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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
I really really wanted to dislike this book. I truly went into reading this with negative thoughts but ended up absolutely loving it! I read this book in under 24 hours (I work full time and have 3 kids) and grew very attached to the characters and HAD to know what was going to happen next. if you haven't read this- you need to
Unteachable is an intense story of a forbidden romance with a dark edge.
The characters were all super intriguing and the plot was continuously up and down, leaving me hooked and needing to know where it would end up. Although elements of it were questionable at times, this was overall a great new adult read.
The characters were all super intriguing and the plot was continuously up and down, leaving me hooked and needing to know where it would end up. Although elements of it were questionable at times, this was overall a great new adult read.
from http://pagetrotter.blogspot.com/2013/08/blog-tour-stop-unteachable.html
Blog Tour stop and excerpt available!!!
This book. Holy freaking HELL. First, I would like to give a standing O to Leah for having the lady balls to write this book. My favorite thing about it? The honesty. There are so many teacher/student books out there right now where the two characters are just so tormented by their forbidden love. So. Tormented. Excuse me, Romeo and Juliet, let’s be honest here. We’re all adults (or almost adults in this case) so why is it soooo hard to admit the truth that part of the attraction stems from the fact that it is, in fact, forbidden.
I do not buy, for one second, that the fact that he/she is older and a teacher (and vice versa he/she is younger and your student) does nothing to “rev your engine.” Readers are not stupid. So Leah? Ya, girl, you are kick ass for having both parties admit that part of what makes it so hot is the fact that it’s forbidden.
*Stepping down from soap box*
Moving on LOL. I have no idea why and maybe I am so far off base here, but the writing reminds me of Ray Bradbury (specifically Something Wicked…) and Salinger’s, Catcher and the Rye. Add some American Graffiti, Garden State, Perks of Being a Wallflower (the book), everything by John Hughes and literally every coming of age with some raw emotion and quirk and you’ve got this. The feel of it, the sound of it, the tone of the characters, the unbelievably raw emotion and fucked-upness just reminds me of these novels and movies. It just reads like a coming of age classic. This writer doesn’t write words, she writes prose. It’s so fucking beautiful, I’m lime green with envy.
Can we take a moment here and talk about Maise? Oh man, do I love this girl. She is a mess and I mean a huge, messy, mess. Want to know why I love her? She knows it. She realizes this about herself. She is the most aware character I’ve ever read about and at the same time as so much room to grow and learn about the world and herself that she’s literally brimming with potential, pain, and promise. (Liking the p’s). She steals the show whole-heartedly. She is one of my favorite characters of all time, hands the fudge down. She had me cracking up and near tears. I went through every emotion with her and empathized.
Evan is perfect for her in this story. He’s not only her academic teacher (warning: cheesiest of cheese up ahead) he teaches her about life. He teaches Maise to recognize her own worth. In fact, they teach each other. The age difference (12 yrs) was a little hard at first; I’ll be honest. But Maise’s frankness about it, as well as their connection with each other made it ok. I mean for gods sake, she references Lolita several times.
I literally could go on for days. This book blew me out of the water. I was really expecting something else and was surprised. It surpassed every expectation and it set the bar for all other New Adult novels. Jesus, woman, you are a force of nature. You just challenged an entire genre. I am telling y’all right now, read this book. If you’ve never read New Adult before, please start with this book. Take a chance, keep an open mind, and go with it. I cannot recommend this enough. *ARC received in exchange for an honest review!!*
Blog Tour stop and excerpt available!!!
This book. Holy freaking HELL. First, I would like to give a standing O to Leah for having the lady balls to write this book. My favorite thing about it? The honesty. There are so many teacher/student books out there right now where the two characters are just so tormented by their forbidden love. So. Tormented. Excuse me, Romeo and Juliet, let’s be honest here. We’re all adults (or almost adults in this case) so why is it soooo hard to admit the truth that part of the attraction stems from the fact that it is, in fact, forbidden.
