What do you think?
Rate this book
April's Heart
Cheerleader April Schweitzer navigates life and love through her turbulent and sexually charged romance with her hot boyfriend, Mitch Hudgins, the love of her life. Is he the love of her life? April really doesn't know. Although they are finally a happy couple, April and Mitch decide to break up due to the fact they will be attending different schools far away from each other. But they find they cannot resist one another, moving on seems impossible. Are they meant for each other, or just not meant to be? Hold on to your hat as April and Mitch with their on again, off again love affair keeps them guessing. It's not easy. “What are we going to do, Mitch?” April whispered. “I don’t know, April, I just don’t see how…” This time it was April who kissed him. She didn’t want him to say what he was going to say. Mitch didn’t want to say it anyway. They wanted things to stay the way they were, but that was impossible.“I think we’re going to have to break up.” April was crying as she said it. Mitch wiped a tear away with his thumb as he shook his head yes. They made love right there on the pool table, desperately, through April’s sobbing."What happens to the star crossed lovers as the earth tilts off its axis in protest? You may be surprised. You'll love this sexy romance novel with all the drama of high school in the eighties. It's flirty, spirited, with all the Spotify music links that bring you to the moment. It's full of heartbreak and tears, triumph and joy, not to mention April's dysfunctional family, and of course, infamous bitchy high school girls. Find out what happens to the lovers who are clearly mad for each other, yet riddled with break ups.“I miss you April,” he began. “Mitchell, don’t.” she said. He took her face in his hands. She put her hands on his chest. She couldn’t help herself. Marisol yelled again. “Coach is getting mad April, and, hello Mitchell Hudgins!” she giggled, climbing back into the bus. Mitch looked at April. “I might have told her a little about us.” April confessed. “I like it when you say “us”, he whispered to her face.“Mitch, don’t,” she repeated. “I could throw pebbles at your window sometime April,” It was a sexual reference, they were good at that. “Mitch, stop, I’ve got to go.” There was a long look, topaz to blue. Then a hug. Just a hug. It was painful. She got on the bus and cried into Penny and Marisol’s arms."
325 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 21, 2020
4 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
About the author
Shilah Ferr
4 books6 followersI grew up in Morristown, New Jersey with my brother and sister. We share treasured memories of high school, the Jersey shore and skiing with cousins in Mt. Snow, Vermont, all of which became part of April's Heart. I went to college in Washington, DC and became a teacher. I live in Virginia Beach, Virginia with my husband of thirty years. Our two boys are in their twenties making their own way in the world. I enjoy cooking (I've done some catering), my daily power walks (my preferred method of exercise), and hanging out on the beach. April's Heart is dear to my heart as it is very personal, basically following the outline of my life.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
September 2, 2020
April and Mitchell are the “it” couple throughout Jr. High and High School. Growing and stumbling, breaking up and coming together, all while building a bond no one can break.
Read full review in the 2020 September issue of InD'tale Magazine.
Read full review in the 2020 September issue of InD'tale Magazine.
May 3, 2020
Shilah Ferr reminds us that the road to love aught never be smooth with her romantic drama April’s Heart! April and Mitch are a thing…sometimes, but with graduation coming up and the two going to different schools, their relationship hits the rocks. Ferr captures all the great drama of an on again off again relationship in a way that is nice, not annoying! This one had great feels, and I loved the creative use of song links to add to the mood! If you love late highschool/early college romance, definitely check out April’s Heart!
November 28, 2020
This book made me smile. Brought back memories dating and love. A real true love story.
September 11, 2020
The Autumn of 1977 is a start to a multitude of changes for April Schweiter. The preadolescence age is something entirely new for the young girl, and she spends the next few years discovering who she is and who she will soon become. With the introduction of love and heartbreak, readers are offered an insight to April’s life and the challenges she faces during a time that we can all relate to all too much.
April’s Heart is a coming-of-age novel written by Shilah Ferr and published in January 2020. At roughly 320 Kindle edition pages, the length was perfect for diving in and consuming the story as an entire experience. From beginning to end, April’s character developed from a young, naive pre-teen to a mature and respectable young woman who has endured the life-altering experiences of love, heartbreak, friendship, and respect.
