Eleanor & Grey

“He was him, and I was me, and we were us.”

This was my first time to read a Brittainy C. Cherry book. Yeah, I know. Where have I been, right? That’s what convinced me to give her a try, I’ve been hearing the buzz. I wasn’t sure what drew the readers to her, I wondered if she wrote dark, emotional or sexy stories. Well, it was #2. She had me feeling more than I wanted to, at least in public. I recommend having tissues nearby when you start reading this one, it will pull your heartstrings, more than once.

I really enjoyed how the author allowed me to get to know the characters as teens. They were sweet and quirky and awkward, and it was perfect. The gradual slow build had me wanting to light a match and speed things up, but I must admit that sometimes things work out better when you let them reach their natural conclusion. I’m not saying it did, just that sometimes it does.

With my head in the clouds, and already knowing they were going to split up, I still found myself yearning for them to be a couple. I read the synopsis so I knew he was going to have kids with someone else and she would eventually be hired as his nanny. But tell that to my stubborn mind that was virtually sprinkling magical fairytale dust around them as they grew closer and closer. They just seemed so perfectly suited for each other and I struggled to accept the loss when they went their separate ways.

When the time came for their paths to cross again years later it was nice that I had those memories in the back of my head of where they had come from. Because the Grey that I met later was nothing like the sweet smiling teenager from before. They were like day and night, opposite ends of the spectrum. Greyson had passed gray and moved right on to black. He was cold and formal and dark. The boy who had been there for her when she needed him then, wanted no help from her now. He insisted that she maintain professional behavior, reminding her that he was her boss and his name was Mr. East, not Grey. Well, lah dee dah, Mr. Cranky Pants was being uppity and rude. I wanted to slap some sense upside his head, but I also wanted to know what happened to make him that way.

I got my answers and my tissues. I cried for her and for him, and for them. I was me, and they were them, and we were us. They just didn’t know it. I was all up in their business, eavesdropping, and spying. Totally invested in the outcome of what was going on between them. And it was, I could still feel their chemistry. But, there were so many more obstacles and walls and pain between them now. More tissues needed…sigh. That’s all I can tell you. Read. Cry. Sigh. Repeat.

OY!

Brittainy! Jeez!
Such a beautiful book.
Non-stop heartbreak. I think I never cried as much as I did with this book!

Part one of the book (the first 33%) takes us back to 2003.
It starts as this super-sweet young adult romance. The nerdy bookworm and the hot guy every girl at school wants.
First love and Harry Potter and smiles and dragonflies and red licorice and kung-fu movies and just showing up.
But then there are also the sad parts about their home lives that they can forget for a few hours whenever they’re together.
Ellie has the best parents ever – but her mom is sick. And poor Grey – his parents are the worst.

Ellie and Grey are everything for each other for a short while – but then life gets in the way with a lot of heartbreak and then more life/time/College gets in the way. They lose touch.

Fast forward 15 years and we’re in present time Chicago where Ellie is looking for a new job as a full-time nanny.
And she finds this position with Greyson.
His wife died ten months ago and he needs someone to take care of his two daughters.
But of course it’s not easy. The girls are missing their mom and Greyson… he’s so different. Cold. Sad. So sad and heartbroken. The happy boy with this beautiful laugh isn’t there anymore.
Ellie doesn’t know how to get through to him – or if she should even try.

Ugh – now I need to stop talking about the story. I think I didn’t spoil much – most of it is already said in the blurb.
Just read it please!!!
It’s beautiful and heartbreaking. But also so full of love and hope and happiness and second chances.
I just wanted to jump into the book and stop life from happening – I wanted them to get their HEA 15 years ago and not waste so much time … but life did happen. And now we need to fight for that second chance!

I loved every single word of this book!
I wouldn’t have minded if the book would’ve been just this adorable and heartbreaking young adult thing. Maybe they could’ve met again just a few years later in or after college for their second chance – but then we wouldn’t have those two beautiful kids. Ugh. It’s all so heartbreaking!!!!!

Brittainy knows just how to get our eyes peeing, doesn’t she?! Crazy woman!

ELEANOR & GREY was such a beautiful second-chance love story. Full of heartbreak and loss and pain. But also so full of love and hope and sweet and happy moments. I adored every single word in this book!

