Krista Reviews: Apple and Rain by Sarah Crossan

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.

Hardcover, 330 pages

Published 2015 by Bloomsbury Publishing (first published August 14th 2014)

Apple has always felt that her grandmother is strict and difficult to live with. So when her free-wheeling, relaxed mother shows up out of the blue and offers Apple to come live with her, Apple is quick to accept. But Apple’s mother has a surprise of her own, and what Apple thought would be a bonding experience with her mother becomes something much more. She encounters a woman who was never ready to be a mother, a brand new love, and she has to grow up fast.

Apple learns what is important to her through the mistakes that she makes and the new friendships she finds. Apple and Rain is a coming to age story, mixed with discovering the harsh realizations of life. It’s a heart-warming story of family and friendship, and of finding both in unexpected people and surprising ways.

The story is great for younger teens and reminded me a bit of Judy Blume’s work. What I enjoyed most about the story was Apple’s developing compassion for others and how she begins to see the bigger picture. I recommend this book to young girls who enjoy reading about social and family situations. I liked this story, and the endearing way the family finds to re-connect in hard times.