This was a brilliant read. As soon as I started reading this book I just knew I was going to love it. Highly recommended

I really do love creepy reads. I have read a couple of thrillers with some really dark characters. However, this has to be one of the darkest. This is mainly because of the age of the baddie.If you haven't made the decision to not have children before then this may do it for you. What a eerie story with I think a hint of the film The Orphan. I couldn't stop reading this as I needed to know what Hanna was going to do next. I always think thrillers and horrors always seem more sinister with children as the scary character and this was that. I would have liked a bit more content at the end as it seemed a big build up to it but not so much after. Either way though I enjoyed it. I am disappointed it's a standalone though. I would like to know the next part!

I wanted to like this book, the story of Suzette and Alex having a child Hanna ,
who loves her father but who not only does not want her mother around but wants her dead!!Unfortunately Hanna has never spoken and after lots of tests and scans there is no reason why their child cannot speak.

For me this book was repetitive, Hanna would try and hurt her mother Suzette, who then tries to tell her husband Alex, who refuses to believe his little girl could be so evil and then it all starts all over again!!

I was waiting for something to happen and sadly it didn’t, I did finish this book as I wanted to know what the outcome would be. I could see that this story line would make a great horror and you will either love it or hate it. But sadly it’s not for me.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

Great storyline with good strong characters. Very well written. I would recommend this book to anyone.

A spellbinding horror/thriller

Suzette and Alex Jenson have a comfortable life with a perfect house and a seven-year-old daughter Hanna. The one fly in the ointment is that Hanna is non-verbal, although she can make some noises and can spell and write. The book opens with yet another scan for Hanna to try to establish whether there is any physical cause for her silence.

Relationships in the family can be strained as Hanna relates more positively to her father than to Suzette, and in fact, that relationship seems to be getting worse all the time. This isn’t helped when Hanna decides to share her first words with her mother, and they are “I am not Hanna”, said with a French accent.

Suzette suffers from Crohn’s disease, and this, together with her dysfunctional childhood means that she lacks confidence in her role as a mother; too often she is separated from Hanna by her illness. The couple has tried their daughter at nursery and primary schools, but each time her behaviour is so bad that they are forced to remove her. Alex fails to understand the extent of her problems as she is always sweetness and light with him.

They hope that things will improve when Hanna is referred to a child psychologist but despite a promising beginning, things start to escalate with the worst of the girl’s venom aimed at her mother.

Is Hanna deeply traumatised or is she just evil? As events spiral out of anyone’s control, her parents must face a difficult truth and make an equally difficult choice.

This novel is well written and absolutely packed with suspense and mounting horror. The emotions of the family are raw and desperate as they each strive for a happy ending. The ending when it comes is shocking and unforeseen by this reader.

Not exactly Carrie or The Omen, but in a similar ilk. Be afraid……..

Pashtpaws

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

The tagline was so brilliant I had to read and very glad I did. Twisty and gripping. Would recommend.

A family drama about a very badly behaved 7 year old girl who terrorises her fragile mother. Hannah loves her daddy so much that she will go to any lengths to get rid of mummy and have daddy all to herself.

Hannah is mute and is home schooled by her mother while her father is at work all day. Various attempts to get Hannah into nursery and mainstream schooling have been made over the years, but every attempt has failed due to Hannah's awful behaviour. When things escalate mummy finds herself at her wits end and at the mercy of Hannah's violence. Are the family's problems a result of mental ill health, demonic possession or bad parenting? A very far-fetched read but somehow extremely compelling.

A “mute” 7 year old and the first time she speaks is to the mother she hates. An interesting idea and genuinely creepy in parts. Is this a horror or domestic drama? Hard to say as it is often both. Not an easy read at all and often disturbing especially some of the scenarios and quite often violent. Hanna seems much older than 7 with her reasoning and what she gets up to. Alex is quite happy going off to work whilst his wife Suzette struggles with their daughter every day. I liked this book, I think, but certainly not all of it!

Now, this is one unsettling read. The plot is very intriguing and I immediately wonder how the author will spin the story. Will there be a surprising twist, a secret, some other element? I was waiting for something more to happen but unfortunately, there’s none. Everything centers around Suzette’s frustrations to connect with her daughter and Hanna’s plot to get rid of mommy. The back and forth narration between mother and daughter gives readers a chance to get into the minds of two distinct characters and fully understand their sentiments. I can sympathize with Suzette on most, but I can do with less talk about her Crohn’s disease no matter how informative it is. Hanna, on the other hand, is scary and I can’t help but wonder, is it realistic for a seven-year-old to be that evil? There are moments that I question Hanna’s flow of thoughts and actions as she seems so much older than the seven-year-old that she is. As for Alex, he seems delusional when it comes to Hanna which can be pretty annoying. Surprisingly, despite some issues I had, I found myself deeply absorbed by the family’s story. Though, the ending is not as satisfying as I hoped.

