The Teacher Inside Me

by Anthony Auswat

A forbidden student-teacher obsession. A gay coming-of-age thriller. A story that lingers like a bruise you can't stop touching.

"So well-written and so well-paced.... You might be able to finish this in one sitting too."
—Reedsy Discovery

Liam is just trying to finish high school and keep his secrets to himself. Mr. Hilton, his English teacher, is everything Liam shouldn’t want—straight, married, and way off-limits—but possibly...interested. What starts as an innocent crush blurs into something more real, more intense, and more dangerous than either of them can control.

Because some lines should not be crossed. Some lessons can't be unlearned. And some desires come at a terrible price.

Originally racking up 2.6 million reads by a global audience on Wattpad before it was banned, this newly revised and completely uncensored edition invites you back into the shadows—rawer, deeper, and more haunting than ever.

The Teacher Inside Me is an emotionally charged LGBTQ+ psychological thriller about longing, power, and the darkness within us all.

Perfect for fans of:
– dark academia tangled with forbidden gay romance
– age-gap obsession filled with dangerous twists
– m/m dark romance with psychological depth
– literary queer fiction for adults
– contemporary banned novels
– vintage pulp fiction paperbacks
– narratives that subvert reader expectations
– stories about gay men told from a gay male perspective

This is the book they tried to bury—but The Teacher Inside Me is too disruptive to ever disappear.

--

Content Warning: This book contains mature subject matter, including strong language, "adult" situations, violence, disturbing imagery, and emotionally intense scenes. Reader discretion is advised.

Genres: LGBT, M M Romance, Fiction, Dark, Thriller

322 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 11, 2025

About the author

Anthony Auswat is the author of dark, demented, and deeply gay thrillers, including "The Teacher Inside Me" and "Hunter’s Hidden Camera"—which together racked up more than three million reads on Wattpad before being banned. He lives in California, where he writes under a pen name to protect the guilty, hide from his bosses, and get away with murder.

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gather round, friends, for a cautionary tale. It's a tale as old as time. You know the saying, "Curiosity killed the cat"? Well, that was me with this book ☠️

In an effort to try to branch out and read some lesser-known books/new authors, I let the blurb for this suck me in. Read it for yourself. Super compelling, right? Who doesn't want to read the book in the blurb? Unfortunately, what was promised was not what was delivered, and my expectations were not met to say the least 😅

I try to give debut authors some grace, and I don't just want to point out all the bad things, but aside from the premise and blurb, I'm having trouble finding a lot of praise to give 😬 Not every book is for every person, and maybe this book just wasn't for me, so if the blurb compels you, give it a shot. Who knows, maybe you'll love it 🤷🏼‍♀️ If you want to know why it didn't work for me and why it might not work for you, read on, but be warned - there are SPOILERS AHEAD 🚨

• This is NOT a romance. The book is being promoted as a gay thriller, but it is tagged under MM Romance as well, so just note that if you're looking for romance, you're not going to find it here. You're also not going to find much smut either if that's what you're looking for. There's only a handful of pages with sexual content between the MCs and all of it is BAD. Lots of questionable decisions. Trust me. If that's why you're reading this, move on 😂 It was all off-putting. Maybe that was the point? IDK. I hated it regardless.

• The writing was not great. The sentence structure and overall vibe was very basic. The dialogue was often immature and cringey. There were typos throughout as well. While topics were mature in nature, the writing was middle grade at best. Below is an excerpt that not only highlights my point about the writing but other choices as well 😅

“Hey, did you guys do the Calculus homework?” Andrew approaches us.
“Yeah. Did you?” Lucy answers.
“I didn’t finish it. It’s too hard. I highkey hate Calculus.” Andrew is holding the homework assignment in his hand.
Lucy smirks. “You’re Asian. Aren’t you supposed to be good at math?”
“Ha. Ha. You’re a girl. Aren’t you supposed to be making me a sandwich?”

