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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
DNF because he’s 32 and she’s 18 i know its age gap but thats too big
In an increasingly popular genre like New Adult, it's tough to find true gems. But Unteachable had enough forbidden love and spice to catch and keep my attention. But unlike other New Adult novels, what put this one over the top was the writing.
Maise has some obvious Dad issues, issues that she herself knows better than anyone. But she can't help herself; for the last several years she's only been interested older men, up to twice her age--once even thrice her age. They are more sexually experienced and give her more pleasure than those puny teenagers. But when she meets a man at the fair one night, the night before her senior year of high school, she is enthralled by more than his age. From the second their lips touch, she can feel something different, something she has never felt before. Their heated hook-up isn't just about pleasure, it's about an emotion she can't even begin to understand or comprehend.
But Maise bolts the second it ends, with lead in the pit of her stomach. She knows full well she's leaving a good thing, and if she's never stuck around before, she can't help but be sad that she'll never see him again. Which is why when she walks into class and discovers that Evan, the car hook-up, is actually Mr. Wilke--her new film teacher, she's both terrified and inexplicably happy. She knows she should bolt again, but there's something about Evan that she can't deny. And is she willing to risk both of their futures to be with him.
I am a HUGE fan of forbidden love stories. So I've had my eye on this book since I discovered it a month ago. And with a crazy, stressful week of school, I needed something smut-tastic to wipe my mind clean. I couldn't have chosen better. It was sexy as hell, with more sex scenes than the average New Adult novel--which I loved. The author wasn't afraid, that's for sure.
But what really shocked me about this novel was the writing. It was beautifully written. A lot of the time when you are reading a romance or smut novel, you compromise on the writing. It's just not important or what the novel is really focused on. But damn, the author did not do that one bit. She wrote it sounding like a teenager, yet interwove spellbinding metaphors and similes and sentences. It was incredible. And I officially want to read everything she will ever write.
I was, however, immensely worried about the ending. It really kept me on the edge of my seat, almost to the point that I was seeing red--which I didn't really like. But what I did like was that it didn't have this explosion where they got in trouble, because that's expected from a Teacher/Student romance novel.
It was a solid New Adult book that I will definitely read again.
Maise has some obvious Dad issues, issues that she herself knows better than anyone. But she can't help herself; for the last several years she's only been interested older men, up to twice her age--once even thrice her age. They are more sexually experienced and give her more pleasure than those puny teenagers. But when she meets a man at the fair one night, the night before her senior year of high school, she is enthralled by more than his age. From the second their lips touch, she can feel something different, something she has never felt before. Their heated hook-up isn't just about pleasure, it's about an emotion she can't even begin to understand or comprehend.
But Maise bolts the second it ends, with lead in the pit of her stomach. She knows full well she's leaving a good thing, and if she's never stuck around before, she can't help but be sad that she'll never see him again. Which is why when she walks into class and discovers that Evan, the car hook-up, is actually Mr. Wilke--her new film teacher, she's both terrified and inexplicably happy. She knows she should bolt again, but there's something about Evan that she can't deny. And is she willing to risk both of their futures to be with him.
I am a HUGE fan of forbidden love stories. So I've had my eye on this book since I discovered it a month ago. And with a crazy, stressful week of school, I needed something smut-tastic to wipe my mind clean. I couldn't have chosen better. It was sexy as hell, with more sex scenes than the average New Adult novel--which I loved. The author wasn't afraid, that's for sure.
But what really shocked me about this novel was the writing. It was beautifully written. A lot of the time when you are reading a romance or smut novel, you compromise on the writing. It's just not important or what the novel is really focused on. But damn, the author did not do that one bit. She wrote it sounding like a teenager, yet interwove spellbinding metaphors and similes and sentences. It was incredible. And I officially want to read everything she will ever write.