I admire how the author presented the main character’s personality as such a realistic and relatable role. April has a heart of gold and her caring personality shines through, even during the trying times of teenage selfishness that are commonly present. When April encounters her first experience with love with Mitch, it is delivered in a way that I felt the pain and bliss that I also experienced many years ago all over again.
The secondary characters in the story were also a large part of the credibility of the story. The snarky teenage girls are present, of course, along with those who are as caring and honest as April. When April and Mitch are introduced as a couple in the story, their bond is remarkable and I found myself rooting for their achievement, despite it being a “teenage love story.”
Written in such a way that I was actually able to picture all the scenes playing like a movie, it took me a while after finishing the story to accept the completion and move on from what I would have wanted to continue long after turning the last page. Along with being an exceptional story of self-discovery, April’s Heart was well-written and well-edited much to my approval. I’m so pleased to rate April’s Heart 4 out of 4 stars and would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed a feel-good novel with deep emotion.
Now I’ve finished April’s Heart, and, oh my heart….. the feelings are still rushing, the high of the love lost and regained, and then possibly lost for good is something that just hit a reminiscence of memories for me.
Shilah Ferr, well done on this one. You’ve won me over. 🙂
April’s Heart is a coming-of-age novel written by Shilah Ferr and published in January 2020. At roughly 320 Kindle edition pages, the length was perfect for diving in and consuming the story as an entire experience. From beginning to end, April’s character developed from a young, naive pre-teen to a mature and respectable young woman who has endured the life-altering experiences of love, heartbreak, friendship, and respect.
I admire how the author presented the main character’s personality as such a realistic and relatable role. April has a heart of gold and her caring personality shines through, even during the trying times of teenage selfishness that are commonly present. When April encounters her first experience with love with Mitch, it is delivered in a way that I felt the pain and bliss that I also experienced many years ago all over again.
The secondary characters in the story were also a large part of the credibility of the story. The snarky teenage girls are present, of course, along with those who are as caring and honest as April. When April and Mitch are introduced as a couple in the story, their bond is remarkable and I found myself rooting for their achievement, despite it being a “teenage love story.”
Written in such a way that I was actually able to picture all the scenes playing like a movie, it took me a while after finishing the story to accept the completion and move on from what I would have wanted to continue long after turning the last page. Along with being an exceptional story of self-discovery, April’s Heart was well-written and well-edited much to my approval. I’m so pleased to rate April’s Heart 4 out of 4 stars and would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed a feel-good novel with deep emotion.
Now I’ve finished April’s Heart, and, oh my heart….. the feelings are still rushing, the high of the love lost and regained, and then possibly lost for good is something that just hit a reminiscence of memories for me.
Shilah Ferr, well done on this one. You’ve won me over. 🙂
February 14, 2020
Loved it what a great Romance.
April's Heart is an excellent novel touching on family, love and love again.
You will laugh and cry with the characters and fall in love with all of them.
Highly recommend this read
April's Heart is an excellent novel touching on family, love and love again.
You will laugh and cry with the characters and fall in love with all of them.
Highly recommend this read
April 13, 2020
I enjoyed this book because it brought me back to my younger days when love was a mystery and relationships were new and exciting. This story depicts the thoughts and feelings that belong to every high school girl. Loved it!!
March 20, 2020
Lust or love? A question April struggles to answer as she and her first crush Mitch face the challenges of adolescence. Miscommunications, other love interests, and an overbearing mother will shatter this romance time and time again. Will young love rise above these obstacles or will they realize it was only teenage yearnings? Enjoyable quick read for those 18 and over. Looking forward to more from this new author.
December 30, 2020
Taken back down memory lane with this book! Was easily drawn in and kept throughout the entire book! Loved the characters as well as the story! Think I may have found a new fav author!
February 5, 2020
In April's Heart, we follow the journey of April through her teen years. As with all teens, there are ups and downs, highs and lows! This book is an amazing story of how a teenage girl navigates through family troubles, friend troubles and most definitely boyfriend troubles. I LOVED every aspect of this book. It held my attention the whole time and I found myself excited to find time to read and see what happens to April next! This is the first book from the author and I hope that she will be writing more soon. This book is a MUST READ!
