The Teacher

by Gemma Rogers

It was supposed to be a fresh start. A move to a new town for me and my family.

I’d been offered the perfect position, teaching English at the local high school but then I met sixth form student Nicky Stevens.

Initially flattered by his attention, I let my guard down.

But I had no idea of the monster I’d let into my life or just how far his obsession would go.

Nothing could prepare me for the devastating consequences caused by my one moment of weakness.

Genres: Thriller, Audiobook, Fiction, Mystery, Contemporary, Mental Health, Suspense

342 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 12, 2020

About the author

Gemma Rogers is the bestselling author of gripping domestic thrillers that delve into dark secrets, twisted relationships, and shocking betrayals. Her books often explore the hidden dangers lurking behind closed doors in seemingly perfect families and communities.

Writing for Boldwood Books, Gemma has become known for her fast-paced plots, unpredictable twists, and relatable yet flawed characters. Her novels frequently chart in the psychological suspense and crime thriller categories on Amazon.

If you enjoy tense, emotionally-charged thrillers in the vein of Lisa Jewell, B.A. Paris, or K.L. Slater, you’ll feel right at home with Gemma’s books.

When she’s not plotting her next twist, Gemma enjoys include horror and thriller movies, country walks, swimming and anything involving cake.

With over eleven titles published Gemma's twelfth book, The Stranger at No.6 is out on the 8th September and available to pre-order now.

All the below are standalone titles in publication order:

Stalker (2019)
The Secret (2020) *previously published as Payback*
The Teacher (2020) *previously published as Reckless*
The Mistake (2021) *previously published as Bad Girls*
The Babysitter (2021)
The Feud (2022)
The Neighbour (2023)
The Good Wife (2023)
The Flatmate (2023)
The Honeymoon (2024)
The Night Shift (2025)
The Stranger at No. 6 (2025)

Follow her on:

X/Twitter: gemmarogers79
Facebook & Instagram: GemmaRogersAuthor

Reviews

[Dash fan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4☆ A Taut, Suspenseful, Gritty Thriller!

Charlotte & her mum Isabel (aka Izzy) are involved in near miss car accident in the rain on the way to their new school.
Izzy and Charlotte are both starting at St. Wilfred’s Comprehensive, a fresh new start for everyone!
After Charlotte got involved with a bad crowd at school and ended up being suspended. So Izzy and Hubby David decide it's time to move, to get her away and out of trouble!

Izzy has been hired to teach English, and After School Creative Writing and Charlotte would be going into year eleven.
A big opportunity for them both.

But as Izzy gets to her class she bumps into ‘Nicky Steven's, the boy who nearly crashed their car & drove away, a student at her school!

However Nick has taken a shine to Izzy and ever since the accident, he is everywhere Izzy is. He's started to form a crush on her.
At first Izzy is weary she is his teacher after all. But as things between hubby David and her become frosty, she is flattered by Nick's attention!
But there is something not quite right about Nick! Why is he everywhere, watching, noticing! Has Nick's crush become a dangerous obsession? What lengths will he go to?

Reckless is a Gripping Taut thriller, it's a story that could very easily become a reality, it dangerously crosses over the teacher/pupil relationship line, it's devious, manipulative and very cleverly plotted.
Gemma Rogers is a very talented Author that isn't afraid to challenge difficult subjects and make then a reality. Her writing is Pacy, Gritty, Suspenseful and will keep you enthralled.

Overall a fantastic thriller I couldn't put down!


Thank you to Rachel Random Resources for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.



You can Find this Review and all my Other Reviews on My Blog :-

https://dashfan81.blogspot.com/2020/0...

[VahalaSly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ok so I'm 1/3 away from my reading goal, and we're in November, so a few bad decisions were made.
Bad decision number 1: pick a random audiobook from audible that comes for free as part of the subscription.
Bad decision number 2: don't read the synopsis of the book.
Bad decision number 3: don't check how long the book is and end up listening to 53 CHAPTERS of this thing.

