The Boy Who Loved Wicked

3.75

This is an über romantic tale of first love for Phoenix, an intellectually precocious senior in high school, and Sebastian Wicked, his philosophy teacher who's almost double his age and is strapped with some hefty luggage.

On the surface there is plenty of titillating bad wrong (non sexual power dynamics for one) but it's washed over in a tidal wave of the all consuming love felt by the MC, but primarily IMO by Phoenix, which makes sense as he's the newbie to life, love, and relationships.

Overall I enjoyed this and was able to squint through the parts that were questionable. In fact one of the things that make me go hmm? has nothing to do with the plot are current kids, lets say 15 through 20, really that obsessed or versed in 80's & 90's John Hughes teen movies or does it reflect the author's childhood? Not a criticism but rather a genuine curiosity as it's something I've noticed in other books: young people super cultural conversant with the 80's & 90's and is ultimately unimportant.