• The characters are terrible (see above). There's not a likable one in the bunch. They're all dumb as rocks, and I hated them all. Even the "mature" teacher acted like he was still in high school himself. There's also a character named Dixie, which was obviously meant to be a bad name but... you still have to read the name Dixie sooooo many times 🫠

• The chemistry between the MCs was NON-EXISTENT. There was literally no reason for this story to have happened. I don't understand why anyone liked anyone or went along with what anyone else was doing 😂

• I didn't care for how the word autistic was used in relation to Liam. If it was supposed to be autism rep, it was not good at all 🚫

• If you're looking for an edge of your seat nail-biter, look elsewhere, because if you have two brain cells to rub together, you won't find a thriller here. With even a teeny bit of foresight, you'll be surprised by exactly nothing that happens in this book, except for maybe the places that the teacher dude will jerk off 🤣 The only thing that thrilled me was finishing this book so I could move on and forget I ever read it.

Looking back, should I have DNF'd? Absolutely! But at what cost? Leaving you all to possibly suffer my same fate? No. My civic duty is now complete. I've spent far too long writing this stupid review to go back now. There's probably a lot more I could say, but I've already wasted too much time and brain power on this to write more 🙃

[Amy Peters · Rating 5 out of 5]

*ARC Review* just want to start this off by saying a big thank you to Anthony Auswat for allowing me to read this in return for an honest review

This book felt like a hurricane there was no slow burn every page was just filled to the brim with so much going on! And I loved every single second! I was initially drawn to this book purely because it’s banned on Wattpad and any banned books need to be added to my tbr list straight away!!

It kind of starts off giving taboo teacher & student, dark romance vibes but very quickly turns into a suspense/thriller, this author literally just mixed up two of my favourite genres and can honestly say that if I didn’t have kids, I would’ve finished this in one sitting!

This was my first M/M and I’m so happy that this was the book to pop my lqbtq+ storyline cherry! It was so hot and raunchy at times yet so shocking! In the beginning, I couldn’t work out who was grooming who🤣 honestly this book was a whole arse rollercoaster! And I was living for it!! Definitely recommend everybody to read the teacher inside me!

[Víctor Muesa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Por si el último año del instituto no fuera, ya de por sí, bastante jodido, Liam, el protagonista de “The Teacher Inside Me”, tiene que compaginarlo con unos padres alcohólicos, con vivir en un lugar del que cada día desea poder escapar y con el peor tipo de homofobia que existe: la interiorizada. La guinda de todo ese pastel es el Sr. Hilton; ese profesor idealizado y objeto de infinitas fantasías, que sólo necesita una mirada para hacerte estremecer… en más de un sentido.

Y aunque fue ese toque homoerótico lo que me hizo querer leer esta novela, una vez leída, ha resultado no ser uno de sus elementos principales. Para empezar, “The Teacher Inside Me” es un thriller psicológico repleto de situaciones extremas y de violencia. Cierto, en más de una ocasión, la violencia y el sexo son dos caras de la misma moneda en la novela de Anthony Auswat. Por otra parte, “The Teacher Inside Me” es una historia sobre lo realmente difícil que es aceptarse a uno mismo. Y es que, además de tratar con bastante acierto la homofobia interiorizada como obstáculo para la aceptación de tu propia identidad y orientación sexual, el libro también nos muestra el viaje hacia la aceptación de nuestro lado más oscuro como seres humanos con capacidad de decidir si hacer lo correcto… o hacer lo que hay que hacer.

A pesar de que algunos elementos no me han terminado de convencer (algún personaje secundario, alguna trama demasiado juvenil…), “The Teacher Inside Me” mezcla con acierto distintos géneros y es una lectura bastante entretenida, que te mantendrá en tensión hasta el final.

[Fae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anthony Auswat’s novel, The Teacher Inside Me, got banned from Wattpad after a whole boatload of reads. It’s a gripping, well-written, and roller coaster ride of a novel about a problematic teacher and a student who is in completely over his head.

Crossing literally all of the hard lines for what I want to read, personally as an educator, I struggled at first because the depictions of the developing relationship made me so uncomfortable. I pushed through to the part of the book where everything goes sideways, and honestly found that part easier to read.

What This Book is (Thankfully) NOT

This is not a story glorifying some fetishization of a student/teacher relationship. It’s a caution. This is not an MM romance. It’s a gay psychological thriller. Please be aware.

I struggled through the first 30 to 40% of this book due to the obvious predatory behavior from the teacher, Mr. Hilton. Right from the start, I sensed that there was something else going on. The student, Liam, is fixated on Mr. Hilton. And maybe he’s on the spectrum. Maybe his feelings have been broadcast live and in person every day, front row, to the object of his fixation. While his feelings are naive and confused, Mr. Hilton’s are not.

