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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
I cannot accurately put into words how amazing this book was. How it took me on a roller coaster ride of emotions and how invested I was in the characters, their lives, their love and Wesley! Not to mention the writing was some of the best I've seen in a long while, it flowed like silk and was just as beautiful.
For once the young woman in this book is not some weepy virgin who doesn't know anything about sex. It's the complete opposite. Maise knows her body, loves it, and uses it. She likes having sex with older men, and isn't afraid to admit it, she enjoys her body and the pleasure it can bring her.
She's drawn to Evan because he's older then her, then there is the fact that he's her teacher so there's always the air of taboo around them, that it's wrong for them to be together but feels so right. But he makes her feel safe and loved as well.
This was a crazy journey filled with so much passion. Which at times I felt was too much, too many smutty scenes which overwhelmed the character and plot development at points. They didn't do much besides have sex, even when they were in St. Louis where no one would recognize them! Why not go out on more dates!. It was clear they loved each other, and it was so nice that Evan wasn't some over powerful, domineering alpha male. When he did show his alpha side, it was so hot it made me melt.
Maise had doubts about being with her teacher, if it would really work past her senior year. There was the fear of people finding out, of both their futures being ruined. It was nice to see them worry about each other, to care about each other and not just live in the moment. Maise was always thinking about her future, as was Evan and they both wanted the other to be successful and happy.
But they both have trouble lives, Evan burying his past, and Maise trying to get away from her present, and move toward a bright future, hopefully with the one she loves so much.
Evan has a past he wanted to keep buried, but it eventually surfaced which caused a split between the two, one that I thought wasn't going to be fixed and Maise would have just moved on with her life and found someone else to love. Especially when people started to find out about the affair, and it got messy.
But the ending! Oh my! It made me so happy and giddy! I really hope there is another book about these two some day because the writing alone is beautiful.
Looking back on it I don't fully understood what kept the two together, what kept their love burning for each other besides the hot romps in the sack.
The characters in this book felt real, I wanted to know their story, I was heartbroken at the lot Maise had been given in life, living with such a horrible mother. And she saw how kind and loving mothers could be in Wesley's mom.
Maise was a very strong character, wise and mature beyond her years. Although she knew and accepted at times that she was still young, still a kid. And it was those times that she relied on Evan to get her through her troubles.
Sometimes the book seemed a little much, almost a bit unbelievable, but I managed to over look it for the story was amazing and the writing held me in a trance it was so exquisite.
For once the young woman in this book is not some weepy virgin who doesn't know anything about sex. It's the complete opposite. Maise knows her body, loves it, and uses it. She likes having sex with older men, and isn't afraid to admit it, she enjoys her body and the pleasure it can bring her.
She's drawn to Evan because he's older then her, then there is the fact that he's her teacher so there's always the air of taboo around them, that it's wrong for them to be together but feels so right. But he makes her feel safe and loved as well.
This was a crazy journey filled with so much passion. Which at times I felt was too much, too many smutty scenes which overwhelmed the character and plot development at points. They didn't do much besides have sex, even when they were in St. Louis where no one would recognize them! Why not go out on more dates!. It was clear they loved each other, and it was so nice that Evan wasn't some over powerful, domineering alpha male. When he did show his alpha side, it was so hot it made me melt.
Maise had doubts about being with her teacher, if it would really work past her senior year. There was the fear of people finding out, of both their futures being ruined. It was nice to see them worry about each other, to care about each other and not just live in the moment. Maise was always thinking about her future, as was Evan and they both wanted the other to be successful and happy.
But they both have trouble lives, Evan burying his past, and Maise trying to get away from her present, and move toward a bright future, hopefully with the one she loves so much.
Evan has a past he wanted to keep buried, but it eventually surfaced which caused a split between the two, one that I thought wasn't going to be fixed and Maise would have just moved on with her life and found someone else to love. Especially when people started to find out about the affair, and it got messy.
But the ending! Oh my! It made me so happy and giddy! I really hope there is another book about these two some day because the writing alone is beautiful.
Looking back on it I don't fully understood what kept the two together, what kept their love burning for each other besides the hot romps in the sack.
The characters in this book felt real, I wanted to know their story, I was heartbroken at the lot Maise had been given in life, living with such a horrible mother. And she saw how kind and loving mothers could be in Wesley's mom.
Maise was a very strong character, wise and mature beyond her years. Although she knew and accepted at times that she was still young, still a kid. And it was those times that she relied on Evan to get her through her troubles.
Sometimes the book seemed a little much, almost a bit unbelievable, but I managed to over look it for the story was amazing and the writing held me in a trance it was so exquisite.
"And I felt something I’ve never felt before.
You can call it love, or you can call it freefall. They’re pretty much the same thing."
4.5/5 stars
This is probably one of my favourite romances of all time!!!