I realized that this type of book won’t be for anyone’s taste. Some will love it and some won’t. I am somehow in the middle but I do appreciate Stage’s effort to offer something different. No matter how disturbing it is, which I believe is exactly what the author is trying to accomplish. Bad Apple is disconcerting but it is certainly something that will stay with me for a while. Creepy theme but solid debut, nonetheless.

Seven-year-old Hanna has never spoken a word. She loves her daddy, Alex, and is sweet and loving in his presence, wanting her father's attention all to herself, but when she's with her mother, Suzette, she's a very different little girl indeed.

Having succeeded in foiling every attempt made to send her to school by deliberately getting herself expelled in a matter of days, Hanna has been home-schooled by Suzette. But when Hanna learns that her mother's trying to get her into school once more, her behaviour both in and outside the home escalates.

Then, for the first time, Hanna speaks and when she does, her words are chilling. Alone in the car with her daughter, Suzette desperately wants to write it off as a scary joke but she's becoming increasingly afraid of her little girl. Could she really be in danger from her own child?

Smart and manipulative, Hanna never speaks or behaves badly in front of her father and so when Suzette attempts to tell Alex what Hanna's said and done, he finds it incredibly difficult to believe. His 'little squirrel' would never bully another child, have violent outbursts or behave in such a sinister manner! It isn't until Suzette calls him at work, having been hurt by Hanna, that he begins to realise his daughter isn't as angelic as she'd have him believe. But what can be done?

Having finally witnessed what Hanna's capable of, Alex joins Suzette in putting on a united parental front. That definitely wasn't part of Hanna's plan! But the fact daddy's sided with mummy only makes the little girl more determined and she ups the ante.

If mummy wasn't in the picture, she could have daddy all to herself...

Told through chapters that alternate between Suzette's point of view and that of Hanna, readers are given both sides to this chilling story.

Suzette was an interior designer before her daughter was born and would like nothing more than to have a little time to herself, perhaps even resume her career, yet she's unable to have either all the time Hanna has to be home-schooled. Having consulted doctors concerning her daughter's mutism only to be told that physically, at least, there's nothing wrong with Hanna, Suzette spends a lot of time blaming herself for her daughter's behaviour, while also compensating for her own mother's negligence by attempting to be a model mother and housewife. As Hanna's behaviour escalates, Suzette's fear and sense of helplessness is palpable, as is her frustration at Alex's steadfast refusal to see their daughter for what she is. Where did it all go wrong? But, more importantly, what can be done to help their little girl?

I'm sure I'm not the only reader for whom Hanna steals the show, though. Is it plausible that a seven-year-old can be so smart, calculating and manipulative? That's a question I'll leave for the experts to answer. As a work of fiction, however, Zoje Stage has created a wonderfully sinister character in Hanna and I couldn't wait to discover what deliciously devious, sadistic plan the little girl had up her sleeve next.

I've deliberately avoided going into the specifics of Hanna's behaviour as I can't help but feel that while her actions alone are horrific enough, it's the combination of her behaviour and her inner monologue attempting to rationalise that behaviour that adds much of the "creep" factor that makes this book such a compelling read. Suffice to say, what Hanna does is diabolical. Is there an effective intervention that could prevent a child with sociopathic/psychopathic traits from developing into one as an adult? That's largely beyond the scope of this novel but it's a question that's remained long after I turned the last page.

Described by Entertainment Weekly as Gone Girl meets The Omen, Bad Apple (Baby Teeth) is a wonderfully written, addictive page-turner that, in my humble opinion, fully deserves the pre-release hype and accolade bestowed upon it and I highly recommend adding it to your bookshelves.

This story had so much potential. I was hoping for something super dark but it didn't get there. A lot of the story line was too implausible for me to sink in and l couldn't connect with the spineless mother, Suzette.
Overall, there was much potential but it failed to deliver. I managed to finish, but it was a struggle.

'Bad Apple' (also released under the title 'Baby Teeth' in the U.S.) is writer and 2012 Emerging Storytellers Fellow Zoje Stage's debut novel. Touted as being a cross between 'We Need To Talk About Kevin', 'Gone Girl' and 'The Omen', this is one of the most chilling, disturbing and original idea's for a crime thriller I have had the pleasure to read in the past year, and I loved every single second of it!

We are introduced to the Jensen family - Alex, Suzette and their daughter Hanna. On the outside they appear to be the perfect family, but all is not as it seems. Both mother and daughter have entered into a form of psychological warfare over Alex's affection and attention. Hanna is seven-years-old and hasn't uttered a single word (she brings a whole new meaning to silent but deadly!) and is voluntarily mute. She is highly intelligent, devious, calculating and manipulative. When she eventually does speak it is not what was expected, and her mother becomes even more afraid of her. The gulf between both parents widens, as Alex believes his daughter to be an angel, and as Hanna wants her daddy all to herself what exactly is she willing to do to achieve her aim?