Beyond it being a completely taboo relationship, Mr. Hilton is a deeply flawed character. Mentally unstable, manipulative, evil. He really is the darkness. This gay thriller will take you on an absolute roller-coaster of a ride.

The story is a warning, a cautionary tale about what can happen when unstable, emotionally manipulative people with a huge dark side orchestrate opportunities and take advantage of young people who aren’t emotionally mature enough to know better.

Invited to Review

The author of this book reached out to me to invite me to read it. And hey, you know what? I read some highly raunchy things. But I discovered that reading something that depicts a teacher knowingly manipulating his way into inappropriate situations with a(n) (of age) high school student might be one of my only hard limits when it comes to reading material.

Plot

As a teacher, I find nothing thrilling about a predatory relationship between an adult teacher and a student. It doesn’t matter in my state if the student is 18 when in the relationship. The teacher would still lose their license and be in jail.

That power balance is why, and Mr. Hilton uses that to his full advantage here, seeing a sick sort of opportunity with Liam.

Liam is fixated on Mr. Hilton. Mr. Hilton asks him to come by his classroom, and Liam overhears him on the phone with his wife, talking her through an intimate moment. Liam walks right, right into it with his heart eyes on full display, unable to see the situation for what it is. Soon after, Mr. Hilton “accidentally” sends Liam an inappropriate picture.

Hired to tutor Mr. Hilton’s young wife, he enters into situation after situation where Mr. Hilton tempts him, teases him with vaguely inappropriate peeks into his life. To readers, this part is uncomfortable because of how transparent a manipulation it is. But Liam, he’s his own worst enemy. He doesn’t know enough, he’s socially awkward enough, he’s just hopeful enough, to overlook the obvious setup. He just sees an opportunity to live out his fantasy. That’s exactly what Mr. Hilton wants him to see.

Things take a sinister turn fairly quickly. But Liam is riding high on his first sexual encounters, so he ignores the massive and plentiful red flags. How much of what happens is exactly what Mr. Hilton set up to happen, and how much is him taking advantage of the situation? You’ll have to read to decide for yourself.

Theme Exploration

The Teacher Inside Me explores complex themes through flawed character depictions and the pitfalls of believing unreliable narrators.

Inadvisable Fixations vs. Unrequited Love

Some fixations should be avoided. Some love should remain unrequited. The facts are, Liam probably made his fixation well known long before Mr. Hilton was able to take advantage of it. Readers don’t know the lead-up to the beginning of the novel. Was their marriage already on the rocks? Regardless, seemingly straight Mr. Hilton recognizes Liam’s feelings. It would have been better for Liam to ignore his growing interest in his teacher, recognize the inappropriateness of it, and, as his sister’s favorite movie suggests, Let It Go.

The Destructive Nature of Passion

Passion can be violent, dangerous. It can be sensual, overwhelming lust. The lines blur when emotions are high. But in this, we see characters lose control of their passions. And then try to make justifications to themselves and others. Try to manipulate the situation so people believe what they’re selling. Passion also manifests in Liam’s family dynamics. Both parents alcoholics; they are driven not by their intellect, not by their great success in life, but by their impulses. Liam often bears the burden of dealing with them both: his mother’s depressive episodes when drinking, his father’s anger and violence, he’s the victim of their passion and ultimately their lack of impulse control.

Emotional Maturity is Important

Adults ruled by their emotions make excuses. They say they just lose control, they can’t hep it, can’t control their impulses. The characters in The Teacher in Me are often emotionally immature, making decisions that someone in full control would not. Mr. Hilton presents his instability early, early on. The minute he waves his gun in Liam’s father’s face, that should set off every alarm in Liam’s head. But Liam’s parents are emotionally immature too. He isn’t learning from adults who could help him develop his own emotional maturity, the ability to reflect and understand both his and other’s motivations. And that’s almost his downfall.

Internalized Homophobia

There are a lot of slurs tossed around in this book, from adults, from students, and even Liam directed at himself and others. Liam is uncomfortable being gay, has gotten nothing but negative comments about gay people from his parents and his peers his whole life. It’s only logical that a large part of his struggle is internal. He has to come to terms with himself and let go of the internalized homophobia. Beyond the more critical and perilous challenges in the story, the personal growth Liam goes through is the most rewarding to see through to the end.

