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jadeeby's review against another edition
5.0
Originally posted on my blog Chasing Empty Pavements
Ever read a book that fills you so completely that by the time you turn (or swipe) by the last page, you feel every bit of yourself shattering into a million pieces, never to be put back together again? No? I just did. I want more than anything in this entire world (seriously) to make someone feel this way after reading something I've written. I went into this book low expectations, mainly because I'd just come off of a string of really crappy NA books. I figured this one would be no exception. Except, I was oh-so-wrong. So very, very, wrong. This book far surpassed my expectations and my desire for what a book should be. I gave myself approximately 45 minutes of a break before I opened up my Kindle and began swiping every beautiful, lyrical line I could find (hint...there's A LOT of them!)
Let me just say that this book made me simultaneously cry with happiness that there are still magnificent writers like Raeder in this world but also made me yearn so deeply to possess a fifth of her skill. The writing was that good. The language, metaphors, similes and imagery would be worth reading it alone, but the story and the character just add another level of awesome-ness to this story. It's risky, gritty, REAL. The character of Maise is a character that I see a lot of people disliking. She's complex, very flawed and up front about her desires and issues. I, for, one found this refreshing for a NA character. Actually, I haven't found a character that I felt this akin to in a long time. But Raeder created a character that I fell in love with in spite of her flaws. I also love the secondary characters. It's rare for an author to have such fully developed side characters as the main character is. So, not only were the main characters AMAZING but the story/premise itself was fantastic. It's not one that's particularly unique or new, but the way it was told and the power structure involved gave it a fresh new look. The whole teacher/student relationship thing is a very risky subject and many readers won't even touch books with subject for moral reasons but I, for one, LOVE to push myself and my boundaries of what is morally right and wrong. This book completely encompasses the idea that "life is an enormous shade of grey." There is not so much white or black in this world as people would like to believe. There is only varying shades of grey. I loved that Raeder took a taboo subject and not only dissected it, but dissected it in a completely new and dangerous way. I just love authors that push the boundaries.
The only thing I'd wanted to see in the book and didn't was a little more of Evan's backstory. There's a certain "something" in his past that I wish Raeder would have delved deeper into because I think it's important to fully understand characters as readers but I also think Maise deserved a little more knowledge of the subject. I also think it would have rounded out Evan's character just a bit more. Because of this "thing," he comes off skeevier than he really is, I think. But that's seriously the only thing I think I would have liked to see more of.
Overall this novel was incredible. It made me feel all the FEELS and I felt it down to the core of me. It reminded me why I want to write in the first place...so that readers like ME can respond to novels in a way that encourages deep thought, conversation and insane pimpage. This was one of those intoxicating, can't concentrate on anything because you are drunk on the words kind of reads. So really, what I'm trying to say through all this babble is... GO READ THIS BOOK! NOW!
Ever read a book that fills you so completely that by the time you turn (or swipe) by the last page, you feel every bit of yourself shattering into a million pieces, never to be put back together again? No? I just did. I want more than anything in this entire world (seriously) to make someone feel this way after reading something I've written. I went into this book low expectations, mainly because I'd just come off of a string of really crappy NA books. I figured this one would be no exception. Except, I was oh-so-wrong. So very, very, wrong. This book far surpassed my expectations and my desire for what a book should be. I gave myself approximately 45 minutes of a break before I opened up my Kindle and began swiping every beautiful, lyrical line I could find (hint...there's A LOT of them!)
Let me just say that this book made me simultaneously cry with happiness that there are still magnificent writers like Raeder in this world but also made me yearn so deeply to possess a fifth of her skill. The writing was that good. The language, metaphors, similes and imagery would be worth reading it alone, but the story and the character just add another level of awesome-ness to this story. It's risky, gritty, REAL. The character of Maise is a character that I see a lot of people disliking. She's complex, very flawed and up front about her desires and issues. I, for, one found this refreshing for a NA character. Actually, I haven't found a character that I felt this akin to in a long time. But Raeder created a character that I fell in love with in spite of her flaws. I also love the secondary characters. It's rare for an author to have such fully developed side characters as the main character is. So, not only were the main characters AMAZING but the story/premise itself was fantastic. It's not one that's particularly unique or new, but the way it was told and the power structure involved gave it a fresh new look. The whole teacher/student relationship thing is a very risky subject and many readers won't even touch books with subject for moral reasons but I, for one, LOVE to push myself and my boundaries of what is morally right and wrong. This book completely encompasses the idea that "life is an enormous shade of grey." There is not so much white or black in this world as people would like to believe. There is only varying shades of grey. I loved that Raeder took a taboo subject and not only dissected it, but dissected it in a completely new and dangerous way. I just love authors that push the boundaries.