I found myself immersed in the story from very early on, this is definitely one of those reads where it's easy to just keep going, and before too long you've reached the conclusion. This story uses the concept of nature vs nurture in the context of the story to create thought-provoking questions in the readers mind. A dark and uncomfortable tale featuring a sociopathic child - what more could you want! I am always wary when considering a book that has been surrounded by intense hype before its release, but due to the unique story I couldn't resist, and I am pleased I made the correct choice because this really lives up to the hype. Truly unnerving and unputdownable, I know that this will not be for everyone, but many seasoned thriller readers will appreciate this original tale just as I did.

Many thanks to Bantam Press for an ARC. I was not required to post a review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Bad Apple (or BabyTeeth as it is also published as) is certainly an original story. It didn't take me long to read, I kept reading to see where it was going but in the end I was disappointed. There didn't seem to be any major twist and the ending was a let down. As well as that I struggled to believe that a seven year old could be that calculating. The writing was great and I was sucked into the story but I don't think it lived up to the hype for me.

7 year old Hanna has not spoken a word in her life. She is a difficult child who has her father believing that she is an angel but plays games with her mother who becomes increasingly afraid of her. When she does speak it is not what is expected and the games become more dangerous for her mother Suzette. That is about the gist of the story. It doesn't seem to go anywhere else.

Thanks to Random House UK, Transworld Publishing, Bantam Press via NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased

I expected this book with great anticipation because it was so incredibly hyped among the bookbloggers. However, I tried not to overstate my expectations. Because often I've been disappointed in such hyped books already.

Review contains minor spoilers

We get to know the Jensen family. Alex, Suzette and daughter Hannah. Unfortunately, they are not the perfect little family they look like. Mother and daughter have somehow entered a psychological warfare over Alex's affection. Hannah, only 7 years old, refuses to speak. Simply because she does not want to communicate with words. Physically she is alright and healthy. She is highly intelligent, but varies between premature and very childish behaviour. She is capable of making clever conclusions, but on the other side, she often does not understand that her behaviour makes the exact opposite impression on the adults around her.

While Hannah is an interesting character after all, I had massive problems with the parents. Alex is a bit squishy somehow. But Suzette, I disliked her very much. Her Crohn's disease is certainly terrible, but I found the heavy emphasis on the book tiresome. Some reviewers evidently found this topic especially notable. For me, however, it was just remarkably boring. Personally, I do not need such a detailed description, especially if it seems out of place, as here. The book is a dark domestic drama. The disease has certainly shaped the character of Suzette. But somehow it seemed more like a profound personal tragedy to push into the story. And give Hannah another starting point for harming her mother.

The problem with this book is that it is somehow not harmonious. On the one hand, it is a disturbing story about a sociopathic child who wants to do serious harm to her mother in order to keep her father to herself. Suzette would like to have Alex for herself, too. She quarrels with her motherhood on so many levels and it turns the story in a circle. Hannah is evil. But she is a child. She loves her. But actually she would like to get rid of her again. But she must not think that. This is how the same lines of thought always turn in a circle. Even after something happened, she worried about her child in a moment, only to think again a few minutes later that Hannah was trying to hurt her. Alex is just as inconsistent. This eternal back and forth of the two has annoyed me pretty much. Maybe that is what you feel as a parent but it somehow did not work in favour of the story.

The conclusion is also a little undecided. I somehow hoped for something, a twist maybe. Of course, Suzette as an adult wins this duel in the affection of Alex. But the end leaves it open, if it could perhaps go on with this very strange family.

I can not quite join he hype around this book. Yes, it is a dark and uncomfortable story. The basic idea is good. The author can also write very fluently. The pages flew just like that. For a long time, it's all about how and with what Hannah will harm her mother. There is little story development there. Personally, the descriptions of Suzette's disease are way too much. That was too much unnecessary information for me that did not contribute to the story. Reading this book is not a waste of time. But it is not a big loss if you skip it. It certainly did not deserve the big hype because it is too indecisive and inconsistent. But the author definitely can write well, and with all the dislike I felt for her characters, they are remarkable and memorable. I would read another book from her. Because despite all of its flaws, I think that I will remember this story for a long time.

I picked up this book when a member of my book club mentioned it and started reading it immediately, without even checking the blurb or reviews. About an hour into the book I looked at the blurb and reviews on Goodreads and saw that it was a real MARMITE book, which for me is great as I love marmite – so I would suggest you don’t read the reviews before reading it, but then it’s a dilemma as I’m reviewing it hoping to entice you to read it.

