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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
Kitabın sonu yüzünden bir vermeyi düşünmedim değil... Ama devamı o kadar güzeldi ki kıyamadım
This is one of those three stars reviews that I am really going to have to explain because there are so many amazingly wonderful things about this book. There are a lot of things that I found great about the things I read. I don't want this rating to seem as if I found the book to be a bad one. I didn't. Not at all. Please, just read through all my review to understand how I came up with my rating and so you can see the things I found good and the things that were difficult for me as a reader. Stick around for the good part of the review because I have much to praise about this author.
I normally start my reviews by sharing the good things I found in a book, but for this one I have to start with the harder things to deal with regarding this book. These are not issues with the quality of the writing at all. These are 100% subject matter issues.
Sooooo ... Maise. What can I say about the main character of this story? She is messed up. Totally and completely messed up. Her mother is a drug dealing, alcoholic, prostitute who spends little time at home, and when she is there she completely unconcerned about the welfare of her daughter or bringing over skeezy old guys who make advances on Maise. Who can grow up in an environment like that and turn out normal in any way. Maise is not normal. She uses her body and sexuality as a weapon to take control of the men around her. Who can blame her? She has grown up in a place where men are sexually abusive and uncaring. This is Maise's way of turning the tables. She doesn't do relationships. She doesn't involve emotions in her relationships with men. She is detached, taking what she wants and leaving as soon as she gets it. Normally a characters like this could be horribly annoying and hard to love, but Leah Raeder writes Maise in a way that makes her a sympathetic character. I feel for Maise. I want for her to find a way to overcome the horrible hand of existence that she was dealt. Even as she makes destructive and horrible decisions I can see how her upbringing was affecting her, and I was rooting for her to rise above it.
And then there is Evan. Evan seems lovely in many ways. He is the rock that someone like Maise needs. He cares for her whether she is behaving well or badly. He pushes her to reach for her dreams. But, here's the thing ... Evan is really, REALLY messed up to. He is thirty-two years old, and he is having a gigantic affair with one of his high students. There is more to his past that I won't spoil by sharing here, but I'll just say ... he is just messed up. Maise's problems are a lot more noticeable, but Evan has got his own that can rival hers.
And that leads to the most difficult thing to deal with in this story ... the romance. Maise is eighteen. Evan is thirty-two. She is a student in his high school film class. They come together before either one knows the true identity of the other, so they didn't plan on thumbing their noses at societal norms. It just happened. But once they discover what is really going on, do they stop? No they don't. In fact they play a happy little game of finding ways to be together at any spare moment they can. Do they limit their relationship to after school? No. Free hour becomes the perfect time for them to (not quite) get it on in Evan's classroom. They don't even do a very good job of hiding what is going on to those around them. They are completely reckless. Maise makes a big deal about the fact that she is 18 and so totally legal to do whatever she wants with Evan, but the fact remains ... HE IS HER TEACHER. That is just wrong on all levels. No matter what forms the basis for their relationship, he is still in a position of authority over her, and ESPECIALLY with a girl like Maise who has a whole plethora of issues because of a non-existent dad and a mess of a mother, Evan should not be having a relationship with her. Maise recognizes that she has a tendency to get into sexual situations with much older men. She even takes a brief second to psychoanalyze herself about this. This makes this relationship so, so wrong. Creepy wrong. And the fact that the two of them get so crazily obsessive about each other after one quicky in a car over the summer is disturbing. Obsession is the best way to describe their relationship for the first half of the book. Crazy obsession. There was no love here. There was lust. Lots and lots of lust. Almost every time that Maise describes her sexuality she uses fairly harsh language and descriptions. For a long time it made her actions seem less emotional and romantic and more feral and instinctive. There was nothing healthy at all about what was going on, and I had a very hard time rooting for this couple at all.
BUT ...
