Moments.Our lives are a collection of moments. Some utterly painful and full of yesterday’s hurts. Some beautifully hopeful and full of tomorrow’s promises.I’ve had many moments in my lifetime, moments that changed me, challenged me. Moments that scared me and engulfed me. However, the biggest ones—the most heartbreaking and breathtaking ones—all included him.I was ten years old when I lost my … years old when I lost my voice. A piece of me was stolen away, and the only person who could truly hear my silence was Brooks Griffin. He was the light during my dark days, the promise of tomorrow, until tragedy found him. Tragedy that eventually drowned him in a sea of memories.
This is the story of a boy and girl who loved each other, but didn’t love themselves. A story of life and death. Of love and broken promises.
Of moments.
(Book Three in the Elements Series. Complete Standalone.)
more
4.5 Stars
This was the most unexpected story and the first book that I’ve read by Brittainy C. Cherry but definitely not the last one.
I honestly have no words to describe this book because it seems like all the words left me. This was such a beautifully written, heartbreaking story that left me speechless and emotionally raw.
The Story:
Maggie was a bright and happy child until one horrid event took her voice and bright spirit away. The only thing keeping her from drowning is Brooks, he is her anchor.
This is not only the story of Maggie and Brooks but also of the moments that define their lives and of those that not only change them but also affect the people surrounding them.
It’s about life showing us its ugly side, where we have to decide how to deal with it and whether we choose pushing through and coming out of it stronger or letting it destroy us.
Thoughts:
I loved that the story was written in Maggie’s and Brook’s POV and even though the time often jumped years ahead – which I normally don’t like at all – I didn’t feel like I missed out on much.
The writing was amazing and I felt the characters’ emotions as if they were my own.
I was surprised at how this story touched me so deeply. Compared to all the eroticas, horror or action packed stories out there, this one seemed almost ordinary yet it was anything but. Especially the family’s reactions made me reflect some crucial moments in my life and how the behaviour of some people took part in shaping me to the person I am today.
I was captured by all those sometimes overwhelming emotions and the life changing moments in this book. It wasn’t always sad, it sometimes even made me laugh out loud or at some parts scream in anger but it mostly made my heart ache for those two people that walked a hard path in life.
I’ve never read a bittersweet story like this before and it will stay with me for a long time, that I’m sure of.
Silent Waters was really good. I loved all the characters in this book, even when they were at their worse. Maggie and Brooks seriously stole my heart. I loved seeing them grow up together and Brooks was everything Maggie needed before and especially after her trauma. I liked how he was so patient with her, spent time just being happy in her presence as they listened to music together and read books. The relationship they had was a special one and I loved it so much.
Maggie was a very lovable character. Even though she doesn’t talk anymore and can’t leave her house she still had really great relationships with her family and Brooks. She communicated with Brooks without having to use words, he understood what she needed, and everything she wanted to say without speaking a word. It was quite beautiful. Maggie’s sister Cheryl treated her like crap through the first half of this book and made terrible decisions, but Maggie never judged her and always supported her.
Silent Water was really good. I enjoyed it so much. It is about family and ups and downs that come with it. I liked the close relationship Maggie, Cheryl, Brooks, her brother Calvin and his friends had. It was very enjoyable and Brittainy C. Cherry does not disappoint.
I read and reviewed my personal copy of this book for Wicked Reads, so here is my review.
Moments in our life are what define us. It can make it great or it can leave us speechless. When tragedy strikes Maggie at a young age, it leaves her speechless. And nothing anyone does will get her to talk. She communicates with them but not with her voice.
Brooks is the boy that Maggie has loved since she was very young and their friendship has kept them both going. When Maggie didn’t want to be around anyone, it was Brooks and hos music player that got through to her.
Brooks is Maggie’s brother Calvin’s best friend. And they started a band with Rudolph and Oliver. Making music is all they want to do. And with a push from Maggie, things begin to happen for them. While Brooks, Calvin and the boys head to L.A., Maggie is left in her silent world waiting for Brooks to come back. But she will never tell him that because she wants him to be happy and music makes him happy.
When tragedy strikes Brooks, he tries to push Maggie away and she pushes back. Can Maggie make Brooks see that she understands his pain? Will he finally see just what her loneliness was really like? After she reveals her secret, that is when both of their worlds change and for the better. This story was written in present and in future time, so don’t be surprised if there are a few things you may notice, it is a story after all.
This is the third story in The Element series and I loved it. It made me cry, laugh and broke my heart many times. This story may not be for everyone but I think everyone should read it. You just might get something from it that will tough you in some way.
