Eleanor & Grey

I received a free copy through Social Butterfly PR in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.3.5 stars — I think I wanted this one to be a 5 star so badly, but it just wasn’t. The beginning was SO STRONG. I absolutely adored Part One of the book, it sucked me in and made me feel and I was invested in Ellie & Grey.But I felt like part two didn’t quite match up with part one. I felt like Ellie wasn’t quite the same woman we’d come to know in part one, and while obviously her life is going to change her a bit, she just didn’t feel consistent enough. I was also disappointed that we never really got to understand what Ellie was up to in the *16 YEARS* they were apart. We got hints, but it wasn’t enough for me, especially given how much she changed.I was completely surprised by the narrative surrounding Grey and his grief, and while it took me aback initially, I appreciated that there wasn’t something additionally sinister to the whole thing. It was truly a story of grief, and learning to love again when you had the perfect love. I guess I was just expecting a different kind of angst, and it made it so hard to invest in Ellie & Grey as a couple at times. But on the other hand, it was refreshing to read this storyline where someone with a true love gets to find love again.There were so many bright spots in this book, and the brightest was probably the frank way it looks at grief, and the way different people mourn, and how there are no right and wrong answers. I absolutely loved seeing Ellie try to fit in with Grey’s family, and then try to help his girls. I truly believed that she fell in love with them as well.It was, ironically, the romance that I felt let down by. Not completely, but it really didn’t blow me away. I really loved the connection that they had with one another, but something…something was missing. I was initially taken aback by some twists and turns in their relationship, but on the other hand it was refreshing that it didn’t follow certain rules… It felt real. But I guess it was also real in that often love is quiet and understated, and I kind of wanted something a bit bigger and more fictional for them. And yes, I do get how silly that might sound. I loved that Grey was so in love with his wife, but then I guess I wanted something *that big and amazing* for him and Ellie. And I didn’t get that.There was a pretty great cast of characters in this one, from ones who played a huge role to ones who played smaller roles. I loved the many different kinds of family relationships that were explored, some amazing, some not so much. And not just in part two, but part one as well (particularly loved Ellie’s Mom). And within those families, I felt like there was lots of real talk. They dealt with some gritty stuff, and in general it was very well done.I’ve noticed a pattern to Ms. Cherry’s writing, and while I LOVE some aspects, occasionally they felt overdone in this one. She often repeats phrases throughout the story, and I actually really love that. But she repeated quite a few phrases instead of just one or two key ones, and it lost its impact for me.I feel like part one was 5+ stars for me, and had me wanting to shout about it from the rooftops. But part two was only maybe 3 stars. It had many great moments, but in the end I felt underwhelmed and disappointed…probably mostly because the first part was so strong, and I wanted “more of that”.

Think about it: a young awkward girl, meets self assured boy. Opposites attract, right? But it’s so much more. Ellie and Grey come together in high school when they each needed someone to rely on. Equally lonely in their own ways, they create an extraordinary friendship. Tragedy, college, years pass by, and they find each other again in a completely different scenario. In different stages of their lives, they once again heal each other when it’s needed.”I knew I told her that I wanted to be her friend to keep her from being lonely, but maybe I needed a friend just as much as she did.Maybe I needed her even more than she needed me.”If you didn’t know, Brittainy C. Cherry is a master at YA. Eleanor & Grey part one is an absolute delight! With incredibly emotional scenes, you can’t help but sob but then laugh on the next page. We come to part two, and our characters have reached adulthood. Brittainy’s signature contemporary romance shines in these chapters. Deeply moving words, tragic details, and lots of joy make Eleanor & Grey a masterpiece.”Our love story was so much more than a romantic tale. Our story was about friendship. About family. About looking out for those who always looked out for you.His soul was born to be loved by mine.”Absolute, 100%, six stars, and Brittany Cherry’s best work to date! Eleanor & Grey was simply beautiful and heartfelt. I connected with this story on a personal level and it’s become my favorite book of 2019.

