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    April & Oliver: A Novel
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    April & Oliver: A Novel
    Unavailable
    April & Oliver: A Novel
    Audiobook12 hours

    April & Oliver: A Novel

    Written by Tess Callahan

    Narrated by Abby Craden

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    April and Oliver have been soul mates since childhood, and the attraction between them has always been palpable. Now, years after being completely inseparable, they have become strangers, but the wildly different paths of their lives are about to collide once again with the sudden death of April's brother.

    Sexual tension builds as Oliver, the responsible, newly engaged law student, finds himself drawn more than ever to the reckless, mystifying April-and cracks begin to appear in his carefully constructed life. Even as Oliver attempts to "save" his childhood friend from her grief, her menacing boyfriend, and herself, it soon becomes apparent that Oliver has some secrets of his own-secrets he hasn't shared with anyone, even his fiancée.

    Yet April knows. Is it really her life that's unraveling, or is it his own? The answer awaits at the end of a downward spiral...toward a surprising revelation.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateJun 2, 2009
    ISBN9781415965184
    Unavailable
    April & Oliver: A Novel

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    Reviews for April & Oliver

    3.5/5

    121 ratings15 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      April and Oliver were inseperable as children and teenagers, but Oliver went off to college and the two lost touch. Now Oliver is back in town, a newly-engaged law student. Meanwhile April is dealing with the death of her young brother Buddy from a car accident, memories of sexual abuse by a family friend, and the mood swings of a violent boyfriend. Oliver is happy with his perfect fiance Bernadette and the image of their future together. But something continues to draw him to April. This was a well told, melancholy story. You came to really know each of the characters, their strengths and their weaknesses. I couldn't help but think something was missing, though. I kept waiting for more to "happen". I liked that the ending was hopeful.
    • 3/5
      This is the story of April, a young adult living with the consequences of childhood abuse and her step-cousin, Oliver, who struggles with his close relationship to April. The story was compelling enough to keep me reading non-stop on a five hour flight. But overall, the plot was a bit contrived and the characters a bit stereotyped. It won't stay with me.
    • 4/5
      This book was NOTHING like I expected it to be. I think because I wanted a simple, sweet as sugar kind of book, this novel threw me for a loop. It is not simple, nor is it sweet as sugar. The character I referred to earlier that I thought I was feeling very similar to is April. April and Oliver were best friends growing up. They had a complicated relationship and a strange connection to each other because of family. April has it hard from pretty much the beginning. Her mother dies early on, her father doesn't know how to raise her, she starts bartending at a bar at 14. The only things sacred to her are Oliver and her brother Buddy and her grandmother Nana. As the book progresses we see the deterioration of not only April and Oliver's relationship but of April herself. She is consumed by the death of her brother and all the wrongs she has done in her life. She is stuck on the wrong kind of men, the wrong kind of addictions and the kind of self-loathing that does nothing good for one's mental state. Oliver has this need to save her, even though he is engaged to a beautiful, smart women, there is a part of him that can't erase the history between him and April.I loved this book for several reasons. It isn't pretty. It isn't flowery or romantic or sweet. Its dirty, messy and hits you over the head with lots of depressing things. But at the same time, you realize that you're "real" life could never be as bad as some of the characters in the book. April reminds me a lot of myself in good and bad ways. She is a strong, sufficient, loving woman but she is very troubled, lost and confused. She wants so badly to believe she deserves to be treated with respect and care but there is a part of her that thinks because of her past, she only deserves the type of treatment shes gotten in the past. During some of the book, I was literally screaming out loud at some of the stupid things she would do. I wanted to pull her in close to me, hug her, wipe away her tears and tell her that it was going to be okay. I wanted to yell at Oliver and ask him why he couldnt see the obvious, why he couldnt just admit his true feelings and act accordingly. But alas, these are fictional characters. Only real in the reader's mind. How I wish they were real sometimes.I recommend this book but on conditions. If you want to feel slightly depressed, this is a good book, lol. If you want to get emotionally involved in the characters, this is your book. If you want a simple, cookie-cutter YA romance novel- this is NOT your book. Just sayin.
    • 1/5
      This isn't a novel. It's the script for a Lifetime Original Movie.
    • 4/5
      I gave this book a high rating since I really enjoyed it and couldn't put it down. It does have some dark moments but definitely a page turner! A great book for book clubs since there would be much to discuss!
    • 2/5
      I knew I was in trouble when the book is entitled April & Oliver, and my favorite character is named Bernadette. The book is well-written; Tess has a beautiful way with words. My problem is that I didn't like April. At all. Not even a little bit. I pitied her for her horrible childhood, but I didn't like her. I didn't understand Oliver's fascination with her, and I certainly didn't like his treatment of Bernadette. For all his rage over the men who used April, he wasn't above using ( to a much lesser extent, but still using) women himself. I don't understand the idea that "soulmates" can treat each other badly. I don't understand the idea that it's okay to hurt others if the cause is "true love." I was frustrated with every relationship in this book. This clearly was not the book for me, which is too bad because she is a talented writer.
    • 5/5
      Tess Callahan's debut novel is dark and churning - much like the book cover. April & Oliver pulled me in little by little until I couldn't put the book down. I found my jaw clenched in the tense mood until I noticed it relaxing near the end of the book. I realize it doesn't sound like I enjoyed the reading experience. Not true. Callahan's prose carried me along. Her writing is smooth and the pace kept me turning the pages, not wanting to stop. I could cite a few instances where I found myself smiling. One was when April and Oliver are discussing some people they know and what style or individual work of music they would be. I loved that. Yes, this book has some troubling scenes but they are not gratuitous. Rather, they add layers to the characters. They are who they are because of decisions they made or decisions concerning them made by others long ago. I know this book will stay with me for a while. And that's my sign of a good book.
    • 5/5
      What a moving and suspenseful story of relationships and how childhood mistakes/experiences can influence one's adult life. And the ending is just gorgeous. This is not a story for the faint of heart though, it's as much about love as it is about violence and also about where the two converge. I adored it and am about to read it again because there is a symmetry to the story that I think would do well for a second reading.
    • 4/5
      When April's younger brother dies in a tragic car accident, the funeral brings the whole family to town and dredges up some secrets from her past that she thought she had forgotten. Oliver, a close family friend who always had a thing for her, finds himself once more drawn into April's orbit, despite the watchful eye of his fiancee. Just what are the feelings that he has for her and has he finally moved beyond them?

