adored this family, all but ma (you'll see why)

Please, do me a favor and read this. I highly suggest it to anyone who wants a heartfelt romance story.

*The Silent Waters* by Brittainy Cherry had potential, but it didn't resonate with me as I hoped. The premise is intriguing—moments that shape us, a love that endures despite tragedy—but the execution left much to be desired. The story between Maggie and Brooks is intense, and while it's meant to be deeply emotional, it often feels overly dramatic and predictable. I struggled to connect with the characters, especially Maggie, whose silence was supposed to be a powerful narrative tool but ended up feeling more like a plot device that lacked depth.

The relationship between Maggie and Brooks, which should have been the emotional anchor of the book, felt disappointingly rushed and underdeveloped. Their love story seemed to rely more on telling than showing, making it difficult for me to fully invest in their journey. Additionally, the pacing was uneven, with some parts dragging on while others felt hurried, further disconnecting me from the narrative.

While I appreciate the themes Brittainy Cherry attempted to explore, the story didn't leave a lasting impact. The emotions felt forced, and the characters, though meant to be broken and complex, didn't evoke the empathy I expected.

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the free e-book. My opinions are being left voluntarily. I love that our favourite authora are having their indie booka puckes up. I found some parts a little jarring and poaaible that it was writtwn many yeara ago but i dnf it at about 22%

I will try to read the author again

3.5/5☆

Wow this is my second book by this author and I’m absolutely blown away by her writing style, character development, and story telling. This story had me feel all the feels, I wanted to cry, laugh, and cheer for these characters along the way. Maggie May was adorable and I felt sad that she had to experience the childhood trauma that impacted her life. And Brooks was absolutely amazing, he was so caring and patient. This story was so beautiful and I appreciated that they were both there for each other when they needed it the most.

The Silent Waters, written by Brittainy Cherry, is the third book in the Elements series. This title was originally published in 2016 and is being re-released in 2024.

Format: NetGalley ebook
Genre: Contemporary fiction, Romance
Overall score:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice level:🌶️🌶️
Release date: September 3, 2024

Maggie (FMC)

Brooks (MMC)

This book is so heartbreaking, yet so heartwarming!! I was in tears several times reading through the situations that these main characters had to go through.

Maggie and Brooks first meet when they are children, Brooks is the best friend of Maggie’s stepbrother.

When Maggie was around ten when she witnessed a horrific murder and then was attacked by the same man. That trauma caused her to become mute and agoraphobic. She could not leave her house for ten years.

In that time, Brooks never gave up on her. He knew she was endgame but didn’t know how to help Maggie or how to make their childhood and teen relationship work.

Brooks and Maggie’s brother formed a band and hit it big time. Maggie forced Brooks to leave and enjoy his life, separating them for ten years.

Once they are brought back together, they immediately rekindled their attraction. Brooks then himself suffers an accident while out on a boat leaving him unable to play and sing for a while. He immediately drowns his fears in liquor and depression, Maggie is forced to face her fears of leaving her house to help save Brooks.

The amount of feelings that this book left me with was unreal! I read this book in one day but had to stop several times due to the amount of grief and hurt I was experiencing.

My favorite quotes of the book:
“The world keeps spinning because your heartbeats exist.”

Five minutes to erase any fears.
Five minutes to remember who we are.
Five minutes to find our own way, our own story.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title!