But She Is My Student (Kat and Freya #1)

I really did. But, this book was… problematic. First, the lead characters are Perfect. No, really, they\’re perfect. Drop dead gorgeous with pefect figures, geniuses, witty, affluent, super feminine, extroverted personalities that everyone falls in love with or so turned on just by being in their presence. That\’s all well and good but it gets boring fast. Now, all the other characters? They\’re all fat, uneducated, fat, low class, and just all around gross. Also, fat. The author makes that abundantly clear. So yeah, it\’s hard to miss that the authors choice in describing characters is to mainly stick to appearances but to an unnatural degree. Everyone around them is described as fat or pudgy or how unflattering their clothes fit. It leaves a deep disconnect for me in being told our protagonist is this amazing, warm and kind \”Ms. Honey\” type person but then she describes and judges everyone as overweight, gross, lewd and unattractive. Ms. Honey would nevah. There are a handful of \”butch\” or more masculine lesbians throughout but everyone of them are portrayed as crude, unattractive and aggressively predatory. Also, there is 1 (one!) poc in this book and guess what? That character is portrayed as the worst of all; a butch truck driver type, chauvinistic, lewd, aggressive and of course, fat and unattractive. What does the author have against butch lesbians and people of color? I couldn\’t really care about the plot as the constant bizarre appearance critiques kept my head spinning trying to find redeeming qualities about our leads. So much so, it took all my focus. I would not recommend this book unless you typically identify more with the \”mean girls\” instead of the regular girl they tend to target in media. I can\’t help but wonder if this author is always this covertly narcissistic or if it\’s just this weird and disappointing book. I\’ll read another (or try) but I don\’t have very high expectations. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

It was good but the reunion left some things unanswered and I wanted to see Bee put in her place. Also the sex scene was boring and took up most of the 8 minute get back together. If you’re going to end a book with a sex scene at least make it worth my while. There’s a sequel that I’m thinking about getting simply because the ending of this one was unsatisfactory. However, the description of the next book details another Bee like character being involved and I’m not sure if I want to go though all that again. Honestly I kinda wish I hadn’t even bothered with this one but I still kinda liked it. I usually don’t feel this conflicted about a book.

One of the appeals of the teacher/student relationship is the \”forbidden\” love aspect but the age difference between these two is minimal (18 yr vs 23). And… they never do anything before it would be considered acceptable so if you would find that off putting, you can listen in complete safety as our leading ladies are perfectly behaved. As another reviewer points out the \”good\” characters are all perfect and the \”bad\” characters are all (with one exception) fat/gross/lewd. It\’s so cliche and lacks nuance that would make for a more interesting story. There is a bizarre single white female twist at the end that I am still kinda shaking my head at. One, for putting it in there and two, for missing the showdown scene that would have been the only good reason for the \”twist\” in the first place. It\’s literally not addressed. The narrator does a fine job. I would pass on this book, even free, it\’s 8 hours of your life you wont get back.

Finally! A lesbian novel that is sexy, well written, and real literature. There is so much trash in the lesbian genre. This book rises above a simple sexual romance and rises above an in-your-face expose of the hardships of being a lesbian. At the same time, it includes both of these. You won\’t be disappointed! I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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.

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