Behind Closed Doors

by Brittainy C. Cherry, Kandi Steiner

From the bestselling authors who brought you Goodreads Choice Award Nominee A Love Letter from the Girls Who Feel Everything comes a sophomore collection of powerful poetry and prose.

Written and collected over the course of more than five years, Behind Closed Doors is a personal, emotional journey through heartache, love, loss, hope, and every emotion in-between. Brittainy Cherry and Kandi Steiner come together in an unapologetic display of emotion that will sit with the reader long after the last word.

"We invite you to join us on this journey and hope our poetry can bring you even a fracture of the healing it provided us. We hope that you, too, will laugh and cry and burst with emotions. Because, from this point on, we refuse to keep our struggles behind closed doors."

Genres: Poetry, Contemporary

174 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 27, 2023

Reviews

[marioncoin | coin.reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

toujours un plaisir de retrouver ces deux reines 🫶🏻

— "you can't put back together the pieces of me that you snipped away hoping that i would be whole again and love you the same way." -B
— "you're allowed to be sad and cry for what you've lost so long as you can also be happy and smile for what you had." -K

[Shameless.bookslut · Rating 3 out of 5]

didn't have to think twice before reading this, after 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, this has been a cute treat as well. here's some of my favourite lines from the book..

♡ 𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙠𝙡𝙚𝙨. 𝙄𝙩 𝙥𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙨 𝙢𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣. 𝙄𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨 𝙢𝙚 𝙙𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙄’𝙫𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚.

♡ 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙮 𝙗𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙮 𝙚𝙣𝙙. 𝙔𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙮 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙞𝙙𝙙𝙡𝙚.

♡ 𝙔𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙧𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙫𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙤 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙙.

♡ 𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙩𝙤𝙤 𝙨𝙤𝙤𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝. 𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙞𝙚𝙧. 𝙞𝙩 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙙𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙨.

♡ 𝙈𝙮 𝙛𝙖𝙫𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙮𝙨 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙬 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙝𝙪𝙧𝙩 𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙨𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙧 𝙗𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙙𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙖𝙧𝙢𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙖𝙮 “𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙬, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪.” 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙚, 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙨 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙝 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙯𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙧𝙖𝙥𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙞𝙣 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙚, 𝙩𝙤𝙤, 𝙥𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣, 𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙡𝙡, 𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮’𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙞𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢.

[Jacqui · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book hit home a lot. I feel like this book would resonate with SO MANY PEOPLE.

I cried at some pages and bookmarked practically half the book because some just resonated with me that much!

If you’re going through a break up, read this book.
If you’re in a healthy happy relationship, read this book.
If you are in the dating scene and just vibing, read this book.

The feelings you have about love but can’t quite articulate are definitely in this book. I’ve never related to so many emotions left on a page but the ladies did just that. So grab a tissue or wine, a snack, because oh it’s a good one.

The artwork is gorgeous and just ties into the entire book as you read everything.

5 beautiful stars.

[ReadingTilTheBreakOfDawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Art (and poetry) is subjective. I don't like rating someone's emotions that have been bled onto paper.
That is what Brittainy Cherry and Kandi Steiner gave us. Their emotions. Their feelings. Their journey in life that bled into written words for us to read and feel.
Behind Closed Doors was beautiful and painful all wrapped into one. This is a collection of poetry from 2 women that you will want to own. If you've experienced heartbreak, love, loss, adventure, etc...this collection is for you.
And edit to add…..the artwork throughout is phenomenal! Loved it so dang much.

[Feefs ˚♡˚ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't know Brittainy Cherry did poetry! I downloaded this book so fast so I can read it on my Kindle and then loved it so much that I bought a physical copy to add to my collection. I truly loved this book and I felt so understood by the poetry. I completely recommend it!

[The Story Girl (Serenity) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This revolved around heartbreak and toxic relationships, and I definitely would have related to it a lot more in the past than now (thankfully).

[biinee_bookaholic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ich hab das erste Buch der beiden verschlungen und geliebt. Und auch dieses Buch ist mir wieder unter die Haut gegangen.