I’ve been a fan of Brittainy C. Cherry since I read Loving Mr. Daniels. That book remains a particular favorite of mine, something I will re-read when I get the chance. I’ve read every book of hers since, but I have not connected with a story quite like I do with Eleanor and Grey.This book has it all: young teen friends-to-something more, a lapsed friendship, two former (?) soul mates who meet fifteen years later, a renewed friends-to-lovers, and a second chance at romance. It also has characters who grab your heart and squeeze it until tears roll down your face.One of the central emotions in this book is grief. Both Eleanor and Grey suffer painful, gut-wrenching losses that nearly capsize them. They find a way to cope: each other. Early in the book, Eleanor unwittingly brings light to Grey’s darkness; he rescues her from pain she is unable to navigate; later, she helps him heal with that light he needs. Other characters grieve, too, and Brittainy C. Cherry makes you feel their pain and struggle. One character in particular will nearly crush you with her suffering, even as you hold so dearly that hope that she will overcome it.This is also the story of family, the family we are born into and the family we choose. Be there for each other, Brittainy C. Cherry tells you. Be there the way you are needed. It’s this second caveat that proves most painful for Eleanor. What if the way someone needs you is less than what you wish?I loved everything about this book, even how hard I wept at times. I loved Eleanor and Grey and their supporting cast (Karla will GUT YOU), and I love the way Brittainy C. Cherry wove her story together, showing you the different ways we mourn and we love.As Eleanor says, “People didn’t have to talk about love to know that it existed. Love wasn’t only real because people said it out loud. No, love just kind of sat there quietly, in the shadows of the night, healing the cracks that lived on our heart.” Be there for each other. We need, as Eleanor and Grey would say, more of this.

I like to read a variety of books and it’s not very often that I will find a book that stays with me long after i’ve read it and a book that I simply want to re read again and again! This book was a little gem from a very talented author! Basically Eleanor and Grey meet when they are very young and still in high school. They become firm friends, they have a connection and love begins to blossom but the timing is all wrong and fate steps in so they are forced to go their separate ways. They meet again by chance some 16 years later only Grey is not the same person that Eleanor once knew, he’s lost & trying to cope desperately with his loss & bringing up his two young daughters. With the way the story unfolds it’s like they were destined to meet as Eleanor vows to help Grey through his grief the same way he did for her when they were young even though he tries his best to push her away!And this is where the story really picks up and will have you riveted to every page, every chapter, every word because of the way the author captures every scene & every emotion with the reader in mind! It teaches you how it feels to truly love, how to endure and how to forgive not only others but yourself too. The story was tinged with sadness but not heavy with it because the author very cleverly balances your tears with wit & humour at the same time too. It was written with depth and meaning with well developed characters and it didn’t lag once; you get just enough of Grey & Eleanor’s past before it moves at a good pace into the future. Just a sneer peek you will absolutely fall in love with little Lorelai!This book will touch your soul because it will show you that life does get ugly no matter your age, but also that life is short so it’s important to capture the happy and to live in the moment. The only tiny thing missing for me is the not knowing what happened to Grey’s parents, for me that would have made the story complete. But having said that this book is simply & truly awesome!I would 100% recommend and I will certainly be reading more from this very talented writer.

I've tried to write an adequate review since the day I read this book, but it all goes back to my messages to Brittany C. Cherry:"Eleanor and Grey are beautiful. I felt this book, Eleanor and Grey, the grief, the love and the guilt so much. It’s wondrous, awe inspiring, breathtaking and healing. It just made me fall in love with literature and love all over again. I don’t know how to explain it exactly, but I really feel this story deep in my heart and bones.You. Are. Beautiful. Your mind is beautiful and you wrote this beautiful book that is just you. Every word I read made me think of you, and fall in love with your mind, and every tear was you, every laugh was you and every soft smile when Grey would look at Eleanor was you.And now that I’ve finished I feel different, to paraphrase, “These words weren’t as heavy as all my others. So, I let them stay.”"Honestly, I can’t imagine how anxious you must feel to put such a beautiful piece of your soul into the world, but if nothing else, I’m proud of you, proud as a woman and proud as someone who has seen loss, who has loved words and other humans. I hope everyone will recognise the meaning behind this story, I just genuinely feel different. I just can’t stop thinking about it. I probably won’t for a very long time."

What a beautiful story. It was so easy to fall in love with Ellie and Grey. They were both such generous, loving and caring characters. They certainly had their ups and downs, highs and lows but it was so moving how they were both there for each other at the times when they were needed the most. When Ellie first starts working for Grey, it is such a shock to see how much he has changed - I think the author does a brilliant job in conveying Grey's inner torment and despair. The gradual healing process that follows for Grey, Karla, Lorelai and Ellie is quite a journey and is beautifully written. Well worth 5 stars!!

When i first read one of brittainy cherrys books i made myself come up with what I call 'must have when reading this author' survival kit, it includes wine, chocolate and an enormous amount if tissues. The books by brittainy Cherry always make me cry, but I did really enjoy this book. Be warned though you will definitely need tissues

This was a book in 2 parts the first part was in their teens and it made me shed a tear the storyline was about the loss of loved ones and how people deal with their loss and their grieving process I was touched with the connection I felt with how I dealt with the loss of my loved one very poignant moments throughout