Wow! Just wow. This masterpiece by @bcherryauthor had me from page 1. All. The. Feels. Wonderful, beautiful story by one talented woman! I loved the message in this book. Brittainy, you always find a way to teach me something in every single one of your books that I have read. Thank you

“She was she, I was me, and we were us. This was our story. This was our always and forever. And it was going to be beautiful.”

Hi, yes, a two-minute silence for me for one, having read my first ever Brittainy C Cherry book and two, because my heart is shattered into multiple pieces and joined back again.

I don’t think anything I can say will ever do justice to the multitude of emotions I’ve gone through and heartbreaks and tears shed whilst reading this absolutely heartbreaking yet stunning piece of work. A love story that started in 2003 and was found again and completed 16 years later in 2019, Eleanor & Grey is hands down my best ever heartbreaking read ever!

Eleanor and Grey met when they were teenagers at a party. Eleanor was sitting in a corner, re-reading Harry Potter (You go, girl!) and Grey was asked by his best friend to get close to her, just so he could learn more about her cousin and from that moment started the unlikeliest and beautiful friendship. Ellie and Grey became friends at a time when one needed a distraction from reality and the other a chance to heal. They become the best of friends and almost move on to something more when Ellie had to move to Florida with her parents, leaving Grey and her old life behind.

Even with the distance, they keep in touch through emails and phone calls, and they have their own mini Book Club, but after Ellie goes through a traumatic loss and later when they both start college, they both tried their best but gradually and eventually they drift apart.

One of my absolute favourite parts, amongst many many other, through this entire book, was how whenever Grey smiled at Ellie or when she realized that she was falling for him, she would roll her eyes and think Whatever in her head. I don’t know what it is about that Whatever but I fell in love more every single time it came up in the book.

“You’re sassy and straightforward.”
“The straightforwardness comes from my father.”
He smiled.
I like it.
Whatever

Le sigh. I just loved these moments.

For 16 years, Ellie and Grey continued to live their lives without a single interaction between them and met new people and fell in love with other people.
So, I’m gonna be honest here, I not a big fan (Hate would be a strong word to use) when my OTP is separated and they move on with their lives and fall in love with other people, even if something necessarily bad happened between them; its just life happened and they went along with current.

When Ellie and Grey finally reunite, I wasn’t expecting that situation and boy did my hear break at their new reality. Ellie is still Ellie, weird (her words not mine but I still love it), bright, happy and Harry Potter connoisseur. But Grey is not Grey. The fun-loving boy that was once filled with light and happiness is now a lifeless man who is drowning in pain, loss and guilt.

Things are hard in the beginning but as days pass, little by little, the hurt, pain and grief in the East mansion ebbs away. Ellie does what Ellie does best — she helped Grey heal all those years ago and now again she is back helping him and his daughters heal and teach them how to live and love while still remembering and honouring those they lost.

“Many years ago, my mother looked me in the eyes and told me to marry the boy who read my favorite novels. “Marry him, Ellie,” she whispered into the wind. And then I did.

As I’ve already said, this is a stunning piece of work and I fell in love with every single aspect of the story. My words will never live up to the experience I’ve gone through so all I will say is PICK IT UP! Pick the hell out of this book and I guarantee you, you will fall in love with every single piece of it, even the downright heartbreaking scenes.

5 Stars!

Une nouvelle fois l’émotion est au rendez vous dans ce roman remarquable de Brittainy C Cherry. L’histoire d’Eleanor & Grey est une histoire émouvante teintée d’amour, de perte, de souffrance mais surtout d’unité. Préparez les mouchoirs et découvrez une histoire que vous n’êtes pas prêts d’oublier.

