Unteachable by Leah Raeder

Unteachable

by Leah Raeder

Maise O'Malley just turned eighteen, but she's felt like a grown-up her entire life. The summer before senior year, she has plans: get into a great film school, convince her mom to go into rehab, and absolutely do not, under any circumstances, screw up her own future.

But life has a way of throwing her plans into free-fall.

When Maise meets Evan at a carnival one night, their chemistry is immediate, intense, and short-lived. Which is exactly how she likes it: no strings. But afterward, she can't get Evan out of her head. He's taught her that a hookup can be something more. It can be an unexpected connection with someone who truly understands her. Someone who sees beyond her bravado to the scared but strong girl inside.

That someone turns out to be her new film class teacher, Mr. Evan Wilke.

Maise and Evan resolve to keep their hands off each other, but the attraction is too much to bear. Together, they're real and genuine; apart, they're just actors playing their parts for everyone else. And their masks are slipping. People start to notice. Rumors fly. When the truth comes to light in a shocking way, they may learn they were just playing parts for each other, too.

Smart, sexy, and provocative, Unteachableis about what happens when a love story goes off-script.

Reviewed by Angie on

4 of 5 stars

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Unteachable was very nearly the student-teacher romance I have been searching for! Nearly, only because there was this sudden blackmailing subplot that I could have done without. But I was cheering for Maise and Mr. Wilke! Like, for serious! They meet during summer break and hit it off immediately. Of course, Maise has no idea that he's going to be her Film Studies teacher, and he thinks she's a twenty-one year old intern. But none of that matters once they're reunited and can't fight their feelings.

I love student-teacher romances, and Unteachable made me very happy even when it made me very frustrated. Maise and Evan are sneaking around even though she's 18, and it's technically legal for them to be together even if he is her teacher. She doesn't want to get him fired, because she loves his class (as well as him). And he doesn't want to screw up her future. They are really in love and I really believed them! It's not all sunshine and rainbows when they're together though. They have problems, which I take as a sign that they really care about each other. It's not just sex, sex, sex.

Of course, there has to be a twist. Something doesn't add up about Evan, and I figured it out. But I wasn't mad that it was kind of obvious. I was actually glad that I was right, since it wasn't this huge, unbelievable, out of nowhere thing. I totally believed it, and I understood, but it still didn't make it right! Be honest with each other! Gosh! You're already lying to the world, don't bring that into your love bubble! Get it together!

As for that random blackmail plot, I really think Unteachable would have been stronger without it. I felt like Maise's fear of becoming her mother would have been a great thing to explore without that extra tidbit. It really added nothing for me. I did like how Maise gets herself out of it though, and then sits down with her mother and tells her how things are going to be. That woman needed a wake up call, and it's sad that it had to come from her daughter.

In the end, I really liked Unteachable. And I absolutely loved that last page! I wasn't sure how this story was going to end. It really could have gone either way of Maise and Even getting their happily ever after despite the odds, or they could crumble under the pressure. Either ending would have worked just fine for me if done right. And this ending was definitely done right.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 9 April, 2015: Finished reading
  • 9 April, 2015: Reviewed