April and Oliver

Ok, I LOVED this one. Like, really LOVED it. I have a rating system for my books...0 being couldn't read/couldn't finish, it was that bad. And 5 being perfect (which very few are on my "perfect" list). I would give this a 4.5...and at some moments a 5. It surprised me, because I had no expectations going into this one. I hadn't heard much about it, just saw it on some list and my library had it, so I gave it a shot.

It's sort of a love story, but a very complicated one. Two old friends/step cousins are brought back together after a terrible tragedy. They were inseparable during their childhood but their lives have taken different paths. Now back in each other's lives, they are trying to figure out exactly what their relationship is. There is a lot of sexual tension and I was on the end of my seat trying to figure out what their next step would be. I couldn't put it down.

This is the author's first novel and she is fantastic. Her writing is so beautiful, that you can actually envision every single scene right down to the hand gestures and facial expressions. This could totally be a movie, and a really good one.

With all that being said, it's not exactly a "happy" love story. There is tragedy and heartbreak, and the characters' flaws and problems in life are very real. It's a little dark, but I wouldn't call it gloomy or depressing. I don't want to give anything away about the ending because you'll be wondering throughout the entire book how it's all going to end and I don't want to spoil that at all. I would stay away from the reviews on B and N if you really don't want a hint on how it ends either because those who didn't like it kind of give it away. I thought the ending was perfect, but I could see how some would be disappointed.

Read it and enjoy....or at least I hope you do :-)