One must ask how much of Liam’s inappropriate fixation on someone who should never be a possible partner is a result of is deep internalized homophobia? Mr. Hilton, were he an upstanding and professional educator and not an unhinged manipulator, would never pursue anything with Liam. He should be a “safe” fixation, in Liam’s inexperienced eyes. Which makes it all the more disgusting that Mr. Hilton uses Liam to orchestrate and ultimately cover up terrible things.

Glows

Incredible Writing

I can’t believe this story was on Wattpad, but I don’t mean that in the way you’re thinking. The writing, the story, the twists and turns, it’s just impeccably good. The foreshadowing is spot on, and woah. It’s such a good story. It’s brilliant, way too good for Wattpad, and I hope this author has a spectacular launch to this book.

Chekhov

Chekhov’s Gun, folks. If something is in a story, it must be used or important in some way. Right? So I have to commend the author���s use of a Chekhov play to tie in important themes, provide important foreshadowing, and set the overall mood. Indeed, if you look at some of the major themes present in The Seagull by Chekhov, The Teacher Inside Me mirrors many of the important elements of the human existence that the play does. Master class, really.

Grows

Uncomfortable Intimate Scenes

I understand why the intimate scenes needed to be on page, but because the relationship is so very hard limit for me, I found the part of the book leading up to everything falling apart way more disturbing than the actual thriller part of the book. It’s a tough read through that part of the book, not going to lie. But ultimately, it’s a warning about why a young person should never pursue a relationship with someone who has so much more power, someone in a position of authority. It has every potential of resulting in something awful, as Liam finds out here.

Recommendation

I highly recommend this book. I think readers of psychological thrillers will like it more than MM romance readers. For MM romance readers, this might not hit all your buttons. The story might even trigger some. I suggest learning about the plot before reading. Don’t spoil the book, but it might be a good idea to know a little about it.

Overall

This story impressed me. It surprised me, made me uncomfortable, and ultimately had me rooting for Liam, hoping he’d overcome and come out the victor.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Sussu {Romance Obsessed} · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dnf at about 23%
I normally don't rate dnfs but this book unfortunately warrants an exception.
I honestly kinda checked out after the use of the r word slur (it was spoken by a jock and I get that it shows he's ignorant), the f slur, the racism and homophobia of someone's dad regarding a guy with darker skin from California, it was a crunchy read.

Also what's up with the word "autistic" being thrown around in a negative connotation?
Like "I don't like him, he's weird"
"no, he's fine, he's just autistic."

This honestly, this reads like it's a preteen group chat from the mid 2000s with the type of "edgy" language and crude sentence structure used.

I also like to be kinder towards debut authors, but I really think that this book should be edited before it fully releases.
I'm not trying to be mean, but there were so many things wrong with it, the story has no flow and it's not well written. Its watpadd roots are showing, and could have benefitted from a salon touch-up.

[Kendrix · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Reedsy for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I think a more apt title for this book should be Chekhov’s Gun, because my oh my, everything that was set up early in the book was satisfyingly paid off: from the gun, to the concept of karma, to the forbidden desires, to even the manifestation of teenage angst in the form of a metaphorical darkness. This was so well-written and so well-paced that I couldn’t help but finish it in its entirety in about 6 hours of non-stop reading. IT IS THAT GOOD AND THAT NAIL-BITING!

What started off as a regular erotic fiction that centres on a young 18-year old’s crush on his English teacher, developed into something that is so much more, filled with lust, yearning and so many forbidden desires. It goes without saying but this book is HORNY. This world that I had the pleasure of getting to know is so rich and the characters feel so real that I can’t help but wonder if the author is drawing from some real life experience. It’s not just that Liam had a crush on Mr. Hilton and that eventually that crush is reciprocated and the end - that’s the story; on the contrary, Liam’s experience feels lived in. He has conflicts with Mr. Hilton and his wife; his close friends; and his family members - and those conflicts are so well-designed and placed that you can see why Liam is the way he is and how he is justified in making the choices that he made throughout the story.

