Dear Lord, I was a snotty mess in my reading hammock with this one. It was simply another B Cherry masterpiece. There are books you like, there are books you love, and then there are books that completely consume your soul - The Silent Waters is one of the latter. When your chest aches with every word you read, you know it's a soul-shattering book. Just beautiful!



Let me just start by saying Maggie May is a unique, fresh character and her story is both heartbreaking and inspiring. I am in absolute awe how well Cherry was able to capture the trauma Maggie experienced, and even more amazed by how she managed to find beauty in such a situation. I loved her connection to books, and the way reading helped her through her life. What a sad and yet incredible thing - sad to live only through books, incredible to have the chance to live at all through books. I found myself clutching my heart with tears in my eyes several times in this story, and almost all of those times were due to the strong emotions I felt for Maggie. She was just such a lovely character.

Brooks is like a book boyfriend on steroids. I love reading about heroes that respect and care for the heroines. I loved how he cared for her, brought her books, played music for her, shared his life experiences, and omg FIVE MINUTES *dies* I just can't. SO SWOONY. And you know what? Brooks isn't perfect. He breaks, too - just like Maggie - and that makes me love him even more. We all have flaws, they make us strong and beautiful, and I loved reading his journey and how he and Maggie helped each other through life.

What I loved most about this book is what I love about ALL of Brittainy Cherry's books - it was so WELL-WRITTEN that it's just almost ridiculous. Like, when I read Brittainy's books, I seriously want to quit writing. I feel like I should bow down screaming, "I'M NOT WORTHY!" You can just tell that every word, every sentence, every scene is well thought out. It's almost as if every sentence is treated as its own story. Absolutely stunning.

Five stars just seems too weak of a rating to express my feels. I laughed, I swooned, I fell in love. I cried, I ached, and I hoped. Every character had a beautiful story to tell, from parents struggling to keep their love alive through life's grief to a loving sister who finds herself along the way. I could read this book a million times and find a fresh breath of life every single time. Brittainy, if you're listening - please, PLEASE - don't stop writing! <3