The only thing I'd wanted to see in the book and didn't was a little more of Evan's backstory. There's a certain "something" in his past that I wish Raeder would have delved deeper into because I think it's important to fully understand characters as readers but I also think Maise deserved a little more knowledge of the subject. I also think it would have rounded out Evan's character just a bit more. Because of this "thing," he comes off skeevier than he really is, I think. But that's seriously the only thing I think I would have liked to see more of.
Overall this novel was incredible. It made me feel all the FEELS and I felt it down to the core of me. It reminded me why I want to write in the first place...so that readers like ME can respond to novels in a way that encourages deep thought, conversation and insane pimpage. This was one of those intoxicating, can't concentrate on anything because you are drunk on the words kind of reads. So really, what I'm trying to say through all this babble is... GO READ THIS BOOK! NOW!
teatime_and_reading's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not crying. It's just something got in my eye.
pitypartypisces's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.5
alrightieaphroditie's review against another edition
3.0
three stars ∗ genuinely was not expecting to love this book as much as i did!! i was so shocked when i started it bc i thought it’d be one of the boring/uninteresting novels within this genre - this reasoning purely based on the average star rating alone - but i was simply blown away by the writing and by the main character, maise. i was pulled into the story immediately and connected with maise in ways i didn’t imagine i would. while the generic plot has nothing new to really add, i believe that the characters in this novel and their developments and the captivating writing really set this novel apart. i can definitely agree that there were some overly cliche moments, but honestly sometimes that’s what you need to read, ya know? overall, this was a surprisingly fantastic read and i’m thinking about picking up some of the authors other books!
earthboundcutie's review against another edition
5.0
This was really really good. Well written, the author uses descriptions and metaphors like she's lived through them.
The character of Maise was awesome. So real, broken, flawed. But strong and resilient and beautiful. Her character development was really quite fantastic. This jaded, hypocritical teenager, to someone who really understood where she was going, who she was, even if she didn't have all the answers.
Evan was definitely more of an enigma and by the end I didn't really like him. I think I saw too much what Wesley saw. Or maybe E's own insecurities and issues shined too much for me. But Maise was happy with him (most of the time) and I guess that's what matters.
Wesley was so great. Siobhan was so great.
Finishing this book kind of felt dream-like, as though the world shouldn't be the same. And every book I read that makes me feel like that deserves 5 stars, even if it wasn't the best, if it could have been improved. It's the emotion that it evokes that really matters.
The character of Maise was awesome. So real, broken, flawed. But strong and resilient and beautiful. Her character development was really quite fantastic. This jaded, hypocritical teenager, to someone who really understood where she was going, who she was, even if she didn't have all the answers.
Evan was definitely more of an enigma and by the end I didn't really like him. I think I saw too much what Wesley saw. Or maybe E's own insecurities and issues shined too much for me. But Maise was happy with him (most of the time) and I guess that's what matters.
Wesley was so great. Siobhan was so great.
Finishing this book kind of felt dream-like, as though the world shouldn't be the same. And every book I read that makes me feel like that deserves 5 stars, even if it wasn't the best, if it could have been improved. It's the emotion that it evokes that really matters.
smolbean_reads's review against another edition
5.0
5 stars. Massively long review...
First, a confession: I started reading this back in January but I stopped. I'm not sure why, but I did. But 4 months later, I picked it back up (I hadn't really emotionally let go) and consumed it in the blink of an eye. In a way, this made the book more real to me, like Maise and Evan met 4 months ago and I've been on this long journey with them and I didn't really want it to end.