But it is not just a straightforward journey into the darkness either. We are prompted to celebrate his triumphs with him when he confronted his abusive father for the first time when he struck his sister, and we are also there with him when he is dropped to his lowest point: when he lost his friend, Andrew and at a separate moment, his home. I think this is how a coming-of-age narrative should be written because Liam’s growth in the book feels so much more believable and organic than most of the manufactured motivations that I’ve seen in other stories. They are never contrived and are always surprisingly pretty well-restrained until the moment calls for Liam to step up and stand up for himself. And to top that off, it’s never just a simple good conquers evil and all is right in the world type of situation either. Liam is highly grey and the choices he makes carry heavy consequences. I previously alluded to a confrontation with his dad for the years of physical abuse, culminating in Liam standing up for his sister and himself - and while the dad cowers initially, in the end, he won because he managed to kick Liam out of the house and turned his entire family against him, leaving him alone in the world.

You might be thinking, for a story that is called A Teacher in Me (pun intended), there is surprisingly lack of information about the eroticism in this review. And that’s because the eroticism only covers the first half of this story and it suddenly shifts into a very exciting psychological thriller in its second half - and boy oh boy, that half kept me on my toes. The yearning for that unforbidden fruit was great - it’s highly sexual, and very graphic. It is very well-done and captures the teenage sexual angst very well. Through Liam’s pursuit of Mr. Hilton, we definitely see hints that Mr. Hilton’s not psychologically sound: we see it in the way he manipulates Liam by encouraging him to exchange secrets with him to enhance their bonds, how he always offers kindness with an underlying motive, and that he always tries to isolate Liam to be in situations where he can’t question his judgment rationally. While oblivious to Liam, these situations make us feel uneasy reading it. And when the Chekhov’s gun finally fires and we have the confirmation that we had always suspected during the confrontation in the mountains, we are not thrown off course because the hints of this personality have been peppered in Mr. Hilton’s character all along. (Side note: unsure whether it is intentional, but Liam almost exclusively calls the teacher Mr. Hilton and never by his first name, Jared, even after they had sex, which invokes the dynamic between Professor Humbert and Lolita, to ensure that the reader never forgets this power dynamic between the two).

Like his father, Mr. Hilton continuously abuses Liam though more subtly and psychologically. Unlike his father, Mr. Hilton seemingly takes on the more submissive role in the abuse in the attempt to give Liam more power and ultimately the illusion of control, i.e. all that happened in the book stems from his choice. But we know that this is all an illusion, because we see that he has been the power player behind the scenes, manipulating situations to ultimately frame Liam for a certain murder this entire time and that, the satisfaction his perverted sexual desires is just an icing on the cake for his nefarious plans. He has the power all along behind the scenes, and we are encouraged to juxtapose this with the loss of power that Liam felt when he is faced with his father’s abuse.

All in all, I love this story and I think it is well-written, well-paced, and well-developed with a very compelling arc that all of our characters go through. If anybody has a chance to read this book, I would highly encourage it. You might be able to finish this in one sitting too.

[Josie Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️I received an ARC copy from Book Sirens in exchange for my honest review.⭐️

I mean this in the best way possible: What the fuck did I just read? I could not put this book down. It was like eating a bag of chips, I just couldn’t stop. I definitely understand why so many people read this book when it was on Wattpad before being banned.

The entire story line is fast paced. There is always something happening. Personally, I love books like this and I tend to steer away from slow burns.

The writing style, small chapters, cliff hangers at the end of every chapter, the one POV. LIAM(I love you) MADE THIS BOOK. Chef’s fucking kiss. 🤌🏼

I will not go into depth on the storyline because I want to avoid spoilers. I also think it’s best to go in blind with this book(like I did)! 🚨BUT please please please make sure you check the trigger warnings. 🚨

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

[Jussu · Rating 5 out of 5]

WHAT. THE. FUCK. DID I JUST READ???? I'm still reeling from the twists and turns – this story is MIND-BLOWING!!! I was completely hooked from start to finish, and those cliffhangers? Chef's kiss, perfection! 😱 I'm kicking myself for not reading it on Wattpad sooner.

°°I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review°°

[Katrina G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Special thanks to the publisher and Book Sirens for providing an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review

3.5 stars

You know those lifetimes movies where there's an impressionable teen that makes some questionable choices, but we overlook those choices because they're just an impressionable teen, and theres that weird/sketchy/skeezy adult who takes advantage of those questionable choices, and then somebody randomly gets murdered even though that shouldn't be relevant to the plot at all, and then we realize that the weird/sketchy/skeezy adult is actually a super duper crazy person that also ends up dead by the end of the movie, and then that impressionable teen moves on as a much smarter and no longer impressionable teen and has a happy ending with no repercussions whatsoever?