I do not buy, for one second, that the fact that he/she is older and a teacher (and vice versa he/she is younger and your student) does nothing to “rev your engine.” Readers are not stupid. So Leah? Ya, girl, you are kick ass for having both parties admit that part of what makes it so hot is the fact that it’s forbidden.
*Stepping down from soap box*
Moving on LOL. I have no idea why and maybe I am so far off base here, but the writing reminds me of Ray Bradbury (specifically Something Wicked…) and Salinger’s, Catcher and the Rye. Add some American Graffiti, Garden State, Perks of Being a Wallflower (the book), everything by John Hughes and literally every coming of age with some raw emotion and quirk and you’ve got this. The feel of it, the sound of it, the tone of the characters, the unbelievably raw emotion and fucked-upness just reminds me of these novels and movies. It just reads like a coming of age classic. This writer doesn’t write words, she writes prose. It’s so fucking beautiful, I’m lime green with envy.
Can we take a moment here and talk about Maise? Oh man, do I love this girl. She is a mess and I mean a huge, messy, mess. Want to know why I love her? She knows it. She realizes this about herself. She is the most aware character I’ve ever read about and at the same time as so much room to grow and learn about the world and herself that she’s literally brimming with potential, pain, and promise. (Liking the p’s). She steals the show whole-heartedly. She is one of my favorite characters of all time, hands the fudge down. She had me cracking up and near tears. I went through every emotion with her and empathized.
Evan is perfect for her in this story. He’s not only her academic teacher (warning: cheesiest of cheese up ahead) he teaches her about life. He teaches Maise to recognize her own worth. In fact, they teach each other. The age difference (12 yrs) was a little hard at first; I’ll be honest. But Maise’s frankness about it, as well as their connection with each other made it ok. I mean for gods sake, she references Lolita several times.
I literally could go on for days. This book blew me out of the water. I was really expecting something else and was surprised. It surpassed every expectation and it set the bar for all other New Adult novels. Jesus, woman, you are a force of nature. You just challenged an entire genre. I am telling y’all right now, read this book. If you’ve never read New Adult before, please start with this book. Take a chance, keep an open mind, and go with it. I cannot recommend this enough. *ARC received in exchange for an honest review!!*
Unteachable is one of the best new new adult books I’ve read.
Raeder’s writing is amazing. The romance is beautiful The sex scenes are actually hot. This book is full of quotables. What more could one possibly ask for when reading a new adult book?
While many of the individual elements of the story aren’t exactly unique (neglected girl that’s had to grow up too quickly, lost man-boy from a broken home), the overall story and how it’s told is unique. To say that Unteachable is an emotional roller coaster is a bit of an understatement. Don’t be fooled, though, in no way is this a bad thing. It’s done with a very real sense of believability.
There’s so many good things I could say about this book, but I definitely don’t want to give anything away. Do yourself a favor and pick up this book. Even if you’ve had a bad experience with the new adult genre (which, let’s be honest, is just about everyone), give Unteachable a fair shot. It won’t let you down.
Raeder has a true gift for writing. I look forward to reading something from her again.
Raeder’s writing is amazing. The romance is beautiful The sex scenes are actually hot. This book is full of quotables. What more could one possibly ask for when reading a new adult book?
While many of the individual elements of the story aren’t exactly unique (neglected girl that’s had to grow up too quickly, lost man-boy from a broken home), the overall story and how it’s told is unique. To say that Unteachable is an emotional roller coaster is a bit of an understatement. Don’t be fooled, though, in no way is this a bad thing. It’s done with a very real sense of believability.
There’s so many good things I could say about this book, but I definitely don’t want to give anything away. Do yourself a favor and pick up this book. Even if you’ve had a bad experience with the new adult genre (which, let’s be honest, is just about everyone), give Unteachable a fair shot. It won’t let you down.
Raeder has a true gift for writing. I look forward to reading something from her again.
Yes.... yes... YES! Needed a read like this in my life
I have a love/hate relationship with this book.
I loved the bluntness of the main character. I loved how brash and unhinged she was.
I liked the book, I really did but I feel really dirty for liking it.
