Untouchable (Empire High Book 1)

*****Spoilers*****Oh how I hovered over that 3 rating but have to give the book its due. It's well written and grabs you in at the outset which is always good for a book but so much better when it's the first one in the series too. Brooklyn is a 16 year old high school kid whose mother recently passed away so she's shuttled off from Delaware to New York to live with her uncle Jim as her dad has been a no show her entire life and Uncle Jim is the only family she has left. Jim is a janitor at a school for the richest of the rich kids so Brooklyn gets to attend the elite high school for free due to that familial relationship. Four boys at the school make up the Untouchables. Attractive, rich, popular boys, one of which is Matthew. There's just something about him that Brooklyn is losing herself over even though he doesn't even know she exists. Except when he does know who she is, made evident by him helping her when her hand got cut during a job. At some point in the book, we're introduced to a teaser in that Brooklyn is related to one of the kids at the school. I'll pause here to say that Brooklyn was comparing her features with the other kids but I don't actually remember what she looked like, not sure if it was reader or author error. Anyway, Brooklyn isn't sure who she's related to and really needs to know because she's kind of going between two boys, Felix who isn't old rich, attractive, and the school drug dealer, and Matthew who's an Untouchable, gorgeous, and seems to be more open. Throw in mean girls, because what book set in a high school doesn't have some?, and a bunch of teenaged drama and Brooklyn and Matt just can't quite connect.Brooklyn and Matt come together and break so often in this book my head spun, the craziest thing being that they've never publicly displayed whatever it is that's going on between them. Though longing stares, stolen moments in the dark and away from prying eyes are rampant, Matt can't be openly with Brooklyn because he's being blackmailed by uber rich mean girl Isabella who for some reason hates Brooklyn's guts. The who Brooklyn hate because Isabelle saw Brooklyn staring at the Untouchables at lunch was far fetched and not believable. However, perhaps the ending gave us the real reason? Unfortunately Uncle Jim dies of cancer at the end of the book and Brooklyn's father turns up at the funeral. Turns out, Brooklyn and Isabelle are sisters. As to whether or not Brooklyn can stay at the rich school is neatly solved before it can become a huge deal presuming her father continues to sends Brooklyn to that school. But the mean girl who has given Brooklyn nothing but snide remarks is related to her. Couldn't help but feel vindicated at that revelation with how Isabella treated Brooklyn in the book. It'd be nice if Brooklyn rubs it in that Isabella has a sister related to the help.Back to Brooklyn and whatever she's doing with the boys. Felix seems cool but Brooklyn can't help herself around Matt. Matt's her first kiss and wants to be her first everything. Felix is a bad influence on one hand but also open and friendly. Both boys and Brooklyn kiss but even though Brooklyn keeps going back and forth about Matt, she's willing to cut Felix loose at the promise of more fun Matt. Time and again Matt promises, fails to deliver, and Brooklyn keeps letting him back in for more of the same and the cycle continues. Matt corners Brooklyn, promises something, the next day at school Matt ignores Brooklyn, she's bewildered and angry, calls Matt a liar when next they clandestinely meet, and repeat. I gave it a pass in this book because teens, but if I decide to read the next one, I hope that's a thing of the past. It was awful at first, frustrating, then plain annoying. Before Felix, Brooklyn has one friend and that's Kennedy who attends the school on scholarship. Kennedy has lived down the hall from uncle Jim for years and knows him better than Brooklyn. Kennedy hasn't made any friends in the high school the couple of years she's attended and Kennedy and Brooklyn become friends. There may be a crush Kennedy has on Felix that Kennedy denies followed by hinting of something that happened between the two of them freshman year. Maybe more light will be shed in the next book. Mostly though, I wonder what it means for Kennedy and Brooklyn because even though they may not want it to or intend for it to, I'm thinking their relationship will change.

So I went blind on this book based on a recommendation, boyyy did this book made me cry. It’s a complicated story I mean. Brooklyn is grieving and all the book is about her grieving how she is adjusting to her new life. I did not realize this was not a complete book I expected maybe 3 books based on the pase of the book but I just realized it is a 7 book story. I can’t do that. Something about that just gives me anxiety. I am unsure if I will continue the story because to drag a long a story for SEVEN books just seems like too much for me. The plot seemed good but I can already imagine there will be a lot unnecessary chatter in the background and I do love knowing different characters while reading a story but don’t drag it along for such a long time.

I like the storyline and was not expecting a teenage storyline thought it was more if an adult series but intrigued just the same. This is based more on the girl "Brooklyn" then Mathew. So surprisingly when Mathew is rarely in the book at all. I like the characters and will continue onto book two. Let's see where this teenie bopper will go from here after their tragic realization.