August 8, 2020
April is a 13 year old girl at the beginning of the story. Middle school is just as sucktacular as high school, and April is no exception. Mitch is the love of her life and as things begin to evolve, so do they.
However, life is riddled with drama and whiplash turns. What was one mutual middle school turns into two separate high schools. Things get a little out hand when she meets a new man and then it gets messy.
This is a reality driven teenager journey full of life, drama and a gratuitous amount of sexual situations. This was the only thing that bugged me, much of it being underage situations. It does reflect life in many ways though.
This one was a challenge for me because it was very steeped in the reality of what a young woman may go through even today. However, I stuck it out and finished it. It has a wonderful ending. I was happy for them.
I received a free copy in return for an honest review.
However, life is riddled with drama and whiplash turns. What was one mutual middle school turns into two separate high schools. Things get a little out hand when she meets a new man and then it gets messy.
This is a reality driven teenager journey full of life, drama and a gratuitous amount of sexual situations. This was the only thing that bugged me, much of it being underage situations. It does reflect life in many ways though.
This one was a challenge for me because it was very steeped in the reality of what a young woman may go through even today. However, I stuck it out and finished it. It has a wonderful ending. I was happy for them.
I received a free copy in return for an honest review.
May 5, 2020
April's Heart was a good read. I definitely could relate to the theme in the book especially since I grew up during that time period. The references to music was enjoyable as well. Also, I am a friend of the author so while I was reading the book I was wondering what could have been real and what wasn't. I enjoyed discussing the book with her after I read it to find out what was and what wasn't. I struggled a little with the age of the characters early on but once they got into high school I really got into the story. Very good ending!!!
May 9, 2020
I loved the story of Mitch and April. It is the love story that every young girl hopes for. I also loved that the descriptions of the time period of the early 1980’s brought me back to my youth. I did recognize many of her characters as my high school friends which made the storyline so realistic. I am looking forward to reading Shilah Ferr’s next novel!
November 13, 2021
With all the complications of high school, this book has the reader traveling down memory lane! Their on/off relationship, a lot of break-ups, which is really reminiscent of high school! Other complications, like family and the uncertainty of the future, only add fuel to the fire of the relationship.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 14, 2020
Wonderful story of young love full of question and uncertainty and the adventures of teen life that is timeless. Beautiful read. Highly recommend and look forward to more from the author.
September 14, 2020
April’s Heart is a coming of age novel following April Schweiter, an all-American girl, from the age of thirteen. The book is in four parts and set in the late 1970s through to 1980s. We primarily follow the rollercoaster relationship between her and Mitchell Hudgins. This on/off romance is played out among April’s tribulations with family and friends as well as her path through High School and College.
I found April’s Heart entertaining but, at times, exhausting. Personally, I think the book should have begun with April a little older, fifteen perhaps, and been a little shorter. Part One certainly captures the unsophisticated logic of a young teenager and first love. Ms Ferr writes with a short sentence construct which makes for a fast, enthusiastic tempo. There is a lot of telling in her narrative which does lend some of the passages a slightly one-dimensional feel. However, April is an interesting character and I liked that she was aware of her flaws and yet was confident in her abilities despite them. As the novel progresses, you do sense her personality mature; thought processes clearly become more refined and less naïve. There were times I wanted to slap her, times I found her funny and times I nodded knowingly. Ms Ferr nicely captures and immerses you in the melting pot of teenage scheming, angst, and heartbreak. Her subjectivity and passion for telling this story is obvious throughout and especially towards the end.
I did find some parts repetitive, although the situation with Harriet; her Mother, provided a break from the on/off Mitch narrative and I would have liked this explored further or returned to later in the novel. There were a few loose ends with her familial relationships which don’t impact on the main thrust of the book but it would have added some depth if these had been delved into more.
The scenes between April and Mitch are nicely written and really redolent of those teenage moments. I felt the butterflies for both of them. I also found the late 70s/80s backdrop refreshing due to the lack of technology but, ironically, I thought the Spotify links were a nice addition.
