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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
A fresh of breath air in the NA fiction genre! With a beautiful prose, Raeder captures a dangerous affair perfectly.
Maise has one goal : leave the broken world she grew up in. She wants to get away from her addict mother and the men that look at her. She just wants a smooth senior year. However, things aren't so smooth when she finds out who is teaching her class.
I want more from Raeder!
Maise has one goal : leave the broken world she grew up in. She wants to get away from her addict mother and the men that look at her. She just wants a smooth senior year. However, things aren't so smooth when she finds out who is teaching her class.
I want more from Raeder!
So I just finished my reread of this book, and while I still loved some of this book, I disliked some of it unfortunately. I first read this book five years ago, and I think my reading tastes have changed a little since I last read this. This book has absolutely gorgeous writing, as you can see from some quotes below from the first time I read it. It has some of my favorite book quotes of all time, but unfortunately I didn't really connect with the characters as much this time around. I love the fact that these two charters are obsessed with movies and that he is her film teacher and she's going to school for film. But other than that I thought Maise was kind of a bratty, obnoxious teenager most of the time. And I feel like this couple just gets together right away and then it's just sex scene after sex scene with no real plot happening. Of course there's the looming threat and forbidden aspect of the student/teacher romance, but besides that there's not much else happening. It makes me sad that I didn't enjoy this as much the second time because this was a five-star all time favorite book of mine when I first read it, and now I think this book is okay. I think the main reason why I loved it so much the first time I read it is because of the writing and the movie obsessed characters, but now that I went into it already knowing that and expecting it to be great I found the characters and story to be kind of boring.
ORIGINAL REVIEW:
"We have no age. We exist outside of time. We're timeless."
Oh my gosh aslkjalksda. This book was amazing. This is the 2nd student/teacher relationship novel I've ever read and I am so impressed. Maise is extremely likeable and surprisingly mature, strong headed, smart, funny and witty and I loved reading from her point of view. There's something really genuine about the way she handles things. I knew I would love this story from this quote in the very first chapter:
"I'm not going to do the whole roller coaster/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. But when we crested the first peak and the world sprawled beneath us like a tangled-up string of Christmas lights and then we plunged toward it at lightspeed, the guy and I reached for each other's hands spontaneously and simultaneously. 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."
This book is written so lyrically and beautifully, I fell in love with it immediately. I like the fact that she met Evan at a carnival before the school year started so it didn't seem completely forbidden. I enjoyed their relationship so much and I really think they're adorable together. The age difference didn't phase me one bit. I also like that their relationship seemed realistic and that they were extremely careful (for the most part). I liked Wesley and thought he made a perfect best friend character to Maise. I liked reading about the scenes between Maise and her awful druggie mother, and I couldn't believe the shit her Mom put her through. Maise was forced to be the parent with her Mother, which is really sad, but it also made her character really deep and mature for her age, which is probably the reason why Evan liked her so much. I love how Evan would say things like "I can't hold on to you. You're like that shooting star. Just a trail of fire in my hands." I also love the fact that he is her film teacher, and it's ironic cause I'm actually taking a film studies class at my college right now so it couldn't have been better timing for me to read it. I understood every single movie reference thanks to that class. Maise also mentions Donnie Darko and I got so excited because that's one of my favorite movies of all time!
"It seems like the whole world has figured out how to be happy, but no one's letting me in on the secret."
Hiyam was the perfect "mean girl" that I loved to hate. The ending of this book was hard to predict and I was genuinely surprised several times throughout the last few chapters. Not only is this book funny, but it's also sexy, and charming, and intense, and dramatic, which are all qualities that I love in books. I also like how she wrote some scenes using "fast forward" and then she'd describe what happened that day very briefly, then she'd say "press play" and it would start her scenes with Evan again. Then she would say "faster" and it would briefly describe the last few weeks in motel rooms with him, then it would "press play" again. I just thought that was a cute and creative style of writing.
"That's all life is. Breathing in, breathing out. The space between two breaths.."
I could go on and on with quotes that I highlighted as I was reading. I loved the writing style so much. I love that it was written in past tense, like for example when she said "and we lived happily ever after... until the next morning." It's all written as if she is telling you this story years after it took place which I really loved. Also, Evan's character was just really adorable and sweet and caring, and also very sexy all at the same time. He's the ideal male love interest and even though he has a dark past of his own, he doesn't let it affect him in the present, which I really admire. I especially love when Evan says:
"For a long time before I met you, I felt my life was this kind of test. I was in deep,cold water, swimming for shore, and my arms were getting tired, my skin numb. On the shore was everything I thought I wanted: a better job, a house, a family. But I could barely keep my head above water. Eventually I stopped seeing the shore, Only cold dark blue, in all directions. I know it's cliche, but when I met you, my eyes opened. I looked around, and realized that I could stand up whenever I wanted. There was firm ground underneath my feet. That shore in the distance was an illusion. I was already somewhere beautiful."