That is exactly what this book is. Except it's gay, and a little more graphic as far as the violence goes.

It was a quick read. And I enjoyed it well enough. But I'm going to be honest, the fact that it was banned from wattpad had me thinking this was going to be way darker and pretty bonkers compared to what it actually was.

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a lot!!!!! I was happily cheering on the cheating, age gap, m/m relationship, when things took several dark turns. This was way more than a romance. It is the exposure of some psychotic behaviors that don't end well for all those with nefarious intentions. . What a rollercoaster of emotions and gaslighting mind benders. Fear, laughter, new beginnings . I voluntarily read a free copy of this book provided by book sirens and am giving an honest opinion.

[Lisa King · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would say it was a 3 1/2 star read.

This is the first book I’ve read about a gay couple and I enjoyed it.

It was an easy read and the story line was fun but a little far fetched.

The character of Mr Hilton was written really well as was Liam.
It shows how hard teenage years can be and how confusing life can be. Teachers play an important role in a teens life but it would be easy to manipulate a situation with a confused teen that doesn’t know where he fits in, has a hard home life and is confused about his sexuality and coming out.

I’m glad I read this book and would read another book by this author. A good pallet cleanser

[Stacey T · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a gripping and intense tale of two individuals with opposing agendas. Liam, a high school senior, faces the harsh reality of having alcoholic and abusive parents while fiercely protecting his special needs sister from their destructive behavior. He grapples with his own identity, struggling to come to terms with his homosexuality and unable to confide even in his closest friend. As his secret attraction to his English teacher intensifies, Liam finds himself pulled into a perilous situation where he realizes he may be in way over his head. Just as his life begins to spiral out of control, the darkness within him starts to surface, and it may be the only force that can save him and his friends. Mr. Hilton, known as Jared, is passionate about his role as an English teacher. He enjoys the attention he garners from students, but everything shifts when he receives incriminating evidence of his wife’s infidelity. Driven by a thirst for revenge, he decides to manipulate Liam to achieve his goals. As the story intensifies and stakes rise to deadly levels, Jared must navigate a treacherous path to cover his tracks and no one will stand in his way. What begins as an emotional game quickly escalates into a fight for survival—who will emerge unscathed?
This was a new author for me, and I found this novel to be darker and edgier than my usual reads, but it was incredibly engaging. I often found myself rooting for the “darkness” to prevail, contemplating how I wanted the story to unfold. I was satisfied with the outcome, even if some may find it unsettling. The characters were multi-dimensional, though I wish they had been explored a bit more. The skeptic in me easily saw beyond their facades to their true selves. Overall, it was a compelling read about how an older, more experienced individual can manipulate the emotions of a young adult on the brink of adulthood. I look forward to discovering more about the other characters in the second book. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Joel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many good ideas. Not all of them well executed.

I was looking for an erotic M/M story and I kind of find it… but also, I didn’t. Like I already said, The Teacher Inside Me has many good ideas and, while some of them are pretty well developed like both of the main characters, some of them fall behind and just doesn’t work as the author supposed they would like the rest of the characters. And yes, we have sex, drama, relationships, and an interesting mystery, but most of them felt incomplete.

The first ~30% was catchy and good, the tone was good, the dialogues were good, but after that everything started to seem over exaggerated and it was just too much.
The second half of it isn’t as believable as it should be, it’ really predictable, and the main reason that stopped me throwing away the book was the dark relationship between Liam and Hilton.

The chapters are quite short, and the plot is fast paced so it’s easy to keep reading and to finish the book within a few days. However, I think the author lost direction about what he was doing to his own story.
I'm not saying he didn’t know WHERE he was going, actually I'm sure he did. But everything between start-to-finish wasn’t polished enough.

The Best: It has a great exemplification of gaslighting that I wasn’t expecting.

The Worst: I kept waiting for a plot twist that never came.