How and by whom are these books reviewed at four and five stars? It wasn’t altogether awful, but there were definitely problems that distracted from what could have been a wonderful novel. Overall, I would only recommend this if (1) you don’t mind a cliffhanger and (2) you don’t have to pay for it. I imagine what this could have been—a singular page-turner—and am disappointed. If Ms. Smoak reads this, I hope she remembers that most readers would prefer quality over quantity any day.Please let me know if you found this lengthy review helpful.THE GOODLAURIE WEST – A GREAT NARRATORThe one thing this author did well was select an outstanding narrator. This was the only reason I purchased the audio version. It was also why I likely failed to notice it was yet another “book” that ended in a cliffhanger. So, if you are in the market for an audiobook and don’t mind a cliffhanger, then I would recommend it--maybe. (I will definitely be looking out for other audiobooks narrated by Ms. West.)IT MADE ME FEEL (SPOILER)I actually cried at some parts, because who wants to say goodbye to a wonderful character? Especially when it seems there is so much more to learn from that character. So, well done, Ms. Smoak for writing such a great character. Too bad they weren’t used to their full potential in the plot.THE NOT SO GOODCLIFFHANGERIt's not a complete story. It's a third of one. I don’t typically bother paying for partial stories let alone reading the free, unlimited versions. While a popular writing style, authors rarely seem to implement a trilogy well. When a trilogy follows a single romance/group, there has to be a monumental arc that ties all of the books together well enough to make you want to keep reading as well as include sufficient subplots that are resolved in each book and propel the overarching plot. This is what holds a reader's attention and keeps them invested. This first book in the Untouchables trilogy failed to do that. The ending includes a tantalizing twist that wasn’t unexpected and seemed misplaced. It would have served the storyline so much better if it had been introduced earlier—mid-way or a third of the way in.INCONSISTENT PACEPerhaps due to its format as a trilogy, the story’s pace was just off. The first chapter was promising. The reader quickly learns what has most recently happened in Brooklyn’s life to get her to where she is at present. But this promising start quickly started to unravel. Much like the female protagonist, it just couldn’t make up its mind. The story would start to gain momentum with some action and dialogue only to be halted by long paragraphs of internal dialogue (teen angst). And my invested interest would subsequently fade at an accelerated rate. It felt like the proverbial “one step forward, two steps back.” I ended up skimming most of this narration. It was boring and frustrating. It only weakened the character and plot development the author had thus far accomplished.WEAK FEMALE PROTAGONISTAlthough Brooklyn’s age would lend itself to a certain level of insecurity and ignorance, her status as an only child raised by a single mother would suggest she was more mature than the average teen. At 16, she had already experienced more than most do by their 30s. She was already accustomed to juggling school and work as well as her mother’s declining health and subsequent death. She also had to adjust to ever-evolving living conditions and an uncertain future. While I can appreciate she still had some growing up to do and may have been somewhat sheltered, she also likely worked with adults and picked up a thing or two. It’s difficult for me to believe that she wouldn’t know something tasted off when she had the spiked punch. It was also difficult to believe that her friend wouldn’t have at least mentioned it was spiked. Despite how she was raised and what she had experience, Brooklyn was also too easily manipulated. She feigned a level of ignorance that was rather insulting. There’s a certain level of maturity one must develop quickly in order to cope with such devastating life events. Also, there’s a certain level of growing up an only child of a single parent does beyond those of her peers in more typical or affluent families. Perhaps the author plans for her to grow in this way, I don’t know. On top of this, for all the depth and insight Brooklyn was supposed to have about others, she quickly overlooked their more questionable actions when they simply smiled pretty at her. Really? It just seemed the author wasn’t sure who Brooklyn was and waffled between an unbelievably innocent and unaware schoolgirl to a life-weary, insightful teen on the brink of womanhood. While one could argue that’s the true issue with being a teen, I would say her responses to people weren’t consistent enough to make me think I was simply reading about a teen going through the growing pains.CONSENTWhere was the explicit consent for anything? Couldn’t at least one or two characters actually insist on an explicit yes before kissing, touching anyone else?

I loved this book. It's about Brooklyn who recently has to move to NYC to be with her uncle. She is thrown into a school situation where she is in an elite high school with all the rich kids. She has caught the attention of Matt Caldwell one of the most popular boys in school. Will she give into her attraction to him?

Damn!!! I know that was gonna happen. It crossed my mind but I was like nah it’s not gonna go like that… I thought I liked Penny and James story but this… Brooklyn and Matt 🔥🔥🔥

I couldn’t put this down. I really enjoyed reading this book. Teenage angst, loss, sadness and heartbreak and hot teenage boys. This story has it all. Brooklyn has just endured a family tragedy and now she is living with her Uncle Jim in a new city, attending a new school. The start of a whole new way of life. Unfortunately for Brooklyn, her new school is a private elite school that she is only attending because she has a special privilege as her uncle is the Janitor. She goes about her new life with her new best friend Kennedy. Living in the background unnoticed as the Untouchable privileged high school elite kids go about their dirty deeds. I liked all the characters, Felix seemed like a nice guy but I have a feeling that there is something lurking behind his nice guy persona. Matt, well what can I say, he was everything that Brooklyn wanted. From the first moment she we saw his she was hooked. Unfortunately for her he was one of the elite, but he seems like behind all the secrecy he really is a good guy.

I definitely enjoyed this story. The cover was somewhat misleading as to the content, the age of the characters etc. However, the girl's inside thoughts, her reactions, her doubt are well breastfeeding humorous instances.Very pleasing

I try not to DNF but almost did a few times.Nothing works for me in this book. Heroin is too naive/forgiving and tge hero is empty.Storyline has nothing new and it seems a copypaste of so many other book.Stopping there with this serie.

I reeeeeeeally cannot wait until October I need book 2 now, it’s sooooo good!!!! This book made me fall in love with reading again :)

I loved this book I hoped it was mr Hill was her father and not Isabel father . Not liking the cliff hanger not I have to read book 2