**Wicked Reads Review Team**
Incredible, absolutely incredible. This story wrecked me. I cried and felt every heartbreak and fear and love. This was a beautifully told love story. Read it you won’t be disappointed. You will feel all the feels and promise you get a HEA
He is her anchor and she is his!
Another heartbreaking book in this fantastic series. Another story that you literally can’t put down.
Brooks and Maggie’s story … I have no words for what I felt while reading it. Every emotion feels magnified many times over in this book. I felt them all in my core, not just superficially, but on a visceral level.
Both characters have to go through so much, and at times I downright hated Ms. Cherry for what she puts her protagonists through. It was agony and pain, but also a sense of lightheartedness and everything in between.
I love this book so much it hurts. It is my favorite book in this incredible series, one I will never forget, and a new all-time favorite!
That was an emotional rollercoaster and I can’t recommend it enough. I saw this book on BookTok and had to download it. A mute heroine who witnessed a horrific thing that stole her voice. And the boy next door who was her rock through the next 20 years of her life. Brooks was amazing. Just perfect. And Maddie May, I felt her in my soul. This book had me crying several times. Both happy and sad.
Erin Mallon and Joe Arden were absolutely phenomenal. They made this book even more emotional and personal to me
How to begin reviewing this book, I honestly don’t know! It was my first read from this author and I was just utterly blown away! That’s how good this one was. I couldn’t stop reading! I absolutely loved it from beginning until end…
In the first part, we meet Maggie May that’s a young girl with no care in the world. Her dad remarried and just like that she has gained a new brother and sister. She meets Calvin’s best friend, Brooks, and is immediately smitten. But after a tragedy Maggie lost her voice and stopped speaking alltogether. Years later, she’s cooped up inside her parents house but somewhere down the road she is regaining what’s she has lost so many years ago… And somehow, Brooks is the one that teaches her how… But nothing is what it seems and promises get broken. Will Maggie ever find her voice again? Or will she be held back with fear…
Sometimes, just sometimes, we all need someone in our life that will show us the way to our light; to what we dream of becoming someday. Moments can change, moments can be forever… We just have to find our moment to shine! #Music can be a light in our darkness# #to be free and to save us#
Beautiful story!!! I’d say this book is one of my favourite reads this year!! Maggie and Brooks are childhood friends. She knew even then that one day she would marry that boy. After suffering from a traumatic event, Maggie loses the ability to speak and is too afraid to leave her home. Brooks promises to always be her anchor, and that she can always depend on him. Years pass and Brooks along with his band become discovered. Jetting off to concerts all around the world, Brooks is torn between his need to be with Maggie and his dream of being a rockstar. This story has so many elements to the story line. Sadness, happiness, fear, great love, Brittainy has covered every emotion, and wow is this book amazing!! This isn’t your average love story, it’s a knockout that I never wanted to end!! I know you’ll love it!!!!
I’m reading Brittainy C Cherry books a long ago and all of them are amazing.
I’m almost ending this series now, I know I suck as a reader but I’m trying to update my reading challenge.
Yesterday was a melancholic day for me after finishing this book. The author note brought me to my 6 grade and the way I struggled with my weight and teeth. I’m happy that I never gave up on me. Life is beautiful to remember rough times.
Returning to this amazing story. Brooks and Maggie story was so beautiful. The bound they shared was incredible. My heart beats so fast remembering them as a couple since kids. Omg Maggie was a cute girl and what happened to her was so painful but her strength and Brooks brought her voice and life again. Brooks was so kind as a kid that he became a beautiful soul and man.
This book show us how we need to have a voice and our life, even when we want to give up of everything. You are not alone like Maggie.
I can’t wait to start reading “Gravity of Us”.
Only one author has ever made me cry while reading her books, Brittainy C Cherry. This is my 3rd book from her and she did it again. The emotion in this book… words can’t describe it.
We follow Maggie. An outgoing, fun-loving 10 year old who is determined to marry her brother’s best friend, Brooks. And then one day everything changes and her world is flipped upside down. But who is steady through this storm? Brooks.
Their love is complicated. Their love is hard. Their love is pure. Their love is worth it. The journey on these pages is worth it. Despite the tears and heartache… because of the tears and heartache something beautiful emerges. You don’t want to miss The Silent Water. But, make sure you have tissues ready.
Another great read from this author I loved this one
This was a very beautiful story with a lot of ups and downs that will keep your emotions in check at all times..
I love the silent waters, the story of two young souls who met just when they were starting to discover their lives and couldn’t separate or live apart.. as life continues we get to live all the sadness and problems Maggie and Brooks go through making us fall in love with their relationship and love that it was always very deep and profound..