I was, however, immensely worried about the ending. It really kept me on the edge of my seat, almost to the point that I was seeing red--which I didn't really like. But what I did like was that it didn't have this explosion where they got in trouble, because that's expected from a Teacher/Student romance novel.
It was a solid New Adult book that I will definitely read again.
Unteachable wasn't great, but it wasn't bad either.
Maise is an 18 year old girl with a drug addicted mother and absent father. Evan is a 32 year old man with a similarly difficult past. They fall in love, freak out about falling in love, figure out some stuff... and that's basically it.
I didn't know much going into this book, only that it's a new adult book that I've heard people rave about. After reading it, I really don't know why people think it's so amazing. o.O
I'll admit, the writing was beautiful, and... different. I couldn't stop reading, but it was an average story with average characters. Maise and Evan were meh, and their relationship together was pretty much only physical, and I just didn't feel their connection, nor could I connect to either of them. They both felt a little flat, and none of their emotional ooey gooey stuff felt realistic or authentic. And I also though it was ridiculous how obvious they were being with their student-teacher relationship. I mean, come on - do they really think their romantic advances AT SCHOOL will go unnoticed? Evan came off as creepy, particularly as the story progresses and we find out more about his past... yet Maise continues to believe he's the most amazing man on the planet. The romance in general just didn't really do anything for me, which is disappointing, because early on in the book, I thought I would love them together! The only character I liked was Wesley. He truly cared for Maise and his intentions were always from the heart, even if they didn't always come across that way. He was one of the main reasons I kept reading.
The ending didn't do much for me either. I'm just disappointed, because I was not expecting what I got, and what I got was not really my type of book. I think the main thing that irritated me was the amount of sexual content throughout the book - it did nothing to further the story, and I frequently grew tired of the same repeated words and scenes the seemed to pop up every few pages.
I did really enjoy the film metaphors and language throughout. It added a different feeling to the writing that I appreciated, and found myself re-reading certain sentences to absorb how wonderfully they were written.
Overall, I give Unteachable 3 stars. It wasn't the best, it wasn't the worse, but I did enjoy the storytelling, even though I didn't like most of the characters. Recommended to anyone who likes NA books, because maybe you'll have better luck with it than I did! :)
Maise is an 18 year old girl with a drug addicted mother and absent father. Evan is a 32 year old man with a similarly difficult past. They fall in love, freak out about falling in love, figure out some stuff... and that's basically it.
I didn't know much going into this book, only that it's a new adult book that I've heard people rave about. After reading it, I really don't know why people think it's so amazing. o.O
I'll admit, the writing was beautiful, and... different. I couldn't stop reading, but it was an average story with average characters. Maise and Evan were meh, and their relationship together was pretty much only physical, and I just didn't feel their connection, nor could I connect to either of them. They both felt a little flat, and none of their emotional ooey gooey stuff felt realistic or authentic. And I also though it was ridiculous how obvious they were being with their student-teacher relationship. I mean, come on - do they really think their romantic advances AT SCHOOL will go unnoticed? Evan came off as creepy, particularly as the story progresses and we find out more about his past... yet Maise continues to believe he's the most amazing man on the planet. The romance in general just didn't really do anything for me, which is disappointing, because early on in the book, I thought I would love them together! The only character I liked was Wesley. He truly cared for Maise and his intentions were always from the heart, even if they didn't always come across that way. He was one of the main reasons I kept reading.
The ending didn't do much for me either. I'm just disappointed, because I was not expecting what I got, and what I got was not really my type of book. I think the main thing that irritated me was the amount of sexual content throughout the book - it did nothing to further the story, and I frequently grew tired of the same repeated words and scenes the seemed to pop up every few pages.
I did really enjoy the film metaphors and language throughout. It added a different feeling to the writing that I appreciated, and found myself re-reading certain sentences to absorb how wonderfully they were written.
