Sweetest Taboo by Eva Marquez

First Published: 1 October 2012
Publisher: Terra-Mía Press
Pages: 294
Format: Ebook
Finished Date: 18 November 2012

Synopsis

Isabel Cruz was fifteen years old when she met Tom Stevens. She was 15 when they started dating, and 16 when she lost her virginity to him. By the time she turned 18 and went to college, everything had fallen apart. This hadn’t been an ordinary love, though. Not a love between two dear friends, or even high school sweethearts. This had been the most taboo sort of love there was: a relationship between a student and her teacher. Isabel started her high school career as a normal student, but set her sights on Tom Stevens as soon as she met him, and pursued him with an intense – and sometimes reckless – fascination. When he finally approached her after swim practice and told her that he shared her feelings, it was the start of a forbidden and dangerous relationship.
Join Isabel as she makes her way through this dark love story, hiding from teachers, lying to her parents, and defying the authorities to make a life with the man she loves. Watch as she discovers the wonders of love and romance, and the terrible betrayal of jealous friends. And cry with her when she learns the hard truth about life and the people in her world. Sweetest Taboo is inspired by the true and tragic stories of students who fall in love with their teachers, and live with the hard truths of forbidden romances. In a world full of after-school specials on sexual predators, this touching book seeks a different path, casting both student and teacher in a gentle light, and showing that true love may lie at the base of even the most illicit romance.

My Rating

My Review

Sweetest Taboo. A name that intrigued me from the start, coupled with a story that was beautiful and amazing. While reading this book, I was completely hooked. Initially, I thought that this book would merely consist of how she fell for him and vice versa with a lot of flirting and tension along the way. But from the moment I read the prologue, I knew it was going to be something different, and I truly enjoyed it.

I find that I am able to identify with Isabel in many ways. Maybe its because like her, I’ve always preferred older guys. Or maybe I just like the way she approaches the relationship between her and Tom. It was truly something very down-to-earth and very realistic. I found myself believing most of what had gone on in the book, which did add to my enjoyment of it. As for Tom, I do think that he is incredibly sweet. Through it all, he always stuck by Isabel, and while I do admit that even I doubted him for a while at the end, I’m glad to say I was proven wrong.

The love between Isabel and Tom, while not commonly witnessed, is something very believable. The taboo nature of the relationship made the book even more interesting to read about, simply because not many books talk about so taboo a relationship. And perhaps its just me, but I’ve never seen anything wrong with an adult having a relationship with a minor. As long as the minor made her own decision and what they have is real, I think its beautiful either way. After all, love knows no age, so why should we use something so minor to stop two people meant for each other from being together?

I really liked Isabel while reading the book. I felt that even at a tender age of 15, she did know her own mind. She wasn’t a normal immature teenager. Yes, there were times when I couldn’t stand her behavior, her thinking. But other than that, I found her extremely mature. Especially how she handled her relationship with Tom. As difficult as it was, I thought she dealt with it amazingly well, given that she was at that age.

I did especially love what Isabel did towards the end of the book when she finally took a stand. No matter how difficult it was, she decided to say, enough was enough and made that stand. I also love how we saw she matured throughout the entire book, going from a somewhat self-centered teenager (but still rather mature), to someone who truly cared about others and finally took a stand for herself.

There’s nothing much I can really talk about the plot. Essentially, it explores the relationship between Tom and Isabel, and at the same time, giving us more detailed views into their characters as the book progressed. I found it to be simple, yet good. It effectively conveyed the story without using excessive descriptions or other ‘good’ words. Simply put, the story was told to us, honest yet beautifully.

There was something I didn’t really get though. I felt that there should have been a little more about how Tom fell for her. I mean, it did seem a little weird that all of a sudden, a teacher could fall for his student. Personally, I felt that maybe more emphasis was needed on that part, because I think this is one instance where ‘we are meant for each other’ or ‘we’re soul mates’ just doesn’t cut it. Yes, none of these phrases were actually used, but the meaning was implied.

Overall, I really did like this book. I did wish it was longer though, so more aspects of their love could be explored. This is certainly a book that shows that love defies all boundaries, even age. Sometimes, love just happens, and it can happen at any age, at any time. Truly, this was an excellent romance, one that I think should be read! Am definitely looking forward to the sequel next year! At least, that’s what Ms. Marquez’s website stated!

P.S. Do forgive me for this review. I’m not feeling entirely well, and hence, am unable to really think properly! I did want to complete a review before I slept though! I do realize there’s quite a lot of repetition here so I do apologise!