fluff

I’m not going to do the whole rollercoaster/falling in love metaphor. I didn’t fall in love with him up there. Maybe I fell in love with the idea of love, but I’m a teenage girl. This morning I fell in love with raspberry jam and a puppy in a tiny raincoat. I’m not exactly Earth’s top authority on the subject.

But when we crested the first peak and the world sprawled beneath us like a tangled-up string of Christmas lights and then we plunged toward it at lightspeed, 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.

I loved everything about this book. I was hesitant at first, thinking I probably couldn't go past that teacher-student thing and that 14-year age gap, but the way it was written, how everything happened, and how every feeling Maise had was presented, it all felt magical. I kept thinking of another word to describe my reading experience, but that was it - magical.

When I finish reading books that make me feel too emotional, I look for stupid and shallow cliched stories. That was what I expected of Unteachable - something to pass the time without me feeling anything. I didn't expect to have a mass of indescribable emotions that I have to try and write out what I think.

I love Maise. At first you'd think she's the same hopeless kid who had parent problems. Well yeah she was probably that, but what made her different was that she tries to find happiness. She makes her own mistakes but she didn't immediately write herself off as someone with no good future. And when she met Evan, I felt exactly how she felt - she became more alive. She found happiness, realized her dreams and saw a future.

I didn't relate much to Evan because I didn't see and understand his exact feelings all the time, but I felt their connection. I guess that's why I didn't find their relationship creepy. They felt perfectly right and connected to each other every single moment. I never felt so strongly for a fictional pairing! I was so afraid when I was about to reach the ending! I was preparing myself to not have my HEA, thinking it wouldn't be ruined for me either way because I loved the ride. But of course the ending had to be sweet and perfect too!

I love the writing! I'm pretty sure if it was the same story by some other writer it wouldn't have been good. The teacher-student relationship (with a 33-year old man and a high school student!) was a tricky subject to begin with and with the wrong writing it could easily be uncomfortable to readers. So to say that Leah Raeder being what made Unteachable a beautiful story is an understatement. She's the key to making the reading experience intimate and emotional. No one could have written this more magically (sorry, there's that word again!).

Definitely looking out for more books from Leah Raeder!