Forgotten April

I liked this book. I liked the way the author wrote about different people and what was going on in their lives. At times the book moved a little slow, but honestly I could not put it down wanting so bad to know the secrets in Nigel, Maggie, Hazel, and most of all Aprils life. I think you will enjoy this book, and I recommend it for all that like stories about families and their treasured secrets.

I didnt think Id like this novel very much. I thought it was a romance novel. I was given a complimentary copy for review, and I felt an obligation to try to read it to the end and give a fair assessment minus my bias. My main genre is historical novels, with a second in slice-of-life vignettes, and I find Im hit or miss with contemporary romances, usually miss by a mile. I prefer romance that is secondary to the story. What a nice surprise Forgotten April was! Within minutes of beginning to read, the story had me wanting to know more about the characters and their situations. There is great character voice, so that once I got to know all the characters I didnt have to check whose chapter it was (each chapter is in the voice of a different character)to know who was talking when I started to read the story again. The characters are very complex with appropriate issues that make them very lifelike. I think some might think the main character, April, is too overloaded in bad mojo over the past 10 years, but I found it exteremely realistic, and presented in a matter-of-fact way. There was never a feeling of poor April. Bad things do happen to good people, and sometimes it really is one bad thing after another, sadly enough. But the author didnt overwhelm me with sadness over the cards April has been dealt in life. April isnt a sad sack, and she isnt made to be a superwoman either. She is like most of us dealing with lots of bad stuff-- trudging through and dealing with it the best we can. The same for characters Maggie, Hugh, and Nigel. It was very hard to put this novel down. I thought about it when my mind wasnt otherwise occupied, wondering what was going to happen next. I could never predict what did happen, which I loved. I almost always see it coming in a book or movie, and it is a treasure when I dont. This book kept me on my toes with very believable plot twists that left me unaware of the ending until it unfolded as I read. Im impressed with the epilogue to this novel as well. Some who have not had to deal with this issue (Im not giving it away-- read the book!) in their family might find it contrived in order to tie up a loose thread. I felt it made perfect sense of some behaviors in one of the characters. It not only tied up a loose thread that wasnt dangling terribly in the first place, but gave me an aha moment as well. Who expects that from an epilogue? I didnt. Excellent engrossing writing, and the best kindle editing Ive seen in awhile. Ill be looking for more works by Robyn Bradley.

Loved this book. The characters are beautifully developed and after reading about 20 pgs, I was totally hooked. Read it in two nights, staying up until wee hours to see how it ended. Will buy lots more titles by Bradley. Great summertime read because its smart but also fast-paced and fun.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in return for my review. I had a hard time at the beginning keeping up with the different characters but once I to into it, I could not put it down. I liked that this was told by different characters. It was a heart warming story of connecting with lost loves and finding a family you have been wanting your whole life. I definitely hope to read more from this author!

The idea behind Robyn Bradleys Forgotten April is a good one. A famous reporter finds that she is adopted and tracks down her birth mother who is now in the Alzheimers unit of a nursing home. The reporters sister is the activities director. Both sisters are dealing with losses and griefs from their past, and the book deals with how they build and mend relationships and reclaim a life for themselves. I was hoping for contemporary womens fiction that went beyond the sex, shoes and shopping of chick lit. With being widowed, losing a child, the illness of a parent and struggling to find a passion in a career, the issues of Forgotten April might be more serious, but the book disappoints. The story is told primarily through dialogue. The conversations between characters move the plot forward, but they never quite bring the characters to life. April, Maggie, their friends and lovers feel like good, two dimensional sketches. You want more, but it just falls short. There is enough potential in this book to look for more from Robyn Bradley, but this effort, like its title implies, is easily forgotten. I received a free copy of Forgotten April for Kindle from Bookrooster.com and agreed to do a review. No other compensation or conditions were involved.

Forgotten April is Robyn Bradleys debut novel and if it is anything to judge by then Robyn Bradley has a bright and promising future as a novelist. Forgotten April is a tale of eight lives wound together in a fascinating twist of fate and told with exquisite crafting from multiple points-of-view. It is the tale of April, her mother who is suffering from Alzheimers and her newly discovered half-sister, Maggie Prescott, who is a television newsperson. It is a tale of love found and love lost. Of lives inextricably woven together in a unique tapestry made all the more beautiful because of its flaws. It is the story of Hazel, a long-term resident of Saint Anthony of Padua who has become precious to April, who worked at the center even before her mother became a resident there. Hazel who has become as dear to April as her now failing mother; Hazel who is the only thing April has to herself after Maggie shows up in her life, that is, until it turns out Hazel isnt really Aprils either. It is the story of choices and how they can impact so many lives. It is the story of the pain of losing a loved one to a disease that eats away at the very essence of who they are and what they signify in your life. It is the story of family, good or bad, in whatever shape it may take. It is a story of life with all its joys, hopes and sorrows. It is a story of the many faces of love. I enjoyed every moment spent in the pages of Forgotten April and I would highly recommend it to anyone. I plan on reading it again and again and it will be among the books I treasure.

Forgotten April was one of the most clear-headed and fascinating works of fiction Ive read in years, and stands out as exceptionally well-written and poignantly conceived.

I received a complimentary copy of this book to read and review. When I initially read the book description I did not get overly excited about it. I accepted the challenge and I am very glad I did. This book was awesome. It was hard to put down. The character and story development are well thought out with many surprises along the way. One caution, the writer writes each chapter by character, iniially this was a challenge, however, once into the book the reader will get the hang of it! This was a book that was hard to put down. I am excited to present these comments!

Robyn does an excellent job of keeping the reader glued as she goes from character to character from the point of view of each one. As a reader you wind up rooting for everyone in the story, and thats a rarity. Its a great read.

Forgotten April by Robyn Bradley is a story that speaks to most women who have reached the age in their life that everything doesnt turn out as we had planned. The sorrows and traumas of life change our perspectives while at the same time we develop protective ways to handle those sorrows and traumas. At first glance, the switching of character stories was a little confusing, but after getting used to the flow of the story, it made sense. The lives of each character were so intertwined, it was a necessary ebb and flow to the story. The character development allows the reader to grow with the character and experience the emotions of the characters. I received a complimentary copy of this book in order to review it. Once I was into the story line, it was a book that was difficult to put down.