Now, the book is bad. But to be honest, I don't think the book is trying not to be bad. It's the literary version of those netflix produced "thriller" movies with the budget of £5 and a chewing gum where the villain is a random hot dude/girl obsessing over the terrible protagonist - and yes, I do lap that shit up and I'm not even sorry.

The author has a gift for managing to write a (pretty long) book where absolutely nothing happens. There are entire scenes where the MC is just shopping, or making food. A LOT of stuff gets repeated as well, like, a lot. You'll read a chapter and think to yourself, "didn't the MC come to this conclusion 2 chapters ago?" at least 4 times.The story has absolutely no structure, stuff just happens, don't ask why. It's like the worst fanfiction you've ever read, but with decent grammar.

I could review the actual story and the characters, but it's honestly pointless as there is no reason or rhyme to any of it. Instead, I'll share two grievances I have with the book that truly sum up the experience:

1) The Teacher's tagline is "One Life Changing Moment of Madness...", with the implication that the MC makes one mistake that ends up spiraling out of control. Let me tell you there isn't one mistake, but about a million. The woman was smashing her head into mistakes like they were a pile of cocaine.

2) The MC is an English teacher. Explain to me then why in the book cover the blackboard is covered in maths formulas??? The details man. The details.

I can't in good conscience give it more than 1 star but if you are into these kinds of books you might actually enjoy it. I reccomend the audiobook cause at least you can do something else in the meantime and feel like a productive member of society.

1/5 mistakes made.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fairly ‘non plussed’ but very readable thriller for the first half, I moaned to myself re the main character and how foolish she was being and what could happen to her….expecting the outcome to be as I was imagining….but then the second half took off on a life of it’s own and I found it on par with the authors other dramatic books, such a fast and furious element arrived to the story and the first half paled away as this took over
Altogether then a good psychological family temptation thriller ( made that up temptation thriller 😀 ) that certainly had me on the edge of the bed for the second half
As an aside I love the meal descriptions, only a sentence here or there but always sounding really nice and giving just a breather in the darkness of the subject
Good!

[8stitches 9lives · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read her two previous novels it was a no-brainer to decide to read this too. If you can get past the tricky topic the story deals with then you will find that this is Rogers's best domestic thriller to date and it has many different facets to offer its readers. The plot follows school English teacher Isabel "Izzy" Cole, her husband David and their fifteen-year-old daughter Charlotte who decide to move from Wellington, London for a fresh start in a place no one knows them; that place being Rusper, a small village in the West Sussex countryside. They are all trying to heal as Izzy sadly miscarried and Charlotte had gotten in with the wrong crowd at her school. Izzy is excited but a little nervous as she begins her new teaching job at the local secondary school. When the first day arrives she sets off but is almost run off the road by an incompetent driver. The lunatic turns out to be a sixth form pupil at the school, Nicky Stevens. He then begins to flirt outrageously with her every chance he gets and as Izzy is quite vulnerable and believes her husband is cheating on her she doesn't quite know how to handle it.

This book highlights how one moment of madness in a person in a position of power can impact the rest of their life and you can't help but feel for Izzy and the terrible situation she finds herself in. The subject is likely to make some fairly uncomfortable but I liked that the author was not afraid to push the boundaries with her third offering. It is a thrilling, fast-paced and thought-provoking read and the short chapters keep you turning the pages long after the sun goes down. Nicky is an intense and brilliant character who is detestable as he manipulates those around him with ease; it's clear he's a narcissist who only cares about himself and seemingly enjoys putting others through the wringer and getting them into deep trouble. Izzy and Nicky end up in a relationship but when she wants to break it off Nicky proceeds to start dating daughter, Charlotte to get back at her. It's evident that he has no conscience which is dangerous for everyone. All in all, this is a well written and compulsive story and a page-turner it's impossible to put down. Many thanks to Boldwood Books for an ARC.