Eleanor Gable est une jeune femme que nous découvrons adolescente, à l’âge de 17 ans. A part sa cousine Shay, elle n’est pas très sociable et préfère s’enfermer dans son monde avec son ami Harry Potter. C’est simple, on ne la voit jamais sans un livre à la main et même lors de la fête à laquelle elle participera avec Shay, elle aura quand même un livre avec elle. Il faut dire que les autres élèves du lycée n’ont pas que des mots tendres à son égard mais elle s’en fiche et préfère les éviter. De ce fait, elle n’est pas heureuse quand elle rencontre Greyson , la star de basket du lycée , un élève très populaire qui semble apprécier sa répartie mais aussi ses idées. Elle n’hésitera pas à prendre ses distances mais elle finira pas se lier d’amitié avec ce jeune homme très adorable. Quand la tragédie va frapper , elle va devoir subir une épreuve qui la marquera à jamais et qui fera d’elle la femme qu’elle va devenir 15 ans plus tard. J’ai adoré ce personnage car il est plein d’empathie et de générosité . Elle ne s’énerve que dans de rares occasions et à l’âge adulte , ce sera un amour de femme.

Quand le destin va la remettre sur le chemin de Greyson, elle pense qu’elle va pouvoir reprendre son amitié avec cet homme qui a marqué sa vie et qui lui a tendu la main alors qu’elle n’allait pas bien du tout. Elle aimerait lui apporter son aide en retour mais elle aura face à elle un mur de silence et d’ignorance. Il va mettre une distance entre elle et lui et ne s’adressera à elle qu’en tant que nounou de ses filles. Pourtant, elle ne baissera pas les bras et ne reculera pas face à l’adversité. J’ai donc adoré sa ténacité et l’empathie dont elle fera preuve. Le relationnel qu’elle aura avec Claire, la grand mère des petites , sera très émouvante car elle est la figure maternelle qui pourrait faire défaut. Elle lui donnera des conseils avisés mais en aura t-elle vraiment besoin ? On peut donc se demander quelle place elle parviendra à se forger dans cette famille en souffrance et quelle aide elle pourra apporter à chaque membre de la famille.

Greyson East est un adolescent de 17 ans que j’ai adoré découvrir. Une des thématiques importante de ce livre est la famille et les liens entre eux mais aussi leur cohésion face à la perte et à la douleur. Dans la première partie, on le voit au sein d’une famille désunie , faisant face à leur propre problème et il agit avec beaucoup de maturité. J’ai aimé la manière dont il va entrer dans la vie de notre héroïne et le lien qu’ils vont parvenir à tisser malgré leur âge, les épreuves et la distance. Quand nous le retrouvons 15 ans plus tard, il est évident qu’il ne reste plus rien de l’ancien Grey que nous connaissions. Il travaille sans aucun doute pour oublier ce qu’il a vécu , pour oublier cette culpabilité qui le ronge mais en faisant cela , il creuse encore plus le fossé qui le sépare des gens qui l’aiment. Il est resté en lien avec Landon , son meilleur ami de l’époque, qui ne reculera pas face à celui qu’il est devenu et qui au contraire va le secouer pour tenter de le refaire vivre. Actuellement , il survit mais ne vit pas sa vie comme il le devrait. Il sera dans la même position qu’un autre personnage et nous verrons que tous les deux vont adopter la même attitude dévastatrice. L’amour est sublime quand il est vivant mais quand il s’agit d’aller de l’avant sans l’être aimé, cela devient tout autre chose.

Avec Greyson , nous découvrons deux enfants différentes et pourtant très attachantes. Lorelai est une jeune fille adorable qui nous donnera le sourire tout au long de ce roman. Très sociable et très volubile , elle acceptera facilement la présence d’Eleanor. Très talentueuse, elle s’exprime à sa manière sur sa douleur qu’elle extériorise. Je ne dis pas qu’elle la vit très bien mais elle s’y essaie du mieux qu’elle peut. Elle parle aussi ce qui sera complètement à l’opposé de son père qui se referme sur sa souffrance et qui repousse les autres. Karla est une autre paire de manches. Adolescente, elle vit la situation d’une toute autre façon mais il faut dire que les stigmates de ce passé est bien plus visible que chez sa soeur. Elle est très fermée, comme son père, et a un réflexe d’auto préservation en repoussant les autres. J’ai souffert avec cette adolescente qui est plus seule que jamais. Elle m’a fortement touchée et j’ai adoré la manière dont Eleanor a tenté de renouer un dialogue avec elle. Greyson est devenu tout ce qu’il reprochait à son propre père et on espère que son coeur de pierre se réchauffera à nouveau pour que l’amour entoure de nouveau sa famille.

