Teacher by James Eric Riley

James Eric Riley did not set out to be a teacher. The dream was to be an actor via a number of different jobs. But when a skating accident causes an injury that puts one of those jobs and thus the income in jeopardy, he realises that stability is what he needs. And since teaching offers paid holiday and paid sick leave, that’s the way to go.

 

But what he couldn’t have foreseen was being placed in a Special Education class where the Emotionally Disturbed students are a lot more challenging. No amount of training could prepare him for the type of teaching involved, as well as being able to field the profanity and physical assaults he would be facing.

 

Being very careful to document any altercations, one day he is faced with a worse-than-usual interaction and the evidence and statements to back him up seem to be intentionally ignored. With his job and possibly career on the line, is the system failing him or are there people out there with ulterior motives?

 

This whole story and the incidents were eye-openers for me. We never had classes like this where I went to school and indeed it was a case of “Yes, Ma’am,” or “Yes, Sir,” and no one contemplated lifting a hand to the teacher. So to be shown what some teachers go through elsewhere, was horrifying. How is a person supposed to defend themselves from a physical attack when they aren’t allowed to do anything?

 

And then the deviousness of the authorities in dealing with the case. How could all the evidence be presented and cast aside? How could pertinent facts be overlooked? How could statements be hidden because of personal feelings? In fact, at one point I didn’t want to carry on reading because of the evil ill will that came across.

 

But while the story heads in a positive direction, I was a little annoyed at where it ended as it felt unfinished. The writing, however, felt authentic and I was experiencing what he was experiencing. This made the story flow quickly and it never felt forced or preached.

 

To the teachers out there who deal with this on a daily basis and actually want to help their students with their education, I take my hat off to you.

Thanks to Loudhailer Books and the author for the opportunity to review the book.

One by One by Freida McFadden

Three couples, all with their own issues, head off to spend some time together at a luxurious hotel. On the way, the road to the hotel becomes difficult to navigate and the minivan they are in breaks down. Do they shelter for the night or carry on? With the decision to carry on made, they grab a few things and head off. But the hotel remains elusive and it seems a night out in the woods is inevitable.

Then, one by one, they start disappearing or dying. Who or what is after them and will any survive the woods?

When I read the title, it smacked of Agatha Christie and the premise sounded very interesting. I’d never read this author before, so was looking forward to it. But straight away, there is something just a little off about it.

Claire’s character comes across as whiny and selfish, which may have been intentional, so we keep on reading. Now we have three couples going off on a short vacation together, but some of the people don’t even like each other. This seems odd considering why would you want to spend time with someone you don’t like?

Anyway, so we have Claire and her husband Noah, who are unhappy in their marriage and Claire wants out. In fact, she is putting the cart before the horse and indulging in another too soon. This vacation for her is to muster up the courage to say no more as they have separate rooms and she just needs to do it. She loves her kids but the marriage is a sham. We also have Lindsay and her new surgeon boyfriend, Warner, who suggested the hotel they are about to stay at. Warner is good looking (as Claire constantly alludes to) but is very controlling over Lindsay. Red Flag indeed. Then there is Jack, who has long been friends with Noah and Jack’s wife Michelle. She is a high-ranked divorce lawyer and is only interested in work. Why she is there, who knows? Jack has a little secret of his own too.

 

So here are five adults relying on someone they just met who has a map on a piece of paper, and the road to the luxurious hotel is almost impassable. First implausible thing. Then the responses to the situations are very juvenile. Compass obviously leading you in a circle? Must be human error? Only two hours to the hotel on foot (on the road meant to go to the luxurious hotel that suddenly ends) and six hours later still in the woods? Sounds legit. The girls wanting to pee in the woods but not knowing how to and the guys having to instruct them? Really??? Things just got weirder and weirder as though someone had taken a list of plot points, a list of evidence, and a list of reasons to kill, and then jumbled them all up and said somehow they will connect. But they didn’t.

Mercifully, the story is not long and the writing enough to keep you reading. The writing... not the plot or characters. Although the interjection of the chapters by “anonymous” made for an interesting sideline. If the goal was to get rid of someone, why take so long in the story? All could have been accomplished within the first few hours of the car breaking down. The intimate moment at the end? The timing was rather off. There were other silly errors, too.

A psychological thriller? Nope. The plot of a B-grade movie of the horror in the woods? Maybe. Or maybe just some good base ideas that didn’t mesh well with each other and characters that were not formed enough for a reader to care about. Just an average read...

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review the book.