I hated the easiness of the relationship, I hated the fact that he wasn't adult enough to stop it. I hate that it felt wrong and right all at once.
I am so conflicted.
I loved the bluntness of the main character. I loved how brash and unhinged she was.
I liked the book, I really did but I feel really dirty for liking it.
I hated the easiness of the relationship, I hated the fact that he wasn't adult enough to stop it. I hate that it felt wrong and right all at once.
I am so conflicted.
Most romantic contemporary story! With a forbidden relationship, characters with secrets and inner struggles, Leah Raeder creates two strong and maybe even in real life characters with love for each other as also hate for the society around them.
5 of 5 stars
5 of 5 stars
I don't really know what to make of a lot of these self-published young adult/new adult type books.
I found the writing style okay. I didn't enjoy Maise's narration when it took on her "moody teenager" affect, especially when the story first starts. I did love Maise's more poetic narrations and thought those were great, including her final film piece. I thought the dialogue was mostly well done and believable. My biggest problem is that I don't think any of the characters really came to life--this came off as sort of more of a blueprint or outline than full-fleshed novel. Most of the characters stayed very surface level, though I did like the development of Maise and Wesley's friendship. If I had to close my eyes and picture any of these characters in my head, or imagine them talking or acting, I couldn't in the least however. They seemed more like tropes and place holders than real people.
I liked that Maise was confident in her appearance, but she also came off as severely "not like the other girls," and there is literally nothing but disparaging comments about all the other women in the story aside from Siobhan, from the girls at the mall to Park's girlfriend. The story also goes on and on about how Maise is so incredibly exceptionally beautiful, to the point that a random guidance counselor describes her as "Snow White" to another student and all the men who see her fall in love with her. She comes off as a bit of a fantasy character who I can't imagine actually existing in real life, and it also took a lot of further suspension of disbelief when the Gary plotline came into the story (and then he just kept saying how amazing and smart and awesome she was after everything she said!!). I also liked that she kept trying to save money to pay for college when USC tuition is nearly $60k per year, so $240k for basic undergrad, and that's not factoring in housing and cost of living in LA. That would be quite the part time entry level job to have! You are taking out student loans ridiculous $10k check or not, princess.
I also really don't know what to make of the moral implications of the book. I love the idea of a student-teacher relationship told from the perspective of the student, but Raeder is no Nabokov. I actually found it extremely disturbing that Maise repeatedly referred to herself as Lolita, as Lolita was a raped and abused child who lost her parents and died years later in childbirth at age 17. I found the whole relationship extremely disturbing. I want to say that I'm probably too old to enjoy this book and get "into" the love story, but I also wonder what the intended readers are supposed to think of the relationship. I could not accept Evan as a love interest because he is unequivocally a creepy predator, and I'm disappointed that the novel left this fact "nuanced" and debatable. I would have accepted this book a lot more if Maise had come and stayed at this realization, because Evan is horrible. I'm still just a little younger than Evan and Park (assuming Park is around Evan's same age), and I cannot IMAGINE my friend having an 18 year old girlfriend or boyfriend and just going along with it. The premise of the book is fine, but the direction it goes is just a complete deal breaker for me because there is NOTHING romantic or sustainable about a 33 year old man who is attracted to teens and chooses to teach high school .
I found the writing style okay. I didn't enjoy Maise's narration when it took on her "moody teenager" affect, especially when the story first starts. I did love Maise's more poetic narrations and thought those were great, including her final film piece. I thought the dialogue was mostly well done and believable. My biggest problem is that I don't think any of the characters really came to life--this came off as sort of more of a blueprint or outline than full-fleshed novel. Most of the characters stayed very surface level, though I did like the development of Maise and Wesley's friendship. If I had to close my eyes and picture any of these characters in my head, or imagine them talking or acting, I couldn't in the least however. They seemed more like tropes and place holders than real people.
