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Unteachable
by
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, thei ...more
But life has a way of throwing her plans into free-fall.
When Maise meets Evan at a carnival one night, thei ...more
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Kindle Edition, 268 pages
Published
July 26th 2013
by Velvet Pony Press
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Community Reviews
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Start your review of Unteachable

03/2014: Looky at the beautiful new cover! I love that they kept all the vibrant colours of the original because they really captured the intoxicating feel of the novel. Also, every time I think of this book I can't believe I didn't give it 5 stars... so I'm upping my rating :)

I am conducting what I'm shelving as a "New Adult (NA) Experiment". I'm going to work my way through some of the popular New Adult books and see if I can weed out the crap and hopefully find some surprising gems. Here's ho ...more

I am conducting what I'm shelving as a "New Adult (NA) Experiment". I'm going to work my way through some of the popular New Adult books and see if I can weed out the crap and hopefully find some surprising gems. Here's ho ...more

5 brilliant shooting stars.*****Review completed August 4, 2013



I tell you I was in an incredibly shitty mood when I saw Unteachable all over GR and I knew…I knew…it's another of those NA books that don't do anything for me at all. So, I told my ...more


"You've got stars in your eyes," and I kissed him, his lips warm and sweet in the cold. Our breath wrapped around us in scarves of steam. On the smooth white cloth spread before us, pastel lights rippled in soft, diaphanous waves, like auroras.

I tell you I was in an incredibly shitty mood when I saw Unteachable all over GR and I knew…I knew…it's another of those NA books that don't do anything for me at all. So, I told my ...more

Aug 29, 2013
Wendy Darling
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
people who wanted better versions of Slammed or Teach Me
Recommended to Wendy Darling by:
Emily May
This is, by far, the most well-written romance I've read to date in the dubious "new adult" category--not to mention one of the best in the indie press one. There are a handful of other NAs that I've liked, among them Faking It, Double Clutch, and Easy, but this one's much closer to the mature YA/NA writing of The Sea of Tranquility. Albeit with characters and problems that are a lot more fucked up.
This story is basically a much better version of Slammed, which has gotten a lot of attention but ...more
This story is basically a much better version of Slammed, which has gotten a lot of attention but ...more

Jul 26, 2013
Katrina Passick Lumsden
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
pleasantly-surprised,
favorites

What the Wheat Thins?!
I am shocked, I tell you. Shocked.
Why?
Is it because this is a book with a lot of naughty language?
No, that's not it. I cuss like a fucking dock worker.
Because it's a book with a lot of sex?
Hmm. No. I like sex.
Because it's a book with a lot of sex between an 18-year-old girl and her 32-year-old teacher?
No, that was actually kind of hot.
I'm shocked because this is a New Adult Romance...and it was good! I liked it!

This is no small feat, especially considering I te ...more


What a book!! Beautiful. Forbidden. Captivating.
Forbidden love is so alluring. I think all of us are drawn to it one way or another. The thrill, the fear, the heightened sense of awareness... everything about it is dangerous and yet totally irresistible.
Now, this book is a student/teacher romance so yes, the taboo is there. Loud and clear. But, for those of you who are unsure based on that, it might help to know that the heroine is 18 so the issue here is purely moral, not legal.
Before I even ...more

5 Unteachable Stars!
You can call it love, or you can call it freefall. They're pretty much the same thing.
Eighteen year old Maise is at the local carnival the summer before her senior year of high school when she meets him. Evan Wilke. Evan is a little older than Maise, but that isn’t anything new to her. She has had her fair share of older men.

You can call it love, or you can call it freefall. They're pretty much the same thing.

Eighteen year old Maise is at the local carnival the summer before her senior year of high school when she meets him. Evan Wilke. Evan is a little older than Maise, but that isn’t anything new to her. She has had her fair share of older men.
I’m kind of screwed up from growing up without a father, and I like it when they try to daddy me.Something about Evan is different. They hav ...more

Reread.........loved it just as much as I did when I first put my hands on this book!!!
Original review:
Opening line…

This is the best book I have read in 2015!!!

It wasn’t just the fantastic ...more
Original review:
”Somewhere in the universe, two hearts reached out and connected.
Opening line…
When you're eighteen, there's fuck-all to do in a Southern Illinois summer but eat fried pickles, drink PBR tallboys you stole from your mom, and ride the Tilt-a-Whirl till you hurl. Which is exactly what I was doing the night I met Him.