Despite reservations concerning the length and occasional superficiality of April’s Heart, I would certainly recommend it for a fun, easy and engaging read that perfectly encapsulates the emotional drama of those bittersweet teenage years.
I found April’s Heart entertaining but, at times, exhausting. Personally, I think the book should have begun with April a little older, fifteen perhaps, and been a little shorter. Part One certainly captures the unsophisticated logic of a young teenager and first love. Ms Ferr writes with a short sentence construct which makes for a fast, enthusiastic tempo. There is a lot of telling in her narrative which does lend some of the passages a slightly one-dimensional feel. However, April is an interesting character and I liked that she was aware of her flaws and yet was confident in her abilities despite them. As the novel progresses, you do sense her personality mature; thought processes clearly become more refined and less naïve. There were times I wanted to slap her, times I found her funny and times I nodded knowingly. Ms Ferr nicely captures and immerses you in the melting pot of teenage scheming, angst, and heartbreak. Her subjectivity and passion for telling this story is obvious throughout and especially towards the end.
I did find some parts repetitive, although the situation with Harriet; her Mother, provided a break from the on/off Mitch narrative and I would have liked this explored further or returned to later in the novel. There were a few loose ends with her familial relationships which don’t impact on the main thrust of the book but it would have added some depth if these had been delved into more.
The scenes between April and Mitch are nicely written and really redolent of those teenage moments. I felt the butterflies for both of them. I also found the late 70s/80s backdrop refreshing due to the lack of technology but, ironically, I thought the Spotify links were a nice addition.
Despite reservations concerning the length and occasional superficiality of April’s Heart, I would certainly recommend it for a fun, easy and engaging read that perfectly encapsulates the emotional drama of those bittersweet teenage years.
December 6, 2020
A typical coming-of-age story. April is your typical 13-year old girl growing up in the suburbs. Like any teenager, she’s boy-crazy and worried about her social status among her peers. April certainly leads with her heart when she gets involved with boys, scheming and plotting to get who she wants. She does some underhanded things, so she’s not always likable. It had good drama and tension with a play for April’s heart. It’s got an easy narrative. Kind of slow with a lot of names in the story.
The cover doesn’t illustrate the story well. It’s so plain and generic—an obvious cookie-cutter template used by an author that didn’t hire a graphic designer.
Okay read.
The cover doesn’t illustrate the story well. It’s so plain and generic—an obvious cookie-cutter template used by an author that didn’t hire a graphic designer.
Okay read.
Read
September 6, 2020Hi friends! I've been so blessed that April's Heart has been acquiring terrific reviews, including editorial reviews! My novel garnished 4 out of 4 stars from OnlineBookClub.org, as well as great reviews from In'Dtale Magazine and Self-PublishingReview.com! It is very exciting and motivating! Thanks to all my readers who have left reviews, please keep them coming!
I am outlining my next novel, perhaps titled "Always April" which will be Mitchell Hudgins story!
I am outlining my next novel, perhaps titled "Always April" which will be Mitchell Hudgins story!
February 12, 2021
The general subject matter of this novel would interest a 12 year old or early teenage girl, however, the descriptions of the main character's sexual relationship are sometimes graphic. I would not feel comfortable recommending it to my 13 year old niece. It's unfortunate because the actual story itself would be good for a young adult if it wasn't so explicit. The author did a great job of capturing the time period and the addition of song titles and lyrics left me feeling nostalgic.
June 2, 2021
While this is a great concept and a great idea, it isn't ready for publication. The main character is to young for how graphic some of the situations are. 15 would be a better age or even 14. It also has first writers syndrome, I'm being told everything instead of shown.
November 5, 2021
Just a book about love, but the pure love which will make you to choose a direction in your life and try to remain certain on that. Beautiful read! Thank you, Shilah Ferr - you bring me back my teenage memories!
September 17, 2020
2.5/5.0
A story with lots of potential, but it desperately needs some strong, developmental editing.
A story with lots of potential, but it desperately needs some strong, developmental editing.
November 6, 2021
It's all about love and this book proves it! This is a genuine story about love, lust and expectations when you are a teenager. An enjoyable read!
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews