'I miss English class and Mr Gaydon's way of looking at the world. Like being ourselves is enough.'

1. Holy wow bad parent alert. 

2. Del is my favourite.

A copy of this novel was provided by Bloomsbury Australia for review.

I read Apple and Rain in one sitting. It was incredibly addictive, and it drew me in from the first sentence.

I must admit that I was expecting this book to be about a teenage girl going through a tough time who finds a boy who is also going through a tough time and then they bond and fall in love.

If you think this is what the story of Apple and Rain is, you are mistaken. I most definitely was.

Apple and Rain is the story of a thirteen year old girl who finds out she has a sister.

Even though this story was pretty much the opposite of what I expected when I opened up Apple and Rain, I was still interested in it. Even though it is not really a book I would have picked up, because I tend to find it hard to relate to younger protagonists, this novel was written more like a YA novel than a MG, and I was intrigued by the story.

Our main character, Apple, was mature in some ways, but she was incredibly naïve and irresponsible in others. She hurts people with her careless attitude and does some pretty stupid things to impress her long-lost mother. But I guess this had me hoping that she would learn from the mistakes she made, and grow because of them.

There weren't a lot of charcaters in Apple and Rain, which I am always a fan of. This way, I really got to know the characters that were integral to the storyline, like Apple and Rain and their mother and their grandmother. Apple's best friend, and Del. The interactions between them all are so important in a story like this one, and with not a lot of peripheral characters, those interactions are clearer and relationships are more easily identified.

My favourite character in this book was Del. He was adorable and a little weird (but I always like them a little weird), and he didn’t let Apple’s flippant and standoffish façade drive him away. I have a heap of respect for him for that, because most people run away when someone requires you to persevere with no guaranteed outcome of friendship (or something more).

I liked how Apple and Rain was divided into parts according to what Apple was studying in her English class. I think they all had significant meaning to the story, and also gave me a bit of a hint as to what would happen in that part of the story, as well.

Whilst Apple and Rain was not a favourite of mine, I’m quite glad I read it because it’s a little different to the books I usually read, and it made me step outside of my reading comfort zone.

© 2014, Chiara @ Books for a Delicate Eternity. All rights reserved.

This book had the mix that I normally like. That mix was something like this: Gorgeous cover (yes, I am judging books on their covers) + Great Blurb + Contemporary/YA/Children genre. 

Sadly it was not meant to be. While the beginning of the book was good, I got tired and sick of Apple (what a name). Constantly being rude, constantly whining and never happy about anything (which I can slightly understand, but it just gets annoying if you don't see anything getting better). Her grandma is just caring about her and while sure, she was a bit too strict at times, I can imagine why she was that way. She already lost her daughter, and didn't want to lose her granddaughter as well. 
I didn't like that Apple was drinking (she was only 13, for Gosh sake). I didn't like how she acted around Rain (not that Rain was that good, but that is coming in a bit), how she just let herself be treated as a slave all for her precious (and worthless mom (more later)). I just wanted to smack her and shake her and just scream at her.

Then we have Rain, the second character and instant hate and that stayed throughout the whole book. 10 year old + dolls, sure, but not like this. Not so obsessively, and I didn't like how bitchy she was. How everyone just had to do everything for her and her baby. Baby needs milk? It is midnight, F that, just get it, she is DYING. Oh boohoo boohoo, it is only a doll.
And when that happened at the end, I was just rolling my eyes and thinking, oh goodie, more reasons to hate her.

Then we have the worst character of the whole book, the mom. Dear Lord, some people just shouldn't have kids. Sorry if that offends people, but sorry, leaving your kid for your dreams and hopes, dumping it at grandma, not caring one bit about it, and then suddenly you come back and expect her to skip school and just be there for you. Then we find out she has yet another kid, another neglected kid. She drinks, smokes and just disappears on her kids. She flirts with a boy who is just 17, she pushes her kid to drinking, she abuses them in the form of letting a 13-year old do everything, household, caring for her younger sister, and letting her skip school.
Even at the end, when all that happened, sorry, I don't see her change. I can see this going wrong again and again. Please, someone get that Rain kid (no matter how annoying she was) out and away from that mom. 

The story itself was decent, though at times a bit overly dramatic and unrealistic. 

The only thing I did like was Apple + Del. Or more specifically, Del. Del is a wonderful character and I really liked him. He was silly, lovely and he cared deeply for his friends. Too bad we didn't see more of him.

All in all, I wouldn't recommend this book.

Review first posted at: http://twirlingbookprincess.com/