Day In April by Mary Lynn Baxter

Day In April Reviews

• 
  Crista

  This is a tragic story. I don't mind tragic stories, but this one NEVER stops. It contains one tragedy after another and I found myself at first exhausted, then confused, and finally amused. It's like the author decided to throw EVERY possible tragedy at these characters to see how much she could test them (and her readers)!
  
  This one has it all.....rape, misunderstandings, addiction, death, lies, betrayals. Yep, there all here in spades! The HEA finally arrives, but by the end of this book I was so excited to end the torture that it was all I could do to not stand up and cheer from relief when it was over!
  
  The main characters are likeable (which probably is why all their suffering is hard to take). The villainous father is truly vile and evil and there are a host of characters that played secondary roles that were unnecessary and took away from the story. Overall, not really recommended unless you're in the mood to read about one couple's MANY obstacles.
• 
  Katarzyna Wozniak

  W sumie biorąc się za tą "polecankę" nie spodziewałam się aż takich tragedii, tzn. domyślałam się że to jakiś smutas więc zaczęłam czytać opinie i nie przedstawiało to się zachęcająco. Normalnie tego nie robię, nie wiem co mnie podkusiło.
  Nie przepadam za tego typu książkami, życie jest wystarczająco ciężkie, uwielbiam czytać ale dla mnie to ucieczka do czegoś pięknego, a tutaj niestety tego było bardzo mało.
  Wyliczę:
  - gwałt
  - wylew ojca (matka umarła jak była mała)
  - bankructwo/strata domu który był w ich rodzinie od pokoleń
  - problemy z nastoletnim bratem
  - zerwanie zaręczyn
  - jej były bierze ślub z jej przyjaciółką
  - mają dziecko - ono umiera gdy główna bohaterka pilnowała - śmierć łóżeczkowa
  - robi zabieg aby zajść w ciążę dla swojej przyjaciółki, sperma Zacka, oczywiście Zack nie wie - oddaje im dziecko (przeżywa)
  - śmierć przyjaciółki - rak
  - walka o dziecko i Zacka
  - pomijając to jak ponuro został przedstawiony czas gdy wracała do miasteczka na pare dni
  
  To tak pokrótce. Podeszłam do tego bardziej z dystansem więc nie uroniłam ani kropli. Nawet sama sobie pospojlerowałam aby nie czuć się już bardziej zaskoczona i zniechęcona. Dla mnie to była taka telenowela. Chciałabym potępić bohaterkę, w sumie już na początku jej nie polubiłam ale nie mnie oceniać jak ktoś się zachowa przy takiej tragedii.
  
  To może plusy, czytało się szybko, płynnie i jeśli autorka napisała cokolwiek innego gdzie nie ma tych całych tragedii to z chęcią przeczytam ;)
  
  Postanowiłam nie oceniać książki bo nie podobała mi się tematyka i tutaj dałabym 1/5 ale jednak to jak się szybko czytało i to jak dobrze została napisana wyrównuje rachunki.
• 
  shms

  I have to agree with the other reviewer, this was unrelenting in its tragedies but it swept me up and carried me along until the balance was tipped, and then it was just ridiculous. This was when baby Randall died, really not needed and also what are the chances that the one time the h babysits the baby dies . At that point, I detached from it, a relief really because I'd been feeling pretty depressed by then. It picked up again and it was a decent read, but it could have been a great one had a lighter touch been applied.
• 
  Jena

  If you like angst, and high drama try this, I reread this any time I need a good cry.
  
  (re-read 10+ years later. This is the only good book by this author and still read like Jerry Springer on crack romance. )
• 
  Angbee25

  One of the best books I've ever read. I cried, I got mad and I rooted for the characters.
• 
  Kelly

  'A Day in April' needs to be accompanied by the 'EastEnders' drum beat because it read like ten years of EastEnders storylines in one book. There were far too many tragic and soul-destroying events to wade through, making it difficult to focus on any one plot above the others, and the characters were largely unlikable. Despite this, there was a well-captured and genuine emotion and affection between the leads that kept me reading, despite rolling my eyes through 90% of the book.
  
