Official Review: April's Heart by Shilah Ferr

[angela roura]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "April's Heart" by Shilah Ferr.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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The year is 1977, and April Schweiter just turned thirteen years old. She has a hard situation at home. Her mother, Harriet, over-reacts to April’s behavior, and does not treat April with love and respect. Her father, Charles, is a polar opposite of his wife. Charles is kind and understanding.

April may have a hard time at home, but that doesn’t stop her from being an outgoing girl. She likes to party and flirt with boys. She drinks alcohol and even smokes an occasional blunt. On the cheerleading team, she likes to be the focus of attention.

April’s Heart written by Shilah Ferr grows with April and her challenges and relationships. It mostly focuses on her relationship with a boy her age, Mitchell Hudgins. April and Mitch begin their relationship in the eighth grade, despite any disapproval from friends or family. This book follows them into high school, and then college and beyond. I would like to give more information, to say what happens to them and what they have to go through, but anything more would be a spoiler. I believe this book would be better enjoyed when its contents remain relatively a mystery.

What I enjoyed most about the book was that it told the perfect love story. It truly depicted a beautiful relationship. There were so many ups and downs, so many arguments. But, it demonstrates how love does come with pain. No relationship is easy.

There is not anything I strongly dislike about this book. The formatting is a bit weird. There are no line breaks for dialogue. It is in paragraph form, with the breaks occurring almost randomly. Once I got used to this, it didn’t bother me anymore.

Overall my feelings about this book are extremely positive, and I give it 4 out of 4 stars. It was captivating, and unlike what I have read before. I truly found myself getting involved with the characters and rooting for April and Mitch.

I recommend this story for anyone who wishes to explore the relationship between April and Mitch alongside them. I do have some exceptions. This book does contain quite a bit of profanity and even more erotic scenes. I do not think it is appropriate for anyone under fifteen or sixteen. For anyone older than that, it just comes down to taste. If you are a fan of romance, you will enjoy this book.

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April's Heart
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[jardenjarden]

This sounds like a nice romance, and your intriguing review already has me asking questions. Why did the friends and family disaprove of their relationship and how will that ultimately effect them? I will definitely add this to my list. Thanks for your review!

[Ashley-Osuna]

I love romance novels that are both realistic and hopeful, so this seems very interesting to me. Thank you so much for your recommendation, I will definitely look into reading this book!

[Charity Damaris]

I like the way the relationship between Mitch and April has been explored in the book.It happens to a some people.It sounds interesting to read the book. Nice review.

[AgentJay007]

I do love a good love story, especially after going through both good and bad. No one is perfect or free from problems. I like this review, well done!

[Moray_001]

Wow your review highlights only what the potential reader needs to know without giving anything away. I’d like to read this book.

[Tablito]

I like how April and Mitch do not allow family and friends to break them up. I also wonder why Harriet, April's mom doesn't like her.

[Zainabreadsnow]

I'm interested to see the "perfect relationship" you have mentioned. I think that description is very varied so I'd love to see how this pans out. The formatting will be an issue though. It feels too condensed to read a book that is formatted this way. Thank you for the review!

[Ringram]

Agree that it is a great story. Really enjoyed the authentic cultural representation to music and norms in the past. The high school to adult relationship is something we can all relate to. This is a wonderful story of life and love.

[dianaterrado]

"If you are a fan of romance, you will enjoy this book."

I literally screamed in my head, "That's me!" Great review!

[Joy C]

Thanks for your review. It gives me more reason to want to read this book and I sure will

[SweetSourSalty AndSpicy]

A perfect love story could really be a mystery. Thanks for the recommendation.

[M Taufik]

This is must be read book for parents of all families in the world connecting with psychology of teenage mentality on puberty and any kind of its complexity for entering fatamorgana world.

[M Taufik]

The writer tries to give the causative effect of disharmony of family relationships for teenage future for a millennial family anywhere