[Wendy Del Toro · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did not find this book either gritty nor thrilling. It was very predictable, no twists or surprises, right down to the very cliched ending. The storytelling was very repetitive and I could easily have skimmed through it and not missed much. If it had been categorized as something other than an addictive thriller, my rating may have been higher. It's more of a cautionary tale that even the most stupid adult woman would not need cautioning about. The fact that this woman was so stupid and "reckless" was hard to take.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reckless pulled me in right from the start and oh boy did it hit the ground running!
The first scene had my heart racing and it didn't slow, only when I had to put my kindle down. I then couldn't stop thinking about it and when I did carry on reading it, I read until way past the early hours!
Isabel Cole, her husband, David, and their 15 year old daughter, Charlotte, have moved from their previous home in Wallington, London, to make a fresh start in Rusper, near Horsham, West Sussex.
However, their fresh start has them jumping well and truly out of the frying pan and into the fire!
I like Isabel and Charlotte and I feel they have a good relationship; Isabel tries hard, even though she's still vulnerable and Charlotte has hit the teenage-raging-hormone stage.
Anxiety is dreadful and can make you feel all kinds of emotions and Isabel also has feelings of paranoia. Is David lying to her? She's unsettled and then, to top it all off - enter: Nicky Stevens!
The suspense grew and grew as the story progressed, it was taut and totally gripping; the thrill of not knowing what was going to happen next and how it would end? I imagined what could happen and that added to the thrill and it was very dark at times...
I imagined myself as Isabel. What would I do if I were in her situation. I could feel her emotions and my heart went out to her.
Reckless is a suberb, clever, well-written story that will reel you in and have your mind working overtime. It is full of surprises and the concluding part, to me, was so unexpected!
I would love to see Reckless on the screen. It comes alive when read, but it deserves to come alive on screen - it is SO GOOD!!!

Thank you to Boldwood Books via NetGalley and the author.

This is my honest and unbiased review

[CarolG · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought I had read a synopsis of this book, but maybe I didn't since there isn't one on Goodreads. There is one on Amazon that I might've read though. Anyway, as I was reading the book I began to get a glimmer of where we were headed and it made me very uncomfortable. It's odd because I recently read and enjoyed My Dark Vanessa but for some reason I felt differently about a female teacher and a male student. I was a bit disturbed by my reaction but I gritted my teeth and continued reading. As unsettling as I found parts of it to read, I mostly enjoyed the book and I'll definitely read other books written by Gemma Rogers. You should make sure you know what this story's about before reading it though, especially if a teacher-student relationship would bother you. It was quite well written and the story was good with lots of tension built in. I was very impressed with the ending.

I feel a little ambiguous giving the book 4 stars after voicing my negative feelings but I think it would be a 5-star read for some people and, as I said, it was very well written. Not everyone will react the same as me.

As a side note, what's with some book titles lately including part of the book description as though it's part of the title (like "Reckless: A gritty, addictive thriller" or "Til Death Do Us Part: A gripping psychological thriller with a killer twist (Kindle Edition)"). I only started noticing it recently and it seems to be just a Kindle thing but it really bugs me, especially when I see reviews where the words are included as part of the title!

[Andrew Sunnucks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was in two minds as to whether even bother leaving this a review but I need to get my thoughts out of my head…

Okay, to start, the whole premise of this book is problematic. The whole book is essentially justifying the actions of a teacher who abuses a pupil. None of these actions are adequately accounted for by the novel’s conclusion. The pupil in question is positioned as a cardboard cut out villain. While I don’t necessarily think that this story shouldn’t be told, it needs to be delivered with much more sensitivity and nuance than what is being exercised here. The fact at one point the author refers to possession of indecent images of children as simply “grooming” implies she has done little research into the subject.

Plot aside, from an execution standpoint it needed a lot of editing. The writer hasn’t seem to have heard of the “show don’t tell” rule of writing. This was particularly evident with the tsunami of exposition in the prose in the first quarter of the book.

There were also so many references to brands, it felt like product placement. Center Parcs, Motorola and Smith and Western stand out to name a few… the latter in particular, you had do endure some of the most ham fisted gushing over the contents of their menu, it was bizarre.