      A story of family, abuse, and overcoming your past.
    • 4/5
      My experience with this book was pretty rocky at first. I did not like April in the first 50 pages, but with a little help from my friend Mary from Bookfan-Mary (she loved it, btw), I decided it would be best to give April a break. My feelings of dislike did turn into something resembling compassion, and I was able to continue on. Even though I did not agree with all of Oliver's actions, I was able to connect with him more, and for the most part, I liked him.The plot itself or maybe more like - where the two would encounter one another, seemed a bit contrived, but once in the moment, the emotions felt like anything but contrived. The tension and confusion were palpable, and the suspense of what the ending may entail was always there.Overall, it's a read filled with gloomy anxiety that went hand-in-hand with the characters. It turned out to be a good one, though, and I'm glad I stuck with it.Originally posted on: Thoughts of Joy
    • 4/5
      April & Oliver is a dark and dysfunctional read. April is a character that is surrounded by drama. After a childhood that seemed to be full of more heartbreak than joy, she loses her little brother to a car accident. Heartbroken and bordering on the edge of sanity, April finds herself thrust back into the life of childhood friend Oliver. Oliver has always been the epitome of perfection and the polar opposite of the very reckless April. Oliver is now engaged but that isn’t enough for him to ignore the connection he and April have always shared. Told with a combination of present day moments as well as flashbacks. This is not a light read. It will definitely pull on your heart strings.I’ve had April & Oliver on my to be read list since its release. When given the opportunity to review a copy I jumped at the chance. I’m so glad I did. This little book was packed full of serious emotional baggage. April can’t seem to make a rational decision. She migrates from one abusive relationship to the next. Oliver spends most of his time trying to save April until he moves away for college. I had to spread this out over a longer period time than what it usually takes met to read a book of this size. It was just one of those stories that cause serious emotional overload. I found the ending to be perfect. I’m one of those readers that base a large portion of my opinion on how the writer wraps it all up. There is nothing I hate more than to fall in love with a book only to have that feeling dashed by a sloppy ending. April & Oliver is a book with an ending that couldn’t be more perfect.I do recommend this book, but not if you’re looking for something light and fluffy. This book delves into serious issues and contains its fair share of angst. It is beautifully tragic tale of two adults still trying to find themselves.
    • 4/5
      My wife read it first and her comment was, "I enjoyed it but I'm not certain it's your normal type of book." Insofar as I have a normal type of book, this made me a bit uncertain and I wondered if I was in for what she calls "a woman's summer read" (not to be confused with chick lit).Within twenty pages or so I had completely forgotten those thoughts and was simply enjoying the story. It's not my normal type of read but it was enjoyable. Take a basic story about a pair of friends who might have been lovers if only circumstances and timing worked. Then put some darkness and depth into their lives and don't resolve it with a clichéd fairy tale ending. The result worked for me.Most of the characters came alive for me—I didn't particularly like them, but they felt real, which is what matters as far as I'm concerned. My only real problem with the book was that Oliver was an exception to this. He never came into focus, particularly as an object of desire for April. As the book progressed, April grew ever more real and rounded but Oliver just stayed fuzzy for me.The language is very distinctive. It seemed very spare at first, yet the images she created were vivid and compelling. It reads easily and I finished the book in a single sitting.
    • 4/5
