Che-Michelle Tales

Book: The Mixtape

Author: Brittainy Cherry

Published: July 2021

Wine/Drink: Midnight Tart Cherry Mocktail

Stand Alone, Series, or Other: Stand Alone

Type of book: Novel

Genre: Fiction, Romance

How long did it take me to read this book:   One Week

Audible/Google / Spotify: Audible/Kindle

Overall rating: 🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷

The Mixtape is a beautiful journey of self-discovery after tragedy. I had seen this book on several blogs and Instagram posts about how amazing the story was written. This year, the book was on sale; yes, a sale finally got me to get this book. I got the book, and it gripped me; the prologue only ranged everywhere from ok, I am intrigued, to What the hell, to Oh no, I need to know what happens all in the prologue not even the first chapter!

In a recent post, I talked about not always wanting to read traumatic love stories, and the universe felt that energy and said, “Here,” and now I must take back my words because, this story delivered victory after tragedy. “The Mixtape is everything I want in a story dealing with grief, rediscovering yourself, and learning to love again. In this book, we are introduced to Oliver Smith, a musician dealing with one of the most challenging times in his life, and what happens when you both have support but not the correct support when coping with grief. This is a topic I will discuss on a different blog

Often, people have  support, but it is not the correct type of support for the during grief. There is never enough of people just letting you be or too quickly leaving you alone with the thoughts and sense of loss you may feel not having that person or thing in your life anymore. Being emotionally there for a person during that time is problematic because it will make you ask questions of yourself and make you either a compassionate, caring person or someone who watches from the sideline, paralyzed by fear to help.

We are also introduced to Emery, a down-on-her-luck single mother struggling to survive but also dealing with feelings of inadequacy, fear, and poverty while taking care of her daughter, Reese. As the story unfolds, you realize how strong and amazing Emery is when her whole story unfolds. In the book, the author acknowledges that this story was a labor of love, and you can tell from the care she paid to all the characters. Each character was crafted with care and nuance that made me ask questions. I wanted to know more about Abaigail’s previous life before she met Emery. Oliver’s Parents stole the show in the few Chapters that appeared. Samantha, aka Sammie, her story by itself could be the author’s second book if she wanted to stay in the world of Oliver and Emery. I loved that throughout most of the book, the songs given or suggested by the characters to each other reflected their mood, personalities, and feelings about each other. The author created this playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2xcrKdNTBRuMFK8F4UEBsD?si=NpGZiqoiRbml3cCR4QXsFw

The playlist is called “The Mixtape” By Brittainy Cherry.

Ms. Cherry does a fantastic job weaving a complicated story with depth and nuance and capturing how other people in our lives either help us through our rough times or will be vultures and pick a person to a level lower than they can ever expect. This book was the best roller coaster ride I have been on while reading a book. I read this book every chance I could. I finished this book within 5 days. I want to go back and read the book to see if I missed anything. I do not often like time jumps in books, but Ms. Cherry does a Masterful job with her jumps. They are well-placed and not overused, just enough to move the story along.

The book’s most unexpected and captivating plotline for me was the relationship between Emery and her sister, Sammie. Their bond as older and younger sisters was palpable, with Emery taking her role as protector seriously. As an older sibling, I know that sometimes being a protector is not enough when abuse and trauma take hold. If you read this book, Oliver’s story will draw you in, but Emery’s spirit will keep you engaged. ‘The Mixtape’ is a book that, once you start, you will not want to put down.

I choose not to drink any wine or drinks due to an incident in the first chapter, but if you want something to sip while reading this book,  try a Midnight Tart Cherry Mocktail I got from the following site: Midnight Tart Cherry Mocktail https://munchingwithmariyah.com/midnight-tart-cherry-mocktail/. 

I loved the flavor; I added more lime than suggested. It is excellent for relaxing and will help you rest at night’s end. I picked the cherry Mocktail because it is delicious and because of the author’s last name, but the link for the recipe is above ☝🏾☝🏾☝🏾☝🏾.

Until Next Time,

Che Michelle

Wanted to put the AI generated image for this review…