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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
I see the lights every night. It seems like the whole world has figured out how to be happy, but no one's letting me in on the secret."
Maise has no known father. Her mother is absent emotionally and lacks the most basic skills as a parent, using the sale of crack and prostitution to support herself and her daughter. Maise has essentially raised herself and this has made her cynical and wise beyond her years. She yearns to be free of the cards life has dealt her, while simultaneously searching for something to fill the emptiness in her heart. She finds that person in Evan Wilke- a man with damage equal to hers who is as enthralled by her as she is by him. There's only one problem: he's her teacher.
""It was the messiness and hurt in our pasts that drove us, and that same hurt connected us at a subdermal level, the kind of scars written so deeply in your cells that you can't even see them anymore, only recognize them in someone else.""
I barely have the words to describe how much I enjoyed this book. It's so much more than a cliche romance between teacher and student. It's a coming-of-age story revolving around two hurt souls who seek solace in each other, fueled by the lust and rage and sweetness found in life. Their relationship was painful, and through every trial I felt myself hurting with them. Maise was in many ways like an injured animal who refused to let anyone see her wounds, angry and passionate but still crawling off by herself at night to try and find some comfort in her world. The age difference between her and Evan wasn't so misplaced- they seemed more like two souls beyond age, floating in between new and old and falling somewhere midway, rather than the corporeal reality.
"Everything was flame shades of tangerine and pomegranate, ripeness on the brink of decay, and when the wind rippled the leaves looked like a mosaic of fire, like the walls of Cathedral Basilica."
The writing of this novel stunned me- written poetically, full of almost ethereal in descriptions. It combined both the dirt and innocence within the main characters and I soaked up every word. The book instantly throws you into a near magical world and doesn't let you go. Maise's sarcasm and wit, combined with the powerful electricity between her and Evan made for an unforgettable read.
Maise has no known father. Her mother is absent emotionally and lacks the most basic skills as a parent, using the sale of crack and prostitution to support herself and her daughter. Maise has essentially raised herself and this has made her cynical and wise beyond her years. She yearns to be free of the cards life has dealt her, while simultaneously searching for something to fill the emptiness in her heart. She finds that person in Evan Wilke- a man with damage equal to hers who is as enthralled by her as she is by him. There's only one problem: he's her teacher.
""It was the messiness and hurt in our pasts that drove us, and that same hurt connected us at a subdermal level, the kind of scars written so deeply in your cells that you can't even see them anymore, only recognize them in someone else.""
I barely have the words to describe how much I enjoyed this book. It's so much more than a cliche romance between teacher and student. It's a coming-of-age story revolving around two hurt souls who seek solace in each other, fueled by the lust and rage and sweetness found in life. Their relationship was painful, and through every trial I felt myself hurting with them. Maise was in many ways like an injured animal who refused to let anyone see her wounds, angry and passionate but still crawling off by herself at night to try and find some comfort in her world. The age difference between her and Evan wasn't so misplaced- they seemed more like two souls beyond age, floating in between new and old and falling somewhere midway, rather than the corporeal reality.
"Everything was flame shades of tangerine and pomegranate, ripeness on the brink of decay, and when the wind rippled the leaves looked like a mosaic of fire, like the walls of Cathedral Basilica."
The writing of this novel stunned me- written poetically, full of almost ethereal in descriptions. It combined both the dirt and innocence within the main characters and I soaked up every word. The book instantly throws you into a near magical world and doesn't let you go. Maise's sarcasm and wit, combined with the powerful electricity between her and Evan made for an unforgettable read.
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4.5! I would've loved for this book to have an epilogue hahahaha then this book would have been perfect! Im really interested to know happens next... But whoaa, i love the writing in this and the feels man, the freaking feels.
emotional
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Maise O'Malley is looking at a crossroads in her life. She's eighteen years old, starting her senior year of high school, and she's determined not to turn out like her mother. Maise didn't have an innocent childhood. She isn't sure who her father is, and her mother is a drug dealer who brings strange men home at night. She is going to keep her nose clean and go to college to become a film maker. She refuses to turn into her mother.
Before school starts, Maise visits the summer carnival, and meets The Guy. He's an anonymous face in the crowd and just her type - an older man. Maise doesn't even try to deny or hide her daddy issues. She is fully aware that she uses older men to fill the void of a father figure.
After a crazy night with The Guy, Maise begins school and looks forward to her Film Studies class until she sees that her teacher is Evan Wilke. Or AKA The Guy. Evan and Maise try to keep their distance but the pull of their forbidden attraction may be too much to bear.
This book is really well written. The descriptions are vivid, and the story is very realistic and raw. Some romance writers keep strictly in their genre and write a forbidden romance romantically. But this story isn't read with rose colored glasses on. The complicated and ugly issues with a student/teacher romance are confronted repeatedly. Maise often refers to Evan as "my teacher". I'm not doing to lie, I felt uncomfortable at times reading this book. But I'm 99.9% sure this is what the author wants. Maise is not a normal eighteen year old girl. And Evan certainly has his own issues and secrets, as well. They have serious issues and their relationship with each other isn't healthy.
So, is this a romance? Yes and no. This book won't give you warm and fuzzy feelings when the characters fall in love. You are going to be reminded about how wrong it is. But the character development is significant, and there is a conclusion that will leave the reader satisfied with how the characters ultimately make their decisions and evolve.
Before school starts, Maise visits the summer carnival, and meets The Guy. He's an anonymous face in the crowd and just her type - an older man. Maise doesn't even try to deny or hide her daddy issues. She is fully aware that she uses older men to fill the void of a father figure.
After a crazy night with The Guy, Maise begins school and looks forward to her Film Studies class until she sees that her teacher is Evan Wilke. Or AKA The Guy. Evan and Maise try to keep their distance but the pull of their forbidden attraction may be too much to bear.
This book is really well written. The descriptions are vivid, and the story is very realistic and raw. Some romance writers keep strictly in their genre and write a forbidden romance romantically. But this story isn't read with rose colored glasses on. The complicated and ugly issues with a student/teacher romance are confronted repeatedly. Maise often refers to Evan as "my teacher". I'm not doing to lie, I felt uncomfortable at times reading this book. But I'm 99.9% sure this is what the author wants. Maise is not a normal eighteen year old girl. And Evan certainly has his own issues and secrets, as well. They have serious issues and their relationship with each other isn't healthy.
So, is this a romance? Yes and no. This book won't give you warm and fuzzy feelings when the characters fall in love. You are going to be reminded about how wrong it is. But the character development is significant, and there is a conclusion that will leave the reader satisfied with how the characters ultimately make their decisions and evolve.