  There were so many tragic events in this book and few, if any, were really given enough development to make them meaningful. Baxter really needed to select two or three of the storylines and just concentrated on developing them. Beth is raped, leaves Zach, they start their own lives, Zach's wife can't have a baby, she asked Beth to be the surrogate, they have to live with the decision, the wife gets ill and dies asking Beth to become part of their lives again.
  The book didn't need to be anything more than that, and it would have allowed each element to be really examined and detailed. When Beth is emotionally blackmailed into becoming a surrogate mother, she is pregnant, gives birth and gives her up within about two chapters. It is such a monumental and life changing thing, and was such an integral part of the plot and it was over in a few chapters with barely any emotional impact at all because it was over in the blink of an eye.
  
  None of the characters were likeable. Beth was so weak that I grew to dislike her. She never once stood up for herself, she let herself be verbally ripped apart time and time again, she was emotionally blackmailed, she didn't once try and tear herself away from her friend who was a complete and utter bitch if you ask me. She sat there with the family she had hoped to have and smiled, and forgave and was always 'the better person'. I would never have forgiven my friend for marrying the man that I had been so in love with, then for her blackmailing me into being a surrogate mother. The friend was a bitch, she seemed to delight in the fact that she had Beth's life, she seemed to enjoy inviting her round or turning up unannounced to cause disruption and to rub in that she was living the dream. And Beth just let her! Time and time again. Beth was awful to read about.
  Zach wasn't exactly my idea of a hero, he not only gave up on Beth quite easily, but turned to violently hating her instead of trying to understand. He never took the time to try and talk to her or to get anything from her, he was just reactionary to create an obstacle, right through to the end.
  
  Yet their fire and love was so tangible from start to finish. It was what kept me reading despite the fact that it was a cast of poorly written characters with an over-packed plot.
• 
  Susan

  I picked up this book in a second hand charity book sale.
  
  Firstly, before I write my review, I would like to apologise to anyone who is a particular fan of this author, or especially this book.
  
  Where to start that is the question. This book seemed to be a mishmash of a number of different things. The main character in the book, Beth, came across as a mix of Gone With The Wind's Scarlett O'Hara and Barbara Taylor Bradford's Emma Harte character. There was that much tragedy and heartache it could give any Catherine Cookson book a run for its money. And as for the sex scenes, I think the author has been reading too many Mills & Boon books. I am sure that some of the scenes in this book could easily win the Bad Sex in Fiction Award.
  
  I have read some reviews where the readers were apparently brought to tears of sorrow. For me personally, I have to say that after the character Rachel died (I thought not yet another tragedy) I actually busted out to laugh at how ludicrous it was getting. It was almost as if the main character had some kind of Hex cast on to her. Everyone she encountered seemed to either die, get beaten up, or lose all their wordly goods. Not to mention the fact that at 18 her father-in-law to be actually raped her, leading her to call off her wedding. I wasn't surprised that once she was left in charge of a baby that within hours that baby would be dead from Cot Death.
  
  I have to say that I wont be reading anything else by this author if this book is anything to go by.
• 
  Feri

  I enjoyed reading about the characters especially Zach and Beth's relationship. Their interactions can be heartbreaking sometimes. Some scenes made laugh. Some made me tear up and maybe cried a little bit, but I think I should read it again before giving it a rating/review.
• 
  Ogenna

  I read it to take a break in between my more serious novels. It made me upset, very upset.
  
  There should have been warnings at the beginning of the book about rape content.
• 
  Bev Walkling

  Not one for the faint of heart.
• 
  Allison

  Pretty good, predictable story line though.
• 
  Mélissa

  Sublime... magnifique... émouvant.
  À lire absolument !