This is the best book I have read in 2015!!!

It wasn’t just the fantastic ...more

All I can say is that I was so into the story that I forgot to take notes, wow.
This story was not at all what I was expecting, though a bit melodramatic towards the end.
Also, Siobhan was incredibly wonderful, I’m really glad Maise connected with her.
“I am not the wise woman you think,” she said, tilting her glass. Starlight skimmed off the rim and shot into her eyes, sparkling. “But I will tell you this: don’t put your life on hold for someone, or you’ll wake up at forty-two with an empty house ...more
This story was not at all what I was expecting, though a bit melodramatic towards the end.
Also, Siobhan was incredibly wonderful, I’m really glad Maise connected with her.
“I am not the wise woman you think,” she said, tilting her glass. Starlight skimmed off the rim and shot into her eyes, sparkling. “But I will tell you this: don’t put your life on hold for someone, or you’ll wake up at forty-two with an empty house ...more

1 You're a Statistic Waiting to Happen Stars

Unteachable revolves around a girl, a young woman really, raised in poverty by a highly inadequate mother, in conditions no child should ever witness, much less face every day. But Unteachable isn't a life story, it is a love story, even better, it is a "forbidden love" story, and as most "forbidden love" stories, it starts with a glance that leads to a night that should have never happened. It speaks about the romance that develops between this too-ja ...more

Unteachable revolves around a girl, a young woman really, raised in poverty by a highly inadequate mother, in conditions no child should ever witness, much less face every day. But Unteachable isn't a life story, it is a love story, even better, it is a "forbidden love" story, and as most "forbidden love" stories, it starts with a glance that leads to a night that should have never happened. It speaks about the romance that develops between this too-ja ...more

♦ I met him at a carnival, of all corny places... ♦
"You can call it love. Or you can call it freefall. They're pretty much the same thing."

For days I've been hearing nothing but very positive reactions about Leah Raeder's exquisite writing style and her NA debut novel Unteachable. So, of course, I had to find out for myself what everyone kept raving about. And let me tell you, it did not disappoint. The author's lyrical, prose-like writing style managed to suck me in from the ...more



★★★★ 1/2! Unteachable (stand-alone). Debut by Leah Raeder. Beautifully told story about a forbidden & obsessive teacher-student romance with life lessons learned!
“No pretensions of goodness, of trying to do the right thing. We’d both wanted to embrace this fucked-up thing between us.”
Unteachable, at first glance, appears to be a teacher-student romance about forbidden love… But to me it ended up being so much more than that, beautifully and effortlessly told with ...more

I fell so hard into this story, its words might as well have been made out of concrete.
Everyone’s talking about Leah Raeder’s writing. And they should be. Because she writes with such a red nail-polished confidence, that it’s pretty much intimate with impossible not to fall into it. Her writing style is effortless, interesting, and uninterested; and she writes with words that are tantamount to gunmetal and peonies.
Or something. ;)
What’s even better than the writing itself, is that she uses its l ...more
Everyone’s talking about Leah Raeder’s writing. And they should be. Because she writes with such a red nail-polished confidence, that it’s pretty much intimate with impossible not to fall into it. Her writing style is effortless, interesting, and uninterested; and she writes with words that are tantamount to gunmetal and peonies.
Or something. ;)
What’s even better than the writing itself, is that she uses its l ...more

MINOR SPOILERS -mature content reader discretion is advised.
5 STARS out of 5
Genre:NA Romance Erotica
NOTE: The heroine is 18yrs of age.
UNPUTDOWNABLE! Some books just give it to you the way you need it. And that is EXACTLY what Unteachable did for me.
->The writing is addictive
-->The plot line is addictive
--->The characters are addictive
I just can’t get enough!
Maise and Evan have that Reckless love, that Crazy love, that off the wall won’t stop till I had enough kind of love, that I don’t really ca ...more
5 STARS out of 5
Genre:NA Romance Erotica
NOTE: The heroine is 18yrs of age.
UNPUTDOWNABLE! Some books just give it to you the way you need it. And that is EXACTLY what Unteachable did for me.
->The writing is addictive
-->The plot line is addictive
--->The characters are addictive
I just can’t get enough!
Maise and Evan have that Reckless love, that Crazy love, that off the wall won’t stop till I had enough kind of love, that I don’t really ca ...more