Bref, une fois de plus Brittainy C Cherry nous offre une superbe romance forte en émotions qui ne peut pas nous laisser insensible. On passe par toutes les émotions et dès le départ on sent que nous allons souffrir aux côtés de ces personnages à qui la vie ne fera aucun cadeau. Si vous lisez en VO, ne passez pas à côté de cette merveilleuse histoire.

I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads, so here is my review.
First there is not enough stars to rate this story for me. It is absolutely perfect and I loved everything about it.
First it starts on April 8, which happens to be my birthday, and Eleanor is a BIG Harry Potter fan and so am I. I was the same way when each book came out. I had to devour them on release day. And now I find myself devouring Brittainy C. Cherry’s books even more. So this book is my birthday present to myself this year and it was a perfect gift.
Eleanor is the nerdy heroine who just wants to read the next Harry Potter book in peace and quite. When her cousin Shay drags her to a party. Eleanor finds a place under the stairs (just like HP) to read and hopefully be left alone. When the star basketball player sits down beside her. He ask her to pretend to talk to him so his friend will leave him alone. The feelings that stir when Greyson touches Eleanor is something new and Eleanor isn’t sure what to do.
Greyson East likes sitting by Eleanor Gable, she is different, sassy and tells him like it is. She doesn’t tell him what he wants to here, she tells him what she thinks. It is a breathe of fresh air. And Grey finds he wants to spend more and more time with her.
When Ellie goes through a painful situation, Grey is there to share his light and help her. And when things seem to go sour for Grey, it is Ellie that helps him see the light. They are both there for each other until Ellie and her parents move away. While Ellie and Grey continue to call and connect on AOL messenger, they lose touch.
Now some 15 years later it is Ellie that walks back in Grey’s like and he is so far in the darkness that it might be to late to pull him to the light. So now Eleanor is the nanny for his children and sometimes she sees the boy she use to know. But the hardness and pain she sees is more and might be to much to bring him back to her.
Can Eleanor help Grey and his daughters heal from their loss? Will Grey be able to let Eleanor back in to help him heal? Will they all be able to help each other heal and more forward and live a better future?
All I can say is, Read This One. You will not be disappointed. Just be prepared for all the pain, heartache and love that is Eleanor & Grey. If you haven’t read Brittainy C. Cherry before, just pick one, read it and you will love her and have a new favorite author.
**Wicked Reads Review Team**

No spoilers here!!

Okay listen. Brittainy is a goddess and well, no slander on her name shall be tolerated by me.
But for this post, I want to put all of that aside and just tell you that this book, was brilliantly put together.
So well thought out and it just makes you feel things, real things that make you question and reflect on your own life and the love stories you may or may not have.
But if there were 6 stars, this book deserves them. Real, relatable characters. A story woven in a way that makes your soul yearn!Brittainy C. Cherry
It has everything. I highly, highly recommend Eleanor & Grey by Brittainy Cherry

– Spoilers

Eleanor & Grey? Should have been called Nicole & Grey because the second half was all about her and how much Grey loved her with all his heart.

Yes, I am in the minority here, but I despised this book. Although, I did adore part 1 but that adoration was completely ruined by the last half so that’s always nice.

Note to self: ALWAYS FUCKING READ THE REVIEWS BEFORE STARTING A BOOK YOU ABSOLUTE DICKHEAD. I can only blame myself, it was my mistake reading this but never again.

Hero hung up on his dead wife? If I had known then best believe I wouldn’t have wasted my money on this “tear-jerking love story.” There was tears, tears of fucking anger. I loved Grey in part one but part two? I skimmed that half like a bitch. Absolutely horrible, I had zero sympathy for all the characters. Am I cold hearted bitch? Yes, without a fucking doubt. He is grieving for his dead wife all throughout it which is understandable but I do not consider this as a love story between Eleanor and Grey anymore. Part 1? Yes, I 100% saw the love that grew beautifully but it went fucking sideways with his stupid wife and his daughters. There wasn’t any chemistry between the two anymore, it disappeared. Maybe that’s why there was a part one, to see the love they once had. Grey was shattered and miserable over the death of his wife, he made declarations of his love for her in pretty much every page and I was done. So when Grey started having feelings for Eleanor again, it felt hollow and less than what it was. But my mum didn’t raise a quitter so I still finished this dickhead of a love story. I felt betrayed because I enjoyed these characters in the beginning.