Overall, I give Unteachable 3 stars. It wasn't the best, it wasn't the worse, but I did enjoy the storytelling, even though I didn't like most of the characters. Recommended to anyone who likes NA books, because maybe you'll have better luck with it than I did! :)
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Unteachable is the story of an 18 year old who falls in love with an older man, just to walk into her film class the first day of her senior year to find out he's her teacher. Oops. You can't help who you fall in love with, right?
I just... omg. I don't think I've ever read another author than can pull on my emotions like this. This is my second Leah Rader / Elliot Wake novel and I am obsessed. Everything about this novel is just breathtaking. The characters are so vivid and realistic, and Maise is one of the most realistic teen girls I've ever had the pleasure of reading. She's emotional and irrational and impulsive, but these characteristics are tempered with a passion and intelligence and drive. It's hard to write teen girls, because that phase in life is overwhelming and confusing and (thankfully) quite brief and so many novels (looking at you, YA) get it *SO* wrong. But not this. The way Maise reacts to certain events in the story threw me right back into my own teenage boy troubles. The only difference is that Elliot's writing style is... sublime. There is just enough metaphor and purple prose to perfectly express the melodramatic way in which a teenage girl thinks.
The whole story leaves you emotional. I don't want to comment on the romance itself because it would spoil it, but man. I'm so sad I finished this.
Lastly, I thought it was really interesting that Hiam is kind of a major side character in this novel. She's also in Black Iris, and I wish I had read this one first because it adds a whole new layer of understanding to certain events in that book. I guess I just have to go and read Black Iris again :P
I just... omg. I don't think I've ever read another author than can pull on my emotions like this. This is my second Leah Rader / Elliot Wake novel and I am obsessed. Everything about this novel is just breathtaking. The characters are so vivid and realistic, and Maise is one of the most realistic teen girls I've ever had the pleasure of reading. She's emotional and irrational and impulsive, but these characteristics are tempered with a passion and intelligence and drive. It's hard to write teen girls, because that phase in life is overwhelming and confusing and (thankfully) quite brief and so many novels (looking at you, YA) get it *SO* wrong. But not this. The way Maise reacts to certain events in the story threw me right back into my own teenage boy troubles. The only difference is that Elliot's writing style is... sublime. There is just enough metaphor and purple prose to perfectly express the melodramatic way in which a teenage girl thinks.
The whole story leaves you emotional. I don't want to comment on the romance itself because it would spoil it, but man. I'm so sad I finished this.
Lastly, I thought it was really interesting that Hiam is kind of a major side character in this novel. She's also in Black Iris, and I wish I had read this one first because it adds a whole new layer of understanding to certain events in that book. I guess I just have to go and read Black Iris again :P
I didn't rate it because while its a beautifully written book I lost interest at some point and Im not sure why. It might have been that I thought it was on track for some serious issues i didn't want to deal with. So at some point I will reread.
but I loved Maise and Wesley, and I found Evan really interesting but didn't stick around long enough to get to know him. The Lolita, teenage sexuality side of it was perfectly done, as in not overdone.
but I loved Maise and Wesley, and I found Evan really interesting but didn't stick around long enough to get to know him. The Lolita, teenage sexuality side of it was perfectly done, as in not overdone.
I hated a lot about this book, the heroine, the hero, the heroine, the romance, and oh, did I mention the heroine? I have never read about a snobbier, stuck up character in my entire life and I was sick to death of reading in her POV. She's gone through shit in her life, I get that, stuff that an 18 year-old shouldn't have to go through but in no way did that give her the right to say stuff like this:
“A group of girls drifted past, laughing in brazen tones. They smelled like a walking Bath & Body Works ad. They were moisturized and shining and tan, but beneath that was pudginess, acne, bulimia, self-hatred. They were processed. I was natural, uncultured and untamed.”
Wow, there's only one way to describe her and that's a bitch. How could I possibly like a character that hates other people for not having as much of a tough life as her? How does she even know any of that about them!? She thought she was an 'old soul' because of all the crap she went through but that right there showed her maturity level...
