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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
3 stars
Unteachable is an indie New Adult romance that popped up on my radar last year after multiple blogger friends gave it high ratings and rave reviews. New Adult isn't really my thing, but every once in a while, I am up for a steamy romance, and with its pretty cover and good prospects, Unteachable was at the top of that list to check out. I definitely enjoyed this read, and it was a great albeit coincidental Valentine's gift to myself, but I'm feeling a bit... conflicted.
Unteachable follows the snarky and devil-may-care Maise, a high school senior with a troubled past, who lives life to the fullest and has her fair share of casual hookups, usually with men much older than herself. This is how she winds up hooking up with Evan after meeting him at a carnival, but later finds out, to her horror, that he his her new film studies teacher in school. Cue the forbidden romance and the drama llama.
I gotta say I was totally into this romance. The hot scenes are seriously on fire. Like, when you read this, make sure you have a gallon of water and a fan next to you. Maybe don't read this in public places. But whoa, it sizzled. The two definitely had chemistry, and it was undeniable. Though some people might be turned off by the student-teacher dynamic, I quite like it. I dunno. I like forbidden romance like this. I generally don't have a big issue with the "power imbalance" thing (at least in books, real life would be different), and I definitely didn't have that here, because I really felt like Maise was super mature for her age. I mean, she's pretty much had to raise herself and take care of herself, so she has much more life experience than most of her peers.
I feel a bit mixed about Maise's circumstances, though, and the relationship with her mother. I'm not really into such darker storylines, but I did feel a lot of sympathy for what she was going through. I loved how it made her grow closer to her friend Wesley and his mother. The scenes with them together as a pseudo-family were really heartwarming.
So, I was absorbed by the romance and really liked how they gradually came to terms with their feelings for each other. But I gotta say... there's a plot twist somewhat late in the book that has me question the whole thing. It's a common issue for me with the New Adult genre. I mean, do we focus just on romance, or do we make a bigger story out of it and tie it to character growth? Not only did the plot twist make me SERIOUSLY angry at Wesley, but it made the rest of the book really odd for me. I couldn't stand that Maise forgave Wesley so easily, because what he did was, to me, rather unforgivable, although I did seriously like him before that. But it seemed to want to make this into a story with a deeper message about addiction/obsession and the delusion of young love... which the ending then completely contradicted. (Also, I'm not sure how to feel about Evan, knowing his past. It makes him really dubious to me, and overall I don't know where to place his personality.)
I'm conflicted. It just feels like the author didn't accomplish what she intended, at least for me. If you want to make it a pure romance book, then do that. But don't go for half of a character growth storyline and then kill it with the most cliché happily ever after ending. If you want to go for the character growth storyline then really go for it, and end it on a note where you see Maise living happily and independently.
Summing Up:
This isn't the book that will sell me completely on the merits of New Adult, but for what it's worth, it is a really hot romance, which is what I was looking for. I wish we could find the balance between hot romance and character growth, but it wasn't found in this book. I'm torn, but overall I still like this book. The ending may have me conflicted, but I'm pretty sure I'll be more than happy to reread the first half multiple times.
GIF it to me straight!
Recommended To:
It's a safe bet that New Adult readers would like this, but doubtful YA readers might have similar issues as I did.
Unteachable is an indie New Adult romance that popped up on my radar last year after multiple blogger friends gave it high ratings and rave reviews. New Adult isn't really my thing, but every once in a while, I am up for a steamy romance, and with its pretty cover and good prospects, Unteachable was at the top of that list to check out. I definitely enjoyed this read, and it was a great albeit coincidental Valentine's gift to myself, but I'm feeling a bit... conflicted.
Unteachable follows the snarky and devil-may-care Maise, a high school senior with a troubled past, who lives life to the fullest and has her fair share of casual hookups, usually with men much older than herself. This is how she winds up hooking up with Evan after meeting him at a carnival, but later finds out, to her horror, that he his her new film studies teacher in school. Cue the forbidden romance and the drama llama.
I gotta say I was totally into this romance. The hot scenes are seriously on fire. Like, when you read this, make sure you have a gallon of water and a fan next to you. Maybe don't read this in public places. But whoa, it sizzled. The two definitely had chemistry, and it was undeniable. Though some people might be turned off by the student-teacher dynamic, I quite like it. I dunno. I like forbidden romance like this. I generally don't have a big issue with the "power imbalance" thing (at least in books, real life would be different), and I definitely didn't have that here, because I really felt like Maise was super mature for her age. I mean, she's pretty much had to raise herself and take care of herself, so she has much more life experience than most of her peers.
I feel a bit mixed about Maise's circumstances, though, and the relationship with her mother. I'm not really into such darker storylines, but I did feel a lot of sympathy for what she was going through. I loved how it made her grow closer to her friend Wesley and his mother. The scenes with them together as a pseudo-family were really heartwarming.
So, I was absorbed by the romance and really liked how they gradually came to terms with their feelings for each other. But I gotta say... there's a plot twist somewhat late in the book that has me question the whole thing. It's a common issue for me with the New Adult genre. I mean, do we focus just on romance, or do we make a bigger story out of it and tie it to character growth? Not only did the plot twist make me SERIOUSLY angry at Wesley, but it made the rest of the book really odd for me. I couldn't stand that Maise forgave Wesley so easily, because what he did was, to me, rather unforgivable, although I did seriously like him before that. But it seemed to want to make this into a story with a deeper message about addiction/obsession and the delusion of young love... which the ending then completely contradicted. (Also, I'm not sure how to feel about Evan, knowing his past. It makes him really dubious to me, and overall I don't know where to place his personality.)