Here is where I need to explain why this story was a good one, not a creepy one. In so many NA romances these days a relationship like this would be portrayed as ideal, one that we should get all gooey eyed about and hope to find in our own lives, I guess. But I felt as if Leah Raeder was able to accurately show exactly how messed up this situation was. I don't think she wrote this as anything to be emulated in our own lives. Instead I felt as if she wrote this story to show how two messed up people can find themselves in a terribly messed up situation. And it can get ugly. It wasn't portrayed as a beautiful situation at all. It was wrong. But in the middle of this icky situation Raeder was able to show Maise evolving, growing, becoming the young woman that she needed to be. Evan and Maise both had things to overcome in this story, and what I loved was that the book doesn't end with everything all peachy and wonderful. They still have things to work through. But they're working and growing and figuring things out. The juxtaposition of the inappropriateness and danger of this relationship with the ultimately positive results for Maise, and how everything is presented is what makes this book a good one.
I want to take a second and comment on Leah Raeder's writing style. It is masterful. She does have an amazing lyrical quality to her writing, painting a picture of the world of this book. You can almost feel the air and smell the environment around you as you are immersed in her language. I have to admit that at times the writing was so beautiful and lyrical that it pulled me out of the story as I read words that most average 18 year-old girls would not use on a regular basis. I think if this had been told in third person narration I wouldn't have noticed as much, but when Maise is supposedly using her own words, sometimes her words were so advanced that I thought they seemed unnatural in the description. But that isn't really a criticism. It really was refreshing to read a NA romance that seemed to be written by someone with a gift for using the English language effectively. I will definitely be keeping my eye out for more books written by her in the future.
So, ultimately the subject matter was difficult enough for me to only be able to say that I liked this book and give it three stars. But the writing style and way that this difficult subject was presented are closer to four or five stars. It is a very well-written story, and if you are interested in teacher/student relationship books that have a more realistic portrayal of how these might look, I do recommend this one. Three stars!
I normally start my reviews by sharing the good things I found in a book, but for this one I have to start with the harder things to deal with regarding this book. These are not issues with the quality of the writing at all. These are 100% subject matter issues.
Sooooo ... Maise. What can I say about the main character of this story? She is messed up. Totally and completely messed up. Her mother is a drug dealing, alcoholic, prostitute who spends little time at home, and when she is there she completely unconcerned about the welfare of her daughter or bringing over skeezy old guys who make advances on Maise. Who can grow up in an environment like that and turn out normal in any way. Maise is not normal. She uses her body and sexuality as a weapon to take control of the men around her. Who can blame her? She has grown up in a place where men are sexually abusive and uncaring. This is Maise's way of turning the tables. She doesn't do relationships. She doesn't involve emotions in her relationships with men. She is detached, taking what she wants and leaving as soon as she gets it. Normally a characters like this could be horribly annoying and hard to love, but Leah Raeder writes Maise in a way that makes her a sympathetic character. I feel for Maise. I want for her to find a way to overcome the horrible hand of existence that she was dealt. Even as she makes destructive and horrible decisions I can see how her upbringing was affecting her, and I was rooting for her to rise above it.
And then there is Evan. Evan seems lovely in many ways. He is the rock that someone like Maise needs. He cares for her whether she is behaving well or badly. He pushes her to reach for her dreams. But, here's the thing ... Evan is really, REALLY messed up to. He is thirty-two years old, and he is having a gigantic affair with one of his high students. There is more to his past that I won't spoil by sharing here, but I'll just say ... he is just messed up. Maise's problems are a lot more noticeable, but Evan has got his own that can rival hers.
