I met him at a carnival, of all corny places. The summer I turned eighteen, in that chaos of neon lights and cheap thrills, I met a man so sweet, so beautiful, he seemed to come from another world. We had one night: intense, scary, real. Then I ran, like I always do. Because I didn’t want to be abandoned again.
But I couldn’t run far enough.
I knew him as Evan that night. When I walked into his classroom, he became Mr. Wilke.
My teacher.
I don’t know if what we’re doing is wrong. The rules say one thing; my heart says screw the rules. I can’t let him lose his job. And I can’t lose him.
In the movies, this would have a happy ending. I grow up. I love, I lose, I learn. And I move on. But this is life, and there’s no script. You make it up as you go along.
And you don’t pray for a happy ending. You pray for it to never end.
But I couldn’t run far enough.
I knew him as Evan that night. When I walked into his classroom, he became Mr. Wilke.
My teacher.
I don’t know if what we’re doing is wrong. The rules say one thing; my heart says screw the rules. I can’t let him lose his job. And I can’t lose him.
In the movies, this would have a happy ending. I grow up. I love, I lose, I learn. And I move on. But this is life, and there’s no script. You make it up as you go along.
And you don’t pray for a happy ending. You pray for it to never end.
Title: Unteachable
Author: Leah Raeder| Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Website
Publication Date: July 26 2013
Publisher: Self-Published
Length: 268 Pages
Add it to your TBR Pile: Goodreads
Buy It: Amazon US | Amazon UK
Source: Purchased (Kindle Edition)
Cover Love: Not a huge fan, I don't really 'get' it.
Point of View: 1st person, following Maise
My Rating: 4 Stars
“It seems like the whole world has figured out how to be happy, but no one's letting me in on the secret.”
oooOOOooohhh how I love a good forbidden romance. There is just something about being secretive and doing something that you aren't supposed to be doing.
Unteachable is a student and teacher romance. But I want to make sure to point out that no laws are broken. From their very first meeting, Maise is eighteen. Therefore, it's not really about the legal issues but rather the moral code that we all try to live by. That is where the black and white slowly turns into a shade of grey.
“That was what we'd finally been forced to confront: if our relationship was based on forbiddenness, what would happen when it was no longer forbidden?”
Maise. I did like her. Raeder's writing is quite poetic and I really felt that tone portrayed Maise perfectly. She has had a terrible time growing up, and the way she communicates and gets her feelings across seems very genuine. Part of why Maise has no trouble interacting and falling in love with Evan, who is 32, is because she is so mature for her age. She has had to practically raise herself for her whole life. Also, I want to stress that you never get the feeling of Maise being taken advantage of by Evan. If anything, it was the other way around. Maise is not a virgin when they meet. She has always used sex as a way to cope with her daddy issues. So this is not some naive virgin being taken advantage of by the big bad older teacher...
“You can call it love, or you can call it freefall. They're pretty much the same thing.”
Evan. I loved Evan. However, there were times when I didn't understand him. I never thought of Maise as a kid, but I did expect Evan to step up in a few instances and be the 'grown-up' for a lack of a better word. It's not that I ever questioned his feelings really, it was just that I think he allowed a few things to happen that could have been avoided if he would have been thinking a bit more. This isn't to say that I didn't like him, because trust me I very much did. He was sweet, patient, kind and I felt he always treated Maise with respect.
“I can't hold on to you. You're like a shooting star. Just a trail of fire in my hands.”
I must give a shout out to the location that Unteachable is set in. The very first sentence mentions Southern Illinois, and from that moment I was intrigued. I am originally from Southern Illinois, and because of it's small towns and farms... you don't tend to really see it being used as a location. Then as the book goes on, it mentions the town Carbondale. I honestly almost dropped my Kindle. Not only am I from Southern Illinois, I was born in Carbondale. I kid you not. This was just too random, so I messaged Leah Raeder and asked her how she came up with the location, and I told her my story. She actually spent a lot of her summers in Southern Illinois, and in this area so that is why she picked it. I now live in England, and it was lovely to read about home. I have to say, she does a perfect job describing the area, from the farms, the local mall, the soy bean fields... it was perfect.
“You should love something while you have it, love it fully and without reservation, even if you know you’ll lose it someday.”
Lastly, I want to talk about the ending. I felt it was a bit rushed. I was happy with the overall outcome, but I just feel like there could be so much more. There is no epilogue, so maybe that is what I feel is missing. But, even though Maise and Evan are in a good place, I just feel like there is more to their story. And in a full novel worth of more kinda way, not just an epilogue. Raeder has suggested that she is toying with the idea of either expanding to another book, or maybe a epilogue. I hope that we are treated to more, even if it is just an epilogue. I'm not ready to say goodbye to Maise and Evan just yet.
“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.”
Wow, I loved your review. And this book looks super interesting. I can't wait to read it now.
ReplyDeleteWhit@Whit's Book World