Oct 04, 2016
Aj the Ravenous Reader
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Aj the Ravenous Reader by:
Henz
It isn’t exactly a beautiful story but I wouldn’t say it’s ugly either although I could definitely say that the writing is both which I think is quite artistic. There are many parts that are brazen, reckless even harsh, the characters exorcised the demons inside them a whole lot of times and Lolita is often used as reference (you’ll get the metaphor when you read the book ;)) but several parts [which I wished were just a tad bit more than the ugly parts ;)] are also very beautifully and thoughtf ...more

Why has it taken me so long to post my review??
“Part of falling in love with someone is actually falling in love with yourself. Realizing that you're gorgeous, you're fearless and unpredictable, you're a firecracker spitting light, entrancing a hundred faces that stare up at you with starry eyes.”
What did you just do to me Leah Raeder?!?! Was my heart just beautifully broken?? I think so.
Unteachable is about a student and a teacher falling hopelessly in love. Emphasis on the hopeless part. Sa ...more
“Part of falling in love with someone is actually falling in love with yourself. Realizing that you're gorgeous, you're fearless and unpredictable, you're a firecracker spitting light, entrancing a hundred faces that stare up at you with starry eyes.”
What did you just do to me Leah Raeder?!?! Was my heart just beautifully broken?? I think so.
Unteachable is about a student and a teacher falling hopelessly in love. Emphasis on the hopeless part. Sa ...more

Actual rating: 4.5 stars
What the hell am I? I thought. Too old to be a real teenager, too young to drink. Old enough to die in a war, fuck grown men, and be completely confused about what I was doing with my life.
One of the most important points I see argued when it comes to the classification of New Adult novels is, where does it fit? The debate seems to be evenly spit with each side categorizing it as either YA or Adult with a smaller portion claiming it is of its own category. And I get, ...more
What the hell am I? I thought. Too old to be a real teenager, too young to drink. Old enough to die in a war, fuck grown men, and be completely confused about what I was doing with my life.
One of the most important points I see argued when it comes to the classification of New Adult novels is, where does it fit? The debate seems to be evenly spit with each side categorizing it as either YA or Adult with a smaller portion claiming it is of its own category. And I get, ...more

Oh Unteachable, what in the world happened to you?
When first we met, I could not be more impressed with you and your fierce protagonist...
The writing was expressive and real intense. To the point that by the time half the book was gone, I started to feel the weight of all the metaphors and similes thown at me left and right...
If you like loads of metaphors/simile in your book, Raeder's writing will likely rock your world. I tend to like mine in porportion, totally personal preference.
As for the ...more
When first we met, I could not be more impressed with you and your fierce protagonist...
The writing was expressive and real intense. To the point that by the time half the book was gone, I started to feel the weight of all the metaphors and similes thown at me left and right...
If you like loads of metaphors/simile in your book, Raeder's writing will likely rock your world. I tend to like mine in porportion, totally personal preference.
As for the ...more

MISSION FUCKING ACCOMPLISHED!!!

Trying to write a coherent review of a book you read more than one month ago SUCKS. Thanks God there are amazing reviews out there that you could read that will completely convince you to read this book. But to be honest, you don’t need to be convinced. This is one of those books that will rock your world.
Following my ‘hell to the no spoilers policy’ I’m just going to say very little about this story.
Maise and Evan meet in a Carnival and they share a special mom ...more

Jul 29, 2013
Kristin (KC) - Traveling Sister
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
young-adult,
forbidden-love
*4 Stars!*
This gripping story has a tragic beauty that is not easily defined. It doesn't offer a black and white scenario that tells you how to feel and where you stand—but instead presents varying shades of grey that invite you to think and decide for yourself. Some may question its morality or criticize its content, but no one can deny that this story boldly braves the controversial—generously offering us the excitement and allure of an intense forbidden love!
This gripping story has a tragic beauty that is not easily defined. It doesn't offer a black and white scenario that tells you how to feel and where you stand—but instead presents varying shades of grey that invite you to think and decide for yourself. Some may question its morality or criticize its content, but no one can deny that this story boldly braves the controversial—generously offering us the excitement and allure of an intense forbidden love!
I see the lights every nig...more

