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A review by amym84
April & Oliver by Tess Callahan
5.0
I was a little apprehensive about this book. It seems like all the citics like the book a lot. A lot of praise. When I look at the reviews on goodreads there seems to be a mixed bag. Personally, I'm tired of books that just seem the drag the characters down and by the end I'm down too. I was really hoping this book wouldn't be like that.
I abosolutely loved this book. All my apprehensions were unfounded. Don't get me wrong the book is not completely full of happiness. Our characters go through a lot in the course of the book but Tess Callahan does a great job of ending on an upswing.
April and Oliver were childhood friends who ended up growing apart after high school. Oliver goes to school across the country, but returns to New York (fiance in tow) to go to graduate school. April and Oliver are sadly reunited at April's young brother's funeral. As soon as these two begin their interactions the reader quickly knows there's a strong connection there that not even time or separation can take that away.
At first,I'll admit, I was unsure of April. I couldn't get a handle on her personality. But soon through her actions and when other speak of her I find that she's very kind and caring. Sometimes this is not to her advantage. April, now in her late twenties, grew up with many complications in her life. She was both physically and mentally abused by a few adults in her life. She sort of took it upon herself to raise her little brother. The complete details of what happened to her mother is never specifically given, but April definitely took on the motherly role with Buddy (her little brother). The abuse that April received in adolecense follows her into adulthood. There were times that I really wanted her to take control and turn her life around, but the she would take two steps back. Evenutally, April does make progress and she continues on and on. It was refreshing to see her progression from the beginning of the book until the end. She didn't let herself stay stuck she was able to pull herself out. I will say that I loved the interactions between April and her grandmother, Nana. It was these interactions that fully solidified my opinion of April's kind heartedness.
Oliver seems like the opposite of April. He moves back to New York from California, with his fiance Bernadette, to go to Law School. He has always seems like he has it all together. He grew up with a great family even though he lost his mother to cancer about ten years ago. Upon returning to New York and reuniting with friends and family he finds out that maybe the life he always thought was good had hidden secrets. Besides learning new things about his family, he learns there's some unacknowledged feelings of his own. Whereas April starts at the bottom and is working her way up, Oliver starts at the top and begins to tumble down.
Both April and Oliver need to go through everything in order to figure out ultimately who they are and what they want out of life.
It's so clear from the beginning that April and Oliver have chemistry. As the reader you want to be on the side of true love and romance and believe that these two should be together, but the thing is that sometimes people shouldn't be together. The whole book I was rooting for April and Oliver to finally get to that place, but then the book would turn and I would think that maybe they need more time. There were so many other complications that if they moved too quickly they wouldn't last and they would lose their friendship as well. So at what point do you just try to remain friends?
This book is a beautiful read. I'm really glad I dove in and didn't listen to some of the negative reviews. It's been one of those books that I can't get out of my head. I wish their story would continue, but I like filling in the blanks on my own. This will definitely be a book that I will read again many times in the future.
I abosolutely loved this book. All my apprehensions were unfounded. Don't get me wrong the book is not completely full of happiness. Our characters go through a lot in the course of the book but Tess Callahan does a great job of ending on an upswing.
April and Oliver were childhood friends who ended up growing apart after high school. Oliver goes to school across the country, but returns to New York (fiance in tow) to go to graduate school. April and Oliver are sadly reunited at April's young brother's funeral. As soon as these two begin their interactions the reader quickly knows there's a strong connection there that not even time or separation can take that away.
At first,I'll admit, I was unsure of April. I couldn't get a handle on her personality. But soon through her actions and when other speak of her I find that she's very kind and caring. Sometimes this is not to her advantage. April, now in her late twenties, grew up with many complications in her life. She was both physically and mentally abused by a few adults in her life. She sort of took it upon herself to raise her little brother. The complete details of what happened to her mother is never specifically given, but April definitely took on the motherly role with Buddy (her little brother). The abuse that April received in adolecense follows her into adulthood. There were times that I really wanted her to take control and turn her life around, but the she would take two steps back. Evenutally, April does make progress and she continues on and on. It was refreshing to see her progression from the beginning of the book until the end. She didn't let herself stay stuck she was able to pull herself out. I will say that I loved the interactions between April and her grandmother, Nana. It was these interactions that fully solidified my opinion of April's kind heartedness.
Oliver seems like the opposite of April. He moves back to New York from California, with his fiance Bernadette, to go to Law School. He has always seems like he has it all together. He grew up with a great family even though he lost his mother to cancer about ten years ago. Upon returning to New York and reuniting with friends and family he finds out that maybe the life he always thought was good had hidden secrets. Besides learning new things about his family, he learns there's some unacknowledged feelings of his own. Whereas April starts at the bottom and is working her way up, Oliver starts at the top and begins to tumble down.
Both April and Oliver need to go through everything in order to figure out ultimately who they are and what they want out of life.
It's so clear from the beginning that April and Oliver have chemistry. As the reader you want to be on the side of true love and romance and believe that these two should be together, but the thing is that sometimes people shouldn't be together. The whole book I was rooting for April and Oliver to finally get to that place, but then the book would turn and I would think that maybe they need more time. There were so many other complications that if they moved too quickly they wouldn't last and they would lose their friendship as well. So at what point do you just try to remain friends?
This book is a beautiful read. I'm really glad I dove in and didn't listen to some of the negative reviews. It's been one of those books that I can't get out of my head. I wish their story would continue, but I like filling in the blanks on my own. This will definitely be a book that I will read again many times in the future.