Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for my honest review.

This was not an easy read and super disturbing. But the introspective writing was beautiful and the story was compelling. The author was groomed and preyed upon by her English teacher when she was a senior in high school, and this book is all about their “relationship”. It was interesting to hear her thoughts as a teenager about how she viewed their situation - so different from how she views it now. A great, if upsetting, read. Four stars.

Utterly heartbreaking! I hate to say that Tampa is one of my favorite books and my most recommended book. Now that I have read a true account I feel so guilty that I enjoyed a fictional account. This book is heartbreaking and eye opening, everyone should read this because it’s a perfect way to show a victim that is overcoming her trauma and is owning her story no matter how awful it is. The only warning I have is not to read it all at once, it left me in a funk after and I had to read something light hearted after

Alisson Wood's memoir detailing her years-long relationship with her high school English teacher is an honest look at his inappropriate behavior with her while she was a high school senior, their relationship after she graduated and entered college, and the abusive nature of his love for her throughout this time set against the story of Lolita, a book Mr. North worshiped.

As with all memoirs containing sensitive material and abuse, I often struggle with finding the words to express my thoughts post-read. I can say with certainty that Wood is a gifted writer, and I am honored she not only shared her experience with the world through this novel, but that she has also dedicated herself to helping other teenagers and teaching young minds.

A powerful and quick read I am glad to have had a chance to review before publication.

I found this book to be both heartbreaking and empowering. I found myself wanting to yell at the young narrator and rooting for her once she was able to look at their relationship from a different perspective. It was very clear that the teacher took advantage of her and I hope he is living a miserible life now! It was easy for me to relate to Ali because when i was younger I could easily see myself falling for a similar situation. It is sickening to think of an educator taking advantage of a student. I would highly recommend it to friends.It was also a very quick read.

This is one of those books that’s very hard to review, as the subject is a hard one, but the writing itself is amazing! If you are the time that is easily triggered, I’m not sure I would read this book. It’s a very heart wrenching, emotional read, that will definitely mess with your emotions, heart, and soul! It’s one if the best written books I’ve ever read, and truly is beautifully written, but the subject is a tough one to digest. So, if you are like me, and can handle the subject, can see the beautiful writing behind the sad story, then I highly recommend!

Being Lolita documents a sad. harrowing tale. A young high school girl, already having a host of issues, who is vulnerable and insecure, is preyed upon by her teacher. He was a predator who smelled fresh prey when he saw her. He is utterly contemptible and probably still on the prowl. The affair lasted into Alison's first year in college. I understand her loneliness while she shut everyone else out to focus on him. Fortunately she broke it off. She teaches the novel to her students and referred to it incessantly in her story. Every young teenage girl who thinks a single good looking teacher really loves her needs to read this book.

Very well written memoir. I kept wanting to know what happened next. I didn't stop reading the book until I finished.

The author wrote about a relationship she had with a teacher while still in high school, it's progression after she graduated, and her life after the relationship ended. Alisson's teacher compared their relationship to the one told in Nabokov's Lolita.

It's definitely one that I'd suggest come with a trigger warning for sexual and verbal abuse.

I was curious about this book as I read Lolita a couple of years ago and was nauseated and creeped out. Alisson Wood has written a very brave and insightful book about being groomed be a high school teacher and the long lasting effects of that relationship. The sadness of what she gave up with family and school experiences was almost overwhelming. But Ms. Wood took control of her life and her experiences gave her the insight and empathy to help teen girls. I do not think her experience is a rare one. It certainly happened at my high school in mid-70s Iowa and it is not uncommon to hear on the news that a teacher has been fired for inappropriate relationship with a student. More protections need to be put in place. I highly recommend this book. It is going to stay with me for awhile.

Someone once told me “Every Love Story is Beautiful”? Is that so? What about tortured love?

To begin with, “Being Lolita’’ is a memoir of the author's life story from young to adolescent. Her memoir was laid in the backdrop of a famous and controversial book of the times “Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov”. Some view Lolita as a forbidden love story between an adult and a child, while others view with disgust, argued that this NOT love! It’s abuse and crime!