Beide Autorinnen haben es geschafft Gefühle zu beschreiben, als wären sie meine eigenen.

Dieses Buch ist gefüllt mit tiefen Emotionen und Verletzlichkeit. Und ich hab echt eine große Achtung vor den beiden, dass sie ihre Gedanken und Gefühle mit der Welt teilen.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply Breathtaking

What a collection this is, ive read on KU but will be purchasing this. So many feelings from start to finish. Love, heart ache, heart break. Ive read a lot of Kandi’s novels and she always rips my heart out so I kinda expected it but her & Brittany together have put something so special together. This is something youll go back to time and time again

[Kristin Dobson Rhoades · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful series of poems about the relatable ups and downs of life, from heartache, falling in love, loving yourself, and innermost thoughts and questions you may ask yourself when you’re alone. I actually found myself wanting to highlight entire poems at times because they resonated so deeply with me and a part of my life.

[Agapibooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️/5

〰️ Un ensemble de petits poèmes très doux, autour notamment de la rupture et de l’arrivée d’un nouvel amour. Peu concernée par les thèmes à l’heure actuelle mais un plaisir de retrouver les mots de deux autrices que j’affectionne.

[Stephanie Sharp · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good poetry book for those going through heartbreak and I read it in an hour. I only rate it 3 stars because I am not going through heartbreak so there were only a handful that truly resonated with me at this time.

[Stella ˎˊ˗ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection has such tender, vulnerable and beautiful poetry and prose. I love that Kandi and Brittainy invite you into the home of their emotions and their struggles behind closed doors. 💙 I connected with quite a lot of lines. Their writing is so gorgeous.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another beautiful poetry/prose collection by Brittainy Cherry and Kandi Steiner! I’ll be honest I’m not really sure what to rate this but it’s somewhere in the 4-5 range (I think more like 4.5? to make it in the middle but even then I don’t know and want to say 4). I’m struggling because you can really tell they poured their emotions into this and I feel weird rating something so personal less than 5 stars especially because they were all so lovely (and the artwork is STUNNING). However, I didn’t relate to nearly as many as I did in their first collection, so for me this one didn’t hit as hard, which is why I want to rate it 4. This one deals a lot with toxic relationships and past romantic loves lost/heartbreak and learning from those experiences, and I just don’t have personal experiences to relate that to so it fell a little flat for me unfortunately. However, it's not their fault that I can’t relate to them like they didn’t write this for me-they wrote out their emotions about things they have lived, you know? So yeah I’m struggling with a rating. I did really enjoy and relate to/feel seen in the ones about anxiety, grief, insecurities, and loving yourself. I even was able to connect to ones about heartbreak, just in other ways. So, I still highly recommend the collection, it’s a fast read and beautiful/emotional at times and I think everyone will be able to get something out of reading it. Maybe in a few years I’ll reread this and see which ones stick out to me then vs now.

Here are a few of my favorites from the collection (not all of these are the full poem/prose just parts of it):

“Something in the water is attached to my ankles.
It pulls me down. It makes me drown in every mistake
I’ve ever made.
The waves remind me of the awkward exchange with a stranger two weeks ago.
I play the scene repeatedly.
Stupid.“
-B

“When did the butterfly convert back to the caterpillar?”
-B

“Be gentle when you land against me.
For I know how the sweetest taste of nectar
can sometimes involve many bee stings.”
-B

“I believe in new chapters
and in re-reading old ones when my heart tells me to.“
-K

“If I could write an apology to anyone, it would be to younger me:
I’m sorry I didn't see your worth or you trying so hard.
I’m sorry I gave comfort to others before ever holding
you.
I’m sorry I belittled you and compared you to other
girls.
I’m sorry I didn’t tell you that you were good enough.”
-B

“You only need to stop in this moment
right now
and realize
Life
is written in these moments
these seemingly silly, unremarkable breaths of time.
This is life.
You’re living.
Breath it in.
And find joy in this alone. “
-K

