Review: Behind the Bars

Behind the Bars by Brittainy C. Cherry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The synopsis of Behind the Bars instantly grabbed me. It was beautiful, filled with promise, and I could not wait to find out more. Whilst I did expect a wonderful read, the book gave me even more than I imagined.

You see, this book, this book was painfully beautiful. It is the kind of book where I know my words will not do it justice, however I’m going to try my damnedest to try and convey all the feelings it gave me.

From the very first page I knew I was going to be lost to the story. There is something about Brittainy C. Cherry’s writing that pulls you in. It has a subtle beauty to it. The words flow together in a lyrical way, without being overly flowery. Every word has power behind it, all the sentence hit you where they should, and every paragraph seemed to have a line I thought quote worthy. I knew from the synopsis that I would be going into something beautifully written, but I was not prepared for the power of the words in this story.

The writing style alone was enough to win me over, but the story… Damn, the story. As I said, it was painfully beautiful. It mixes the good and the bad in the most amazing of ways, pulling your emotions in all kind of directions. You knew exactly what you were feeling, and yet you could not convey what you were feeling – so much was hitting you, so many different things hit you, that you were lost to sensation throughout. It’s not just one element that hits you hard, though, as so many different elements of the story hit you hard and continue to grind you down throughout.

As I stated, I was lost from the very first page. We are pulled into the story in such a simple manner, yet things quickly escalate. It starts by introducing us to our female lead, and the darkness in her life. We are then introduced to the male lead, and the darkness in his life. Neither are overly dark, but they both hit hard because both have the kind of darkness you can expect in real life. Sometimes in romance the darkness surrounding a character is so farfetched it is hard to connect with them, but not in Behind the Bars. In Behind the Bars, you can easily connect with what the characters are experiencing.

However, as with life, nothing is simple. Darkness and drama surround them. Things escalate, worsen. There is good and bad, beauty and horror, and throughout you’re pulled deeper into the story. There were moments where I was laughing out loud, followed by moments of pure sadness. This was a single sitting read, and across the couple of hours it took me to complete it my emotions went through so much. The highs were the highest and the lows were the lowest, and you felt everything. Honestly, I went on a true emotional journey throughout this book. Each time I thought I couldn’t take anything more, something more was thrown at me. So many emotions are touched upon, so much happens, and you cannot help but ride the waves. You will feel it, each and every emotion expressed – and you will love it, even if it leaves you heartbroken at the end.

Without a doubt, this was a fabulous book. I loved the writing. I loved the story. I loved the numerous elements that came into play throughout. I loved the characters. I loved the emotional depth. I loved the way everything came together. I loved how powerful the story was. I had high expectations, and this book certainly hit them all.

In fact, I was extremely close to giving this a five-star rating. There were plenty of moments throughout when I thought ‘yes, this right here is five-star material’. I debated with myself for a long time upon finishing, and just held out on giving it that five-star rating, though. It was a very strong four-point-five-star rating, but I do feel as though it lagged at some points. It wasn’t enough to ruin the book, very far from it, but it was enough for me to hold back on the five-star rating, as the small blips were enough for me to notice the change in the flow of the book.

Overall, I loved this. There is no doubt of me picking up the second Music Street book when it is released. Behind the Bars was my first introduction to Brittainy C. Cherry, but I can guarantee I will be reading more of the author’s work. It was a beautiful book, one that will stay with me for a long time, and I cannot wait to dive into more of the author’s work.

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