I mainly love this novel so much because I ADORE the writing! It is extremely lyrical in a metaphorical way, which I love. In fact, I honestly feel that I would not have loved this novel as much as I did if it were not for the incredible writing.
"I’m not going to do the whole rollercoaster/falling in love metaphor. I didn’t fall in love with him up there. Maybe I fell in love with the idea of love, but I’m a teenage girl. This morning I fell in love with raspberry jam and a puppy in a tiny raincoat. I’m not exactly Earth’s top authority on the subject."
On the other hand, although it started great, like other romances I have read, I felt that this was too much of an insta-love story; I wanted them to contemplate their decision regarding their relationship more, giving that there was so much at stake. Additionally, I usually read romances exceedingly fast, whereas with Unteachable, I did not feel inclined to pick this up. Indeed, I spent 6 whole days reading this.
That’s another thing about lies: if you convince yourself they’re true, they become true. A lie is a discrepancy of belief, not fact.
Something which I think could have been improved upon is if there had been a dual perspective. With this writing style, readers would have been able to know both of the main character's points of view. However, the ending of the novel was PERFECT, which explains why I ended up giving this 4.5 stars.
Having said all that, I surely want to re-read this book because I read it over a month ago. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes brilliant, lyrical romances!
Other quotes I liked:
I smiled at no one, sauntering past stalls stuffed with popcorn and pretzels and corndogs, flavor ice and cotton candy. The air was drugged with sugar and salt. It made my head spin.
I stood in the rain, watching his car go. A string tied to it looped around my heart and pulled tighter and tighter until it sheared clean through.
Somewhere in the universe, two hearts reached out and connected.
It’s amazing how much you can communicate without words.
I was walking between classes on the first floor when we spotted each other in the hall. We both stopped. It was as if the lights dimmed on the river of bodies streaming around us, and we were the only two people left in full color.
“I love your mom,” I said as I followed him upstairs.
“That’s because you don’t know her yet.”
I plucked that word out of the air and clutched it to my chest. Yet.
He was built like a bear, more hair on his hands than his scalp. He nodded at me silently. Hired muscle.
Siobhan smiled at me. But as we turned back to the carnival, her eyes held mine, and I knew that she knew. Everything.
No kiss. No bombastic love ballad swelling from hidden speakers. Just a simple declaration in a dark room that was beginning to lighten.
The brain is an incredible multitasker. At the same time that it’s piercing itself with superheated needles of anguish, it’s ruthlessly making plans, contingencies, plotting out a future, giving zero fucks whether it’ll ever see it. On the day I die, it’ll be calculating what to have for dinner as it bombards itself with pain signals from my amputated legs or my clocked-out heart. And so, when I stopped crying, I wiped the snot off my upper lip and took out my phone.
I was expecting to hate this but it was written well and there was psychology and depth to the characters that I decided to just enjoy it. There were moments where it felt downright wrong yet you still feel hopeful. For her. For him. Mostly her.
Beautiful. Forbidden. Captivating.
I simply could not put it down. I just kept reading and reading until I finished it.
This book was beautifully written.Leah Reader,style is unique and poetic. For a debut novel I give her praise and will continue to read her other works.
Maise is blunt,strong-willed, independent and passionate. There is so much about her that I adore. She goes after what she wants and she has dreams that extend beyond her small town. She dose not let her family life hold her back.
Evan , He is a 32 year old teacher. When Maise and Evan meet, things progress VERY fast. Evan and Maise have a very physical connection but it isn't all about the sex Maise developed real feelings for Evan.
As you can see from the synopsis--this book has a lot of sex in it. It's not erotica, but it is graphic. So if that makes you uncomfortable then this book is not for you as the author goes into great detail about there physical relationship.
Guys this book is raw and intense and gritty.And the FEELINGS. OMG !
I simply could not put it down. I just kept reading and reading until I finished it.
This book was beautifully written.Leah Reader,style is unique and poetic. For a debut novel I give her praise and will continue to read her other works.
Maise is blunt,strong-willed, independent and passionate. There is so much about her that I adore. She goes after what she wants and she has dreams that extend beyond her small town. She dose not let her family life hold her back.
Evan , He is a 32 year old teacher. When Maise and Evan meet, things progress VERY fast. Evan and Maise have a very physical connection but it isn't all about the sex Maise developed real feelings for Evan.
As you can see from the synopsis--this book has a lot of sex in it. It's not erotica, but it is graphic. So if that makes you uncomfortable then this book is not for you as the author goes into great detail about there physical relationship.
Guys this book is raw and intense and gritty.And the FEELINGS. OMG !
This is like a new adult contemporary romance version of Lolita.
It was fucking beautiful.
The writing was soul-achingly deep, I sat here and re-read lines, phrases, and paragraphs, over and over again, just to let the wistful poetic words sink into my bones.
Maise is all sorts of fucked up. And just as everyone else has their own way to cope and deal with things, Maise does too. Sure, seducing men twice her age and fucking them soundskind of bad, but this young girl is so jaded by life you can't even blame her.