      Cousins April and Oliver grew up very close, but drifted apart when Oliver went away to college. Now that they’re adults, April seems to be attracted to violent, abusive men and Oliver has given up his beloved music. Oliver has returned to the East Coast to attend law school and he’s brought his fiancee, Bernadette with him. April and Oliver are re-united at the funeral for April’s brother, Buddy, who April loved as if he were her own child.April and Oliver are drawn together and Bernadette can sense the attraction between them. As the story unfolds, they discover that much of their lives have been complicated by lies that they thought were true.I found April & Oliver, by Tess Callahan, to be a brooding, gloomy novel, yet I couldn’t put it down. The secrets to the past unfold slowly, but the character development is so good, I just had to know what was going to happen next. I became attached to April since she is such a kind soul (especially with her grandmother) so I kept hoping she would make a good decision when it came to the men in her life. I became angry when her past was revealed. Oliver is a confused, kind-hearted soul who needs to come to terms with his feelings. This book serves as a reminder of the dangers of keeping secrets. I loved this book, even though it is a little dark, and think it would make a great choice for a book club to read.
    • 5/5
      How a mother of twins had time to write this novel is BEYOND ME! This book came recommended based upon my reaction to Follow Me. This novel is similar in the way that there is a sadness that shadows its main characters and you realize that it is only within their grasp for them to move out of the shadows and into the light. Both April and Oliver need a transformation. They need to accept their truths. But, sometimes the “broken” take a much longer road to finding self-acceptance or self-love. April and Oliver cannot deny the truths within them just as they cannot deny the air they breathe. Everybody can see them, but they just can’t see to see themselves.I found myself completely engrossed in this read. The character development was excellent and the storyline kept me engaged the entire time. I can relate to characters like April and Oliver. The way they think makes sense to me and I can feel for them in such a way that their hardship is part of their beauty. Callahan did a fantastic job with the surrounding characters Al, Nana, Bernadette, and T.J. Each of them I see in my mind’s eye as clear as day. On Sher’s “Out of Ten Scale:”I’ve learned a lot lately about how absolutely subjective reading is. Two people will read this book and not walk away with the same impression of it. Words of a well written book truly are art. When an author is able to tell a story in such a way that you feel connected to the characters and you find yourself caring about their outcome, then the author has done his/her job. Callahan did her job well with April & Oliver. For me, a GREAT LOVER OF FICTION, there is nothing greater for me than a story that sweeps me away into another world. April & Oliver has done that for me. In my opinion, Tess Callahan wrote a poignant, heartbreaking tale of redemption that I will rate, in the genre: Fiction, a 10 OUT OF 10. I highly recommend this novel to book clubs as it will promote A GREAT BOOK CLUB discussion.My heartfelt thanks to Miriam and Hachette for this amazing read.
    • 5/5
      This debut novel is about a lot of things… grief, family, the ebb and flow of friendship (especially those you once thought will last a lifetime), and love (some of it unrequited). I could appreciate the delicateness of a friendship with someone of the opposite sex, and how easy it is to let friendship fade away once life starts to take you in different directions. April and Oliver are unceremoniously thrown back into each others lives following the death of her brother, and everyone seems to expect them to be able to pick up right where they left off. Unfortunately, they’re not the same people they used to be. There is a tug of war between the two of them as April tries to keep her distance, ashamed of who she has turned out to be but clueless as to how to change and as Oliver looks to her for answers to his own questions. I thought it was incredibly sad that the family decided to keep Buddy’s death from Nana – doesn’t she deserve to grieve too? – but it did add another layer to the story. The ending here falls short of happy (which I think would have felt contrived), but it is nicely hopeful.