The ending might seem cheesy to other people but I thought it was absolutely perfect.I love the way it ending like a movie. It's so creative and unique and I fucking love it. It says: "The camera zooms in on the shine of an eye, the tremulous quiver of a lip. He's smiling but his eyes are wet. She's crying but her heart is infinitely light. Background noise recedes. Music fades in, swelling. Spontaneously and simultaneously, they reach for each other's hands." I'm a lover of movies and I personally think this was the best possible way to end this story. I absolutely adore this ending. I really, really loved this one. Way more than I was expecting to. I'm adding it to my all time favorites. I will read anything this author writes.
ORIGINAL REVIEW:
"We have no age. We exist outside of time. We're timeless."
Oh my gosh aslkjalksda. This book was amazing. This is the 2nd student/teacher relationship novel I've ever read and I am so impressed. Maise is extremely likeable and surprisingly mature, strong headed, smart, funny and witty and I loved reading from her point of view. There's something really genuine about the way she handles things. I knew I would love this story from this quote in the very first chapter:
"I'm not going to do the whole roller coaster/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. But when we crested the first peak and the world sprawled beneath us like a tangled-up string of Christmas lights and then we plunged toward it at lightspeed, the guy and I reached for each other's hands spontaneously and simultaneously. 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."
This book is written so lyrically and beautifully, I fell in love with it immediately. I like the fact that she met Evan at a carnival before the school year started so it didn't seem completely forbidden. I enjoyed their relationship so much and I really think they're adorable together. The age difference didn't phase me one bit. I also like that their relationship seemed realistic and that they were extremely careful (for the most part). I liked Wesley and thought he made a perfect best friend character to Maise. I liked reading about the scenes between Maise and her awful druggie mother, and I couldn't believe the shit her Mom put her through. Maise was forced to be the parent with her Mother, which is really sad, but it also made her character really deep and mature for her age, which is probably the reason why Evan liked her so much. I love how Evan would say things like "I can't hold on to you. You're like that shooting star. Just a trail of fire in my hands." I also love the fact that he is her film teacher, and it's ironic cause I'm actually taking a film studies class at my college right now so it couldn't have been better timing for me to read it. I understood every single movie reference thanks to that class. Maise also mentions Donnie Darko and I got so excited because that's one of my favorite movies of all time!
"It seems like the whole world has figured out how to be happy, but no one's letting me in on the secret."
Hiyam was the perfect "mean girl" that I loved to hate. The ending of this book was hard to predict and I was genuinely surprised several times throughout the last few chapters. Not only is this book funny, but it's also sexy, and charming, and intense, and dramatic, which are all qualities that I love in books. I also like how she wrote some scenes using "fast forward" and then she'd describe what happened that day very briefly, then she'd say "press play" and it would start her scenes with Evan again. Then she would say "faster" and it would briefly describe the last few weeks in motel rooms with him, then it would "press play" again. I just thought that was a cute and creative style of writing.
"That's all life is. Breathing in, breathing out. The space between two breaths.."
I could go on and on with quotes that I highlighted as I was reading. I loved the writing style so much. I love that it was written in past tense, like for example when she said "and we lived happily ever after... until the next morning." It's all written as if she is telling you this story years after it took place which I really loved. Also, Evan's character was just really adorable and sweet and caring, and also very sexy all at the same time. He's the ideal male love interest and even though he has a dark past of his own, he doesn't let it affect him in the present, which I really admire. I especially love when Evan says:
"For a long time before I met you, I felt my life was this kind of test. I was in deep,cold water, swimming for shore, and my arms were getting tired, my skin numb. On the shore was everything I thought I wanted: a better job, a house, a family. But I could barely keep my head above water. Eventually I stopped seeing the shore, Only cold dark blue, in all directions. I know it's cliche, but when I met you, my eyes opened. I looked around, and realized that I could stand up whenever I wanted. There was firm ground underneath my feet. That shore in the distance was an illusion. I was already somewhere beautiful."
The ending might seem cheesy to other people but I thought it was absolutely perfect.
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
why is this book so hyped??? there’s absolutely nothing special about it?? all reviews i read were like “omg this book is a whole different level of NA omg” and... it’s very trope-y, generic and too over-the-top for me (is there anything more NA than drug lords?). there’s tons of better romances out there!
it’s not even engaging, like there are trash books that you can’t stop reading and this is not it. but the worst was the part where we find out that the teacher had already been with a student???? HEEEEELL NOOOOO
i’m just going to say that i appreciate what the author was trying to do with her writing and how it was sort of a movie-gaze style, and that’s why i’m giving it a mercy .5 stars. the rest was just horrible.