And that leads to the most difficult thing to deal with in this story ... the romance. Maise is eighteen. Evan is thirty-two. She is a student in his high school film class. They come together before either one knows the true identity of the other, so they didn't plan on thumbing their noses at societal norms. It just happened. But once they discover what is really going on, do they stop? No they don't. In fact they play a happy little game of finding ways to be together at any spare moment they can. Do they limit their relationship to after school? No. Free hour becomes the perfect time for them to (not quite) get it on in Evan's classroom. They don't even do a very good job of hiding what is going on to those around them. They are completely reckless. Maise makes a big deal about the fact that she is 18 and so totally legal to do whatever she wants with Evan, but the fact remains ... HE IS HER TEACHER. That is just wrong on all levels. No matter what forms the basis for their relationship, he is still in a position of authority over her, and ESPECIALLY with a girl like Maise who has a whole plethora of issues because of a non-existent dad and a mess of a mother, Evan should not be having a relationship with her. Maise recognizes that she has a tendency to get into sexual situations with much older men. She even takes a brief second to psychoanalyze herself about this. This makes this relationship so, so wrong. Creepy wrong. And the fact that the two of them get so crazily obsessive about each other after one quicky in a car over the summer is disturbing. Obsession is the best way to describe their relationship for the first half of the book. Crazy obsession. There was no love here. There was lust. Lots and lots of lust. Almost every time that Maise describes her sexuality she uses fairly harsh language and descriptions. For a long time it made her actions seem less emotional and romantic and more feral and instinctive. There was nothing healthy at all about what was going on, and I had a very hard time rooting for this couple at all.
BUT ...
Here is where I need to explain why this story was a good one, not a creepy one. In so many NA romances these days a relationship like this would be portrayed as ideal, one that we should get all gooey eyed about and hope to find in our own lives, I guess. But I felt as if Leah Raeder was able to accurately show exactly how messed up this situation was. I don't think she wrote this as anything to be emulated in our own lives. Instead I felt as if she wrote this story to show how two messed up people can find themselves in a terribly messed up situation. And it can get ugly. It wasn't portrayed as a beautiful situation at all. It was wrong. But in the middle of this icky situation Raeder was able to show Maise evolving, growing, becoming the young woman that she needed to be. Evan and Maise both had things to overcome in this story, and what I loved was that the book doesn't end with everything all peachy and wonderful. They still have things to work through. But they're working and growing and figuring things out. The juxtaposition of the inappropriateness and danger of this relationship with the ultimately positive results for Maise, and how everything is presented is what makes this book a good one.
I want to take a second and comment on Leah Raeder's writing style. It is masterful. She does have an amazing lyrical quality to her writing, painting a picture of the world of this book. You can almost feel the air and smell the environment around you as you are immersed in her language. I have to admit that at times the writing was so beautiful and lyrical that it pulled me out of the story as I read words that most average 18 year-old girls would not use on a regular basis. I think if this had been told in third person narration I wouldn't have noticed as much, but when Maise is supposedly using her own words, sometimes her words were so advanced that I thought they seemed unnatural in the description. But that isn't really a criticism. It really was refreshing to read a NA romance that seemed to be written by someone with a gift for using the English language effectively. I will definitely be keeping my eye out for more books written by her in the future.
So, ultimately the subject matter was difficult enough for me to only be able to say that I liked this book and give it three stars. But the writing style and way that this difficult subject was presented are closer to four or five stars. It is a very well-written story, and if you are interested in teacher/student relationship books that have a more realistic portrayal of how these might look, I do recommend this one. Three stars!
I'm still incredibly emotional about this book, even though I slept before attempting to write the review. I also know a lot of people will probably not understand my reaction to this book or whatever, but I'm just saying right now, I don't even care. This book affected me in a crazy, unbelievable way, and I'm going to do my best to portray that here. Bare with me; it's probably going to be long.
Why did everything beautiful come from pain?
I was hooked from the very beginning. The writing style was so beautiful, so freaking perfect, I cannot even tell you what it did to me. This is some of the absolute, greatest writing I've ever come across. Ever. You have to read it to know what I'm talking about. The words wrapped around me like a warm blanket. They seized my heart and my lungs until I couldn't breathe or think clearly. I was so in love with the writing, so lost in it, so consumed by it, that this was me:
At about 30%, I wasn't sure I could keep reading. I actually seriously didn't want to read another word of this book. It wasn't because I didn't like it. Nope, quite the opposite. I was so in love with the writing and the characters that I wasn't sure I'd survive the conflict in the story when it came. I so desperately wanted to stop reading, to just remember the book for the beauty that it was and let myself believe no pain would come. Luckily, I plowed through last night and finished it, knowing it'd be hard to pick it back up and I put it down again.