There were certain cultural events, such as Brexit and the 2019 general election, that were called out as happening during the events of the novel. I understand it’s trying to intrench the plot in reality but the period doesn’t play any particular role to the story and simply dates it.

I had a look into the author and it looks like she’s relatively new to writing. She has put out quite a number of books in the last few years. I don’t want to discourage her from writing and I admire her output but I would suggest she slows down a bit and hones her craft. There’s definitely a good author in there but she needs to slow down in my view. I wish her lots of success for the future.

[Tracy ann Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

what a story very addictive and twisty Izzy and her husband and daughter move to a new town and house Izzy and her husband have new jobs Izzy is an school teacher .Izzy thinks her husband is having an affair and she is getting to close to a sixth former boy Nicky how this story unfolds is so good you think you have worked it out but nope

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5- some parts were hard to get through, due to content, but all I’ve got to say about that teacher is “Play stupid games, win stupid prizes”.

[Daniela ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book: I loved the characters, the backdrop, and how realistically it portrays the thin line between what is right and controlling humans urges.
I just felt like it was unnecessarily long. Gemma Rogers usually writes great books with interesting storylines but I've noticed the second half of her books are never as good as the first half. It's always the aftermath of the main event and it doesn't captivate me the same way. Nevertheless, wonderfully written and def recommend it.

[Faye · Rating 2 out of 5]

fairly unbelievable and tbh the main character was unlikeable - affair because my husband is a bit distant? no excuse. affair with a STUDENT? she barely mentioned the fact it was extremely immoral, i know he’s over 18 but come on, keep it in your pants / although i guess then there’d be no story!
spoiler: i also found it very unbelievable that she didn’t just tell everyone what was happening the second he approached her daughter, i don’t even have kids and no WAY would i have kept quiet, i’d have risked job and marriage to protect her.
all being said, was a fairly entertaining listen/read even with my tutting throughout ….

[Carolyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately not well written. Very shallow characters, no depth and an increasingly annoying fmc. The bare bones of the story line was interesting with the teacher/student but the execution was poor. It was difficult to finish. Wouldn’t recommend.

[Katherine Hayward Pérez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reckless is the first book I have listened to by Gemma Rogers and what a book it is! A family needing a new start and an excellent family dynamic. There are ups and downs and the beginning is enough to have me giving the novel 5 stars. Gemma Rogers has a talent for weaving mystery and suspense into Reckless that had me finishing the book in mere hours.

I definitely know I want to get the other books in the series because Reckless is so impressive.

The opening blew me away!

When Izzy and her family move from London to Sussex, they really need a fresh start. But when an accident happens to Izzy while she's driving to her new place of work (and her 15 year old daughter Charlotte's new secondary school) she and Charlotte are shaken.

Nicky Stevens is a student who Izzy recognises as having caused the accident. But he won't leave her alone....Then, he joins her extracurricular Creative Writing Class.......

I was going "no, Izzy, watch out!" many times throughout this novel and was as scared for Izzy as she was for herself. I was begging her not to let her guard down.

Izzy is quite level-headed for the most part and loyal to her family.

But her workaholic husband David is not the model husband or father he was since Izzy miscarried a year prior to the events in Reckless.

At times, I felt annoyed with David for being so focused on work because the small glimpses of "stable." family life we get (when they are all at home together), for example David's generosity in providing for his family which is shown by the details of the inside of the house, the quiet neighbourhood they live in and the occasional interactions with Mary the neighbour.

I understand Izzy felt lonely and crushed after the miscarriage and that David's way of dealing with this was to immerse himself in work. I felt that Charlotte suffered the most, though and was glad that she had her friend Amy. I liked the way their friendship was described and it made me go back through memories of the good times with my own friends which gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling,

Despite Izzy getting "sidetracked" with Nicky (or Nicky being manipulative), at times was hard to tell who to blame more, as in some ways both Izzy and Nicky are broken souls.

This, to me, added mystery and deepended the suspense in the book.

