Surely this relationship is destined to not end well….? Lara quickly becomes besotted with Mr J as he, in turn, seems to take a shine to Lara – listening to her, supporting her and just generally being gorgeous… But no matter what Lara’s feelings there’s no getting away from the fact that Mr J is her teacher and she is his pupil. However, everything looks set to change in Lara’s life with the arrival of her new English teacher and form tutor, Mr Jagger. Every bus journey is hell for poor Lara, as she recounts her rubbishy teenage life in a journal. Even her former BFF, Chloe has defected to the bitchy-side and joined forces with the vile Molly. However no matter how strained things are at work they are a million times worse at school where Lara is relentlessly bullied for having ginger hair, a flat-chest and a surname that provides much amusement (For the record, her surname’s Titliss). Her family have had to move to a shoddy rented house after her Dad lost his business, meaning her Mum is working at every given opportunity as a cleaner just so the family can stay afloat (and pay Lara’s school fees). Poor Lara T is having a pretty dismal time of things at the moment. The one person who cannot reciprocate her feelings … can he? The one person who she falls madly and hopelessly in love with. The one person who takes Lara seriously and notices her potential. As the eldest, Lara tries to keep upbeat, and the one outlet for all her problems is her diary where she can be open about how dire everything is at home, and worse, the fact that she’s being horrifically bullied at school.Īnd then a shining light comes out of the darkness – the new young and MALE teacher, Mr Jagger. Lara’s life has changed radically since her father lost his job.

There’s just one problem – he’s her teacher. Fifteen-year-old Lara finds her soulmate.

Me and Mr J by Rachel McIntyre