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ssimon615 's review for:
The Silent Waters
by Brittainy C. Cherry
This book stuck with me for months after I finished reading. I listened to it on audible and the narrators did an AMAZING job of bringing it to life. I was as in love with the narration as I was with the book itself. This is my favorite read of 2022 and I loved every minute of this book. This is my favorite book of all time, a title that I haven't changed since high school. I loved how Ms. Cherry built the friends to lovers relationship so authentically, she truly knew how to build the relationship without coping to the tropes that everyone else does. She started with them as typical kids, one boy crazy and the other very adverse to girls and slowly. I loved how much you could see that he cared for her, even in the beginning. I loved the anchor analogy, showing that he kept her from floating away. This is definitely be a book that I will read, re read, and devour over and over again.
Let's talk about the characters for a minute. Maggie May is a sweet, somewhat naïve young child who witnesses a truly horrific act of evil on the day she is supposed to "marry" Brooks. After her traumatic experience, she is unable to speak or leave her house and falls into a routine of interacting solely with Brooks, her family, and the books she covets in her room. Brooks becomes her friend, sharing the outside world with her, teaching her to appreciate music, and helping her stay grounded when her anxiety gets out of control. Eventually they realize they have feelings for one another and begin dating. Although it was frustrating at time that Maggie Maty wouldn't leave the house, I found her character relatable and endearing. Everyone can recall some traumatic experience that made them want to become a hermit in their house. Maggie May's panic disorder is a crutch that keeps her from fully living her life.
Brooks is a kind soul that feels a burden of guilt over Maggie May's condition. He was supposed to meet her and was the one to find her post traumatic experience. He loves her as a friend but his love for her after is unfathomable. Brooks suffers his own trauma and his coping mechanisms are completely relatable. Although there was a good 20 pages of the book that I HATED him, I could completely understand why he was behaving the way he was. I could see that his reaction was filled with pain and suffering, which was egodystonic from his true nature. Brooks trauma had a negative impact on Maggie May for the most part but it did help her in other ways too. Through it she found her voice and was able to stand up for herself authentically. Once they were reunited, the reader could see that they were stronger than ever. Their love for each other was unsurmountable.
If you like Archer's Voice, People We Meet on Vacation, or Love and Other Words then this book will BLOW THOSE OUT OF THE WATER. This book was much better, more authentic, and portrayed the pain that can sometimes occur when you love someone all the more real.
I hadn't known you could hear someone's voice so clearly in the silent moments.
I needed her to know that she would always be my biggest dream.
Love didn't come with guidelines. It flowed into a person with only hope as its current.
“Five minutes?” Five minutes. We stood there, staring at one another. Five minutes to erase any fears. Five minutes to remember who we were. Five minutes to find our own way, our own story.
Humans always remember the moments. We recall the steps that lead us to where we were meant to be. The words that inspired us or crushed us. The incidents that scarred us and swallowed us whole. I've had many moments in my lifetime. Moments that changed me, moments that challenged me, moments that scared me and engulfed me. However, the biggest ones, the most heartbreaking and breathtaking ones, always included her.
Not all broken things need to be fixed. Sometimes they just need to be loved. It would be a shame if only people who were whole were deserving of love.
Read this book, I promise you won't regret it.
Let's talk about the characters for a minute. Maggie May is a sweet, somewhat naïve young child who witnesses a truly horrific act of evil on the day she is supposed to "marry" Brooks. After her traumatic experience, she is unable to speak or leave her house and falls into a routine of interacting solely with Brooks, her family, and the books she covets in her room. Brooks becomes her friend, sharing the outside world with her, teaching her to appreciate music, and helping her stay grounded when her anxiety gets out of control. Eventually they realize they have feelings for one another and begin dating. Although it was frustrating at time that Maggie Maty wouldn't leave the house, I found her character relatable and endearing. Everyone can recall some traumatic experience that made them want to become a hermit in their house. Maggie May's panic disorder is a crutch that keeps her from fully living her life.
Brooks is a kind soul that feels a burden of guilt over Maggie May's condition. He was supposed to meet her and was the one to find her post traumatic experience. He loves her as a friend but his love for her after is unfathomable. Brooks suffers his own trauma and his coping mechanisms are completely relatable. Although there was a good 20 pages of the book that I HATED him, I could completely understand why he was behaving the way he was. I could see that his reaction was filled with pain and suffering, which was egodystonic from his true nature. Brooks trauma had a negative impact on Maggie May for the most part but it did help her in other ways too. Through it she found her voice and was able to stand up for herself authentically. Once they were reunited, the reader could see that they were stronger than ever. Their love for each other was unsurmountable.
If you like Archer's Voice, People We Meet on Vacation, or Love and Other Words then this book will BLOW THOSE OUT OF THE WATER. This book was much better, more authentic, and portrayed the pain that can sometimes occur when you love someone all the more real.
I hadn't known you could hear someone's voice so clearly in the silent moments.
I needed her to know that she would always be my biggest dream.
Love didn't come with guidelines. It flowed into a person with only hope as its current.
“Five minutes?” Five minutes. We stood there, staring at one another. Five minutes to erase any fears. Five minutes to remember who we were. Five minutes to find our own way, our own story.
Humans always remember the moments. We recall the steps that lead us to where we were meant to be. The words that inspired us or crushed us. The incidents that scarred us and swallowed us whole. I've had many moments in my lifetime. Moments that changed me, moments that challenged me, moments that scared me and engulfed me. However, the biggest ones, the most heartbreaking and breathtaking ones, always included her.
Not all broken things need to be fixed. Sometimes they just need to be loved. It would be a shame if only people who were whole were deserving of love.
Read this book, I promise you won't regret it.