You can find this book here.
April is kind, pretty, and relatively normal - yet she can't seem to get past date five. Every time she thinks she's found someone to trust, they reveal themselves to be awful, leaving her heartbroken. And angry. If only April could be more like Gretel. Gretel is exactly what men want - she's a Regular Everyday Manic Pixie Dream Girl Next Door With No Problems. The problem is, Gretel isn't real. And April is now claiming to be her. As soon as April starts 'being' Gretel, dating becomes much more fun - especially once she reels in the unsuspecting Joshua. Finally, April is the one in control, but can she control her own feelings? And as she and Joshua grow closer, how long will she be able to keep pretending?
This introduction is from the blurb at the back of the book. The reason I am giving you this as the introduction and not my own take is that this book is very emotional, raw and possibly confronting and so I have not much else to say in how to explain it well.
The main reason for this type of explanation is that April is a rape victim. This doesn't give away anything in the book; but the emotional and mental aspects of the character are very strong; which keeps everything heightened. The way a character deals, or not deals, with trauma feels very real in this book and gives any reader the ability to see what it is like for anyone who has dealt with sexual assault.
This is also the main point to this novel. Sharing that understanding of this one character. Whilst experiences, trauma and dealing with trauma is different for every individual; a perspective on something like this for readers shows how important an issue this is in the Western world.
The character is very real and the book focusses on her point-of-view. This does mean that everyone else is viewed through this light; but isn't that life? Seeing the world only through our own eyes? But this book also allows readers to see what it is like to be April. And this is the point of the novel.
There is romance in this book, in part. So whilst it is romance fiction, it is backgrounded. Maybe it should be classed as relationship fiction, as this is very important to April as a character in general. So, if you are looking for a romance-first book, this is not for you. If you would like to have an idea of what it could be like for a woman in London to live and relate in London, give this book a go.
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