“It’s always too soon when it comes to death.
Old age doesn’t make it easier.
It just means there are more memories to mourn and
more sadness that lingers.”
-B

“And I hope they remember me as a blessing to their life
that was solely passing through. Something that wasn’t
meant for forever, yet still mattered.”
-B

[Hannah Danielle (Justagirlandherbook21 - Bookstagram) · Rating 5 out of 5]

𝔹𝕖𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕕 ℂ𝕝𝕠𝕤𝕖𝕕 𝔻𝕠𝕠𝕣𝕤 | 𝔹𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕥𝕒𝕚𝕟𝕪 ℂ𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕣𝕪 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕂𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕚 𝕊𝕥𝕖𝕚𝕟𝕖𝕣
𝔸ℝℂ

I'm a translation studies student, as part of my study program I experimented with different texts for translation – Sometimes fantasy, sometimes historical, sometimes comedy. Then I had to translate limerick and poems, I never thought I would connect to that.
How does this relate to this review? I saw that Kandi Steiner and Brittainy Cherry were releasing a poetry book with poems they had written, so I decided to try something new, to break my regular routine.

There were parts that I really connected with and even identified with, there were parts that made crazy shivers run all over my body and there were even parts that made my heart contract with pain.

Exposed, naked, painfully honest poetry
Strong words, kicking, crushing my heart
Poems that envelops and comforts and causes identification

It was a new experience that I'm glad I tried and I came to it with an open mind, the works were full of emotion, beautiful and in addition there were also amazing illustrations that I enjoyed looking at and thinking about every piece I read.

Highly recommend to those who are looking to try new things or for those who are looking for short depths that hit like an arrow to the heart💘


𝔹𝕖𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕕 ℂ𝕝𝕠𝕤𝕖𝕕 𝔻𝕠𝕠𝕣𝕤 | 𝔹𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕥𝕒𝕚𝕟𝕪 ℂ𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕣𝕪 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕂𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕚 𝕊𝕥𝕖𝕚𝕟𝕖𝕣
𝔸ℝℂ

אני סטודנטית ללימודי תרגום ועריכה לשונית, במסגרת תוכנית הלימודים שלי אני התנסתי בטקסטים שונים לתרגום.
לפעמים פנטזיה, לפעמים היסטורי, לפעמים קומדיה
ואז הייתי צריכה לתרגם חמשירים ופואמות, מעולם לא חשבתי שאתחבר לזה.
איך זה מתקשר לסקירה הזו? כי ראיתי שקנדי סטיינר ובריטני סי צ'רי מוציאות ספרון שירה עם פואמות שכתבו אז החלטתי לנסות משהו חדש, לשבור את השגרה שלי.

היו קטעים שהתחברתי אליהם מאוד ואפילו הזדהיתי, היו קטעים שגרמו לצמרמורות מטורפות לרוץ בכל גופי ואפילו היו חלק שגרמו ללב שלי להתכווץ מכאב.

טקסטים חשופים, עירומים, כנים עד כאב
מילים חזקות, בועטות, נוגעות בלב
שירה שעוטפת ומנחמת וגורמת להזדהות

זאת הייתה חוויה חדשה שאני שמחה שניסיתי ובאתי בראש פתוח אליה, היצירות היו מלאות ברגש, יפהפיות ובנוסף גם היו איורים מדהימים שנהניתי להסתכל עליהם ולחשוב על כל קטע שקראתי.

ממליצה למי שמחפשת לנסות יצירות נוספות או למי שמחפשות עומקים קצרים וקולעים כמו חץ ללב💘

[Kalisa Boyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

𝐻𝒶𝓊𝓃𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔, 𝓅𝒶𝒾𝓃𝒻𝓊𝓁 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒸𝒶𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓇𝓉𝒾𝒸

5 stars

These ladies know how to make me CRY. I felt every emotion they were portraying. Some ached, some burned, and some healed.

I loved their first poetry collection, A Love Letter From The Girls Who Feel Everything, but this… this was BEAUTIFUL.

As Kandi said in here,
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨
𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭
𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶
𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵.

And the ARTWORK. Hoooly mackerel. I want so many pieces tattooed on me 🥹

I could go on and on with how much their words affected me, but I feel like the words speak for themselves. I wanted to include two of my favorites, the ones that resonated with me 🫶🏻

𝘔𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘵, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘭𝘶𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘰𝘵, 𝘯𝘰 𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘔𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴, 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘶𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳, 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘶𝘴.𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘺, 𝘴𝘰 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘺 - 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳 𝘥𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘢 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥.
- 𝘒

𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘮𝘯 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘻𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘩 𝘣𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘺 𝘚𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘺.
- 𝘉

[Yolanda | yolandaannmarie.reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Came for the poetry/prose, and was delighted to find some of the most beautiful art!


I fight against the morning because the night enchants me.
The shadows trace my soul. The darkness swallows me whole.


Some stories do not get a happily ever after. Some end on page 38, instead, the place where you only expect it to get better, the chapter that seemed to lead to another, the paragraph that seemed to point to forever, but it doesn't.
And those stories are the hardest to live, the hardest to let go of, and the hardest to forget.
But we love to read them, anyway.


Be gentle when you land against me. For I know how the sweetest taste of nectar can sometimes involve many bee stings.


Life is not waiting for you to live her [...] Life is already here. She is already happening to you.


Maybe that's why I can't shake you, no matter how many months or years pass, no matter how many men kiss my lips and run their fingers through my hair, no matter how far the distance grows between us. Perhaps you're a permanent mark made on my heart from the flame burning out so suddenly, so quickly—just like a star dying leaves a black hole behind.


I believe in new chapters and in re-reading old ones when my heart tells me to.

[Ana Sofia · Rating 5 out of 5]

this collection of poems is one i see myself returning, see myself writing in my journal or the top of my notebooks to be reminded of my favorite sentences day in and day out.

its about heartache, heartbreak, grief and healing. but overall is about love.
of loving. and being loved. and loving ourselves and not loving ourselves but loving realizing we don’t and loving the journey until we do.

kandi’s writing has always entranced me. not only in the shape of it but in the content. the seen and unseen. the explicit and the subtext left for each reader to interpret. for it to speak on its own according to each of our experiences.
and this collection added to that sense of depthness i often get from her novels. I loved it and can’t help but want more.

Also I am now VERY intrigued by Brittainy’s work and will be picking up her books immediately because I need more of her writing. AND their previous collection as well.

[Lindsay Bray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favourite Quotes: “You’re allowed to be sad and cry for what you’ve lost so long as you can also be happy and smile for what you had.” — K

“Today, I stop waiting and I start living the life that I deem is mine to live.” — K

“The best writing‬ does not tell you how to feel‬ but rather reminds you‬ what you already felt.” — K


My Rating: 4.5 rounded up to 5 STARS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tropes/Themes: Poetry, Contemporary, feminism, love, loss, self worth, self love

Format Read: Ebook (KU)

My Review:
“It’s always too soon when it comes to death. Old age doesn’t make it easier. It just means there are more memories to mourn and more sadness that lingers.” -Brittainy Cherry
That’s just what my soul needed right now… it’s like Brittainy Cherry and Kandi Steiner know exactly what I need to hear in order for the healing to begin. I loved this collection of poems even more than the previous one. I can’t wait to go back and let the words soak in every time I need to feel seen.

[Tammy - · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kandi Steiner and Brittainy Cherry have surprised us with this collection of poetry that takes us on a journey through love and loss, heartache and hope.

I was brought to tears more than once as I read these entries, instantly taken back to my youth - to first love and the unrelenting heartbreak that followed. Then, I was reminded of second chances and new loves and finding myself somewhere along the way. I was taken to a place of losing those I've loved and the aftermath of grief. So many of these poems I felt like I could have written, like those were my thoughts at one point in my life.

