Surprisingly, I really enjoyed this - surprising only because I am usually averse to reading hyped books for the disappointment some have brought me in the past. Bad Apple, on the other hand, was not disappointing.

This book really held my attention from start to finish. The first half, held me because of how awful Hanna was and I couldn't not read on because I just wanted to know just how far she was going to go with Suzette. The second half was interesting just because I was expecting an easy way out for Hanna but I wanted Suzette and Alex to suitably deal with Hanna and they did. Their method of dealing with Hanna and their reasoning for doing so was completely appropriate in my eyes.

The book, did leave itself open for a second book, so I wouldn't be surprised to hear of a follow up in the near future and I wouldn't be completely opposed to it, given Hanna's 'new plan'.

If there is a follow up, watch out Suzette. That's all I'll say!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Wow this is certainly a deep dark disturbing story! The plot was gripping and thought provoking, and some parts were quite harrowing to visualize.
I didn't really warm to the characters, which sometimes made sympathy a little hard. Suzette had obviously had a very sad and traumatic childhood, but sometimes I did wonder how much she really wanted to be a mother. Alex came across as being the perfect dad, but when the going to tough, he always opted out leaving Suzette to cope on her own.
I found this story gripping, and was hooked from start to finish. The ending was left very open, which was disappointing - unless of course there is a sequel!?!

WARNING: there will be some very minor spoilers in this review and mention of animal cruelty (not in the book, it's only in my review)
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About 22 years ago I lived in a rented house whose landlady had a grandson. The boy was 3 at the time and he terrorize all the tenants.
He barely spoke but when he did it was to curse and menace people. Among all the things I tried to forget I witnessed, he killed a kitten in front of me and it was one of the most terrible experiences of my life. I didn't know what to do; I tried to physically stop him but I was so shocked my response was much too slow and honestly, how do you even properly forcefully stop a child?? If it were an adult I'd just punch them in the face or some other kind of violence but a 3 year old boy? There are some innate rules that prevent our most instinctive reactions when faced with violent children I suppose.
I remember how his grandma defended him, telling me that her daughter, the boy's mother, had tried to sell him to a couple when he was almost 2 but she'd stopped the transaction. She was convinced it was her mission to protect that child and no matter what he did, she'd defend him.
I don't know what happened to them later because I moved from that house weeks later, incapable of even looking at that child anymore. But I never forgot and I've always thought...was he already like that and his mother sensed something so she tried to get rid of him or did he become that way because of what she did?

Once I started reading Zoje Stage's novel I immediately remembered that child and I have to say...this book chilled me to the core. I know it can happen, I've witnessed it. Children can indeed be terrifying and, for lack of a better term...evil. And what do we do when that happens? Society is not prepared for evil children. Society doesn't want to believe they can exist.

This novel is so well written, both points of view, that it will certainly make the reader fell uncomfortable. When we are inside Suzette's corner it's a claustrophobic sensation, all the more increased due to her history. I could perfectly understand how lacking a good mother figure led this woman to self doubt her parenting at each step of the way. Had she had a "normal" child, she may have just had her share of regrets and sorrows but would be able to dismiss them with wine or therapy perhaps but the way life gifted her would only led to trauma.

Then we have Hannah. Her bits of the story are creepy and, again, extremely well written. It feels like a child's mind--a gifted one, for sure, a precocious child, but a child nevertheless. She feels so justified in her mission it is both devastating and scarier than any demon could be.

The father frustrated me to no end. I wanted to shake him by the shoulder so many times and make him take the veil off his eyes. He refused to see but then again, I have seen my share of parents in denial of their kids' behavior, so it was realistic and sad.

This is a story that is not for everyone. It is dark and little hope is found in this hard journey but it is a great book. The characters feel real, the dialogue is excellent, the plot itself is unique, interesting and perfectly woven, with an ending that will give you goosebumps.

I'd like immensely to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author, for providing me with an ARC of this novel (Bad Apple in the UK and Baby Teeth in America) in exchange for my honest review.

OOOOOHHHHHHHHHH what a creepy psychological mind twister… great debut novel from Zoje Stage, will be looking out for more from her once my heart settles down!!! Recommend to those that love a good psychological thriller…. Be prepared though!!!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is a good read with lots of twists and turns. At times I was on the edge of my seat but ultimately I was disappointed with the ending, overall, however, I would recommend.

This book was also published as "The Baby Teeth". I loved that cover with the shattered lollipop on, so if I was to buy this book I'd want to buy that cover!

Quite an interesting idea in this novel. Really enjoyed the tension between mother and daughter as Hannah is a complete psychopath and her mum Suzette is in worst place where her child is against her and even speaking of this is weird! The book doesn't have surprises or big reveals, but is well written and a proper psychological thriller if you enjoy this genre.

