Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf: Review: Indecent by Corinne Sullivan

Indecent by Corinne Sullivan

Release Date: March 6, 2018

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Genre: Adult, Contemporary

Source: ARC provided by publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Shy, introverted Imogene Abney has always been fascinated by the elite world of prep schools, having secretly longed to attend one since she was a girl in Buffalo, New York. So, shortly after her college graduation, when she’s offered a teaching position at the Vandenberg School for Boys, an all-boys prep school in Westchester, New York, she immediately accepts, despite having little teaching experience—and very little experience with boys.

When Imogene meets handsome, popular Adam Kipling a few weeks into her tenure there, a student who exudes charm and status and ease, she's immediately drawn to him. Who is this boy who flirts with her without fear of being caught? Who is this boy who seems immune to consequences and worry; a boy for whom the world will always provide?

As an obsessive, illicit affair begins between them, Imogene is so lost in the haze of first love that she's unable to recognize the danger she's in. The danger of losing her job. The danger of losing herself in the wrong person. The danger of being caught doing something possibly illegal and so indecent.

Exploring issues of class, sex, and gender, this smart, sexy debut by Corinne Sullivan shatters the black-and- white nature of victimhood, taking a close look at blame and moral ambiguity.

Review:

There was never a simple answer to attraction, I decided. It was a series of looks and touches, of small, strange exchanges. It was private and inexplicable, something an outsider could never try to understand, something you rarely even understood yourself. - eARC, Loc 23303

I'll be honest: I originally didn't plan on reading Corinne Sullivan's Indecent. The synopsis and cover didn't draw me. Everything changed, however, the day I saw Courtney Summers (one of my favorite authors ever!!) raving about it on Instagram/Twitter. I figured that if Courtney loved it then I would probably love it as well (see, word of mouth works!!), and as it turns out, I was 100% correct. I'm so glad I took a chance on this book.

Indecent is by no means an easy read. It dives head first into an incredibly controversial topic - student-teacher relationships. However, Corinne did a fantastic job of handing it - she didn't stray away from the consequences nor did she glamorize the relationship.

Indecent introduces Imogene, a young twenty-something embarking on her first post-graudation job, and Adam "Kip" Kipling, a senior at Imogene's school.

When the book first begin, I thought I had everything figured out: Imogene would be the ultimate bad guy. However, I could never quite see her that way. Yes, she did something bad, and no, I didn't agree with her choices and actions...but the lines were slightly blurred. Instead of a villain I saw a young woman who was incredibly troubled as well as lost. Imogene needed professional help and guidance, and throughout the book, I hoped that she would seek that out. Imogene is so incredibly uncomfortable in her own skin, and honestly, she appeared more like a pre-teen than an adult, especially when it came to her viewpoints of relationships. In some respects, I could see why she would develop a relationship with one of her students. I think in her head she thought she was making up for what she missed in high school, developing a relationship with the privileged bad boy. Kip was also an interesting character. I can't say I truly liked him. He was incredibly pompous and arrogant; however, at the same time, I felt bad for him as well. He's just as desperate for love and affection as Imogene is; however, he wasn't looking for it in the right places. Also no matter how you spin it, he was a victim.

Indecent's plot primarily focuses on Imogene's new job, her relationship with Kip, and her deteriorating mental health. I thought Corinne did a fantastic job of developing the boarding school. It was incredibly easy to picture, and I especially liked the wide variety of characters it introduced. It was also interesting to see the dynamics that a boarding school brings about. Imogene's relationship with Kip and her mental health tie together, as the further enthralled Imogene becomes with Kip, the more she begins to lose her sense of reality and her set of morals. The ending of this novel was interesting. It ended as I expected it would; however, it also somewhat allows the reader to decide where the characters go next.

Gritty as well as thought provoking, Indecent is an interesting tale of loneliness, forbidden attraction, and an all-consuming first love. I'll be curious to hear other people's opinions when the book is released.

4 stars!!