I liked that Maise was confident in her appearance, but she also came off as severely "not like the other girls," and there is literally nothing but disparaging comments about all the other women in the story aside from Siobhan, from the girls at the mall to Park's girlfriend. The story also goes on and on about how Maise is so incredibly exceptionally beautiful, to the point that a random guidance counselor describes her as "Snow White" to another student and all the men who see her fall in love with her. She comes off as a bit of a fantasy character who I can't imagine actually existing in real life, and it also took a lot of further suspension of disbelief when the Gary plotline came into the story (and then he just kept saying how amazing and smart and awesome she was after everything she said!!). I also liked that she kept trying to save money to pay for college when USC tuition is nearly $60k per year, so $240k for basic undergrad, and that's not factoring in housing and cost of living in LA. That would be quite the part time entry level job to have! You are taking out student loans ridiculous $10k check or not, princess.
I also really don't know what to make of the moral implications of the book. I love the idea of a student-teacher relationship told from the perspective of the student, but Raeder is no Nabokov. I actually found it extremely disturbing that Maise repeatedly referred to herself as Lolita, as Lolita was a raped and abused child who lost her parents and died years later in childbirth at age 17. I found the whole relationship extremely disturbing. I want to say that I'm probably too old to enjoy this book and get "into" the love story, but I also wonder what the intended readers are supposed to think of the relationship. I could not accept Evan as a love interest because he is unequivocally a creepy predator, and I'm disappointed that the novel left this fact "nuanced" and debatable. I would have accepted this book a lot more if Maise had come and stayed at this realization, because Evan is horrible. I'm still just a little younger than Evan and Park (assuming Park is around Evan's same age), and I cannot IMAGINE my friend having an 18 year old girlfriend or boyfriend and just going along with it. The premise of the book is fine, but the direction it goes is just a complete deal breaker for me because there is NOTHING romantic or sustainable about a 33 year old man who is attracted to teens and chooses to teach high school .
DNF at 74%
Sure whatever, even though I didn't finish it, I feel too much hatred to even continue this, I don't dnf romance books often because I like the climax but ugk this book... I fucking hate it so much, it gets a plus star for Evan and him only and maybe a bit for Wesley.
Here are my notes while I was reading
(I don't show this notes, I usually condense them but ugk, I wish you could feel my anger through my words):
Can she get any more judgemental? Or is that a teenage thing, the phrase that she is authorative (quote from Wesley) and better than other people. Like bitch, go fuck yourself
I honestly don't like the female character. She sounds like such a snob. How do I explain it, the writing just spews her and everyone around her, the impression that she's SO FUCKING DIFFERENT. when honestly I just feel like she's just the same freaking tragic mother history and stupid as fuck exterior and with degradation level for others skyrocket. Like honestly, I am so over this she's so different character. What the freak is wrong with normal?
The writing trying to be beautiful and effortless but honestly it just distances me away from the story, the one thing I like is Evan.
She doesn't want to be judged but she judges LITERALLY EVEYONE AROUND HER THINKING SHE KNOWS THEIR SHIT AND WHEN SHE KISSED WESLEY, and she kissed him back, what ya expect? Literally playing the victim card, I mean yeah Wesley had the blame of starting it and being drunk but she had the power to stop it, don't use the stupid curious card on me. Just say the word, CHEATER.
Could this get anymore cliche? Omfg.
Omfg. It's like a Wattpad story speed = x2
Wtf? Is she the biggest attention seeker? Like, hold the fuck up. You can be confident as fuck but going into the boys bathroom, for what damn good reason. Ugk, seriously I'm am done with this stupid ass childly female character and I am done with ya.
AGHHH THE AUDACITY SHE HAS TO ASK TO NOT BE JUDGED. OMFG, WHO TF???!!! OH MY GOD.
Take with this what you will.
Sure whatever, even though I didn't finish it, I feel too much hatred to even continue this, I don't dnf romance books often because I like the climax but ugk this book... I fucking hate it so much, it gets a plus star for Evan and him only and maybe a bit for Wesley.