I received an advance review copy for free via BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Naito Diamond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating debut novels is always a challenge—some authors rush their first drafts into print, while others take time to develop their voice. The Teacher Inside Me by Anthony Auswat clearly falls into the latter category. This psychological thriller, though not what I initially picked it up for (I was expecting a romance), pulled me in with its dark, layered depiction of manipulation and toxic relationships—and it turns out, that’s exactly what I needed.

The story revolves around Liam and his affair with his English teacher, and while the premise leans toward romance, the execution makes it a true psychological thriller. I found the manipulation arc absolutely compelling. The author does a great job of showing how control can be quietly exerted, making the tension simmer just beneath the surface.

There are some rougher edges—certain parts of the dialogue could benefit from more non-verbal cues or physical descriptions to deepen emotional resonance—but even with those imperfections, the manipulation dynamics are solid. While the author markets this as a "dark book," there were moments where the lack of embodied tension made it lean more toward dark comedy than real psychological threat. Still, the potential is evident.

Overall, I was fully invested in the story. Anthony Auswat has something distinct in his voice, and I’ll definitely be watching for future works. If you're into psychological thrillers with toxic twists and moral grayness, The Teacher Inside Me is well worth checking out. A bold and promising debut.

[Joseph Benitez-Egerton · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC REVIEW — Holy shit…..I was not prepared, but in the best way!

The Teacher Inside of Me was everything I didn’t know I needed: dark, twisted, raw — and so freaking addicting. I read it in one sitting and couldn’t tear my eyes away. Liam and Mr. Hilton’s story is taboo and disturbing, but also strangely deeply human in the most haunting way.

This book walks a razor-thin line between desire and destruction — and it does it flawlessly. The forbidden student/teacher dynamic is handled with brutal honesty, showing the psychological cost of obsession, shame, and longing. The twists? Unreal. I was on edge the entire time, guessing, questioning, spiraling.

And the spice?
🔥 PERFECTION.
It’s emotional, intimate, uncomfortable in the right ways — exactly how it should be for a story this charged. Auswat doesn’t shy away from the messiness of power, control, and craving, and the result is unforgettable.

This isn’t a sweet romance. It’s a psychological queer thriller that grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go. This isn’t a typical student/teacher romance. It’s deeper. More dangerous. More haunting. I’ll be thinking about this one for a long time.

⚠️ Content Warnings:
• Age-gap / teacher-student dynamic
• Dub-con/gray consent
• Violence
• Emotional manipulation
• Obsession
• Disturbing imagery
• Strong language & explicit sexual content
• Psychological distress
• Queer identity struggles

If you’re a dark romance fan who lives for morally gray characters and stories that cut deep — this is your next obsession.

[Precious · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am absolutely floored... and shocked... and maybe a little bit traumatized (in a good way)

I came into this book with zero reservations and boy, did this book shake me to the core. This is thriller through and through and as much as it kinda has you spooked it hooks you right in.

I mean here I was getting hot and bothered while suspicious all at once. I've never experienced the type of reactions I had when I read this book. And I'm looking forward to what else this Author puts out.

This is a quick read book that escalates quite moderately. It leaves you questioning the characters in the book and yourself. It is dark as it is entertaining. The plot twists will have you gaping.

For best experience, go in blind. It heightens the suspense.

[Melissa D · Rating 5 out of 5]

The art of manipulation

Like the other reviews mention, this is not a romance.
This is extremely dark coming of age and discovery of self and how trauma and maybe even genetics can shape who you as a person. What you will respond to and what does it for you.
Wanting and falling for someone who is a king in manipulation, craving them. Willing to do anything for them, as long as they return your want.
I really liked this book. It never tried to sweeten what is in fact… not sweet.
The ending that didn’t feel like an ending, but instead like a beginning was a good fit to the book.

[SJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW just WOW! This book was completely unexpected and made a complete mess out of my mind. Here I thought was going to read a naughty forbidden romance with some mystery but got so much more. There was so much suspense and the twists this book took were intense. This was a dark psychological thriller mixed with so many other unexpected elements. I felt like I was on a crazy rollercoaster and didn't know which way was up. I'm glad I went on this wild ride.