"You should love something while you have it, love it fully and without reservation, even if you know you'll lose it someday. We lose everything. If you're trying to avoid loss, there's no point in taking another breath, or letting your heart beat one more time. It all ends...That's all life is. Breathing in, breathing out. The space between two breaths."
Boy, did I fight this book with everything in me. But Leah Raeder dragged my sorry ass kicking and screaming into the book fantasy ether, a ...more

Jul 29, 2013
La-Lionne
rated it
liked it
Shelves:
bad-boy,
frustrating,
not-an-easy-read,
action-packed,
hot,
own,
sexy,
tough-ass-heroine,
forbidden-love,
kinky
***3 forbidden stars***

Here is the thing. I loved the book for the fact that it was a hard-to-put-it-down-er, it's fast paced and brilliantly written, I read it in one sitting with only a short nap in between :-). But, and it's a big but, I had one huge issue with the story, which was a deal breaker for me and the main reason for me giving 3 stars. I'll get back to it.
- - - WARNING, MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD - - -
Maise:
Loved her at the beginning. She is funny, gritty and sarcastic. She is smart (for ...more

Here is the thing. I loved the book for the fact that it was a hard-to-put-it-down-er, it's fast paced and brilliantly written, I read it in one sitting with only a short nap in between :-). But, and it's a big but, I had one huge issue with the story, which was a deal breaker for me and the main reason for me giving 3 stars. I'll get back to it.
- - - WARNING, MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD - - -
Maise:
Loved her at the beginning. She is funny, gritty and sarcastic. She is smart (for ...more


♥♥♥ 4.5 Forbidden Stars ♥♥♥

● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
"You asked why I'm here alone."
I glanced over at him. He stared right ahead.
"I see the lights every night. It seems like the whole world has figured out how to be happy, but no one's letting me in on the secret."
● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Maise O'Malley has just turned eighteen. She is not the sweet-girl-next-door kind of girl. She hasn't been that for a long time. She is confiden ...more

5 Absolutely Beautiful Forbidden Stars

"I don't know what I'm doing with you."
"That's okay, just don't stop."


Have you ever began reading a book, and just a few sentences in you knew...you just knew that this was going to be unlike anything you have ever read before? Unteachable was that book for me. I was sucked in from just the few first words, and it didn't let me up until the very last page.
To say that Leah Raedar has a gift for words and story telling would be a gross understatement. The ...more

"I don't know what I'm doing with you."
"That's okay, just don't stop."


Have you ever began reading a book, and just a few sentences in you knew...you just knew that this was going to be unlike anything you have ever read before? Unteachable was that book for me. I was sucked in from just the few first words, and it didn't let me up until the very last page.
To say that Leah Raedar has a gift for words and story telling would be a gross understatement. The ...more

NO STAR RATING FOR A BEAUTIFULLY PUT TOGETHER BOOK ...

Sadly this time 'unteachable' was not for me, I have refrained from rating, I don't believe in a reader rating a book unless they have finished the whole story. I felt disappointed that I was unable to finish, almost like the kid who showed up at the party not knowing it was a fancy dress theme. On the one hand The author deserves five stars for her gorgeously written book but unfortunately, me and this book were not meant to be.
'Unteachable' ...more

5 Unteachable Stars!!!


"Now I know," he said, touching me again, "why I was drawn to you. We have the same darkness inside,"
"Our fcuked up parents?" "Our lost childhood."
A story of forbidden love. What do you do if you met the one person who brings light to a life you been living in darkness? You grab hold and you never let go. What if it was never meant to be? Would you be able to let go?

Maise and Evan are involved in a dangerous relationship, but they can't seem to let go of each other and what ...more


"Now I know," he said, touching me again, "why I was drawn to you. We have the same darkness inside,"
"Our fcuked up parents?" "Our lost childhood."
A story of forbidden love. What do you do if you met the one person who brings light to a life you been living in darkness? You grab hold and you never let go. What if it was never meant to be? Would you be able to let go?

