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jessalicemorris's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
misthios_pat's review
3.0
Teacher-students stories is a love and hate relationship for me. When there's highschoolers in the equation more often than not I cringe a lot during the reading, however I didn't feel it on this book. Actually it was kinda nice to see a teacher-pupil relationship with someone that sorta doesn't cross the boundaries [intentionally]. Kat did hold it together and didn't jump Freya's bones, although we had that spa situation which I wouldn't classify as such for reasons.
I also really liked that Freya didn't act like a total horny egocentric teenager trying to mess with her teacher, so overall I think she was quite a mature character making me cheer for her without being pissed like usually I do when the student is too eager and no understandable of the problem a teacher would face in such scenario; then that thing with Bea happened and she didn't have much of a choice, poor thing. Mind you, Bea was a nice character until she wasn't and ffs that made me miss being pissed with teenagers acting as normal hormone induced idiots, that bitch OMG.
The big downside, FOR ME, was the POV writing, I don't know, I'm not used to have the right to know everyone's POV at any time and that made the reading, IMO, not as fluid as usually can be; being quite confusing and I felt as if things sometimes were all over the place because of this, specially in shorter scenes, but it was still a pleasant reading.
Even though I took some time doing not so positive comments I think this is a nice book and not wanting, but already sounding quite presumptuous [since I'm no able to write even an essay let alone a book], if this got a 'facelift' you know, with the structure, it would be a greater story. And I hope things got more developed on book #2, 'cause I think the end did let quite some open questions to be answered and I want more loveydovey moments with the MCs.
I said this it in another review, but I'll repeat, I wish to be able to give half grades, 'cause 3 stars is a good grade, but sometimes doesn't feel like enough for a story as much as 4 sometimes can feel a bit too much, which was the case here for me, a humble reader.
I also really liked that Freya didn't act like a total horny egocentric teenager trying to mess with her teacher, so overall I think she was quite a mature character making me cheer for her without being pissed like usually I do when the student is too eager and no understandable of the problem a teacher would face in such scenario; then that thing with Bea happened and she didn't have much of a choice, poor thing. Mind you, Bea was a nice character until she wasn't and ffs that made me miss being pissed with teenagers acting as normal hormone induced idiots, that bitch OMG.
The big downside, FOR ME, was the POV writing, I don't know, I'm not used to have the right to know everyone's POV at any time and that made the reading, IMO, not as fluid as usually can be; being quite confusing and I felt as if things sometimes were all over the place because of this, specially in shorter scenes, but it was still a pleasant reading.
Even though I took some time doing not so positive comments I think this is a nice book and not wanting, but already sounding quite presumptuous [since I'm no able to write even an essay let alone a book], if this got a 'facelift' you know, with the structure, it would be a greater story. And I hope things got more developed on book #2, 'cause I think the end did let quite some open questions to be answered and I want more loveydovey moments with the MCs.
I said this it in another review, but I'll repeat, I wish to be able to give half grades, 'cause 3 stars is a good grade, but sometimes doesn't feel like enough for a story as much as 4 sometimes can feel a bit too much, which was the case here for me, a humble reader.
lilyjoanne's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
thereistime's review
1.0
I expected this book to be a bit trashy owing to the subject matter, and I wanted something to read that I wouldn't have to think about and just enjoy as a guilty-pleasure type read.
But I really could not enjoy this book at all, it was poorly written, with two-dimensional characters and a POV that constantly changes in a jarring and unnecessary way.
There was no build up of tension or really any significant interaction between the two main characters in the first 40% of the book, which made the small exchanges they did have, and especially the angsty 'we can't do this' scenes seem unnatural and out of left field.
Towards the end of the book, there are a few plot twists that don't go anywhere at all and don't serve to add any drama to the already underwhelming plot. The ending was rushed and felt like there was supposed to be a whole two or three chapters beforehand that had been skipped meaning the ending was even less believable.
The characters were never fully developed so I found I didn't really care about them or what was happening, it was written more as an ensemble cast type book and it didn't work.
A few specific things I really did not like about this book and have to mention
2. Kat pushing Freya to come out RIGHT NOW TODAY. It was clear Freya was not comfortable with her sexuality, being unable to even say the word lesbian most of the time, and Freya knew her parents would react badly and wasn't prepared for that. Kat having never met Freya's parents was adamant that Freya was wrong and her parents would be fine. The message shouldn't be to come out as soon as you have an inkling that you maybe like the same sex,but to come out when you are fully comfortable within yourself and it is safe for you to do so.