No doubt, I too see the story as an inexcusable crime, repulsive and darkly human. Lies within the chapters is a heavy message about a young girl; destitute, despair, and downtrodden seeking solace for acceptance, approval, and affection. Alisson, her name became “Lolita” when she met “him-the teacher”. The teacher also known as Mr. North crossed paths with her in her high school years. In her eyes, he was like a shining armor treading upon Alisson’s path of darkness. He encouraged, befriended, and showed her what she could be for the future. The interactions between them were private making Alisson feel flattered and specials. Alisson let her guard down.

He groomed her…. And she walked on the path he so secretly laid….

Isn’t it romantic? Mr. North continues to influence the young Alisson, their secret love, and becoming forbidden love; resembling the grim love affair in the book Lolita. Their secret relationship grew darker each time when months passed and years went by. Despite the hideous, Alisson excelled in school, her talent in the writing with the help of the Teacher came off with flying colors landing her graduation from high school, college, and going forward. However, their relationship changed from nurture, romance to cult-like, torture love. Intense arguments and fights between them got ugly from time to time. The control from Mr. North gripping harder on Alisson, suffocating her.

The storyline may feel mundane as it reaches the middle part. In between pages, sexual intimacy was rawly described. Then, comes alive again when Mr. North reached the end and loses self-control. He lashed out on her when she questioned and wronged him for his beliefs.

It was then, Alisson realized, an instinctual feeling that something’s not right…... She needs to get out of this!

The prose of literature was artfully composed in between text. It’s a beautiful balance of complexity and simplicity. A true journey, an honest account, by the author’s reflection of her younger life, how she survived and thrived from tortured love which she mistakenly took as genuine love…...

Ms. Wood’s story deserves an acknowledgment and should be a vindication for many women who were abused, hurt, and deceived. What do you think? Is tortured love still love?
What I know for sure, someone out there needs to hear this story………..I would like to share it.

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✶ / 5 (4.5 out of 5)

*Thank you Flatiron through NetGalley for the ARC

“Being Lolita” is the memoir of a woman who was groomed and preyed on by one of her high school teachers. Wood’s memoir spans the length of her relationship with her version of Humbert.

When I began reading this book, I was slightly put off by the extremely short chapters, but I eventually adapted to the cadence of the story. The subject matter is, of course, heavy, but Wood does a good job of sharing the story as she experienced it as a teenager. While the relationship between Wood and her teacher was clearly abusive and predatory, she didn’t have that same clarity as a teenager, and that comes through in the memoir.

I did feel that the transition to the end of the memoir was not as smooth as it could be. It feels like Wood is eager to share her adult insights about her experience as “Lolita” when the story doesn’t really show the work it took to arrive at those solutions.

Although reading Lolita isn’t a pre-requisite for this memoir, I would recommend at least familiarizing yourself with the novel before you begin Woods’ book. Overall, if you are interested in memoirs about teenage trauma and growth, this is worth checking out.

This book was wonderful, but also very sad. When I was younger, I always hoped I would be someone's Lolita, now seeing what she has gone through, I was lucky that was never my fate. I love that she bounced back and overcame so much that he put her through. Not to mention, his obsessive behavior. Wow. The only thing that I wish we the reader could have seen, was his aftermath. I get that she didn't seek him out again, etc but the curiosity in me wanted to know.

Absolutely loved this book! Reading this on the heels of "My Dark Vanessa," this book gives a more human look and approach to being groomed and manipulated. Alisson Wood's professor said it best, "sad, but sharp." I can definitely see this book becoming part of Reese Witherspoon's book club.

I think this would be a very important book for young teens to read. As a grown woman reading this I could see the grooming, but still in the end there are times when I question the teacher feelings.
That is how well written this is.

I loved this book. For starters, it’s beautifully written. The language is the perfect level of complexity: not so simple that the words fall flat, but not so intricate that the sentences overpower the inherent strength of the story.

The way that the novel is structured is brilliant as well. It's how Nabokov structured Lolita, but with a crucial twist. In addition, parallels to Lolita are expertly woven throughout the book -- Wood's analysis of what has been dubbed a great "love" story is incredibly insightful and necessary.

And, most importantly, I was rooting for Wood. I so desperately wanted her to learn, to grow, and to overcome. I truly cared.

I read this on an iPad, but it's one of those books that's so powerful I'll likely purchase a physical copy as well.

Thanks a ton to Flatiron Books, Alisson Wood, and NetGalley for the ARC!