Maise and Evan are involved in a dangerous relationship, but they can't seem to let go of each other and what ...more

“I can’t hold on to you. You’re like that shooting star. Just a trail of fire in my hands.”
4.5 Stars!
As soon as I finished this book, the first thing was my brain said was WOW
Yupp, my brain totally said that. This book was AMAZING. Like brilliant and amazing. Some parts of the book were very cliché and it bugged the living shit out of me; but apart from all of that this book was still WOW
It was written is such a beautiful manner; very very poetic! I totally lost myself in the book. Each ...more
4.5 Stars!
As soon as I finished this book, the first thing was my brain said was WOW
Yupp, my brain totally said that. This book was AMAZING. Like brilliant and amazing. Some parts of the book were very cliché and it bugged the living shit out of me; but apart from all of that this book was still WOW
It was written is such a beautiful manner; very very poetic! I totally lost myself in the book. Each ...more

Feb 02, 2015
✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans)
marked it as sorry-but-i-just-can-t-do-this
·
review of another edition
Buddy Read with Shelly, Jaime, Cathryn, Tanya, Lea, Jo & Jessica starting March 6, 2015.
Because I'd read just about anything with my MacHalo Freaks. And because I'm brave.
Updated March 6, 2015:

✘ AND THIS IS ME SADLY BAILING OUT ON MY FAVOURITE FREAKS ✘
Because I read the first chapter last night and already want to put a bullet through my head. Because I read the first chapter last night and already think this is one of the silliest, most ridiculous books I've ever read. Because I've been eyeroll ...more
Because I'd read just about anything with my MacHalo Freaks. And because I'm brave.
Updated March 6, 2015:

✘ AND THIS IS ME SADLY BAILING OUT ON MY FAVOURITE FREAKS ✘
Because I read the first chapter last night and already want to put a bullet through my head. Because I read the first chapter last night and already think this is one of the silliest, most ridiculous books I've ever read. Because I've been eyeroll ...more

4.5 UNTEACHABLE STARS ★★★★☆

“You can call it love, or you can call it freefall. They're pretty much the same thing.”
Once again I find myself living under a huge rock when I found out that I've never heard of this read until one of of my lovely GR buddies rec'd this one to me. I know, don't get shocked but this is actually my first real teacher/student read and after this one, I'm wondering where I've been all my life because sign me up for more!

*******
Unteachable starts off with our heroine, ...more

“You can call it love, or you can call it freefall. They're pretty much the same thing.”
Once again I find myself living under a huge rock when I found out that I've never heard of this read until one of of my lovely GR buddies rec'd this one to me. I know, don't get shocked but this is actually my first real teacher/student read and after this one, I'm wondering where I've been all my life because sign me up for more!

*******
Unteachable starts off with our heroine, ...more

5 Forbidden Love, the Forever Kind Stars
"The guy and I reached for each other’s hands spontaneously and simultaneously. And I felt something I’ve never felt before. You can call it love, or you can call it freefall. They’re pretty much the same thing."

Love is powerful and powerless, unlimited and uncharted. It strikes you when you least expect it and when you think you don't need it, but don't be foolish. You need love. To flourish and to learn, to breathe and to live, to grow wings and let them ...more
"The guy and I reached for each other’s hands spontaneously and simultaneously. And I felt something I’ve never felt before. You can call it love, or you can call it freefall. They’re pretty much the same thing."

Love is powerful and powerless, unlimited and uncharted. It strikes you when you least expect it and when you think you don't need it, but don't be foolish. You need love. To flourish and to learn, to breathe and to live, to grow wings and let them ...more

“What’s it feel like?”
“Remember when you thought I was jumping off to kill myself?” He winced. “It’s like that,” I said. “But no one catches you. You’re just hanging over infinity.”
What's it feel like?
Peaking into someone's soul like this?
I'll tell you.
You wonder whether you should feel sorry for this kind of f*cked up life you had to pull through. Or thank every day for being alive while feeling alive and not just numbingly going through cinematographic cuts of your existence.

You h ...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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Leah Raeder's Unteachable Buddy Read - Starting July 19th - Allen, Ana Rita, Anasylvia, Athena, Camaro, Cam, Cassie, Irina, Jaime, Julie, Oana | 98 | 109 | Jul 22, 2014 09:46AM | |
YA Buddy Readers'...: Unteachable by Leah Raeder, Starting Date: February 9th, 2014 | 26 | 35 | Feb 08, 2014 08:20PM |
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