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!

Mini reviews are great when (as unfortunate as it may be), I don’t have a lot to say about a book. It’s just me, and my blunt (rather sad) feelings because quite honestly, I didn’t enjoy the book. Now, there’s two things you need to know about my reviews: 1) I rarely pick up a book, going in, thinking I won’t like it. I just don’t. Therefore, 2) I rarely ever rate a book beneath 3 stars. When I rate it 3 stars, it’s either leaning towards 2 or 4 stars, but only once in the history of this blog have I given a book a 2-star rating. SOOO don’t take my word for it if I give a book a 3-star rating. Just don’t, okay?! It means I am confuzzled, and a confuzzled Emily is an unhappy Emily.

Either way, I still want to share my opinions on these books, because I’ve wanted to read them for a while and I want you to hear what I have to say… as confused as I may be.

Eight Keys by Suzanne LaFleur

Okay. I’ve passed this book dozens of times in the past three or four years. That’s right – I’ve wanted to read this book since I was ten or eleven years old, and quite honestly, I probably would have enjoyed it more back then. You know, before I was a proper reviewer (ha!) and became all smart about book plots and characters and whatnot. I related to the main character, Elise, very much. For me, at least, it’s rare that I’ve found a book where a character is… not so much a bully, but let’s call her a “dumpee.” The one who dumps the friend for a “cool” friend, when she’s really getting “dumped” herself. Yeah, I was that girl. Been there, done that. So I understood Elise.

Reading some of the reviews on Goodreads and Amazon, a lot of readers said they found Elise annoying, and I have to agree with them… but since I related to her on such a high level, she wasn’t as annoying to me. Does that make sense? That said, she annoyed me for a different reason: she wasn’t that deep. I mean, her dead father leaves her a scavenger hunt of keys to open eight mysterious doors with messages for her, and she didn’t react the way I thought she would. She was just kind of shallow. Because she affected how the plot went so much, I was left feeling like “Huh. So that was the book. Okay then.” I just thought a lot more could have been done with this amazing plot.

3 stars

Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin

I had really high expectations for this book, and unlike with reviewing Eight Keys, I almost feel a little guilty about giving this one three stars. It was really disappointing, because I’m such a fan of Miss Martin. See, the main character, Rose, has Asperger’s Syndrome. She’s obsessed with homonyms, and rules, and truly… she bugged me. Here’s why I feel guilty for not liking this book as much as I would have liked: Rose’s voice is spot-on. The way she handles herself, and the people around her – it’s quite like what I would imagine someone with Asperger’s Syndrome would think, feel, act like. So… I know that this can be a tricky thing to feel like, because like I keep saying, I feel bad about not liking her, and I’m having doubts about even admitting this! The way she talked (not very many contractions…?) It didn’t feel natural, and though her voice was spot-on, and incredible, it was… stiff. The plot was very sad, but I didn’t feel anything. Does that make sense? I’m not 100% sure I’m making any sense right now… yeah. Sorry! Confuzzled Emily. 🙁 I didn’t enjoy this book very much, and I hate myself for it, but… ugh.

3 stars

so that’s where I stand with these two books. have you read them? do you want to? i would really love to know: what do you do when you feel confused about a book??

I was blown away by Lynda Mullaly Hunt yet again. Her debut novel, One For The Murphys, was recommended to me by my pen pal, Brooke, and I absolutely loved it. Her newest book, Fish In A Tree, came out this year, and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it! Plus, after interviewing Miss Erin E. Moulton, she recommended this one to me as a great contemporary read. I was so excited when my library got a copy. I love Miss Hunt’s writing style, and she’s become one of my favorite authors!

Ah, yes, my book photography. Do ya see it? Get it? Fish in a TREE? Couldn’t help myself.

Title: Fish In A Tree

Author: Lynda Mullaly Hunt

Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books

Publication Date: February 5, 2015

Source: library

Synopsis: The author of the beloved One for the Murphys gives readers an emotionally-charged, uplifting novel that will speak to anyone who’s ever thought there was something wrong with them because they didn’t fit in.

“Everybody is smart in different ways. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its life believing it is stupid.”

Ally has been smart enough to fool a lot of smart people. Every time she lands in a new school, she is able to hide her inability to read by creating clever yet disruptive distractions.  She is afraid to ask for help; after all, how can you cure dumb? However, her newest teacher Mr. Daniels sees the bright, creative kid underneath the trouble maker. With his help, Ally learns not to be so hard on herself and that dyslexia is nothing to be ashamed of. As her confidence grows, Ally feels free to be herself and the world starts opening up with possibilities. She discovers that there’s a lot more to her—and to everyone—than a label, and that great minds don’t always think alike.

I love Lynda Mullaly Hunt’s books, because she shines the light on teachers, parents, social workers – adults who care about their kids and show them the love and help they need. In Fish In A Tree, the main character, Ally, has always had a hard time learning to read… but it’s not until she meets her 6th-grade teacher, Mr. Daniels, that she learns she has Dyslexia. With the help of her teacher, Ally begins to make progress in her reading, and she realizes she has other gifts that others have to work at – like her art. And best of all, Ally starts to believe in herself again.

I’ve always had wonderful teachers – in private and public school, and my mom! (Home-schooler in da house!) 😉 I’ve never been afraid to ask for help in something (although I haven’t always liked “constructive” criticism…), but then again, I’ve never struggled in school. It was really insightful to read from Ally’s perspective, and I know that she’ll inspire many other kids, too.

I wish that there were more scenes about Ally’s dad, who was overseas. There was one part when Ally, her mom, and her brother, Travis, got to video chat with her dad. There was some conflict there with Ally missing her dad, but I felt like more could have been done with that. Also, her grandpa. It’s clear that she had a really great relationship with him. Ally talks about her grandpa introducing Alice in Wonderland to her, and being a great influence in her life… but I really wish I could have seen more with that. Honestly, I wish her grandpa was still alive in the book!

Overall, I thought the plot kind of left some loose threads. I was confused for a while there… I mean, I knew Ally was kind of missing her grandpa, and she definitely missed her dad, but then there was the school thing. I wanted the conflicts to be more connected. They just felt seperate, and at the end of the book, it still felt incomplete.

But Ally’s friends were awesome, too. Between sassy Keisha and future-Albert-Einstein Albert, I liked how the book showed the development of the friendships. In the beginning of the book, Ally doesn’t really know Keisha and Albert, but soon they become close friends. I liked watching the trio become closer, instead of the book starting right off with the three being friends. So it was great having those protagonists cheer Ally on; through mean girls, and school troubles, and family hardships.

I give Fish In A Tree three stars. I wanted to give it four stars, but the ending is a deal breaker for me. I did still enjoyed it, and I would love it if you’d read it, too.

so! it’s discussion time! have you read this book? do you want to? have you read one for the murphys, by the same author? oh, and how do you feel about stinky endings? deal breaker or no?