Evan was a 32 year old man who had previously had a relation with ANOTHER school girl! At one point he'd even admitted part of his attraction to Maise was because she was young. How the hell is this okay?! Ew.
It's hard to like a relationship between two characters when you hate them as individuals so much. I guess the reason I gave this two stars instead of 1 is because of its readability. I wanted to read the drama. I wanted to know where the plot went next. Other than that though, this was a pretty poor experience.
“A group of girls drifted past, laughing in brazen tones. They smelled like a walking Bath & Body Works ad. They were moisturized and shining and tan, but beneath that was pudginess, acne, bulimia, self-hatred. They were processed. I was natural, uncultured and untamed.”
Wow, there's only one way to describe her and that's a bitch. How could I possibly like a character that hates other people for not having as much of a tough life as her? How does she even know any of that about them!? She thought she was an 'old soul' because of all the crap she went through but that right there showed her maturity level...
Evan was a 32 year old man who had previously had a relation with ANOTHER school girl! At one point he'd even admitted part of his attraction to Maise was because she was young. How the hell is this okay?! Ew.
It's hard to like a relationship between two characters when you hate them as individuals so much. I guess the reason I gave this two stars instead of 1 is because of its readability. I wanted to read the drama. I wanted to know where the plot went next. Other than that though, this was a pretty poor experience.
First off ... H O T
Now, that I said it let's get on the review.
I was really confused whether to give it 3.5 or 4 stars because there were parts in the story that I found unlikable but as I read on it gradually got better, so I settled for 4 stars.
I relate to Maise in terms of being attracted to an older guy and it just happened recently. He's 10 years older than me. I found mature men very attractive. So when Maise and Evan/Eric got into the fight about their attraction to each other because of their age gap and ideals. I was stricken and questioned myself but I do understand Maise with her feelings, how she feels alive whenever she's with him and see the world in a new light. Like virginity, age is just a concept. You will always be connected to your youth, it's transcribed in our minds. It was incredibly beautiful when they presented their film project even with Wesley minus his creepiness. I love how their love story and the author's style of writing relate it to films. I vividly picture it while I read them.
It was a twisted and nasty story but the author delivered beautiful with it's metaphors and witty antics :)
Now, that I said it let's get on the review.
I was really confused whether to give it 3.5 or 4 stars because there were parts in the story that I found unlikable but as I read on it gradually got better, so I settled for 4 stars.
I relate to Maise in terms of being attracted to an older guy and it just happened recently. He's 10 years older than me. I found mature men very attractive. So when Maise and Evan/Eric got into the fight about their attraction to each other because of their age gap and ideals. I was stricken and questioned myself but I do understand Maise with her feelings, how she feels alive whenever she's with him and see the world in a new light. Like virginity, age is just a concept. You will always be connected to your youth, it's transcribed in our minds. It was incredibly beautiful when they presented their film project even with Wesley minus his creepiness. I love how their love story and the author's style of writing relate it to films. I vividly picture it while I read them.
It was a twisted and nasty story but the author delivered beautiful with it's metaphors and witty antics :)
It was ok, the writing wasn't really my style. When the author starts getting descriptive about things like the weather and the lighting, I either zoned out or I just skimmed over it. That's not to say it wasn't well written, just not my taste.
Let's be honest, I started reading this novel because I wanted to know what this whole "New Adult" genre was about and, well, I was expecting 50 Shades of Grey Part 2, meaning terrible writing and less than stellar sex scenes. I was wrong though. Unteachable was very well written, entertaining, and the sex scenes were actually sexy. It may have gotten 5 stars if I had found the plot more original. Sadly, it was a cliche type of student/teacher relationship with no twists. If Mr. Wilke had turned out to actually be a crazy lunatic at the end, this probably would've been a hit with me. Sadly, it was not so. Entertaining, but not worth more than one read.