Unteachable

By Leah Raeder

Synopsis

An edgy, sexy USA TODAY bestseller about falling for the one person you can’t have.

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, Unteachable is about what happens when a love story goes off-script.

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Robin’s Review

Unteachable. This debut novel from author Leah Raeder features a romance resulting from a random hookup. With the name Unteachable, you can probably guess this novel is about a student and teacher, but this novel is so much more than a story about a student/teacher relationship. Unteachable is a unique story about two very lonely people.

Maise O’Malley is jaded, cynical and makes no apologies for her behavior. At eighteen years of age, she is unable to find care and acceptance from her drug-addicted mother; therefore, she searches for older men to have relations with. Maise and Evan Wilke meet while sharing the front seat of a roller coaster. They enjoy a wonderful evening at the fair, but she abandons him soon after they have relations. In the following days, Maise fondly remembers her evening with Evan and the connection that they shared. When she returns for her senior year of high school, she learns that Evan Wilke will be her film teacher.

The writing style of Unteachable is both beautiful and poetic. Leah Raeder grabbed my attention from the beginning with her writing ability. I enjoyed the rich character development and the complex storyline. Each of the secondary characters were so amazing! I found myself hoping that Evan and Maise would find happiness together because their relationship truly seemed more than that of a teacher taking advantage of a student. I loved how this couple embraced their love for one another without all of the angst normally found in novels about student/teacher relationships. In my opinion, the writing is what makes Unteachable special. I highly recommend this 4.5 star novel

Michel’s Review

Unteachable was one of those books that evoke so many emotional feelings. As I finished the book I was not sure quite what to think about it and the emotions that still remained. In other words, the writing was brilliant. When an author can evoke these kind of responses they are delivering a strong, charismatic book. I had to let go of my ingrained feelings and moral values. Step outside of myself and thoughts to grasp this book. As a mother of teenage girl, I had to let go of the “mom” feelings and not think of my daughter when I read this book.

This book is about a teenage girl and an affair with her teacher. In one hand it is mortifying. It felt like an adult creeping on a child. On the other hand it felt like a child taking advantage of an adult. The characters were brilliant and very human. Maise is an eighteen year old senior, who in so many ways has lived more life than most adults. She is also still a kid. Evan is a handsome thirty three year old teacher, who when he met Maise thought she was older than she was. He tries to be honorable but his feelings and emotions rule his heart and life.

Both are lost souls. Both have lost childhoods. Both have crappy backgrounds. Both have wisdom and ignorance. It is an emotional rollercoaster.

I still do not know how I feel about the ending of the book. But I can see both sides of the coin.

Brilliant writing! I highly recommend this book. Readers beware that you need to put your personal emotions aside to grasp the whole of this book.

Author Bio:

LEAH RAEDER is a writer and unabashed nerd. Aside from reading her brains out, she enjoys graphic design, video games, fine whiskey, and the art of self-deprecation. She lives with her very own manic pixie dream boy in Chicago.

(And she still writes pretentiously lyrical fiction.)

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