"I can't hold on to you. You're like that shooting star. Just a trail of fire in my hands."
And the Oscar goes to Evan Wilke, for putting the first fine, hairline crack in the ruby of my heart.
I was fighting for this couple. I didn't care that it was forbidden, or that there was an age gap, or about anything else. I just needed them to be together. I needed them to fly off into the sunset together because I loved them that much. There was a real connection, you could feel it. Seriously, I could feel it so deeply in my heart. I just knew, but of course that's why it had to be painful at some point. All through the story, I was rooting for them. I no longer wanted them to have an HEA, I needed it. I needed it or I would lose it. My emotional state depended on it.
I loved the time they spent together. I love the intimacy, the lust-fueled moments, the unbelievable sweetness of some of them. This book had it all. The steamy scenes are oh so steamy, oh so perfect, and oh so sweet at the same time, or separately. There are so many kinds of intimate scenes in this book, I was so emotional. That connection was constantly shining through. And they actually talked things out when things went wrong, instead of running or hiding from them. They approached them, and they discussed them, and they got through them together. How can you not appreciate that?
He embraced me, and said into my ear, "I'm going to fuck the shit out of you."
I lost my breath.
It was crude, it was unexpected, and it set me on fucking fire.
The heroine was strong and brave and I so desperately want to be like her. Maise O'Malley is a heroine that you can fall in love with in an instant. Even her name is freakin' awesome, come on. And Evan. Dear, sweet Evan. I love him more than anyone will ever know. My heart is swelling for him. I need him in my life. Please. Send me one.
"You're crazy," I said. "You should run away."
"If I ran away, I would be crazy."
Somewhere in my cavernous chest, another sliver of light chipped into my heart.
I'm going to jump to the ending in hopes of wrapping this up. I wasn't sure what the outcome would be. I was shaking and crying and pleading out loud for an HEA. My head was throbbing, my nose was so stuffed up it was probably dripping without my knowledge, tissues littered the floor, and my heart was shattering. I couldn't handle it. And then the sweetest, most beautiful, perfect ending came out of it. I'm going to cry right now just thinking about it. I felt like Maise at that moment, like that ending had chipped into my heart like a light and it was both beautiful and incredibly painful in the best way. I don't think I've ever seen a more perfect ending. As soon as I finished, I threw my Kindle on the other side of the couch and curled into myself because I could not stop crying. I kept shaking and crying and laughing at myself for being so emotional but crying harder when I thought of the beauty again. I was a mess. Seriously. I looked in the mirror and laughed, because if anyone had seen me, they'd have thought I was seriously hurt. Which, in my own way, I was, but damn. That was the hardest I'd ever cried at a book. Ever.
And it was beautiful. That's right, incredibly beautiful, every step of the way. I love reading a book that makes me feel so completely and fully. This story tore me to shreds, while still somehow keeping me stitched together, and then threw the last kicker in the end. It was undeniably perfect, and I want to read it again and again and again. I will be waiting on the edge of my seat for this author to write another book. I don't even care what it's about. The writing style alone is enough for me to read it, I swear. If I met Ms. Raeder today, I would worship at her feet. I need to meet her. Not only that, but I need this book in paperback, signed by her. I need it. I'm going to find a way to get it. Mark my words.
You can call it love, or you can call it freefall. They're pretty much the same thing.
And now I'm going to end this ridiculously long stream-of-consciousness by saying that you simply need to go and read it. Even if you end up wondering about the plot, the writing style and that god-damn perfect ending will leave you breathless.
Why did everything beautiful come from pain?
