For Better, for Worse, Forever

April Lancaster #2

by Lurlene McDaniel

In this companion to Till Death Do Us Part, grief-stricken April Lancaster is devastated by the loss of Mark Gianni, and she and her parents have gone to the island of St.  Croix for an extended vacation.  One day on the beach, April meets bitter, lonely 18-year-old Brandon Benedict.  Brandon blames his father for his mother's recent suicide.  April is still trying to come to terms with her own grief.  The two get very close...but April doesn't tell Brandon about her medical problems.  Then April's headaches return, and she and her parents quickly fly back to New York, leaving an angry, bewildered Brandon behind.  April is dying.  Can she bring herself to tell Brandon that he'll soon lose another person he loves?

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Fiction, Contemporary, Childrens, Drama, Teen

198 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 11, 1997

About the author

Lurlene McDaniel (born c. 1948) is an author who has written over 50 young adult books. She is well known for writing about characters struggling with chronic and terminal illnesses, such as cancer, diabetes, and organ failure.


Other places to find her are...
https://www.facebook.com/lurlenemcdan...
http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/aut...
http://www.youtube.com/user/LurleneMc

Reviews

[Madison Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I preferred this sequel to the first book in this duology. I missed Mark a lot, but I still loved April, and Brandon grew on me by the end. Lurlene McDaniel can be very sappy at times (which is why I love her), but there was a lot of heart in this book, and I found it to be emotionally intelligent for what it was.

[Choua Vue · Rating 5 out of 5]

well lets see what did I learn... I learned that just because someone you loved died doesn't mean that you can't have two people you love...

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shout out to the girl who borrowed my copy and returned it with the cover almost completely off in high school! 🙃🙃🙃

[MylaT · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the book FOR BETTER, FOR WORSE, FOREVER, by Lurlene McDaniel. The setting is placed on an Island in St. Croix. The main characters are April Lancaster, and Brandon Benedict. April lost her fiancé Mark and she dwells over it, she also has a sickness that comes back and it’s even stronger and she didn’t know what would happen. Brandon Benedict is someone April meets at the island. I found this book through the author because I like her books.

April had lost her fiancé, and her parents had noticed a change in her attitude. April’s parents decide to take a vacation on an island in St. Croix. As April was on the vacation she meets someone named Brandon Benedict. Brandon was also suffering from a loss of his own. Throughout the book, the two started to get close but she became distant because of her illness and she didn’t want to scare Brandon away. As you continue to read you’ll see that April finally decides to tell Brandon and he is frustrated that she didn’t tell him as soon as she found out.

I liked how the book was throughout the story, Lurlene McDaniel had made this story very interesting. This was a series so I didn’t get to know the back story very well. In the book there was parts that was really exciting but at the end of the book and middle it started to get sad.

My personal opinion about the book was good. I’ve always enjoyed reading books that are romance, but this was more of a sad romance. Other books that are like this is a lot of Lurlene McDaniel’s books. Almost all of her books are kind of the same except different stories. If you like reading romance stories that has a twist to it, I suggest this book.

[Rachel :) · Rating 4 out of 5]

read this book two times before this, this time it was in florida on the way to the beach. where I read it means everything to me!
Anyways, it is always a good read. two people with problems in their life coming together.
Ending was sad tho. I like how april gave brandon a chance tho, and how much brandon cared for April!

[Traceylee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why

This is about a young girl who had a brain tumor and fell in love after her fiance died and had to learn to let go and move on with her life till she had problems with her brain tumor.

[Janessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't think I have ever cried harder at a book. This book is a reread for me from my teen years and something about it killed me.
I just checked and I am a few days preperiod so that explains a lot. Either way, still good but you might best like this if you read this as a teen.

[Jessica Jamena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always a good quick read.

[Kim Novak (The Reading Rx) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sob fest

[K Cheese · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE this book it is the perfect sequel to Till Death do us Part. The book is sad but I really liked it.

[Violet Lucia]

Idk why I read this...

[Isabelle Medina · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the death of Mark ,April had went to an island for a trip for her and her parents so she can get Mark off her mind But she couldnt she thought about him everyday in the day and night for months. When she went hiking on top of a mountain she looked up at the sky to see if Mark was wathing over her and he did. All of a sudden this random stranger scared her and Thye started talkig and They talked a lot and had feelings for eachother but he never knew about her illness she didnt want to scare Brandon off so she never told him.They had a lot in commen they both lose something very important to them in their lives. When April went to go see the doctor again he tolf her very bad news the tumor in her brain wouldnt stop growing so that means that she is going to die soon and untill she did she told brandom ,he didnt handle it very well so he went crazy. The day she died he got a balloon with a red ribbon Meaning that he is giving April to Mark forever it was time for him to say good bye.