Bad Apple
By Zoje Stage

A triller that will have you question whether a child could be a psychopath.

Seven-year-old Hanna has never spoken a word, but appears a perfect angel in the eyes of her father. Everyone else is not so sure though.

Her mother, teachers, and babysitters see a very different child, who is not afraid to manipulate people to get what she wants.

The story line is well written, and quite believable, which is more than can be said for many trillers. The characters are believable and have significant depth.

Bad Apple is a blazing debut novel about a perfect-looking family – where sweetness can be deceptive.
#BadApple #NetGalley
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This book had me thinking and I was drawn into the story just after the first 2 chapters. A good story and fine writing. Atmospheric and fab

I grew up reading Stephen King novels but even I wasn’t prepared for this. Hanna is the most manipulative, charming, devious psychopath and the fact that she is a small child makes it more unsettling. This book is well written, tightly plotted and skilfully executed to make you want to stop reading and carry on at the same time. This book will stay with me for a long time and the fact it’s a debut novel is astounding.

Hanna was a perfectly happy baby but her parents started to notice something odd as she got older- she didn't talk. Her mother stays at home with her and her Daddy goes to work, Hanna is obsessed with her father and has feelings of violence towards her mother. The book flips between Hanna and her mother and while it was a reasonably enjoyable read, in some sections it was just too unbelievable that a small child could be quite that calculating.

Bad Apple by Zoje Stage is a well paced, easy read.
The premise is quite terrifying and I felt myself compelled to read just "one more chapter" before putting it down at night. I would certainly recommend this book to fans of family oriented thrillers.

I did persevere with this, even though I found that I struggled to believe the premise, which is never a good sign. Maybe it's a plausible scenario but it's a long way away from most people's experience, sometimes too much so. However, I was curious and ended up pleased that I had not discarded it when tempted. Not sure if there will be a sequel...it's left open-ish...

Oooh I love novels such as this! Never read anything by this author before but will deforng look out for more. A real page turner!

Wow, when i saw the description of this book i just had to read it, and it truly lived up to all my expectations. As a person who suffers from Crohn's Disease i could totally relate to Suzette in so many ways. I literally could not put this book down and devoured it completely. Totally brilliant from a new author, i can't wait to see what she writes next (secretly hoping for a sequel to this book). This is a book you do not want to miss out on, a definite must read for 2018.

3.5
I liked the sound of this book when I read the blurb. It sounded like something i'd enjoy. Something a little different.

Seven-year-old Hanna has never spoken a word. How would you manage or cope if your child didn't speak. You'd want to know why for a start, you'd want to do all you could to help.

It was an interesting story line, and to start off with this book had me hooked. However the story seemed to drop off around half way through.
The book is thought provoking, and does have you thinking how you would cope, how would you manage in this situation.
I continued through the book and I did enjoy it as an easy read, I just wasn't super gripped like I expected to be. As much as I felt for Hanna, there was times when I could have quite happily throttled her. There was times that I just felt she was being a little bit of a brat.
​Different and not a bad read, just not as gripping as I was hoping.

Bad Apple

Dark domestic suspense thriller that didn’t quite reach the “dark”enough for me. I found I read it easily but when I put it down I wasn’t in any rush to get back to it.

a scary book in many ways, not really for me, at all

Bad Apple started of really well but I started to lose interest half way through and struggled to get into it.

Bad Apple was strangely compelling and right up until the last little bit I thought it would be a higher rating for me than it turned out to be. Ultimately though, I personally couldn't see the point of it. The resolution was kind of, well, I want to say weird but actually a more accurate description personally speaking would be to say that I saw no ending in the ending.

This is an "evil seed" book in many ways - we see from Hanna's point of view and her Mother Suzanne's point of view. Hanna doesn't speak, she behaves strangely and actually when you are seeing what's in her head mostly you think "Brat" rather than "evil" There's a good attempt to explore some interesting themes - mental illness, the maternal relationship, the difficulty of parenting a child with issues when you have issues of your own. All of that is in there but it's a little weak in it's execution. Hanna is annoying rather than creepy, her father is obtusely unobservant and her mother is almost more annoying than Hanna.

The book kind of meanders along. There are flashes of beautiful writing and I had occasions of true engagement with what was happening which is why I continued reading, but they were sporadic and often I just read in order to get to the next bit that I hoped would resolve something. Whilst it held enough of my interest throughout and there's certainly nothing wrong with the writing, ultimately it left me dissatisfied.

Having said all that I can think of at least a few readers I know who will LOVE this book. It just wasn't for me.

A great thrilling read full of twists and turns. A good recommendation for anyone who loves psychological thrillers