Name: The Mixtape
Rating: 4.4 (15 reviews)

Brittainy C. Cherry

The Mixtape

Anna Stewart

Totally Addicted to Reading

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.Each time I pick up a book by Brittainy Cherry, I expect an engaging and emotional read. She did not disappoint with her latest, The Mixtape. It follows a struggling single mother, and a broken musician on their journey of self-discovery, healing and love.

I was eager to read this latest offering from the offer, so I was glad for the opportunity to take part in the blog tour. I had a good time with the story from start to finish.

The story introduces Oliver, a talented, introverted and shy singer. He lost his twin brother, Alex, the other half of their music duo, in a tragic accident. The fans and the media blamed him despite him not being responsible. Since that terrible night, he spiraled into a state of depression with alcohol as his crutch.

Emery, a single mom to precocious five-year-old, is struggling to make ends meet. To her, Alex and Oliver’s music was her saving grace. Their music got her through some difficult moments in her life. Oliver played the leading role in most of her fantasies, but never did she dream that one day she would be the one to rescue him from the well of despair.

Emery was such a great character. Strong, independent and determined. Despite the struggles she faced, she never gave hope for a better life for her and her daughter. I loved how she always put her daughter first. My heart ached for Oliver as I watched him struggled to come to terms with the loss of his twin. I felt every ounce of his pain, fears, despair and loneliness. It didn’t help that he lived with a soul sucking leech, who only dated him because of what he could do for her career. Emery’s daughter Reece brought lightness to the story with her sass. Her interactions with her mom made me smile, but what had me laughing were the conversations between her and Oliver. 

I loved the friendship which developed between Oliver and Emery and their falling in love was the icing on the cake. However, their journey towards love and healing had its fair share of challenges. I have to admit I wanted more of the romance. Drama and angst overshadowed it. 

I had my suspicions about some events concerning Emery’s family, so the revelations came as no surprise. I won’t go into the details, but one thing I will say is that I am glad she escaped that toxic environment. The story addressed some heavy topics, but Cherry balanced it out with humour and a slow burning romance. Overall, a wonderful story and one I recommend without hesitation.  


Narration
When I discovered that the audio version was available through Kindle Unlimited , I chose to listen. This was my first experience with the narrators, Jordan Cobb, James Shippy, They both did a great job, but for me Jordan was the shining star. The narration enhanced my enjoyment of the story.

This review was originally posted on Totally Addicted to Reading

Brittainy Cherry

Since the death of his twin brother, Oliver's caught between pleasing his fans and finding himself. Emery finds him first. Emery has never felt more alone. Raising her daughter is both her pleasure and her pain as she struggles to hold on to her job as a bartender and keep a roof over their heads. With no one to help them―no support system―any unexpected expense or late bill could turn their whole world upside down. Reeling from the death of his twin brother and bandmate, rock star Oliver Smith is trying to drink his problems away. Apparently he isn't very good at it; they follow him wherever he goes. Also in hot pursuit are the paparazzi, who catch Oliver at his lowest low. He could have walked into any bar in California, but he walked into hers. Emery helps Oliver lose the crowd, and they find themselves alone: two people whose paths are marked with loss and pain. However, they hold an unshakable hope for healing. They find solace together, but can their love withstand the world?

Ilham

4.75 ⭐️ I just have one thing to say: YALL HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK.

mary ˚୨୧⋆｡˚

« You found me when my heartbeats were hardly there, and you stamped them. You stamped my heart, and that’s why it’s still beating. »

En commençant ce livre, je pensais trouver une romance banale mais ce n’était absolument pas le cas ici.
C’est l’histoire de deux âmes brisés, Emery par son histoire familiale, Oliver par un événement tragique et personnel ; qui essaie tout simplement de se reconstruire. 
Lors de ma lecture, j’ai pu ressentir tant d’émotions fortes, grâce à l’écriture douce de l’auteure, qui narre même la pire des tragédies de manière sublime.
Le point fort de l’histoire, ce n’est point la relation entre les deux protagonistes mais la fille d’Emery, Reese, qui est un rayon de soleil et qui est juste tellement mignonne. Et sa relation avec Oliver est une pépite et tant touchante.
Mais nous ne pouvons pas ne pas parler bien sûr de nos tourtereaux, Emery et Oliver, qui représente aujourd’hui l’une des plus belles relations que j’ai pu lire à ce jour. Ces deux amoureux sont déjà des personnes très fortes, qui sont passés par des moments extrêmement dur et leur évolution est aussi magnifique que leur amour. Leur amour est beau, sain et voir une femme noire autant aimée, sans souffrir, c’est un brin de fraîcheur que j’apprécie fortement.
Cette histoire nous montre bien que même si les temps sont durs et que notre vie est semblable à un ciel nuageux, les nuages finiront par laisser place à un soleil et au bonheur.