[VampireNovelFan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember reading this book in middle school with my eyes glued to every page. It was a different experience for me because it introduced impending tragedy. This is a sequel to Til Death Do Us Part. The main character, April Lancaster, is terminally ill and mourning the death of her fiancée in the first book. Her family decides to take her on a vacation. There she meeds Brandon Benedict. They spend time helping each other heal from hurtful memories of their past. With April still in mourning, she can't so easily give her heart to Brandon. This complication last through the book but comes to a head at the conclusion.

While utterly depressing, I think these types of books are valuable subject matter and thought provoking. This is a young adult series that gives teens a solid understanding of how fleeting life can be. It definitely makes you reflect on how lucky your life may be. I definitely recommend this read.

[Hanna Widdel · Rating 5 out of 5]

For Better, For Worse, Forever is a controversy love story. In the book, the main character, April, is recovering from her now dead fiancé. She thinks she can not go on loving anyone else. On her vacation, she meets a new boy who falls for her. During this time, her brain tumor returns. Find out if she survives and loves the new boy she meets, or everything turns for the worst. If you enjoy love stories, this is a good book for you.
This book is a catchy, sad love story. I really enjoyed this book because every page was something new. This book never got to a dull moment. I also enjoyed this book because I love, love stories. This was an awesome book and you might want to cuddle up with a box of tissues as you read.

[AlixJamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't know what to expect when I picked up this book. I had never read anything by Lurlene McDaniel and was quite skeptical. Well, I loved it. I had no idea that this was a sequel, in fact, for practically the whole book, I assumed it was the prequel.
I liked that it was realistic. There was no miraculous healing in the end. When people have diseases like that, there is usually no miracle. That's life, and it's hard, but I get tired of those books where the author builds up so much suspense and you fully expect the character to die, but they live and do that happily ever after. Yes, that's how you want it to go, but it's not how it usually happens. Kudos to Mrs. McDaniel!

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore this story time and time again. It's such a bittersweet story about how April Lancaster goes on with her life after her husband Mark's sudden death from Cystic Fibrosis. You can feel her agony at moving on to love another and then the end will make you re think about your life. The one thing that I have gotten from all of Lurlene McDaniel's books are that life is way too short to be hesistant and regretful, even in painful situations. If you read this book along with a few of her other novels, you'll understand what I mean.

[Megan Anderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh, man. I just about stopped reading fifteen times in the two hundred pages of this book. It's incredibly over-the-top (okay, so was the last one, and so are just about all of her books, but this goes beyond even the others). The ending felt really rushed, I didn't really care about the characters, and I was kinda glad when it ended.

Actually, I think two stars is being generous...

2/5 on here, 4/10 for myself

[Honnor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author lurlene McDaniel is wonderful at writing. She's great at making the books good and the endings to be great. The book For Better Or Worse is an amazing book, the way the two couples come together and end up loving each other is romantic. My favorite part was when Brandon shows her around his place and where the beautiful things are where he lives. Most of all I would recommend this book to people who love romantic story's.

[Sherina Roten · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was about April a girl who lost her boyfriend Mark. April and her parent went on a vaction to St. Croix. April met up with a boy named Brandon. They have a lot and commen. Aprils headaches start coming back, this is making them cut their vaction short. April is ill and cant decide how to tell Brandon.

[Courtney U · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was good. My favorite part in this book is at the end when the guy blows up a balloon and lets it go in to the sky. He does that because April used to do that for Mark her dead boyfriend. It is a very sad book so I would not read this book unless you like sad books!

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goodness! Very good book, and yes I did cry. I couldn't stop reading this book. It just drew me in, and I felt like I really knew the characters. Honestly, I don't think I could read a book over again, but I probably could read this again! I definitely would recommend this book!

[Mary Bronson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a really good book. I really enjoyed reading the second book about April. I like how Lurlene went back and forth between the main characters. By the end of this book I was also crying.

[Rebecca H. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is the sequel to Til Death do us part. After her fiance dies, April moves to an island. She meets a new boy and befriends him, only to discover her cancer has returned.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

love it a lot

[Caroline · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dying April goes to St. Croix and faces an unexpected romance from a local boy. About as good as the first book.

[Mayssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing... couldn't even put the book down

[The Third Place A Teen Library]

F McDA

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I <3 romance!

[Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know why I read these books when I was younger, but I cried and cried and cried over these books.

[Rameela (Star) · Rating 5 out of 5]

sequel to till death do us apart... so amazing.. but sad...