I was hooked from the very beginning. The writing style was so beautiful, so freaking perfect, I cannot even tell you what it did to me. This is some of the absolute, greatest writing I've ever come across. Ever. You have to read it to know what I'm talking about. The words wrapped around me like a warm blanket. They seized my heart and my lungs until I couldn't breathe or think clearly. I was so in love with the writing, so lost in it, so consumed by it, that this was me:
At about 30%, I wasn't sure I could keep reading. I actually seriously didn't want to read another word of this book. It wasn't because I didn't like it. Nope, quite the opposite. I was so in love with the writing and the characters that I wasn't sure I'd survive the conflict in the story when it came. I so desperately wanted to stop reading, to just remember the book for the beauty that it was and let myself believe no pain would come. Luckily, I plowed through last night and finished it, knowing it'd be hard to pick it back up and I put it down again.
"I can't hold on to you. You're like that shooting star. Just a trail of fire in my hands."
And the Oscar goes to Evan Wilke, for putting the first fine, hairline crack in the ruby of my heart.
I was fighting for this couple. I didn't care that it was forbidden, or that there was an age gap, or about anything else. I just needed them to be together. I needed them to fly off into the sunset together because I loved them that much. There was a real connection, you could feel it. Seriously, I could feel it so deeply in my heart. I just knew, but of course that's why it had to be painful at some point. All through the story, I was rooting for them. I no longer wanted them to have an HEA, I needed it. I needed it or I would lose it. My emotional state depended on it.
I loved the time they spent together. I love the intimacy, the lust-fueled moments, the unbelievable sweetness of some of them. This book had it all. The steamy scenes are oh so steamy, oh so perfect, and oh so sweet at the same time, or separately. There are so many kinds of intimate scenes in this book, I was so emotional. That connection was constantly shining through. And they actually talked things out when things went wrong, instead of running or hiding from them. They approached them, and they discussed them, and they got through them together. How can you not appreciate that?
He embraced me, and said into my ear, "I'm going to fuck the shit out of you."
I lost my breath.
It was crude, it was unexpected, and it set me on fucking fire.
The heroine was strong and brave and I so desperately want to be like her. Maise O'Malley is a heroine that you can fall in love with in an instant. Even her name is freakin' awesome, come on. And Evan. Dear, sweet Evan. I love him more than anyone will ever know. My heart is swelling for him. I need him in my life. Please. Send me one.
"You're crazy," I said. "You should run away."
"If I ran away, I would be crazy."
Somewhere in my cavernous chest, another sliver of light chipped into my heart.
I'm going to jump to the ending in hopes of wrapping this up. I wasn't sure what the outcome would be. I was shaking and crying and pleading out loud for an HEA. My head was throbbing, my nose was so stuffed up it was probably dripping without my knowledge, tissues littered the floor, and my heart was shattering. I couldn't handle it. And then the sweetest, most beautiful, perfect ending came out of it. I'm going to cry right now just thinking about it. I felt like Maise at that moment, like that ending had chipped into my heart like a light and it was both beautiful and incredibly painful in the best way. I don't think I've ever seen a more perfect ending. As soon as I finished, I threw my Kindle on the other side of the couch and curled into myself because I could not stop crying. I kept shaking and crying and laughing at myself for being so emotional but crying harder when I thought of the beauty again. I was a mess. Seriously. I looked in the mirror and laughed, because if anyone had seen me, they'd have thought I was seriously hurt. Which, in my own way, I was, but damn. That was the hardest I'd ever cried at a book. Ever.
And it was beautiful. That's right, incredibly beautiful, every step of the way. I love reading a book that makes me feel so completely and fully. This story tore me to shreds, while still somehow keeping me stitched together, and then threw the last kicker in the end. It was undeniably perfect, and I want to read it again and again and again. I will be waiting on the edge of my seat for this author to write another book. I don't even care what it's about. The writing style alone is enough for me to read it, I swear. If I met Ms. Raeder today, I would worship at her feet. I need to meet her. Not only that, but I need this book in paperback, signed by her. I need it. I'm going to find a way to get it. Mark my words.
