Bad Apple by Laura Ruby

To be released on October 1st, 2009, Bad Apple is the story of Tola Riley, a misunderstood artist, and the rumored affair between her and her art teacher, Mr. Mymer. Throughout the novel, you follow Tola through troubling circumstances, and learn that there is no living happily ever after—there’s just living happily. Told in a believable voice layered with sarcasm, Bad Apple is your classic tale of a teenager trying to find out where she belongs.

While I did enjoy this book, it definitely was very slow and lacked a certain drive that I personally feel books need to have. It has the sturdy plot, strong characters, and powerful voice that some young adult novels seem to lack—but it just doesn’t have the necessary suspense. I suppose that this is understandable—Ruby didn’t have much to go off of—but it still could have been much better. As I mentioned earlier, Tola’s voice is one of such honesty and sarcasm that she is nearly impossible to hate. And the general character development was just fabulous!

I found the fairy tale aspect of this book very entertaining, as the Grimm fairy tales are my favorite. Tola is a very unique artist, and most of her drawings/paintings are related to fairy tales, such as Rapunzel, Cinderella, The Robber Bridegroom, and The Goose-girl, which are some of my favorites.

But the novel was also pathetically predictable, which was depressing. I mean, just from reading the summary, you know that she’s been accused of having an affair with her art teacher—and from there it’s pretty easy to guess that this is going to be solved somehow (resolution, anyone?). And then the second you meet Seven, it’s really obvious that they’re going to be together. This book didn’t surprise me very much, and that’s something that really ruins the entire point of reading a book.

But, despite this, I honestly did love the novel--and, god, what an awesome cover! Truly, don't hesitate to grab Bad Apple the moment it hits the shelves in October.

Grade: B+

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