Both the words and the illustrations in this collection are all beautiful and it has reminded me why I once read more poetry than novels. This is a quick read that leaves a lasting impression.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Behind Closed Doors is a collection of poetry from two well known authors in the romance ‘world’. Each page takes you through an emotional look at love, life, and breakups through the eyes of the authors. I found myself stopping to really analyze some of the writing. Each piece a glimpse into the soul of another human and their experiences. There are also illustrations that captivated my imagination. When paired with the poems, you can definitely become swept away in the depth of your thoughts. An interesting and extremely ‘bare’ collection of poems.

[Escape4awhile · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5
Liked. Enjoyed reading and felt the emotions of the authors in their verse. I'm not a poetry reader but was interested in this because I liked both these authors fictional stories. Was well worth the read.

Memorable lines
"I liked you better when I thought you were the man you said you were, not the one you hid beneath those lies.

One year ago, I never knew you existed. Now, one year later, on the very same date, I wish I could say the same.

Old age doesn’t make it easier. It just means there are more memories to mourn and more sadness that lingers."

[Ana Rech · Rating 5 out of 5]

quick and beautiful read

I love those quick and painful books, where you’re able to feel everything in a single page. All the pain you’ve been through, all the love you feel now. I just love it. And those two authors did a great job with this poetry book! I read it in one morning but I saved a lot of pages to read throughout the days, just because they are so heavy that we need a few more reads to let it really sink in.
My favorite part about this book is that Brittany Cherry and Kandi Steiner are able to translate into words what I feel deep in my soul, but would never be able to put it out.
Definitely a must read!

[deborareads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was THE BOOK I didn’t know I NEEDED! It’s filled with emotion, love, ache, forgiveness, selflove, grief, loss and it was the most relatable 174 pages ever. Kandi and Brit are such amazing human beings and even more so for sharing these thoughts and moments with us. I felt and saw myself in pretty much every single one of these poems/proses 🤍 Infinite stars for this. I binge read this in less than what? 45 minutes? 🤭🤍READ IT!

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

They were hidden gems within this poetry book about self love & self discovery. Most of the poems discussed heartbreak and heartaches. If you just got out of a relationship, this is the poetry book for you. There were so many beautiful lines about how our hearts grieve for the relationships ended. If you appreciate art, this is definitely a book to own. I read it on Audible and looking at the STUNNING artwork, I will say that I wish I could see it on paper.

[Cristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gets you in your feelings

I’ve been reading so much poetry lately and I can say this is on my top 3. I felt like I could relate in many of the poems. We always think only we know what we are going through but honestly many people out there are going to through a similar situation. Thank you for this amazing Poetry.

[soph · Rating 5 out of 5]

i am unwell and it is to early to be feeling all of these emotions but my god. i love poetry and don’t read it enough but it always speaks to my soul. this book of poetry was absolutely beautiful & heartbreaking yet filled with so much love and self-growth. you two are absolute rockstars and i love your thoughts & words🥹

[Krystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

poetry that speaks to us women

Wow. I’m not much for poetry but I did enjoy their debut poetry and prose book, A Love Letter from the Girls who Feel Everything. This book will bring you a rollercoaster of emotions. Women of any age can appreciate this book and connect to at least one or two poems/prose. The art within the pages is absolutely beautiful.

[Jessica Applegate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful

From the highest highs, to the lowest lows, this collection of poetry has you covered. Love, heartbreak, grief from death, self reflection... Both authors beautifully capture their feelings and bring you with them on their journeys. I highly recommend this book along with every novel both of them have written.

[Clary · Rating 5 out of 5]

My soul feels well fed after reading this. Reading those beautiful poems and prose took me back to my own heart breaks from the past. Reliving that experience was both beautiful and raw. And I loved every second of this. This book is a piece of art.

[Kendra · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick beautiful poetry book that Kandi & Brittany put their hearts and souls into. It touches beautifully on love, heartbreak, and lose. This is definitely an emotionally charged poetry book.

The illustrations are absolutely breathe taking which adds to the impact of the words written.