Re-read — 08/11/2023 :

Quel fut un plaisir de relire ce livre, c’est vraiment ma meilleure lecture de l’année. Avec cette relecture, j’ai pu remarquer de nombreux détails passés à la trappe lors de la première lecture. 
J’ai vu surtout un Oliver encore plus parfait que dans mes souvenirs de début d’année. Il est vraiment le Book Boyfriend ultime et l’homme parfait dont tout le monde rêve. J’ai ressenti toutes les émotions x1000, la peine tant que l’amour entre les personnages, que j’ai vraiment trouvé beau et fort et non en surface. 
J’admire encore plus Emery, qui est une femme très forte et battante, un modèle. 
C’est le livre de mon cœur et mon livre de l’année. Il n’y a pas mieux.

Okay, so this was so so good! I was constantly saying, “oh my god, they’re so cute!”  The writing was just so good and I fell in love with the story. The main characters were so good and wanted the absolute best for them. This book also reaffirmed that children in books make it so much better! I would constantly go back and forth from happy and laughing to sad and wanting to cry throughout. It was just so good! Don’t even get me started on the title and cover. It had a correlation with the plot and man it almost made me cry too! Highly recommend for anyone who wants a good, quick read!

Priscilla Stanfield

4.75/5⭐️ • .25/5🌶️

Okay, so this was so so good! I was constantly saying, “oh my god, they’re so cute!”  The writing was just so good and I fell in love with the story. The main characters were so good and wanted the absolute best for them. This book also reaffirmed that children in books make it so much better! I would constantly go back and forth from happy and laughing to sad and wanting to cry throughout. It was just so good! Don’t even get me started on the title and cover. It had a correlation with the plot and man it almost made me cry too! Highly recommend for anyone who wants a good, quick read!

Faith Kitowski

4.5/5. this book is so much more than a romance. it’s healing and grief and finding the good in days. i loved it so much, i cried. i was not expecting this kind of book when i started but i do not regret a second of it

Don’t mind me. . . just crying at 3:30am and listening to 

Don’t mind me. . . just crying at 3:30am and listening to “Godspeed” by James Blake and "You Are the Reason" by Calum Scott

“I want to be here” AHHHHH TEARS!! I can't stop crying

Don’t mind me. . . just crying at 3:30am and listening to “Godspeed” by James Blake and "You Are the Reason" by Calum Scott

“I want to be here” AHHHHH TEARS!! I can't stop crying

(view spoiler)[ omg Oliver giving Reece his heart necklace BROKE ME!! bc she's his best friend now 

"There was a point in my life where the bad days outweighed the good, so coming to the place where I was now, I was overwhelmed by how many great days I’d experienced."

"If I’d given up all those years ago, when I was at my lowest, feeling as if death was closer to me than life, I never would’ve made it to this very moment. I never would’ve discovered my true happiness."

"Each day was worth living because it led to the better tomorrows, the brighter days, the happily ever after. This was our life. It had its ups and downs, but without question, it was ours. This was our mixtape, and I was damn proud of it." (hide spoiler)]

loren

Oliver y Emery los amo mucho 🥹🫶🏻

Turtle lover

It was a good 5 star story but I was not much into it so I placed it at 4 stars as my enjoyment of the book.