Anyway, back to the book; there are very few things that creep me out in stories; in fact the more gore the better, however one thing does freak me right out – little children behaving in scary ways and boy-oh-boy 7 year old Hanna may have to get a prize for the most disturbing, psychopathic little girl with the exception of Regan the spinny head kid from The Exorcist.

Bad Apple (Baby Teeth in America) is the dark and disturbing tale of a “nice, normal American family”, stay at home mum, loving and supportive dad and 1 seriously, screwed up, non-verbal seven year old daughter called Hanna, who for some inexplicable reason wants to kill her mum so she can be with her father.

The book is narrated from Hanna’s weird and very uncomfortable perspective and Suzette, her mother who is rapidly losing her patience as well as her mind. It’s creepy, uncomfortable and quite shocking in places. It seems to have divided opinions from other readers – some HATED it, but personally I really ENJOYED it.

It’s not a comfortable read and it is very, very, very dark (you may need a flashlight and a miners helmet it’s so dark), but Entertainment Weekly describes it as “Gone Girl meets The Omen… a twisty delicious read” and I totally agree.

Oh my god what a creepy book, the kid Hannah is just weird and the dad in denial, felt so sorry for the mum knowing her daughter was playing such an awful game and in general wants her dead yet totally adores Daddy! I found it a good but uneasy read lol and would defo read mire from the author, quite an unnerving read to be honest but a good one!

A compelling ,descriptive and unsettling thriller , A unnerving premise of a mother and young child at war,
The authors believeable voice of 7 year old Hanna and love for her daddy both mother and daughter vying for his affections, hints of mental health or is it?
Views from both sides contribute to a novel I could not put down till the last page, I look forward to Zoje Stages further books.

This book had me gripped from the very beginning and kept me hooked the whole way through, the end left me SHOOK which is always a good sign, loved it SO much and can't wait for more from this author!! 10/10

What if your seven year old daughter truly hated you to the point that she wanted you dead out of the picture, so that she can have her daddy all to herself?!

Also titled 'Baby Teeth', the many reviews this book has already received seemed to reveal that this may be a controversial Marmite read...you either love it or you don't. I decided in the end not to let other opinions sway me. I was intrigued by the synopsis and I let that lead the way. I'm sure glad I did.

Solidly falling into the 'creepy kid genre', this story reveals the POV of both an ill and exhausted mother and her psycho manipulative daughter, whose refusal to speak being the catalyst for their rift, their frustration with each other mounting in their battle of wills. The book gives us insight into how their relationship has become embittered with misunderstanding and resentment.

Daddy on the other hand, is oblivious as he never gets to see this side of Hanna, and won't believe that something is seriously wrong with his daughter.

I was intrigued as to where the author would take me on this dark and disturbing read, that certainly had me on edge throughout as I read about this truly dysfunctional family.

I realise this won't be everyone's cup of tea, but for me, this blend certainly satisfied my taste buds. I can't wait to discover what Zoje Stage comes up with next.

Many thanks to Netgalley, the author and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers Bantam Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion of this book.

This is possibly the most disturbing book I will read this year. It is an interesting meditation on the nature/nurture of evil and motherhood-is it a natural state of being or can a woman be taught to be a mother?
The story is told from the split narrative of Hanna (the 'Bad Apple' from the title} and Suzette, her mother.
Suzette has been brought up by a mother whose indifference borders on neglect. Her lack of care resulted in the chronic exacerbation of Crohn's disease which marked Suzette's adolescence. Following multiple surgeries and a complex medication regime, she ,manages to break free from her mother and establish a relationship with Alex.
They work together, support each other's ambitions and agree on having a child. This baby, Hanna, exacerbates Suzette's Crohn's to the point where she has to have Hana delivered early and cannot breastfeed her. Her reaction to Hanna's place in their relationship has been to feel unworthy of being a mother whilst also resenting its' role in subjugating her ambitions .
As a result, she finds that she no longer fits into the life that she used to have and her husband has happily adjusted and returned to work leaving her in a no man's land of not quite fitting in anywhere.
Hanna doesn't talk(by choice), thwarts all her efforts to leave her at nursery or school and scares away babysitters. She actively despises her mother for having an equal and separate relationship with her father and wants Alex all to herself.
As Hanna escalates her campaign against Suzette, Suzette does not know whether her daughter is psychopathic because of her, whether she is imagining things because Alex does not believe her or if it is an organic evil.
It is a chilling and well written book that would make anyone reading it feel uneasy as the way that Hanna behaves is completely the antithesis of a child yet at the same time there are mental health issues at stake and we, as a society, are so unwilling to face that a child could be evil that we ignore the signs .
Really hope there will be a sequel to 'The Bad Apple', I need to know what happens next!
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this in return for an honest review.