Leah, you are a literary genius. This book was so alive, it was living and breathing with stunning descriptions of all the senses. It combined my love of film and beautiful things and raw ugly things and lyrical poetic writing and the way we sometimes see the world through a lens. Like all the colours and shapes and sights and moments are mesmerising meaningful fragments of life that need to be captured and appreciated because they are SO important.
So the main theme of this book, really, is the student-teacher relationship and the age gap. This is obviously going to be something that has very different opinions from different people. Personally, the idea of an 18 y/o with an older man doesn't bother me. I think humans are pulled together by chemicals and hormones and stardust and magnets and unexplainable lust so if that means there is a 15 year age gap then so be it. The student/teacher thing wasn't really an important factor to me either. I mean sure I've had a crush on a college teacher who I'm pretty sure enjoyed my company when I got him alone except he was engaged so I couldn't flirt too intensely. But I get the appeal yknow. I like that this book questioned the boundaries between the forbidden and exciting romance and the genuine feelings, it didn't turn it into an emotionless porno. Although it was steamy at all the right times! Steam with substance. If that makes sense.
Maise. I think I love you. You are an absolutely original unique fascinating gem in a sea of dull forgettable18 y/o girls from new adult/YA. You are smart, brave, emotionally complex, sexually confident and real. But you have human flaws, you have been naive, selfish and obsessed. But that is okay because you have grown. You have had a journey, made mistakes, learnt from them, messed up again and picked yourself back up. You have learnt about other people, about liars, blackmailers, weaknesses, strengths, love and life.
'MISSION: Remake Myself. The movie cliché is to cut off my hair. Well, fuck that. Not too many Irish girls can boast about dark, silky tresses.'
First, a confession: I started reading this back in January but I stopped. I'm not sure why, but I did. But 4 months later, I picked it back up (I hadn't really emotionally let go) and consumed it in the blink of an eye. In a way, this made the book more real to me, like Maise and Evan met 4 months ago and I've been on this long journey with them and I didn't really want it to end.
"We stared at each other, motionless. Something flashed between us and broke open on his naked chest, leaving a glittering scar. A tiny diamond. Then another. Then another."
Leah, you are a literary genius. This book was so alive, it was living and breathing with stunning descriptions of all the senses. It combined my love of film and beautiful things and raw ugly things and lyrical poetic writing and the way we sometimes see the world through a lens. Like all the colours and shapes and sights and moments are mesmerising meaningful fragments of life that need to be captured and appreciated because they are SO important.
So the main theme of this book, really, is the student-teacher relationship and the age gap. This is obviously going to be something that has very different opinions from different people. Personally, the idea of an 18 y/o with an older man doesn't bother me. I think humans are pulled together by chemicals and hormones and stardust and magnets and unexplainable lust so if that means there is a 15 year age gap then so be it. The student/teacher thing wasn't really an important factor to me either. I mean sure I've had a crush on a college teacher who I'm pretty sure enjoyed my company when I got him alone except he was engaged so I couldn't flirt too intensely. But I get the appeal yknow. I like that this book questioned the boundaries between the forbidden and exciting romance and the genuine feelings, it didn't turn it into an emotionless porno. Although it was steamy at all the right times! Steam with substance. If that makes sense.
'I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul, and all that jazz.'
Maise. I think I love you. You are an absolutely original unique fascinating gem in a sea of dull forgettable18 y/o girls from new adult/YA. You are smart, brave, emotionally complex, sexually confident and real. But you have human flaws, you have been naive, selfish and obsessed. But that is okay because you have grown. You have had a journey, made mistakes, learnt from them, messed up again and picked yourself back up. You have learnt about other people, about liars, blackmailers, weaknesses, strengths, love and life.
'You should love something while you have it, love it fully and without reservation, even if you know you’ll lose it someday.'
Evan, you are still a bit of a mystery to me. You are old but young, wise but stupid, you follow your heart and your head. You feel real, I could reach out and touch you. But you're an enigma. And a creme egg- sweet on the outside but all gooey, messed up and unstable on the inside. You better treat Maise well in your future together okay?
Wes, you are wonderful. You are just a boy trying to do your best. I'm glad you didn't end up with Maise like you might have in other books. Although, that's an avenue that's interesting to think about, an alternate reality.'I kissed him slowly, indulgently, feeling the pillowed satin of his lips, the gritty scatter of stubble all around them.'