*Many thanks to Flatiron Books, NetGalley, and Alisson Wood for an ARC of this book!*

Raw, engrossing, and unputdownable! Being Lolita is a journey through Alisson Wood's experiences as a teenager and young woman, from her descent as the idealized 'nymphet' created by the grooming of her teacher Mr. North's Humbert Humbert to the poised, strong and unabashedly honest woman she is today.

This memoir is completely consuming---I finished it in a matter of hours! Wood manages to handle such delicate topics and complicated emotions with effortless ability. Not once does she idealize her abuser, even in her reflections of her past, but she still manages to give the reader a sense of how easily a situation can spiral and how quickly innocence can be stolen with the right words and actions. This book also incorporates a fascinating study of the source material Lolita itself, with plenty of exploration of context, origin, and allusions used in Nabokov's work which is interesting in its own right.

This is one of the most unique and fast-paced memoirs I've ever read, and I would strongly recommend it to anyone interested in the concept of Lolita, as long as sensitive topics discussed in the book are not triggering to you. An essentially important conversation to be had, and kudos to Alisson Wood for taking this step and sharing her story! 4.5

An intense, distressing book that should be required for anyone interested in Lolita or #metoo. Alisson Wood takes us through a terrifying and strange journey in which she is groomed and abused by her teacher, "Mr. North." Beautifully written and well-paced. I finished it all in one sitting. Would make a great book club discussion.

This was an easy read. I feel funny saying I "enjoyed it" given the book is about an abusive relationship, but I was invested in the story. Very well written.

This book is different than any I’ve ever read. It’s a quick read but it’s incredibly well-written and literary. I felt like I was talking with Alisson the entire time—not that I was reading her story. She manages to combine her experience and beautiful language in a way that feels like you’re in a high level English class. The amount of self reflection and awareness in this memoir is amazing. There is so much growth and insight into the relationship between Alisson and the teacher. Highly recommend.

Being Lolita is a different read for me. I enjoy reading this book. This is the second Memoir I read this year that I enjoyed. When it's published I will be purchasing a physical copy of this book. I need a physical copy on hand. I couldn't put it down. It flowed so smoothly. It's raw, emotional, vulnerable, and efficacious book. I love a memoir that reads like a novel. It kept my interest. Majoring in psychology I get to read about a teen who suffered from abuse from someone way older than Lolita that had no business being involved with her. I really felt for Lolita the manipulation, the abuse, how he hurts her every time you can only imagine the mental she suffers from. I really feel like this should be a English read in high school and college because what Lolita went through can damage someone mentally. I would recommend this book especially to young women. I'm quite sure some of us then crushed on or professors are teachers who we even had a fantasy of being involved with. But nobody deserves that at all. A person older will always manipulate but that's more damaging than anything. Well done such and amazing read the rawness that was delivered is what kept me reading. Thank you Net galley for granting me the early access to read this one. This is one book that I would talk about when being asked what my favorite memoir is.

Being Lolita is a more a story of abuse than it is about a loss of innocence. Set in the early 2000s, before the #MeToo movement, it's hard to believe that the author was unaware of the abuse of power the Teacher had over her. Read today, it makes me angry. Read through the lens of my own experiences, I understand how it could happen. Ali, as she is called throughout the book, is a high school student, already reeling from a year in an alternative school, with a history of depression and cutting. Gifted in language arts, she is assigned to a creative writing class with Mr North, a new teacher to the school. He is young, and in her eyes cute, and she develops a crush on him. He gifts her a copy of Nabokov's Lolita and says it reminds him of her.
This book is written in a casual prose style - it reads like a novel. Where the book takes a turn into the surreal for me is how a high school senior, who has a history of insomnia and late arrivals to school, is so unsupervised in her home life that nightly meetings at diners and coffee shops go entirely unnoticed by her family. There is mention of a younger sister and parents, but off-the-cuff pronouncements about 'studying with friends' go unchallenged.
When she turns 18, then graduates from high school, Ali thinks it will be ok for their relationship to go public - he resists and maintains the secrecy. When the relationship turn to sex, he hurts her every time. She still doesn't break away. She had also committed to attending university in Ithaca where he claimed to be moving to continue his own graduate work at Cornell, The abuse of power is so overwhelming. I feel bad about what the author experienced, but I am horrified that not one person intervened.
This book is well written and there is a sort of happy ending. My wish for all who read it recognize that it is a cautionary tale, not a romance.