“There are moments, when you’re getting to know someone, when you realize something deep and buried in you is deep and buried in them, too. It feels like meeting a stranger you've known your whole life.”
“We have no age. We exist outside of time. We’re timeless.”
Their relationship instantly made me think of one thing:
- Lang Leav
It was fucking beautiful.
The writing was soul-achingly deep, I sat here and re-read lines, phrases, and paragraphs, over and over again, just to let the wistful poetic words sink into my bones.
Maise is all sorts of fucked up. And just as everyone else has their own way to cope and deal with things, Maise does too. Sure, seducing men twice her age and fucking them sounds
“There are moments, when you’re getting to know someone, when you realize something deep and buried in you is deep and buried in them, too. It feels like meeting a stranger you've known your whole life.”
“We have no age. We exist outside of time. We’re timeless.”
Their relationship instantly made me think of one thing:
- Lang Leav
I'm very picky when it comes to romance. The very basic requirement of any romance book is that you have to convince your reader that these two people are not only into each other, but good together. Unteachable fails in that.
Maise's strength as a character and narrator was really the only good point in this novel for me, and the reason I gave it an extra star. Her narration can be melodramatic a lot of the time, but show me an eighteen year old who isn't melodramatic. She's snarky, messed up, and uses men without guilt. Sometimes she was hard to like, and that's great -- I love complicated female leads.
The other characters? Not nearly as strong. Not even Evan, who should be as memorable as Maise. The only reason I remember him is with disgust, frankly, because this is not the first time he's dated a high school girl. If I were Maise, that would have been the moment I went nope and ran the other direction.
Everything else in the novel fell flat for me. The novel tries very hard to convince me of the all consuming love between Maise and Evan. There's a lot of talk about how different they feel with each other, how they find all this worth in the other, but that's all it is: talk.
I can't think of a single interaction between them that really showed me that they were good with each other. Literally all of their interactions ended up in them having sex, and anything that might have advanced the character or relationship development between them was quickly put aside for more sex.
I'm not a prude, but I appreciate some development of a relationship to go along with my endless sex.
At the end of the novel, I was actually hoping that they wouldn't stay together. Kind of defeats the purpose. As for the whole teacher/student thing, I don't know that it honestly should have been a part of the novel. The characters didn't treat it with the severity it deserved, until other people started finding out and blackmailing them with it.
Other highlights include Maise's mother being a drunk, drugged out hooker who let a man touch Maise when she was twelve, and generally isn't there for Maise at all. Because of course, all sluts are bad mothers, didn't you know?
Will I look into Raeder's next book? Maybe. The strength of Maise as a character does tell me she has a lot of talent as a writer. But as someone who loves a good "two broken monsters find each other and love each other" story, this one fell flat.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley for review. See more reviews, plus bookish news and articles, at Bibliodaze!
Maise's strength as a character and narrator was really the only good point in this novel for me, and the reason I gave it an extra star. Her narration can be melodramatic a lot of the time, but show me an eighteen year old who isn't melodramatic. She's snarky, messed up, and uses men without guilt. Sometimes she was hard to like, and that's great -- I love complicated female leads.
The other characters? Not nearly as strong. Not even Evan, who should be as memorable as Maise. The only reason I remember him is with disgust, frankly, because this is not the first time he's dated a high school girl. If I were Maise, that would have been the moment I went nope and ran the other direction.
Everything else in the novel fell flat for me. The novel tries very hard to convince me of the all consuming love between Maise and Evan. There's a lot of talk about how different they feel with each other, how they find all this worth in the other, but that's all it is: talk.
I can't think of a single interaction between them that really showed me that they were good with each other. Literally all of their interactions ended up in them having sex, and anything that might have advanced the character or relationship development between them was quickly put aside for more sex.
I'm not a prude, but I appreciate some development of a relationship to go along with my endless sex.
At the end of the novel, I was actually hoping that they wouldn't stay together. Kind of defeats the purpose. As for the whole teacher/student thing, I don't know that it honestly should have been a part of the novel. The characters didn't treat it with the severity it deserved, until other people started finding out and blackmailing them with it.
Other highlights include Maise's mother being a drunk, drugged out hooker who let a man touch Maise when she was twelve, and generally isn't there for Maise at all. Because of course, all sluts are bad mothers, didn't you know?
Will I look into Raeder's next book? Maybe. The strength of Maise as a character does tell me she has a lot of talent as a writer. But as someone who loves a good "two broken monsters find each other and love each other" story, this one fell flat.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley for review. See more reviews, plus bookish news and articles, at Bibliodaze!
I initially planned to leave it at 4 stars but after that ending, how can I?
Ignoring the age gap, I still struggled with the story. I felt no connection to the characters at all. The writing style bothered me, but I could appreciate the beauty of the words.