I'm conflicted. It just feels like the author didn't accomplish what she intended, at least for me. If you want to make it a pure romance book, then do that. But don't go for half of a character growth storyline and then kill it with the most cliché happily ever after ending. If you want to go for the character growth storyline then really go for it, and end it on a note where you see Maise living happily and independently.
Summing Up:
This isn't the book that will sell me completely on the merits of New Adult, but for what it's worth, it is a really hot romance, which is what I was looking for. I wish we could find the balance between hot romance and character growth, but it wasn't found in this book. I'm torn, but overall I still like this book. The ending may have me conflicted, but I'm pretty sure I'll be more than happy to reread the first half multiple times.
GIF it to me straight!
Recommended To:
It's a safe bet that New Adult readers would like this, but doubtful YA readers might have similar issues as I did.
Why oh why do I still think that books like that can be good? I like student teacher stories but this one was just awful. The writing was dull an uninspired. There were also some continuity problems that drove me mad. But my biggest Problem was with the characters. Maise is such a one diemnsional character and she is portrayed very badly. In the beginning of the book she decides to go to filmschool without even having any ambitions before that. Also where is here instrest in film? She likes Jurassic Park? Wow! So do I, but I did not go to film school because of that. And than there Evan, he should be her teacher but is the most unprofessional guy ever seen in the history of teaching. They both together were a perfect match, they were just so stupid. They drive thorugh town togehter, she waits for him at his car in the school parking lot, they go on dates in the open and so on. Why weren't they caught sooner? Well I can just say that this book was not for me and I was happy when it was over.
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was expecting more of a scandal and what was revealed wasn't exactly original. As soon as I was 18 if I was maisie I'd get the fuck out or call the cops about that living condition!
Definitely have a like/dislike opinion on this one. Mostly it was really drug out and I felt like it could of been shorter or perhaps moved faster than it did. Sadly for me Unteachable just wasn't as interesting as I thought it would be. Not necessarily a bad book for any specific reason really it just wasn't the right one for me.
arc from NetGalley
arc from NetGalley
emotional
reflective
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
Jesus Christ. This book... I admit I was skeptical in the beginning, but it didn't take long until I was sucked in. What beautiful writing! I never ever use the highlight feature in my kindle, but I used it over 20 times on this one. This book made me feel so many emotions: uncomfortable, elated, sad. It's going to be hard to follow this one. Talk about a book hangover!
This novel was amazing. It took me so long to read it (one week) because I am a total noob when it comes to using my tablet as an e-reader. I am and always will be a paper book lover.
When I first started this read, I only wanted to relax my brain with a sweet, hot read after the horrendous torture of attempting "Pillars of the Earth". I was extremely surprised to find a gorgeously written piece of adult literature, filed with intense scenes, awesome dialogue, my kind of language and some of the most beautiful descriptions I have ever read. I congratulate the author, and she is definitely on the watch list. But what really set this book apart was the fantastic inner life of the protagonist. The negative, hurtful aspects of such a romantic liaison were perfectly portrayed. Thus, I believed in the couple, I rooted for them and suffered alongside them.
The characters were excellent. Maise was real, strong, complex and mature, and, to be honest, a far more realistic teenager than pathetic, whiny little bitches that reside in the never-ending hell of the young adult genre. Evan was a great love interest because he was sexual, nice, but also casual, non-threatening. He respected his lover and I found their love to be genuine.
The way in which their relationship was portrayed was perfect as well. When you're dealing with a fetish like a teacher-student affair, you need to address the numerous issues that are sure to arise and "Unteachable" does this with heart-breaking ability.
The protagonist's backstory was moving, but nothing revolutionary. The best friend was the weakest element but the story wad not at all affected. In the end, I was as addicted as the characters, as frustrated and hurt as them. The ending was sublime and well-written. So many feelings, such familiarity, so much hope for the future but nothing thrown carelessly. The reader is taken along on a glorious ride, no regrets, just emotion and a beautiful, unforgettable experience. And yes, I am a huge sucker for lyrical writing. Recommended to ALL.
When I first started this read, I only wanted to relax my brain with a sweet, hot read after the horrendous torture of attempting "Pillars of the Earth". I was extremely surprised to find a gorgeously written piece of adult literature, filed with intense scenes, awesome dialogue, my kind of language and some of the most beautiful descriptions I have ever read. I congratulate the author, and she is definitely on the watch list. But what really set this book apart was the fantastic inner life of the protagonist. The negative, hurtful aspects of such a romantic liaison were perfectly portrayed. Thus, I believed in the couple, I rooted for them and suffered alongside them.
The characters were excellent. Maise was real, strong, complex and mature, and, to be honest, a far more realistic teenager than pathetic, whiny little bitches that reside in the never-ending hell of the young adult genre. Evan was a great love interest because he was sexual, nice, but also casual, non-threatening. He respected his lover and I found their love to be genuine.
The way in which their relationship was portrayed was perfect as well. When you're dealing with a fetish like a teacher-student affair, you need to address the numerous issues that are sure to arise and "Unteachable" does this with heart-breaking ability.
The protagonist's backstory was moving, but nothing revolutionary. The best friend was the weakest element but the story wad not at all affected. In the end, I was as addicted as the characters, as frustrated and hurt as them. The ending was sublime and well-written. So many feelings, such familiarity, so much hope for the future but nothing thrown carelessly. The reader is taken along on a glorious ride, no regrets, just emotion and a beautiful, unforgettable experience. And yes, I am a huge sucker for lyrical writing. Recommended to ALL.