All in all I couldn't find a single thing that I enjoyed about this book, I really wanted to, but I just couldn't
But I really could not enjoy this book at all, it was poorly written, with two-dimensional characters and a POV that constantly changes in a jarring and unnecessary way.
There was no build up of tension or really any significant interaction between the two main characters in the first 40% of the book, which made the small exchanges they did have, and especially the angsty 'we can't do this' scenes seem unnatural and out of left field.
Towards the end of the book, there are a few plot twists that don't go anywhere at all and don't serve to add any drama to the already underwhelming plot. The ending was rushed and felt like there was supposed to be a whole two or three chapters beforehand that had been skipped meaning the ending was even less believable.
The characters were never fully developed so I found I didn't really care about them or what was happening, it was written more as an ensemble cast type book and it didn't work.
A few specific things I really did not like about this book and have to mention
Spoiler
1. Everyone's reaction to Jess being pregnant and wanting an abortion, and just the way the story handled that in general was absolute shit. There was no understanding and sympathy for Jess at all, all anyone cared about was how Gary felt and how the situation effected him. Women should be allowed to choose what happens to their own bodies regardless of what the sperm donor thinks.2. Kat pushing Freya to come out RIGHT NOW TODAY. It was clear Freya was not comfortable with her sexuality, being unable to even say the word lesbian most of the time, and Freya knew her parents would react badly and wasn't prepared for that. Kat having never met Freya's parents was adamant that Freya was wrong and her parents would be fine. The message shouldn't be to come out as soon as you have an inkling that you maybe like the same sex,but to come out when you are fully comfortable within yourself and it is safe for you to do so.
All in all I couldn't find a single thing that I enjoyed about this book, I really wanted to, but I just couldn't
jamietherebelliousreader's review
3.0
3 stars. Was in the mood for something that would remind me of the film Loving Annabelle this did in a way but it wasn’t as good. I didn’t like the writing style however I was thoroughly entertained with this book as a whole. It’s funny, and dramatic and is much lighter of a read than I was expecting given that the relationship is student/teacher. I thought Kat and Freya were interesting characters if not hot messes as individuals. They had good chemistry and I liked how this ended. I will definitely be reading the sequel because I hear that it’s better than this one so I’m interested to see what happens next.
judeinthestars's review against another edition
4.0
This book took me by surprise. I didn’t expect to care so much about the characters, and had to pace myself so I’d be in the right headspace to keep listening. Teacher/student stories often make me uncomfortable because of the power imbalance, mostly. I’ve wanted to read this book for a while but both that worry and the mixed reviews kept me away. Let’s be clear : I was wrong. The relationship between Kat and Freya is handled with intelligence and sensitivity.
Katherine Spicer is enjoying her last evening out as a student before starting her career as a teacher in a couple of days. She meets Freya and soon kisses her. Freya disappears and when she next sees her, the whole game has changed : the younger woman is one of her students.
Freya is trying to come to terms with the idea that she might be a lesbian. Her first kiss with a woman has exceeded all expectations and finding out a few days later that the woman she can’t get out her mind is her new history teacher crushes her. But Kat takes her job and responsibilities very seriously, despite the undeniable feelings growing between them. Then Freya’s friend Bea confesses her love for her.
More than a teacher / student story, But She Is My Student is about doing the right thing and holding on to your principles. The age gap is minimal (Freya turns eighteen at the start of the book and Katherine is twenty-two, I think), both women share the same interests, so the only thing preventing them from being together is the teacher / student relationship. Which makes for great angst, obviously.
I thought Kiki Archer did a great job on Freya’s struggle with her identity, labels, desires and all that. In some of the reviews I read, the reviewers complained about how Freya uses Bea when she’s obviously in love with Kat. Yeah well, Freya’s eighteen, she’s in love with someone whith whom a relationship seems utterly impossible and there’s this beautiful, smart and sweet girl who obviously wants her and to whom she’s kinda attracted too. I’m not expecting teenagers and yound adults to act in mature ways in real life, so why would I expect it from them in fiction? I know 40-year-olds who are way less mature about love and all than Freya. And also, I liked Bea a lot less by the end of the story.