There's so much going on for all the characters though that they are all trying to just live their life whether they are mother, father daughter or lover that lines are blurred as to who is the "responsible party" here, and to me, it begs the questions "do we really know our family?" and "Are we really as mature as we make out or come across to others?".

Izzy has a responsibility as a teacher but first and formost as a mother to Charlotte. Charlotte, although 15 and mature for her age, seemed vulnerable as she was also just a teenager and she also needed her mum at times. I thought Izzy fulfilled her responsibility as Charlotte's mum by looking after her wellbeing when David wasn't around. And there were fun moments in general (meals or film nights).

Sometimes I did just want to meet Charlotte and give her a hug. But I wanted to meet Izzy too and give her a good talking to or other times let her confide in me. I wanted to tell David where abd why he was going wrong .And Nicky........I'm not sure what I would have done.....

Both Izzy and Nick have difficult personal circumstances whivh I thought were shown well although I did want more of Nicky's background. (his childhood/mother etc) and thought we spent too little time at his house (although I understood why that was).


David had a responsibility as a father and husband. I did want to tell him to sit down and disconnect from work a lot and just felt he was absent (but that Gemma Rogers did a good job of showing his character and priorities too).

Thanks to Gemma Rogers, Rachel's Random Resources and Boldwood Books for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fast-paced twisty novel that had me hooked. I had memories of my own time at secondary school because the setting was so vivid.

Reckless is a very "human" touching, realistic novel about the struggle of loyalties between those you think you know and those you don't. It makes us question how well we can ever know someone. It is about what and who are priorities, It is about choices and if those choices are right - and about the price we pay for those choices.

A real page turner with likeable and not so likeable characters that will keep you up at night.

[Misfits farm · Rating 4 out of 5]

“When sixth former Nicky Stevens sets his sights on her, he begins to reel her in at a time when she's most vulnerable. Soon Izzy is risking her family, her career and her life as she finds Nicky wants more than she ever planned to give.”
Izzy and her family have moved house and she has started work as an english teacher at a secondary school. She soon learns that the last incumbent left in rather a haste due to a tryst with a pupil. Her husband David hasn’t been so attentive since she had a miscarriage a while back and she suspects he may be having an affair. When she starts to get unwanted attention from a sixth former who first crossed her path when he almost drove her off the road, things get a little complicated to say the least. I cringed at some of this- that said it is a sensitive subject handled well. My cringing was at how Izzy threw herself into what could only be described as a car crash relationship(every pun intended). She appeared to have little control over what was happening and pretty much let Nicky take control from the start. Don’t get me wrong- this is well written and I enjoyed reading it- it's just one of those subjects that may make some of us squirm. A clever, interesting concept and one to keep you on the edge of your seat.

[Honestmamreader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reckless is one of those stories that you read and think this could actually happen. And, it gives you the shivers. Izzy, along with her husband David and teenage daughter Charlotte, move to a new town in search of a fresh start. Sounds so idyllic doesn't it. Well that wouldn't be a good basis for a thriller would it? Let's throw in Nicky Stevens, an eighteen year old manipulative boy who's hell bent on getting what he wants. And, that my people is a good mix for this amazing story.

Now, Izzy is a grown adult. She is a school teacher, therefore her job gives her a position of trust. You'd think she would have good judgement on what is right from wrong. You would think she wouldn't be so Reckless in her choices. But, there is more to Izzy. As the story develops we see that her background obviously mars her decisions.

Anxiety, paranoia, new job nerves, concern over Charlotte and suspicions about David all contribute to reckless choices.

Reckless is a fast paced thriller that you won't want to put down. It chills you to the core that people could easily make life altering decisions.

[Vicki - I Love Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sat down this morning to read this book. rain hammering down, blanket around my legs and a cuppa. looking forward to catching up with some reading, At first this book felt familiar, a couple of chapters in I knew i had had read it previously. So why hadn't i reviewed it. Realising how far behind i am i got my review notes book and reading back i had certainly read this book, kept notes but not submitted them.