I'm going to end this review with this quote because it's a really great kiss and this book was like a really great kiss with a sharp scatter of stubble that felt bad but good at the same time. Unteachable, you have a very special place in my heart.
P.S Coverly-love. Mmm those bright vivid colours. Yes plz.
pamgodwin's review against another edition
5.0
This book "glowed ultraviolet inside" like whirly pinwheels, spraying neon sparks of intense emotion in every direction.
First-person narrator, Maise, recites her story in a staccato-like ballad. Abrupt incomplete sentences. Blips of thoughts and action beats. The writing boasts a blatant arty feel, like a fringe indie-film, flickering a stroboscope of under-the-breath meaning and nonconformity. That said, the execution is not confusing or pretentious. Rather it forces you to perceive every stimulus until you become one with Maise, breathing in her life, taking up space in her heart.
It's beautifully written, personifying the weather and the landscape until every atmospheric particle becomes a molecular and literary melding with the sentiment of the characters in-scene.
"I want you," he whispered into my hair, and a million filaments of electricity raced across my scalp. "But I want to know you. I don’t just want a hookup."
The evocative prose might often feel like an acid trip. It illuminates the five senses to dizzying levels, but the journey is painstakingly clear.
Forbidden love. Is it love because it's forbidden? Or is it forbidden because it's love? This quandary torments Maise and Evan from the first page till the last.
"You are so alive, Maise. You are so here, so present in the moment. You’ve taught me that happiness is possible now, not in some distant future."
This might be compared to Colleen Hoover's Slammed with regard to the prohibited relationship, but that's where the similarity ends. These protags are admirably mature, accepting, and a lot more jaded.
"Nobody knows how to be a grown-up. We’re all just pretending for each other. It takes some people their entire lives to figure out what you already know."
It's an exquisite account of slides from lust into love, from fear into courage, from hopeless to hopeful. The sex scenes are some of the most arousing in the genre. It's refreshing to read a book that can take all the usual elements in a romance and twist them in such a way to make it so completely singular and unforgettable. And the ending has no equal. I'm still shaking from the state it left me in.
"In retrospect, you know all the answers. You know the shadowy throes of your heart."
First-person narrator, Maise, recites her story in a staccato-like ballad. Abrupt incomplete sentences. Blips of thoughts and action beats. The writing boasts a blatant arty feel, like a fringe indie-film, flickering a stroboscope of under-the-breath meaning and nonconformity. That said, the execution is not confusing or pretentious. Rather it forces you to perceive every stimulus until you become one with Maise, breathing in her life, taking up space in her heart.
It's beautifully written, personifying the weather and the landscape until every atmospheric particle becomes a molecular and literary melding with the sentiment of the characters in-scene.
"I want you," he whispered into my hair, and a million filaments of electricity raced across my scalp. "But I want to know you. I don’t just want a hookup."
The evocative prose might often feel like an acid trip. It illuminates the five senses to dizzying levels, but the journey is painstakingly clear.
Forbidden love. Is it love because it's forbidden? Or is it forbidden because it's love? This quandary torments Maise and Evan from the first page till the last.
"You are so alive, Maise. You are so here, so present in the moment. You’ve taught me that happiness is possible now, not in some distant future."
This might be compared to Colleen Hoover's Slammed with regard to the prohibited relationship, but that's where the similarity ends. These protags are admirably mature, accepting, and a lot more jaded.
"Nobody knows how to be a grown-up. We’re all just pretending for each other. It takes some people their entire lives to figure out what you already know."
It's an exquisite account of slides from lust into love, from fear into courage, from hopeless to hopeful. The sex scenes are some of the most arousing in the genre. It's refreshing to read a book that can take all the usual elements in a romance and twist them in such a way to make it so completely singular and unforgettable. And the ending has no equal. I'm still shaking from the state it left me in.
"In retrospect, you know all the answers. You know the shadowy throes of your heart."
nina_rod's review against another edition
1.0
OMG. I paid money for this?! It came recommended by a friend. Reconsidering the friendship.