“..just feels like a betrayal.. like I’m betraying Nicole.”
I wonder if he felt like that about Ellie when he met Nicole.

Every book I have read by this author, the hero is always fucking hung up on the ex or he tragically lost his significant other. This is by far the worst hero. These plots piss me off, because the loss of an wife/husband/child means tears and that means sales, right? But I have enjoyed her other books with MCs losing their partners. This one just lacked the chemistry, it was horrid. I was told Grey loved Eleanor but I didn’t feel it. It felt forced.

Also, there was a scene where he called Eleanor by his dead wife’s name. So fucking cliche. Eleanor said it was just a speed bump. If I had a physical copy of Nicole & Grey, I think I would have honestly ripped it to shreds at this point. Eleanor was pathetic in part two. Part one, she was amazing, I loved her quirks and everything.

“Sometimes the best love stories are about those who waited.”
No sweetie, Grey already had the best love story with Nicole and it sounded epic.

I’ve said this a million times but imma say it again: IF NICOLE WAS TO MIRACULOUSLY COME BACK TO LIFE , GREY WOULD LEAVE ELEANOR FOR HER WITHIN A SECOND. I hope one day there will be a book like this but the difference would be that I’ll be able to truly see the love the hero has for the heroine despite his dead partner. I want that love to knock the love for the ow out the fucking universe so then I can finally say if the ow was to come back, that he wouldn’t leave the heroine and have zero doubts about the matter.

I really believed it would get better and his feelings for Eleanor would be exhibited much more, but it was just all about fucking Nicole.

If I could give this less than one star, I would.

3.5

” , ‘ . .”

: adult contemporary, second chance, emotional, nanny/boss, single dad and slow burn

First time reading anything by the author and I have to say I have mixed opinions about it. Despite enjoying the writting style and storyline, I think things were a bit rushed and It was hard to me to connect with the characters on the second half of the book.

In part one, we see how Eleanor and Grey met and how slowly they fell for each other. As teens, they were pretty mature for their age and I love how things smoothly developed.

Then we flash forward to 16 years later and as expected things changed. Grey lost recently his wife to a car accident and he is left with two kids. Enter here Eleanor, his new nanny.

He is this broken man who deals with regret and grief, but with Eleanor’s on his life, he slowly starts to open up and be himself again. As a father, I love how he cared for his kids and did anything to protect them. But I have to admit I didn’t feel his connection with Eleanor, I felt he wasn’t really over his wife.

As for Eleanor, I think her character had potential, but sadly I didn’t like how her character was held on present time. In fact, she was a bit flat on my opinion.

Despite all, I did enjoy the plotline and writting style. I think the author knows how to portray heavy emotions and play along with.

Overall, I do recommend you to pick this one out, if you like your books with less romance and more character driven.

I want to be Eleanor when I grow up! Seriously, if I’m half the person she is, then I’ll be more than happy. She’s kind, caring, selfless, considerate, compassionate and oh how did my heart hurt for her at times. Ellie is someone who deserves nothing less than to be loved fully and experience happiness every single day.

I have never truly disliked the way a storyline was going in any book before until I reached part two of this story. It’s not because of the events that were happening to Greyson, although I wouldn’t wish them on my worst enemy, it’s because my happiness and enjoyment at seeing Ellie and Grey together in the first part of the book was something I didn’t want to lose. BUT I should have known to trust that some things happen for a reason, and as much as it can hurt and I question events at the time, it is true…. sometimes it is the way it is meant to be.

Eleanor and Grey is a heartbreakingly beautiful story and one that I highly recommend to you to read. I needed tissues throughout the story because I was so invested in what was happening and felt a strong connection with the characters… especially Ellie. I found myself smiling and laughing many times too and some of those tears I shed were happy tears. Yes, this story will take you on an incredible emotional roller coaster ride that’s for certain – definitely one that is not to be missed.