It's a book i could have easily carried on reading and read again, but i'm being good and trying to catch up. Reckless by Gemma Rogers was an interesting read. A read of new beginnings, new starts. Starting at a new school both mother and daughter, Teacher and pupil are both ready to start over.

I love when an author manages to get you worked up and fustrated with character, this is one of those books. I found myself talking to the pages, oh, really! why! Don't, i heard myself saying more than once.

I found this a really easy to read book, and it's certainly one you could read in one sitting. A great example of how things can spral out of control right before you realise just how deep you are.

Brilliant and worthy of 5 stars.

[Tina Tamarin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Infuriatingly bad!
I really didn’t enjoy this storyline at all.
It was somehow ridiculous yet also predictable. It was completely irritating and I have no idea how I made it to the end but it wasn’t worth it.

(Also known as “The Teacher” as an audiobook)

[Karina Liptrot · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was hard to feel any sympathy for the main character, she kept making bad decision after bad decision.

The book was so detailed too and seemed to mention every bath, cigarette, take away and outfit decision that Izzy had.

[Kt Dixon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wasn’t sure if we were supposed to sympathise with the main character at all but she had no sympathetic traits whatsoever and her decision making skills were supremely poor.
The antagonist was a villain trope and not really believable at all.

[Jackie Davenport · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn’t finish this book. It was too predictable. Too weird. The Teacher was irritating and silly. It was too long. I had 3 hours left to listen too but couldn’t take anymore nonsense. Sorry.

[Cheryl · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring, repetitive, frustrating. A painful read. Could have been half the length. Would not recommend this to anyone.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh. I quite enjoyed the first half of this book. It was sordid and slick entertainment: a teacher makes some bad choices vs advances from a pupil, and chaos ensues. So far, so fun. But... it is NOT a moment of madness, it's months of ill-conceived plans and choices, wherein the protagonist (who is surely on the shortlist for most annoying protagonist ever) keeps rehashing the same thoughts but does absolutely nothing to get out of the situation she is in. I got so annoyed with her I was almost hoping she would die. And the ending was anti-climactic. And Nicky was a bit of a caricature. And whomever said this is a taut thriller must have a very different definition of both of those words because there was very little thrill here at all - and it's a shame because there could have been, with some editing. Instead of endless pages of Izzy thinking the same damn thoughts and doing nothing besides continue to make stupid choices. Bah humbug.

[Ali Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goodness this has worn me out!! I enjoyed Stalker and although this started a little slow it built up at a steady pace. I spent most of it shaking my head at Izzy no no no just don't do it!! Tense, and twisty it didn't quite go the way I thought but it was a really riveting read and also quite poignant and nostalgic in parts . I also loved references to every day life which you don't often get in some novels like references to Brexit, Boris and Homes under the Hammer! Which I felt jelt it all very real. Loved it.

[Donna Maguire · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://donnasbookblog.wordpress.com/...

I enjoyed this book and found it to be a real page turner with an addictive plot.

I thought that the story was well developed, it was set at the perfect pace for the story in my opinion too and that really helped but the ending was a little quick.

The story had plenty going on to make sure that you were engaged throughout as the author dealt with a sensitive subject in the plot.

It is 4 stars from me for this one, another great story from this author and I am already looking forward to her next release!! Highly recommended!!

[Beryl Weller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book a lot it had a different type of ending to how I imagined. The lady reading the book reads a lot of her books so her voice is very familiar so I do have to leave it a while before reading other books of hers otherwise I tend to get the characters mixed up.

[Keith Weller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book the ending was great not what I was expecting one more of the authors books to go then I am up to date with all of her books

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this. Easy to follow right the way through and a steady pace.

[Julie Devonald-Cornelius · Rating 4 out of 5]

slow starter but once it got going i couldnt put it done.

[A.B. Vincent · Rating 1 out of 5]

@vahalasly had the review spot on. (Read it below.)

This story was a repetitive skipping record that took up far too much ink and paper. It should have been much shorter of a story.