Only Brooks knew her and knew what she needed, only he was able to help her and make her feel good, he was her cure and her only safety net. he was the only one able to give her voice when shadows of her past keep lurking around.
Brooks was a great hero he was always a gentle soul with an open heart ready to discover and help his soulmate whenever she was going through a rough patch.. he was talented and was so ready to finally make his dreams come true, when life happens and those dreams come crashing down leaving him hopeless and without a motive to feel alive.
Maggie was a beautiful heroine, she was always happy with a gentle soul until something happened that made her lose some of her light, she was always dreaming and making everybody around happy and grateful but Brooks was the only one who understood her since the very first moments. together they were invincible and strong.
Maggie and Brooks were an amazing couple, they really were perfect for each other and I love how Brittainy made these two characters so well balanced and so in tune with each other. One of the best parts of the story is when the two stories and past start to merge in a way that both Maggie and Brooks start to see how they will only survive if they finally accept the help and the strength of one and other.
Great story, lots of emotional feelings and moments that will really keep you wanting to know more..
Ahhhh, just finished this beautiful story.
A book that hooked me from the beginning…until the end. Fantastic story that takes us over many years. A friends to lovers book that will stay with me forever.
It just takes one event to totally change someone. That one event happened to Maggie when she was 8 and on her way to her wedding rehearsal to get married to Brooks. Changing her life, her family changed, her friends changed, but the one constant that was there forever was Brooks.
True love meant you could laugh at mistakes.
True love meant you could whisper secrets.
True love meant you never had to dance alone.
This is what we face while reading Maggie and Brooks story.
Devoured this book!
The world keeps spinning because your heartbeats exist.
This book was absolute perfection. Brooks and Maggie May have stolen my heart and I’m afraid I’ll never get it back. My heart ached for Maggie May and the trauma she went through that changed her whole life. Brooks was always there for her. He was her strength when she had none and eventually helped her find her way back. Brittainy C. Cherry has a way of writing a book that completely consumes you and this book has completely consumed me in the best way possible.
Another fabulous book by Ms. Cherry!
4.5 “The world keeps spinning because your heartbeat exists.” Stars!! Wow! An emotional read for sure, that spans over decades. Unconditional love at its purest. A must read!
You have done it again Ms. Cherry! This story grabbed me from the get go and still hasn’t let me go. This story of Maggie May and Brooks is a love that everyone should experience!
Thanks a lot, Brittainy! My makeup is gone, washed away in the tears I have been crying for the past couple hours as I read The Silent Waters. It is heartbreaking, so beautiful and emotional and I cannot remember the last time I read something that resonated with me so much.
Maggie May, Brooks, Calvin, Cheryl, Mr. Riley, Rudolph, Oliver, Mrs. Riley and finally, Mrs. Boone. God, how I love each every one of these characters. They’re all singularly important and have their own impact on the story. Some, to bring drama and pain, some, to bring love and support, and some, just to be there. This isn’t so much Maggie and Brooks’ story as it is Maggie’s story. It’s her story of silence, and pain, and fear, and finally living and love. Brooks is there to be her counterpart, her anchor, and he’s important, and beautiful, and so sweet and swoony, but it’s really Maggie who is the absolute center of The Silent Waters. She’s strong, and kind, and so beautiful, even without a physical voice. I can’t think of a heroine I’ve loved more.
And, though I love Maggie (and Brooks!), it’s Mr. Riley whom I think I love the most. He’s got to be the most loving father ever written. I can only imagine having such an amazing father. After all, he’s the one who originally said to her, the sweetest, most heart tugging line in the entire story, “The world keeps spinning because your heartbeats exist.” Yep, done. I was done the first time he said that, and because of that, he’s my favorite, favorite dad, favorite character, just my favorite.
All that being said, the best, most emotional part of The Silent Waters comes after the ending, in the Note from the Author. Please, do not skip this, even if you always skip the notes from the author in every other book you’ve read. Because if you skip it, you’ll never know why this book was written, and for whom. And you won’t have another thing to make you cry. Read it, READ IT!
Geez o petes this punched me right in the feels. This book was really, really good. More to come later. I need to get rid of these pesky things called emotions right now. Because emotions are ew. Nobody’s got time for that!
This book clenched my heart in a vise and squeezed til my chest felt like it’d explode. I can not explain how deep Maggie May and Brooks’ story touched my heart and soul. Their story is profoundly beautiful, painful and overflowing with hope. I love this book. I cried just as much reading the author’s note at the end as I did while reading the story. Brilliant book, beautifully written and incredibly touching.