Eleanor & Grey by Brittainy C. Cherry

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Title: Eleanor & Grey
Author: Brittainy C. Cherry
Published by: Indie
Release Date: April 8, 2019
Format: eARC
Pages: 398
Genres: Romance, Contemporary
Source: Social Butterfly PR
Reading Challenges: Lenoreo's 2019 New Release Challenge
Find it: Goodreads ✩ Amazon
My rating:

Blurb:

Greyson East left his mark on me.

As the young girl who first fell for him, I didn’t know much about life. I did know about his smiles, though, and his laughs, and the strange way my stomach flipped when he was near.

Life was perfect…until it wasn’t, and when we were forced to go our separate ways, I held on to our memories, let go of my first crush, and wished for the day I’d find him again.

When my wish came true, it was nothing like I imagined.

I couldn’t have known when I took the nanny position that it would be his children I looked after, that my new boss would be that boy I used to know, that boy who was now a man—a cold, lonely, detached man.

The smile and laugh I had loved so much were gone, now distant memories. Every part of him was covered in a fresh pain.

When he realized who I was, he made me promise to do my job and my job only. He made me promise not to try to get to know him, not to recall the memories I’d treasured all this time.

But, sometimes, I saw the boy I’d once known in his stormy eyes. I saw the Greyson who smiled and laughed, who had stolen a young girl’s heart, and there was no doubt in my mind that this boy was worth fighting for.

I was given a second chance with the one who’d left his mark on me. All I hoped was that somehow I’d leave a mark on his soul, too.

**Eleanor & Grey is a complete Standalone novel**

My Review:

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”.