Sometimes life just comes out and gives you a big fat kick in the rear.

I originally thought romance novels like these were sappy, disgusting, and for the old ladies who have nothing else to read. However, after reading April & Oliver, I discovered that many romance novels could, in fact, be artfully written. I had a hard time keeping my hands off this book, wanting to keep reading it to see how it ended.

Perhaps the mismatched allure of two friends from childhood drew me in. Maybe it was the horrible life that April has had to endure, and what her life is today compared to the sheltered and so-called perfect life that Oliver has led up until now. It could have been the events that brought them together. Whichever theory I have, I was enchanted by the flashbacks to their younger selves and the horrors of their lives in present-day.

But that is not to say I thought this book was absolutely perfect either. Throughout the entire time I was reading it, I kept asking myself, “how is this going to end?” In my mind, there are only three ways a romance novel can end: a happy ending, a sad ending, or no ending at all. Callahan chooses to end with no ending at all, putting a cliffhanger where no more chapters are told. This was the best option out of many predictable ones. I would have been disappointed otherwise.

Overall, a really good read. I would recommend it to my friends and strangers alike. Be careful, there are some graphic romance scenes, so I would not advise younger audiences. I regretted that it had to end in such a semi-predictable manner, but isn’t that how all books end anyway?