Review: Loving Mr. Daniels by Brittainy C. Cherry

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Review

5 “forever forever and always always” stars!

“You’re doing it.”
“Doing what?”
“Bringing me back to life.”

I absolutely adored this book. Loving Mr. Daniels, written by Brittainy C. Cherry, is a gorgeous story about a forbidden love that is pure and true. Brittainy did a great job putting a new spin on the teacher/student relationship theme, which left my heart full and my eyes wet with both happy and sad tears. It is a perfect mix of romance, family, friendship, heartache, healing, forgiveness, growth, and moving on.

Loving Mr. Daniels is stunning story about two people who are so right for each other but who fall in love at the wrong time. When Ashlyn and Daniel meet on a train, there is something that draws them to each other.

She was pained by some type of grief, and I had seen it eating her alive – the same way my sadness was tearing me apart. And nothing or nobody could stop if from happening.

They hit it off immediately, an attraction between the two of them apparent, and Daniel invites her to watch his band play at a local bar. Ashlyn is mesmerized by Daniel when she sees him performing. Her heart is broken and she is completely lost after loosing the person most dear to her but Daniel seems to give her a reprieve from that pain.

I wanted to know anything and everything about the stranger who played music that had the power to make me feel good for a few moments.

Ashlyn and Daniel soon learn that the have a lot in common and are both suffereing the loss of a loved one. They spend the evening walking and talking and form a bond while pretending for just a little longer that they don’t have broken hearts. Making plans to meet again, Ashlyn finally has hope that the hurt in her heart may lessen with Daniel around.

Then they bump into each other before their next date…at school…where Daniel is Mr. Daniels, an English teacher at Ashlyn’s highschool. To say they were shocked with this realization is an understatement. They don’t quite know how to handle this situation and Mr. Daniels does the only thing he can – ignore the attaction he has for Ashlyn as well as end any possible relationship that could have formed.

They try avoiding each other as much as they can but this proves impossible considering the fact that she is in his English class. No matter how much Ashlyn fights her feelings, they grow stronger as the days go by. She finds herself falling in love with not only Daniel, the musician, but Mr. Daniels, the teacher. She loves everything about him, the way he thinks, his kindness, and the enthusiasm that he has for Shakespeare’s works, which are also a love of hers.

He was still there. Daniel wasn’t merely Mr. Daniels – he was still himself. And I was still on his mind, the same way he lived in mine.
Maybe there weren’t two different Daniels. Maybe Mr. Daniels was just another part of him. So it wasn’t surprising that I had fallen for both sides of the coin. I was crazy about all of him – the good, the bad, and the broken pieces.

I loved the forbidden aspect of this book. I thought it was extremely well written and I felt the agony when they couldn’t be together. They fought their attraction but they couldn’t fight it forever.

“I don’t want to be your friend,” he saide. We breathed in together and exhaled in harmony. “I want to be yours, I want you to be mine, and I hate that we can’t be us. Because I think er were meant to be us.”

I loved Ashlyn and Daniel together as well as seperately. Their connection was so real, and I loved the love they had for each other. Ashlyn was a wonderful heroine. She felt so much and I just wanted to help take her pain away. She was wonderful throughout the story, and I loved her personality and her heart. I loved Daniel as well. He was sweet, sexy, gorgeous, and romantic. He was a seriously swoonworthy hero and gave me butterflies right along with Ashlyn. I loved that he was so protective of Ashlyn and really wanted the best for her.

My heart broke throughout the book for both Ashlyn and Daniel. Ashlyn had to go through so much throughout the story but Brittainy helped heal my heart right along side Ashlyn’s. The pain of losing someone never goes away, and I felt Ashlyn’s loss completely. Daniel was dealing with a lot of stuff as well when we met him. The situations he was put in and the tragic and sudden loss of his own tugged at my heart and I hoped that the issues in his life with would be resolved.

This book was so much more than a forbidden romance. It was about growing and healing after a heartbreaking loss, about families coming together, friendships that last a lifetime, and forgiveness. I loved how the story progressed, the growth the characters went through, and even the painful moments that ripped my heart open. Brittainy has a way of piecing my heart back together though making the angst worth it.

Spoiler
Though, I am still torn up over Ryan.

Loving Mr. Daniels also has amazing secondary characters. Hailey and Ryan were fantastic additions to the story. I loved how welcoming they were from the beginning, and showed Ashlyn the support she needed. They were loyal and there for her always. Their lack of judgement and total acceptance of Ashlyn helped ease her transition into her new life. I also loved the part Gabby played. I loved her notes and the bucket list she put together. My eyes wept with Ashlyn’s and my heart filled with love every time Gabby made an appearance, and I loved how Gabby knew exactly what Ashlyn needed.

I loved this book and I really liked the direction it took at the end.

Spoiler
I think it was understandable that Ashlyn wanted to find herself. To see who she was without someone else. She was always part of a duo and she needed to grow on her own. I hated that she needed to leave, but I am glad she was mature enough to realize it was necessary. I loved that Ashlyn and Daniel’s love never wavered, and I thought the reunion was perfect. 

“You didn’t bring me the light, Ashlyn. You are the light.”

5 stars!

Side note: I read this book more than a year ago, but just finished listening to it on audible. I am new to audiobooks so it has taken me a while to get into them. Sometimes I actually end up switching from listening to reading if the narrators aren’t great. However, the audible version of Loving Mr. Daniels was wonderful! Jennifer Stark and Vikas Adam were the narrators and I think they did a great job.

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