[Brittany St Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm very conflicted with my rating. If I'm being honest, I'm jumping between 3-4 stars. Maybe landing right in the middle? I will say, it's written well. Anthony does a great job at storytelling, and I only took "two days" to read because I started at night and fell asleep. Had I not, this is most definitely a one sitting read. My issue is I expected a lot more. This story was banned, so I went in with high hopes of crazy, outrageous, intense sexual tension, etc, and that severely lacked for me. Honestly, there was more MF moments than MM, which is upsetting when you're expecting an MM story. I did jump back and forth on what the outcome would be. Did he/didn't he? Will he just put it all behind him? Is this some crazy gone girl type thing? With how it did end, I do want to get my hands on book 2.

[GreenPhoenix · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Teacher Inside Me is a gripping psychological MM thriller about Liam, a high school student whose intense fascination with his charismatic, straight—and married English teacher spirals into a dangerous obsession. What begins as innocent curiosity escalates into a perilous dance of desire and control, leading Liam into murky territory no one should cross.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Bkwrm24 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars ⭐️

Ummmm, absolutely not at all what I was expecting but surprisingly good!!! It was thrilling, dark and yummy. The story sucked me right in and didn't let go until the very end. I'd recommend.

* I received an ARC from GRR, this is my open and honest review *

[Ellen Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Wow this book was full of twists and turns. It’s not just a salacious forbidden affair, it’s messy and even had me on the edge of my seat. A mix of the confusion of youth minds mixed with untrustworthy adults, and a twist of crime. This book had me gasping at every twist and turn.

[Louise Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A dark psychological thriller is definitely a departure from what I normally read, especially as I rarely choose or enjoy stories without a HEA, but I decided to try this one as the blurb was intriguing and I’m very glad I did. Liam and Mr. Hilton were both messed up to various degrees and I think it will take the next story to really understand Liam even though it was written from his POV. I don’t disagree with most of his actions but I’m unsure if that says more about him or me! I was hooked from start to finish, the story feels me in and I didn’t really want it to end.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good but strange book for me. Liam is in high school & in love with one of his teachers. He is a very strange introverted boy & I found him to be a mystery to me. I cannot get into detail about this book but if you like darkness in a thriller this could be one for you. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Belinda Zamora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow

This was unexpected in the best way possible.
There's lust, questionable morals, power imbalance, and a dark, thrilling mystery filled with twists and turns.

[Kelsey Rhodes · Rating 4 out of 5]

F*ck Mr. Hilton! That's it. I have to be very careful not to spoil the plot here, but just trust me. Mr. Hilton is the worst! Note: this is a psychological thriller and not a romance. Buckle up, because it is going to be a wild ride. Very well written.

[M L R · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not sure I have fitting words about this read… so I’ll start with it’s NOT a romance…but there is lust and there are crushes. It’s equal parts a thrill ride and zany. I’m not sure there’s any gray in some of the character’s morals or actions…there are some bad folks that do bad things but there is a lot of goodness throughout too. Any there is karma. I shook my head in some parts and cheered others.

No spoilers but I’m giving this wild ride 5 stars because it brought me out of a many months long slump…I read it start to finish in one sitting. Couldn’t put it down and I know I’ll be thinking about it.

[M. B.]

I am so sad to say that I had to dnf’d this book. I received an ARC. I usually wouldn’t rate or review a dnf.

I made it to chapter 10. I love teacher-student romances. I love the forbidden aspect and I’m all for age-gaps.
But the book gave me the icks.


The teacher, Mr. Hilton has phone sex at school with his wife. It started in the classroom and finished in the bathroom.
He invites Liam to his home to tutor his wife in maths, because she also wants to become a teacher. Alright with the tutoring, but why at home…

Then they exchange phone numbers and Liam accidentally gets a dick pic from him.
I mean if you want to send those, go for it. But as a teacher who has his students phone number… double and triple check!
Also I would’ve maybe believed it after they texted for a while but they just exchanged numbers.

Anyway, Liam goes and because the wife (who is a former student) feels insecure around a school kid, Mr. Hilton does something sexual to her to make her believe that he isn’t sexually interested in one of his male students. All while the student is in his home presumably in the bathroom.
And I had to stop at that point.


I was actually quite interested in the overall story. Liam is coming from a very troubled home and I could see something like that being a part in how he got close with his teacher.

But the most unprofessional way the teacher behaved just threw me off so much that I only felt grossed out and I couldn’t continue and read about them getting together.

[Cody James · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was wild but in the best way? Like everything about this book had been GRIPPED to the point I found myself telling my coworkers about it