COURTNEY REVIEWS: UNTEACHABLE by LEAH RAEDER

Category/Genre:
Publisher: Velvet Pony Press
Publication Date: 7/26/13
Format: ebook
Pages: 268
Source: Received from author for review

This novel contains graphic sexual content and strong language. It is intended for mature readers. 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.

Unteachable is a story about 18 year old Maise meeting 32 year old Evan at a summer fair when they share a roller coaster ride. Is this literal or figurative? I just wrote that literally, but have realized as I did that it is an obvious theme to the entire book. Blew my own mind. Anyways! Everyone remembers those hot summer nights right? Right. So things happen and they feel a connection in their short time together, but Maise runs away.

Fast forward a week or so...Mr. Evan Wilkes is her film studies teacher...for her senior year of high school. I think this will be a personal struggle for each reader whether this is an issue or not, but for the most part it isn't. They try to fight their attraction, but seeing each other every single day becomes too much. They get together fast and intense and crazy and each emotion that goes along with a taboo forbidden relationship is written in a fantastic way. I had a lot of feelings of unease as soon as I found out, because I just knew that things were going to crash and burn and it was going to hurt so I tried to be ready. All that accomplished I suppose was me feeling sick to my stomach, but I kept plugging along anyways! 

Now, for the reason that I focused less on their taboo relationship and more on the fact that they might actually be lost souls saving each other was the wrecked, hard lives that they had each been living up to that point. Both Maise and Evan have had heartbreaking childhoods, so it may just be that they are helping each other. Being inside of Maise's head though brings to mind all of those speed of lightning dramatic thoughts that everyone has at 18, and trying to figure out who they are. Her coming of age in the midst of this, and backstabbing friends, a drug addict mother turned into an amazingly compelling tale. 

Evan's big secrets though were partly heartbreaking and half made me want to strangle him for taking advantage of his position. Since it is a fictional case, just take it how it is meant to be, remember you can't help who you love, remember that even though she is a student she starts out the story already 18 and it will be okay! This is a standalone novel, but boy did she make us wait right to the very, very end to find out how things were going to turn out!!! These books are destined to give me a heart attack at a young age.

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About the author
Writes pretentiously lyrical YA and adult fiction of various genres. Loves zombies, velociraptors, and other world-ending things.

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