idyllic's review
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
tara_books's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
harrietrose98's review
2.0
Mmm.. I'm on the fence about how to rate this book. It was a quick and easy read, but the subject matter isn't good. In the afterword, the author seems to somewhat explain that he knows that teacher/pupil relationships are wrong, but he doesn't take a strong stance against it, and for the majority of the book, I really thought that the author was trying to portray this as romantic, rather than the manipulation and crime that it really was. If this was a real situation, the red flags are insane - the fact that people (pupils and staff) found out but didn't report it?? The fact that the teacher had started dating his previous girlfriend when she was 15 too (he was younger then but still weird)?? The fact that the teacher saw his 15 year old pupils in a nightclub when all parties were drunk and decided to talk to them?? The fact that the co-worker who is clearly quite a bit older is dating an 18 year old?? The entire relationship is so problematic, and I'm glad that the ending happened as it did, although the teacher definitely got off way too lightly.
If you (somehow manage to) overlook the awful relationship, this book is very predictable, not particularly well written and ultimately has little plot, but I'm settled at a 2 star for now because it was very easy to read and is set in Nottingham.
If you (somehow manage to) overlook the awful relationship, this book is very predictable, not particularly well written and ultimately has little plot, but I'm settled at a 2 star for now because it was very easy to read and is set in Nottingham.
toofondofbooks's review
2.0
The premise of this novel was good as was it's execution but still I felt there was something lacking in it; I can't put my finger on what is is that was missing though. I think perhaps the characters were not quite real to me. Having said that I read this book in one day as it was engrossing and I wanted to know what happened.
laurenvoice's review
4.0
I'm not sure what to feel about this book...
I wanted Mike and Rachel to work out; I enjoyed reading their passion for each other.
The book had an amazing start it had me hooked straight away, both the main characters were easy to get to know and to relate to. However, by the end I discovered I started to dislike Rachel a bit and I didn't like how she made out like Mike was the only one in the wrong/ to blame for the relationship. I felt like Rachel kind of got a bit jealous and bratty by the end of the book, while Mike seemed to become a user and it was very apparent he was only after one thing at the end.
Nonetheless, I did really enjoy this book and also feel like the student/teacher relationship theme of the book is a very important topic and will always be a very important topic, so I would suggest people to read this book.
Love Lessons really is a brilliant read!
I wanted Mike and Rachel to work out; I enjoyed reading their passion for each other.
The book had an amazing start it had me hooked straight away, both the main characters were easy to get to know and to relate to. However, by the end I discovered I started to dislike Rachel a bit and I didn't like how she made out like Mike was the only one in the wrong/ to blame for the relationship. I felt like Rachel kind of got a bit jealous and bratty by the end of the book, while Mike seemed to become a user and it was very apparent he was only after one thing at the end.
Nonetheless, I did really enjoy this book and also feel like the student/teacher relationship theme of the book is a very important topic and will always be a very important topic, so I would suggest people to read this book.
Love Lessons really is a brilliant read!
rebekahmay's review
2.0
I have mixed feelings about this one. I read it while I was still in school, I must about been around 14 at the time, and recently I decided to see if I could find it. (I had no idea what it was called or who it was by so it's a bit miraculous that I did find it.) I don't remember having any strong feelings about it at 14, and I don't have any strong feelings about it now.
Love Lessons is about a student/teacher relationship. I'd read reviews about how there was an interesting dynamic in this one because Rachel (the student, 15 years old) initiates the relationship and that she knows exactly what she wants. Ultimately, I still think Mike (the teacher, 23 years old) took advantage, but I'll talk about that later.
The writing in this wasn't the greatest. This is quite a well known book, it did very well in the UK when it was first released in 1998 - wow that seems so long ago! - and its author, David Belbin, was actually the first person to introduce a gay character into YA fiction, or at least as far as I'm aware. He writes about controversial topics, which I appreciate, but his writing style just isn't for me. I felt like I was reading a book for kids, which I guess, in a way, I am but I prefer YA books that assume their readers have a bit of a higher reading level. The story itself is so-so. There's not a lot you can do with this sort of relationship: student meets teacher - they fall for each other - they have to keep their relationship a secret. Within that David Belbin did well in writing from a teenage girl's perspective. Interestingly, his young man wasn't quite as good, though I can't really comment on that from personal experience since I'm female, but going by the 23 year old men I know he was very immature at times, especially in his relationships with other people.