Here are my notes while I was reading
(I don't show this notes, I usually condense them but ugk, I wish you could feel my anger through my words):
Can she get any more judgemental? Or is that a teenage thing, the phrase that she is authorative (quote from Wesley) and better than other people. Like bitch, go fuck yourself
I honestly don't like the female character. She sounds like such a snob. How do I explain it, the writing just spews her and everyone around her, the impression that she's SO FUCKING DIFFERENT. when honestly I just feel like she's just the same freaking tragic mother history and stupid as fuck exterior and with degradation level for others skyrocket. Like honestly, I am so over this she's so different character. What the freak is wrong with normal?
The writing trying to be beautiful and effortless but honestly it just distances me away from the story, the one thing I like is Evan.
She doesn't want to be judged but she judges LITERALLY EVEYONE AROUND HER THINKING SHE KNOWS THEIR SHIT AND WHEN SHE KISSED WESLEY, and she kissed him back, what ya expect? Literally playing the victim card, I mean yeah Wesley had the blame of starting it and being drunk but she had the power to stop it, don't use the stupid curious card on me. Just say the word, CHEATER.
Could this get anymore cliche? Omfg.
Omfg. It's like a Wattpad story speed = x2
Wtf? Is she the biggest attention seeker? Like, hold the fuck up. You can be confident as fuck but going into the boys bathroom, for what damn good reason. Ugk, seriously I'm am done with this stupid ass childly female character and I am done with ya.
AGHHH THE AUDACITY SHE HAS TO ASK TO NOT BE JUDGED. OMFG, WHO TF???!!! OH MY GOD.
Take with this what you will.
Unteachable was a fascinating and riveting novel that I couldn't put down. It was unlike anything I was expecting. It was romantic and horrifying, sexy and scary, and sweet and obsessive. It was so twisted. And instead of wrapping up Maise and Evan's relationship with a bow and calling it good, the author explored every twisted, slightly unhealthy side of it and used it. I never knew if the author was making the situation one that I should root for or one that should make me cringe. And now that I'm done, I think she probably wanted both, or at least that's what I felt.
Maise was a strange character. She narrated the story and I hated her and loved her immediately at the same time. She was so messed up, knew she had all sorts of issues, and was so harsh. At the same time, it was refreshing because I am so used to main characters being timid, wholesome, driven, introspective, or something to that degree, and Maise was none of those things. She was one of those characters I'd never want to meet who makes choices that I can't understand, but I also enjoyed getting inside of her head and understanding what made her tick and what her hopes and dreams were.
I wasn't sure what I expected by the plot. I actually can't stand teacher/student relationships. But at the same time, it's a conflict that has so many outcomes, so it's entertaining and suspenseful to read about. I think I was expecting a little more innocence and a relationship that straddles the line with morality, like Arya and Ezra on the show Pretty Little Liars. But I didn't get that at all. It was slightly raunchy, the age difference was quite a bit, and even though Maise and Evan fell for each other, the teacher/student taboo was fully recognized and exploited between them.
I loved Unteachable because I really loved Maise, even when I hated her. I wanted inside of her head. I wanted her to grow up and also be a kid. She was, like many teenagers, immature and yet somehow wise beyond her years. She was skeptical, cynical, but somewhat hopeful. I didn't know what would happen between her and Evan. Would it end badly? Would it become even more unhealthy or would it blossom into something real? Would they get caught? Would they fly under the radar?
Unteachable wasn't just about Maise's relationship with Evan, either. She made a friend, Wesley, and got close to his wonderful mom. She got into film class and explored her own film making talents. She had a messed up, drug dealing mother who wasn't even there for her. All of these things shaped her, along with the lessons she was learning about love.
What I loved most about the story was how real it was. It wasn't boy meets girl and they fall in love and everything is awesome. It's not even about two broken people who heal each other. It's not a cookie cutter romance in any sense. The characters aren't admirable. They are screwed up, loveable, stupid, wise, and complicated, just like everyone else in the world. Their actions aren't necessarily good or bad. Maise wasn't always a reliable narrator, either. She saw things her own way and it was up to the reader to figure out what she was being naïve about and what was real. And I love how the author showed me both sides of the story. She didn't glorify the situation and make it seem great, but she didn't make it shameful altogether, either. It was somehow both and that's what made the story feel so real.