You can call it love, or you can call it freefall. They're pretty much the same thing.
And now I'm going to end this ridiculously long stream-of-consciousness by saying that you simply need to go and read it. Even if you end up wondering about the plot, the writing style and that god-damn perfect ending will leave you breathless.
edit; updating some of my old reviews bc my thoughts continuously evolve... obviously. and tbh i wrote up this really long review last time that was such a hot mess of incoherent words so i'm just gonna keep my thoughts brief af.
leah raeder's writing is fantastic but i wasn't a fan of the direction the story took... but i mean... what was i really expecting from a book about a gross dude that hooked up w/a teenager?
maise was a wonderful, sacrastic, and flawled character. evan is pure trash. wesley remains great.
leah raeder's writing is fantastic but i wasn't a fan of the direction the story took... but i mean... what was i really expecting from a book about a gross dude that hooked up w/a teenager?
maise was a wonderful, sacrastic, and flawled character. evan is pure trash. wesley remains great.
Update 3.24.14
The new cover by Atria is quite nice. I like the bokeh affect.
Original Review
Cue The Police song "Don't Stand So Close to Me"
Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow.
To be frank and honest I was unsure if I would like this book at all. It's not my normal fair. I tend to like clean romances, but not against steamy scenes. It's just I like to see character development more than just...well you know "steam." Anyways, Leah Raeder has done a wonderful job writing a compelling story about flawed characters, she pushes the envelope with a relationship that should make your hairs stick out for it's taboo, and where every single character adds to the story.
I'm dubious of the New Adult category, and to be honest I never thought I would read a book in it. This is my first, but besides the characters the writing is quite well done for a self-published novel. It's competently edited and the writing is smooth. Although, she can go a bit overboard with the metaphors at times. Still, its a smooth read.
I tend to be that person who hates large age differences. This relationship is screwed up, but the one part why I was rooting for them: they were on equal footing. They were both off kilter, both hurting, and both needed to find someone to ground themselves. Feeling too young, too old, and to deal with life in all it's gruesome glory. It was compelling and interesting, and I enjoyed myself quite a bit. Although, my cheeks did blush during a few scenes...
Wow. I never though I would like a book like this, but hey things can change.
The new cover by Atria is quite nice. I like the bokeh affect.
Original Review
Cue The Police song "Don't Stand So Close to Me"
Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow.
To be frank and honest I was unsure if I would like this book at all. It's not my normal fair. I tend to like clean romances, but not against steamy scenes. It's just I like to see character development more than just...well you know "steam." Anyways, Leah Raeder has done a wonderful job writing a compelling story about flawed characters, she pushes the envelope with a relationship that should make your hairs stick out for it's taboo, and where every single character adds to the story.
I'm dubious of the New Adult category, and to be honest I never thought I would read a book in it. This is my first, but besides the characters the writing is quite well done for a self-published novel. It's competently edited and the writing is smooth. Although, she can go a bit overboard with the metaphors at times. Still, its a smooth read.
I tend to be that person who hates large age differences. This relationship is screwed up, but the one part why I was rooting for them: they were on equal footing. They were both off kilter, both hurting, and both needed to find someone to ground themselves. Feeling too young, too old, and to deal with life in all it's gruesome glory. It was compelling and interesting, and I enjoyed myself quite a bit. Although, my cheeks did blush during a few scenes...
Wow. I never though I would like a book like this, but hey things can change.
Find this review and more at kimberlyfaye reads.
It's been awhile since a book left me feeling as conflicted as Unteachable did. It's actually difficult for me to put my thoughts about this one into words, so bear with me. I'm going to do my best.
I don't mind books about forbidden or taboo love. I actually rather enjoy them. I like pushing myself out of my comfort zone and enjoy the opportunity to embrace another perspective and find that helps my when reading fictional accounts of taboo topics. This isn't my first student-teacher relationship book and I really don't imagine it will be my last. As long as everything is consensual – which it was – I don't have as much of a problem with this as others might have.