The other thing I liked but others didn’t is how important Kat’s best friends and roommates are to the story. They take a lot of space and I can see how some readers might not be that interested in what’s happening in their lives. I guess I could have done without knowing so much about Lucy’s boyfriend’s manhood, yet it also makes them more real, more substantial. What they go through matters to Kat so it’s part of the story. It also doesn’t hurt that Lucy reminded me so much of Bubble from Absolutely Fabulous.
There’s a sequel to this story, which I hope I’ll find time to read soon, as I’m not totally ready to let go of Kat and Freya.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
Katherine Spicer is enjoying her last evening out as a student before starting her career as a teacher in a couple of days. She meets Freya and soon kisses her. Freya disappears and when she next sees her, the whole game has changed : the younger woman is one of her students.
Freya is trying to come to terms with the idea that she might be a lesbian. Her first kiss with a woman has exceeded all expectations and finding out a few days later that the woman she can’t get out her mind is her new history teacher crushes her. But Kat takes her job and responsibilities very seriously, despite the undeniable feelings growing between them. Then Freya’s friend Bea confesses her love for her.
More than a teacher / student story, But She Is My Student is about doing the right thing and holding on to your principles. The age gap is minimal (Freya turns eighteen at the start of the book and Katherine is twenty-two, I think), both women share the same interests, so the only thing preventing them from being together is the teacher / student relationship. Which makes for great angst, obviously.
I thought Kiki Archer did a great job on Freya’s struggle with her identity, labels, desires and all that. In some of the reviews I read, the reviewers complained about how Freya uses Bea when she’s obviously in love with Kat. Yeah well, Freya’s eighteen, she’s in love with someone whith whom a relationship seems utterly impossible and there’s this beautiful, smart and sweet girl who obviously wants her and to whom she’s kinda attracted too. I’m not expecting teenagers and yound adults to act in mature ways in real life, so why would I expect it from them in fiction? I know 40-year-olds who are way less mature about love and all than Freya. And also, I liked Bea a lot less by the end of the story.
The other thing I liked but others didn’t is how important Kat’s best friends and roommates are to the story. They take a lot of space and I can see how some readers might not be that interested in what’s happening in their lives. I guess I could have done without knowing so much about Lucy’s boyfriend’s manhood, yet it also makes them more real, more substantial. What they go through matters to Kat so it’s part of the story. It also doesn’t hurt that Lucy reminded me so much of Bubble from Absolutely Fabulous.
There’s a sequel to this story, which I hope I’ll find time to read soon, as I’m not totally ready to let go of Kat and Freya.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
bookworm1's review against another edition
3.0
This was my first girl x girl realtionship book. It was also a student-teacher romance so I was really anticipating to read this. In my opinion, to say it is a student-teacher romance isn't really true because there wasn't any realtionship while they were in school, they only avoided each other and tried to supress their feelings until the end when Freya finished school and they conffessed their feelings to each other.
This book was an okay read because there were a few things which ruined my enjoyment of the book. One of them was the writing style. there were some parts which, in my opinion, were taken from some third degree soap opera show. In those parts I could see an invisible title that told me "this is the part where you are supposed to cry" or "this is an emotional part, your heart supposed to swoon right now". The other thing is how the bad characters were portrayed like typical bad characters: ugly looking, always looking how to ruin the main hero's day, always going for some stupid plan to ruin their career and good name etc. The third thing is what I mentioned above about the non existent student-teacher romance which is a theme that I really like and was a little dissapionted when I discovered this wasn't really a theme in the book only the morality of starting a realthionship like this.
In the end, I will recommended this book beacause overoll it was very interesting read.
This book was an okay read because there were a few things which ruined my enjoyment of the book. One of them was the writing style. there were some parts which, in my opinion, were taken from some third degree soap opera show. In those parts I could see an invisible title that told me "this is the part where you are supposed to cry" or "this is an emotional part, your heart supposed to swoon right now". The other thing is how the bad characters were portrayed like typical bad characters: ugly looking, always looking how to ruin the main hero's day, always going for some stupid plan to ruin their career and good name etc. The third thing is what I mentioned above about the non existent student-teacher romance which is a theme that I really like and was a little dissapionted when I discovered this wasn't really a theme in the book only the morality of starting a realthionship like this.
In the end, I will recommended this book beacause overoll it was very interesting read.
mikkaybear's review
1.0
It'll be interesting to talk about this book in class, but otherwise, neither the writing nor the story appealed to me.
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