It's hard to review this book without talking about the content. Maybe this is spoilery? I don't know, but I'm going to talk a bit about Rachel and Mike's relationship. At first, I wasn't sure what my opinion on this was. Yes, Rachel makes the first (and second) move, she's definitely to one who initiates the relationship. But does that mean that Mike was justified in going out with her? I think no. It's kind of hard to tell what's right or wrong in these circumstances. Rachel wasn't groomed, she wasn't manipulated, she wasn't forced to do anything she didn't want to do. She was doing what normal 15 year olds do in relationships, except she wasn't in a relationship with another teenager. She was in a relationship with someone in a position of power and authority over her.
I definitely think that Mike was kidding himself a bit. He wanted her to be mature, so that's what he told himself she was. He told himself that she knew what she wanted, she knew what she was getting herself into. She didn't. She's FIFTEEN. I thought I was the shit when I was 15. I thought that I was grown up and that I knew what I wanted in my life, in my relationships. Of course I didn't. There were multiple times that I can recall where I let myself be manipulated and taken advantage of because I thought it was what I wanted, only to find afterwards that I didn't want to be a part of it at all.
Did Mike genuinely fancy Rachel? Probably. But not in the same way Rachel fancied him. You can see it in the differences in what they enjoyed about spending time with each other. Rachel liked spending time with him, the feeling of being loved and not being alone. Mike enjoyed the sex, and the thrill of the secrecy. That much is obvious in the way he continues his behaviour, even after everything that has happened, with other girls at the sixth form he moves onto.
I also really liked the little bits about how the girls were the ones to feel pressured to be the ones worried about contraception, about how they were the ones who had to go to the clinic and be on the pill because boys don't like faffing about with condoms
We've all been there.
Overall, Love Lessons was ok. The writing wasn't great, the story is what it is. I enjoyed revisiting this, but I probably won't read it again.
Love Lessons is about a student/teacher relationship. I'd read reviews about how there was an interesting dynamic in this one because Rachel (the student, 15 years old) initiates the relationship and that she knows exactly what she wants. Ultimately, I still think Mike (the teacher, 23 years old) took advantage, but I'll talk about that later.
The writing in this wasn't the greatest. This is quite a well known book, it did very well in the UK when it was first released in 1998 - wow that seems so long ago! - and its author, David Belbin, was actually the first person to introduce a gay character into YA fiction, or at least as far as I'm aware. He writes about controversial topics, which I appreciate, but his writing style just isn't for me. I felt like I was reading a book for kids, which I guess, in a way, I am but I prefer YA books that assume their readers have a bit of a higher reading level. The story itself is so-so. There's not a lot you can do with this sort of relationship: student meets teacher - they fall for each other - they have to keep their relationship a secret. Within that David Belbin did well in writing from a teenage girl's perspective. Interestingly, his young man wasn't quite as good, though I can't really comment on that from personal experience since I'm female, but going by the 23 year old men I know he was very immature at times, especially in his relationships with other people.
It's hard to review this book without talking about the content. Maybe this is spoilery? I don't know, but I'm going to talk a bit about Rachel and Mike's relationship. At first, I wasn't sure what my opinion on this was. Yes, Rachel makes the first (and second) move, she's definitely to one who initiates the relationship. But does that mean that Mike was justified in going out with her? I think no. It's kind of hard to tell what's right or wrong in these circumstances. Rachel wasn't groomed, she wasn't manipulated, she wasn't forced to do anything she didn't want to do. She was doing what normal 15 year olds do in relationships, except she wasn't in a relationship with another teenager. She was in a relationship with someone in a position of power and authority over her.
I definitely think that Mike was kidding himself a bit. He wanted her to be mature, so that's what he told himself she was. He told himself that she knew what she wanted, she knew what she was getting herself into. She didn't. She's FIFTEEN. I thought I was the shit when I was 15. I thought that I was grown up and that I knew what I wanted in my life, in my relationships. Of course I didn't. There were multiple times that I can recall where I let myself be manipulated and taken advantage of because I thought it was what I wanted, only to find afterwards that I didn't want to be a part of it at all.
Did Mike genuinely fancy Rachel? Probably. But not in the same way Rachel fancied him. You can see it in the differences in what they enjoyed about spending time with each other. Rachel liked spending time with him, the feeling of being loved and not being alone. Mike enjoyed the sex, and the thrill of the secrecy. That much is obvious in the way he continues his behaviour, even after everything that has happened, with other girls at the sixth form he moves onto.
I also really liked the little bits about how the girls were the ones to feel pressured to be the ones worried about contraception, about how they were the ones who had to go to the clinic and be on the pill because boys don't like faffing about with condoms
We've all been there.
Overall, Love Lessons was ok. The writing wasn't great, the story is what it is. I enjoyed revisiting this, but I probably won't read it again.
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