While this book was set in high school, Maisie was 18, so that alleviated a lot of the potential "ick factor" for me. The other thing that helped is that Maisie pursued Evan every bit as hard as he did her. She had a history with older men. He had a history with younger women. I didn't find Evan's actions predatory in this book. Maisie was neither taken advantage of nor a victim. Yes, there were a couple cringe-worthy scenes where it became apparent just how much he enjoyed the fact that he was her teacher, but that's just part of who he is. Who they are together. They were both damaged and screwed up.
My only real issue with this book was that it's important to me that I like or relate to the characters in some way and I didn't find either Maisie or Evan particularly likable. Her daddy issues and general behavior made it hard to like her, though by the end of the book, I came to appreciate her character. She was stronger and more mature and driven than I originally thought. She proved me wrong. Evan might have been hot, but I just never clicked with him. Despite his past, I don't think he's a bad guy, necessarily. It was apparent he cared for Maisie and did have her best interests at heart, but I just couldn't bring myself to like his character. Their relationship was an addiction of sorts, but I do feel there were real emotions involved, too.
Even though I didn't love the characters, I was entirely wrapped up in their story. I read it in one sitting without a break. I loved Leah's writing style. During the times I was frustrated with the characters and their actions, it was her fresh voice that kept me going. I found Unteachable a raw and real coming of age story. Love isn't always pretty and it's often not easy. But when it's real, it's right.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
It's been awhile since a book left me feeling as conflicted as Unteachable did. It's actually difficult for me to put my thoughts about this one into words, so bear with me. I'm going to do my best.
I don't mind books about forbidden or taboo love. I actually rather enjoy them. I like pushing myself out of my comfort zone and enjoy the opportunity to embrace another perspective and find that helps my when reading fictional accounts of taboo topics. This isn't my first student-teacher relationship book and I really don't imagine it will be my last. As long as everything is consensual – which it was – I don't have as much of a problem with this as others might have.
While this book was set in high school, Maisie was 18, so that alleviated a lot of the potential "ick factor" for me. The other thing that helped is that Maisie pursued Evan every bit as hard as he did her. She had a history with older men. He had a history with younger women. I didn't find Evan's actions predatory in this book. Maisie was neither taken advantage of nor a victim. Yes, there were a couple cringe-worthy scenes where it became apparent just how much he enjoyed the fact that he was her teacher, but that's just part of who he is. Who they are together. They were both damaged and screwed up.
My only real issue with this book was that it's important to me that I like or relate to the characters in some way and I didn't find either Maisie or Evan particularly likable. Her daddy issues and general behavior made it hard to like her, though by the end of the book, I came to appreciate her character. She was stronger and more mature and driven than I originally thought. She proved me wrong. Evan might have been hot, but I just never clicked with him. Despite his past, I don't think he's a bad guy, necessarily. It was apparent he cared for Maisie and did have her best interests at heart, but I just couldn't bring myself to like his character. Their relationship was an addiction of sorts, but I do feel there were real emotions involved, too.
Even though I didn't love the characters, I was entirely wrapped up in their story. I read it in one sitting without a break. I loved Leah's writing style. During the times I was frustrated with the characters and their actions, it was her fresh voice that kept me going. I found Unteachable a raw and real coming of age story. Love isn't always pretty and it's often not easy. But when it's real, it's right.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Hmmm. Not really sure what to say about this. It was good...I liked the writing, and thought the characters were pretty real, but it was definitely very racy and the situation was uncomfortable at times. I thought it was more smutty than it needed to be, for the story, but that's probably just me. Overall, it was good.
Spoiler
I wasn't all that thrilled with the ending, because I wasn't sure that I really LIKED Evan/Eric.
This one will go on my Best of 2013 shelf.
To read more of my review:
http://straightshootinbookreviews.wordpress.com/2013/08/05/review-unteachable-by-leah-raeder/
To read more of my review:
http://straightshootinbookreviews.wordpress.com/2013/08/05/review-unteachable-by-leah-raeder/