allie

5/5⭐
⬇️
Leer a Brittainy C. Cherry es siempre un auténtico placer. Y con esta novela no ha sido menos, ha sido sencillamente maravillosa. 
▪️
En esta historia nos encontramos a Emery y Oliver. Emery es una joven madre que hace todo lo posible por proporcionarle la mejor vida posible a su hija. Es una mujer fuerte, luchadora y valiente.
Por otra parte, Oliver es un joven cantante que, tras un duro suceso, intenta seguir adelante. La personalidad de Oliver me ha encantado. Es un chico súper dulce, amable, divertido y respetuoso. Me ha apasionado por completo este personaje.
Emery y Oliver se conocen un día por casualidad y a partir de ese momento sus vidas cambiarán para siempre.
Ambos llevan una vida en la que cada día luchan por seguir adelante lo mejor posible y cuando se conocen todo cambia para ellos. Se entienden increíblemente bien desde el primer momento, se apoyan siempre y se ayudan en un momento clave para ellos. Ha sido súper especial ver cómo sus sentimientos crecen paso a paso. Es que me ha encantado.
La conexión entre ambos protagonistas es increíble. Desde el primer momento se nota esa química y conexión y ha sido maravilloso sentir ese cariño, amor y apoyo incondicional entre los dos. La conexión y su relación es pura, sana, llena de respeto, cariño y amor y ha sido maravilloso sentir tan profundamente esta relación.

Los personajes secundarios han sido maravillosos también y súper importantes para los protagonistas y la historia. Reese ha sido un personaje súper especial (no diré quién es para no hacer spoiler). Kelly, Sammie y Abigail son personajes secundarios clave, súper importantes y muy muy especiales.
▪️
La novela está narrada por ambos protagonistas y eso me ha encantado. Ver cómo poco a poco superan sus problemas, cómo sus sentimientos van creciendo y cómo crecen personalmente, ha sido maravilloso.
Esta novela es mucho más que una historia de amor. Es una historia de superación personal, gratitud, valentía y fuerza. Es una historia muy emotiva, llena de momentos sorprendentes, especiales y llenos de amistad, amor y respeto.
▪️
"The mixtape" es una novela adictiva, entretenida y muy rápida de leer. Es una historia que atrapa desde el primer momento, con unos personajes maravillosos llenos de vida y amor. Una historia increíblemente emotiva, especial y para mí ha sido maravillosa.
He disfrutado de principio a fin esta novela. Me ha emocionado con cada página y me ha hecho sentir muchísimo. Ha sido una lectura maravillosa y muy especial. Simplemente increíble.

Katelyn Broad

This book was so cute! I read it pretty quickly and found myself looking forward to reading it. I read it on kindle unlimited and enjoyed all of my time reading it. It was cute, sad, beautiful at times, and all in all a quick and fun read. 

Emery was lonely raising her daughter alone. She struggled hard to make ends meet and while she had a wonderful neighbor/friend to lean on, she still felt alone. One thing that brought her comfort was her favorite band, Alex & Oliver.

Oliver hasn't been the same since his twin Alex passed away. Alex was not only his brother but also his bandmate, the other half of Alex & Oliver. He copes by drinking the feelings away and has never felt so alone. 

When they get brought together one evening, their lives are changed forever.

Lynn Braden

Emery has had a tough time making ends meet while caring for her daughter alone and holding down two jobs, until one night when a rock star, Oliver Smith gets drunk in the bar where she works. After he becomes overwhelmed by paparazzi and a group of fans who are angry when he failed to perform at his planned concert, Emery quickly closes the bar and sneaks Oliver back to her apartment. The next day her boss fires her, leaving her with bills to pay and no job.  To make amends, Oliver hires Emery as his chef and seems to make all of her problems go away, but Oliver is dealing with his own demons after the death of his twin brother, and Emery has her work cut out for her if she is going to help him deal with his spiraling life.

The Mixtape is a poignant story that deals with depression, loss, and verbal abuse.  Both Emery and Oliver deal with all three in the present and flashbacks into the past, making them a perfect couple, almost too much so.  Many of the incidents in the book, while difficult, seem to have answers that are just too easily achieved.  Emery is the poster girl for overcoming challenges, and her ability to help Oliver seems a bit too contrived.  However, the story is a page turner that evokes happy and sad tears throughout.  Overall, The Mixtape is an emotional roller coaster of a book that draws the reader in and doesn't let go until the very end.

The Mixtape

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