1.5 stars
it’s not even engaging, like there are trash books that you can’t stop reading and this is not it. but the worst was the part where we find out that the teacher had already been with a student???? HEEEEELL NOOOOO
i’m just going to say that i appreciate what the author was trying to do with her writing and how it was sort of a movie-gaze style, and that’s why i’m giving it a mercy .5 stars. the rest was just horrible.
1.5 stars
"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"
No words could ever describe how I felt after reading this gem of a book.
Wow. The writing in this book was masterful. Leah Raeder is a seriously talented story teller. Unteachable was dark, in your face, unashamed and also managed to be beautiful and hopeful at the same time. I can say that I went through a whole spectrum of emotions while reading this book. The cover is absolutely gorgeous too, and totally fits this book.
The characters and the story are pretty screwed up! You can't help but to get completely wrapped up in it though. Maise was everything Evan thought of her, she was enigmatic, a lioness, she lived fully in a moment with a child's regard, or rather lack there of, of the repercussions for anything.
"I can't hold on to you. You're like that shooting star. Just a trail of fire in my hands."
She was so many contradictory things at the same time sometimes, and I loved every minute of it! Maise had a terribly sad life, which aged her far beyond her 18 years, in some ways. But in others she was crippled by them too. Most obliviously emotionally. One of the things I loved about Maise was her tenacity, and her unabashed way. She knew she had some deep seated issues, and by god she OWNED them. She did some brow raising things at times, shit most of the time, but the way she owned them so unapologetically and fiercely just demanded that you respect her.
After getting to know Maise, it was quite easy to see why she would engage in the affair with her teacher.
"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."
Let's face it, Evan was pretty incredible for the most part. He managed to charm you (the reader) right along with Maise. As he broke down her walls of emotional solitude, he was simultaneously chipping away at yours too. The lines of right and wrong quickly blurred. I would have said I loved him as much as Maise, or at least close to, but his past....that ONE thing, if/when you read it, you will know what I'm talking about. It DESTROYED me. I can never look at him as I did through most of this book. That thing. UGH. WHY??!! This book would have been flawless if not for that, at least to me. It slightly cheapened it. If that was not in here I would have rated Unteachable 5 stars easily. Everything else in this book was incredible, but this moment, it made me want to throat punch someone. It doesn't belong in here.
When you think of a teacher-student sexual relationship, lets just admit that two things instantly pop up....firstly for any parent especially is, that's freaking sick and wrong and "if that were my kid, I'd kill him", and then there's the fact that this is the "plot line" for about a million different pornos. Those are two completely opposite thoughts that come up, and both of those came into play here. There were times you were going "Oh this is wrong..." but that combated so hard with the "Holly shit this is wicked hot!". It was all incredibly confusing! Amazing....but my thoughts and emotions were all over the place! And at the very end of it all, I can't say I'm any clearer than when I started. I still don't know what is right or wrong, or what's best for anyone. But sometimes that's life, and Leah Raeder makes you think a lot about that.
"You should love something while you have it, love it fully and without reservation, even if you know you'll lose it someday. We lose everything. If you're trying to avoid loss, there's no point in taking another breath, or letting your heart beat one more time. It all ends." His fingers curled around mine. "That's all life is. Breathing in, breathing out. The space between two breaths."
There was a lot of other things besides the affair going on here too. Which I loved almost as much. All Maise's relationships had be enamored. I couldn't get enough. Wesley, his mom, Maise's mom, Hiyam, just every one. These characters were all so layered and I loved exposing them all along with Maise.
One other thing I loved about this book, it was a standalone. All by itself, and I dug that immensely. Don't get me wrong, I loved series too, but sometimes it's magical to read a full story, with incredible range, with such depth and growth, all in one book. This feels very rare to me these days. I was grateful for this. I could seriously go on gushing about this book forever, if you have not read this yet do yourself a favor and pick it up. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for anything else I can from this author.
IT GOT KIND OF SLOW AROUND THE MIDDLE AND I LOST INTEREST IN THE STORY, I DIDN'T REALLY CARE ABOUT THE CHARACTERS AT A CERTAIN TIME BUT JUST WANTED TO FINISH THE STORY. THE SECOND HALF PICKED UP PACE AND THEN THERE WAS SOMETHING TO THE STORY.
I THINK THE CHARACTERS WERE UNRELATABLE AND THERE JUST WASN'T ANY ANTICIPATION BUILDING. THAT'S WHY I RATED IT LOW...