I do recommend the book, but not for anyone looking for a sweet or even deliciously sexy romance. It's more than that, slightly unhealthy and twisted, but extremely well done. It's a book that explores so many elements of growing up and forbidden love, but it isn't wholesome like you'd expect a book about adolescence to be. The right audience will love it. The wrong audience will probably be offended and put off by a lot of the language, situations, and themes. I always give a fair warning when books deal with or explore sensitive issues.
Favorite Quotes:
Review originally published at Love, Literature, Art, and Reason Book Review Blog
Maise was a strange character. She narrated the story and I hated her and loved her immediately at the same time. She was so messed up, knew she had all sorts of issues, and was so harsh. At the same time, it was refreshing because I am so used to main characters being timid, wholesome, driven, introspective, or something to that degree, and Maise was none of those things. She was one of those characters I'd never want to meet who makes choices that I can't understand, but I also enjoyed getting inside of her head and understanding what made her tick and what her hopes and dreams were.
I wasn't sure what I expected by the plot. I actually can't stand teacher/student relationships. But at the same time, it's a conflict that has so many outcomes, so it's entertaining and suspenseful to read about. I think I was expecting a little more innocence and a relationship that straddles the line with morality, like Arya and Ezra on the show Pretty Little Liars. But I didn't get that at all. It was slightly raunchy, the age difference was quite a bit, and even though Maise and Evan fell for each other, the teacher/student taboo was fully recognized and exploited between them.
I loved Unteachable because I really loved Maise, even when I hated her. I wanted inside of her head. I wanted her to grow up and also be a kid. She was, like many teenagers, immature and yet somehow wise beyond her years. She was skeptical, cynical, but somewhat hopeful. I didn't know what would happen between her and Evan. Would it end badly? Would it become even more unhealthy or would it blossom into something real? Would they get caught? Would they fly under the radar?
Unteachable wasn't just about Maise's relationship with Evan, either. She made a friend, Wesley, and got close to his wonderful mom. She got into film class and explored her own film making talents. She had a messed up, drug dealing mother who wasn't even there for her. All of these things shaped her, along with the lessons she was learning about love.
What I loved most about the story was how real it was. It wasn't boy meets girl and they fall in love and everything is awesome. It's not even about two broken people who heal each other. It's not a cookie cutter romance in any sense. The characters aren't admirable. They are screwed up, loveable, stupid, wise, and complicated, just like everyone else in the world. Their actions aren't necessarily good or bad. Maise wasn't always a reliable narrator, either. She saw things her own way and it was up to the reader to figure out what she was being naïve about and what was real. And I love how the author showed me both sides of the story. She didn't glorify the situation and make it seem great, but she didn't make it shameful altogether, either. It was somehow both and that's what made the story feel so real.
I do recommend the book, but not for anyone looking for a sweet or even deliciously sexy romance. It's more than that, slightly unhealthy and twisted, but extremely well done. It's a book that explores so many elements of growing up and forbidden love, but it isn't wholesome like you'd expect a book about adolescence to be. The right audience will love it. The wrong audience will probably be offended and put off by a lot of the language, situations, and themes. I always give a fair warning when books deal with or explore sensitive issues.
Favorite Quotes:
"I respect people who get nerdy as fuck about something they love."
"There's something so terrible about wanting something you've already had. You know exactly what you're missing. Your body knows precisely how to shape itself around the ache, the hollowness that wants to be filled."
"And that made my heart ache, too -the thought of how much happiness lay scattered across the universe, unrealized, in fragments, waiting for the right twist of fate to bring it together."
"... I think that lesson was the most important: that none of us actually grow up. We get bigger, and older, but part of us always retains that small rabbit heart, trembling furiously, secretively, with wonder and fear."
"Grow up. This is real. The world is ugly and nasty and fucked up, and so are we."
"Part of falling in love with someone is actually falling in love with yourself. Realizing that you're gorgeous, you're fearless and unpredictable, you're a firecracker spitting light, entrancing a hundred faces that stare up at you with starry eyes."
Review originally published at Love, Literature, Art, and Reason Book Review Blog