Okay, it’s decided. I’m a huge fan of Sarah Crossan. This book was just so wonderfully written! I love the mix between poetry and prose in her books, and the main character of this book, Apple, was so great. I just love Apple’s voice (or rather, Sarah Crossan’s voice?) and I can’t wait to read more of her books. I wasn’t such a fan of The Weight Of Water, also by Sarah Crossan; the whole thing was written in poetry, but that wasn’t what I didn’t like (actually, I really loved it.) It was just a bit slow. But Apple and Rain was amazing!

Title: Apple and Rain

Author: Sarah Crossan

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Publication date: August 14, 2014

Source: library

Synopsis: When Apple’s mother returns after eleven years away, Apple feels whole again. But just like the stormy Christmas Eve when she left, her mother’s homecoming is bittersweet. It’s only when Apple meets someone more lost than she is that she begins to see things as they really are.

A story about sad endings.
A story about happy beginnings.
A story to make you realise who is special.

The first thing I loved about the book was, like I said, Apple’s voice. I think I really loved the setting most, actually, because it affected the voice of the characters. The book was set in England, and it only made me want to visit even more! (I did have to get used to different spellings; like realize is spelled realise, etc. It didn’t bother me too much, though.) I could hear her voice so clearly in my head, and I really liked that. Each of the characters had very different voices, in fact, and it made the book even better.

In the beginning of the book, Apple had a major attitude towards her Nana, and she would say things like, When mum comes back… and it really made me so mad! I couldn’t understand why Apple even wanted her mother to come back; she left her child to be raised by her grandmother, and Apple acted like such a brat to Nana! So there’s that. I really detested Apple’s mom – oh, sorry – mum. 🙂 And I really didn’t appreciate Apple’s attitude, either. It really bugged me.

Buuut when Apple’s mother finally made her grand appearance, I was happy for Apple. I could understand how excited she was… even though, being a much more sensible 13-year-old than Miss Apple over there (who is 14, I might add!), I was so ticked off at how this “mum” acted. UGH! It made my blood boil. For a while there, I didn’t really want to keep reading, because it dragged on a bit. It took Apple a while to get her head screwed on right.

The plot was too good for me to put down, though. You’ve got your sorry excuse for a mother (sorry, sorry! It’s just the way I feel, argh!), the boy-next-door character, who at first Apple doesn’t like, and then of course she falls for (I called it), Nana, Apple’s father and her stepmother (who she also doesn’t like), and one other character who I just wanted to squeeze so hard! (She made me really sad and happy, at the same time. Just… FEELINGS, people!) The characters were great, and I couldn’t just put the book down.

And yet, I totally saw the ending coming. It just wasn’t a surprise! I was a little disappointed, and I was hoping for something a little different, but that’s really my one downer. (Oh, and Apple’s mother. Did I mention that already?!) There was one thing I LOVED about this book. It made it all worthwhile:

[learn_more caption=”Spoiler alert!”] Rain, Apple’s little sister. It almost made me tear up! (Almost – I actually didn’t cry, surprisingly.) As a big sister, I just… felt the urge to hug Rain at any given moment! At first, Apple and Rain (yep, there’s the title!), are at odd ends, because they’re fighting for the attention of their mum. But then they get closer, and I just loved it. The sisterly dynamic was so sweet![/learn_more]

There was some content I should warn you about:

[box type=”warning”] Like I said, I really hated Apple’s mother! She threw several parties throughout the book, when Apple was staying with her. There was drinking, and even Apple drank too much. (And her mother allowed it! See what I’m saying?!) There were also some kiss scenes; they didn’t sit too well with me, because I don’t like to imagine a fourteen-year-old kissing that much… just… no. Ew. Other than that, the book was overall clean. [/box]

Apple and Rain gets four stars!

 

 

have you read apple and rain? do you want to? are you a fan of sarah crossan? let me know!