I THINK THE CHARACTERS WERE UNRELATABLE AND THERE JUST WASN'T ANY ANTICIPATION BUILDING. THAT'S WHY I RATED IT LOW...
Hasta que por fin!
Terminar este libro demuestra la mucha fuerza de voluntad que poseo. Y pa' que pero valió la pena. No voy a decir que me encantó, pero digamos que no fue tan horrible como esperaba. Al menos me dieron mi final feliz!
Este libro tenía todos los Pro's: La relación prohibida, la profundidad del séptimo arte, infancias difíciles, triángulo amoroso, la típica Mean Girl, mafiosos y una irlandesa! Que más se le puede pedir a un libro?!!
Pero el único Con le gano a todos los Pro's: Maise.
En serio. Este libro prueba porque odio tanto leer en primera persona desde el punto de vista de la heroína. Inconscientemente una intenta identificarse, entender al personaje, sentir lo que ella siente, pero no siempre se da esa conexión. A veces la heroína simplemente es insoportable *véase Anastasia Steele*
"I was a banal teenage girl with depressingly typical problems" No querida, tus problemas no eran típicos, pero si te quejabas como una típica adolescente!
Maise es tan convencida. Tan sufrida. Y lo peor es que tenía derecho de hacerse la sufrida! Pero ese cinismo no es lo mío. Lo cuál me hace sentir mal a la misma vez, porque yo no tengo porque juzgarla (así sea un personajes de un libro). Cada quién decide como lidiar con la vida que le toco. Simplemente no me pude identificar con ella.
Y Evan... Puede que al final todo se aclarara, pero después de lo de Wesley no me pude quitar la impresión de lo creepy que fue todo el libro. Aparte de "el secreto", me pareció un personaje masculino muy real, muy normal, no era el típico alfa, ni tampoco el imbécil, sino que era un adulto común con uno que otro problema, pero nada del otro mundo.
No he leído nada de Leah, y no creo que lo haga en un futuro próximo, pero se vale decir que no es la típica escritora mediocre que se conforma con descripciones y diálogos cuasi-ingeniosos. Profundiza mucho, o al menos lo intenta, pero con ya dije desde ese punto de vista le salió más como un intento de Maise de ser trascendente.
A pesar de todo fue una lectura interesante. A la heroína le salió todo como quería y aunque me hicieron sufrir asta el último párrafo, todos fueron felices para siempre, como debe de ser!
Terminar este libro demuestra la mucha fuerza de voluntad que poseo. Y pa' que pero valió la pena. No voy a decir que me encantó, pero digamos que no fue tan horrible como esperaba. Al menos me dieron mi final feliz!
Este libro tenía todos los Pro's: La relación prohibida, la profundidad del séptimo arte, infancias difíciles, triángulo amoroso, la típica Mean Girl, mafiosos y una irlandesa! Que más se le puede pedir a un libro?!!
Pero el único Con le gano a todos los Pro's: Maise.
En serio. Este libro prueba porque odio tanto leer en primera persona desde el punto de vista de la heroína. Inconscientemente una intenta identificarse, entender al personaje, sentir lo que ella siente, pero no siempre se da esa conexión. A veces la heroína simplemente es insoportable *véase Anastasia Steele*
"I was a banal teenage girl with depressingly typical problems" No querida, tus problemas no eran típicos, pero si te quejabas como una típica adolescente!
Maise es tan convencida. Tan sufrida. Y lo peor es que tenía derecho de hacerse la sufrida! Pero ese cinismo no es lo mío. Lo cuál me hace sentir mal a la misma vez, porque yo no tengo porque juzgarla (así sea un personajes de un libro). Cada quién decide como lidiar con la vida que le toco. Simplemente no me pude identificar con ella.
Y Evan... Puede que al final todo se aclarara, pero después de lo de Wesley no me pude quitar la impresión de lo creepy que fue todo el libro. Aparte de "el secreto", me pareció un personaje masculino muy real, muy normal, no era el típico alfa, ni tampoco el imbécil, sino que era un adulto común con uno que otro problema, pero nada del otro mundo.
No he leído nada de Leah, y no creo que lo haga en un futuro próximo, pero se vale decir que no es la típica escritora mediocre que se conforma con descripciones y diálogos cuasi-ingeniosos. Profundiza mucho, o al menos lo intenta, pero con ya dije desde ese punto de vista le salió más como un intento de Maise de ser trascendente.
A pesar de todo fue una lectura interesante. A la heroína le salió todo como quería y aunque me hicieron sufrir asta el último párrafo, todos fueron felices para siempre, como debe de ser!
