I guess "Dear Teacher" was a bit too "atmospheric" for me. I only made it 26% of the way through, but found myself confused by the sheer number of characters and the parts that must have been dream sequences or something. They simply didn't make any sense to me.

When I realized that I was tensing up whenever I'd pick up the audiobook to listen more, I decided it wasn't worth continuing.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

This wasn't terrible, it just wasn't for me. At least it was short. I'm not sure that the translation really accomplished everything that the original might have had.

Audiobook Review: Dear Teacher by Maddalena Vaglio Tanet
Narrated by Natalie Naudus

I received this audiobook from NetGalley and truly appreciate the opportunity to discover and read new authors and leave reviews.

Unfortunately, Dear Teacher just wasn’t it for me. This novel, originally written in Italian and translated into English, had a lot of potential in its premise, but I struggled to connect with the story. I’m not sure if something was lost in translation or if the structure and style just didn’t resonate, but I found myself more moved by the Author’s Note at the end than by the actual content of the book itself.

That said, Natalie Naudus did a wonderful job narrating. Her pronunciation of the Italian names and words sounded spot-on (though I’m not fluent in Italian or familiar with Italy firsthand). Her voice was pleasant and clear, and she carried the emotion of the text well.

As a teacher who has experienced the loss of a student to suicide, I did feel a strong emotional connection to that part of the book. The weight of such a tragedy is something that never leaves you, and the story touches on the complexity of processing that kind of grief from a teacher’s perspective. I appreciated that aspect deeply, even though the rest of the book didn’t meet my expectations.

Dear Teacher explores themes of guilt, memory, and introspection as a teacher reflects on the suicide of a former student and tries to understand what went wrong. While the concept is powerful, the delivery felt abstract at times, which made it difficult for me to fully engage with the narrative.

Overall, while this wasn’t a match for me, I recognize the emotional depth the author was trying to convey. I’m grateful for the opportunity to listen and reflect, and I hope others may connect more fully with the story.

In Dear Teacher, a grieving educator retreats to the forest after the loss of a student, confronting layers of generational trauma, emotional isolation, and the profound bond between teachers and their students.

As a teacher myself, I felt an immediate connection to this story—even though I’ve never experienced the kind of loss the main character, Silvia, faces. Her need to escape into nature after the tragedy felt raw and relatable. The descriptions of the woods were beautifully done—sometimes almost too vivid, bordering on claustrophobic—but I understood why she sought solace there. Honestly, I found myself wishing I had a little hut in the forest to retreat to when life gets overwhelming.

The novel highlights the emotional intensity of the teacher-student relationship and how our students can feel like our own children. It also underscores something not talked about enough: the mental health of teachers. That part hit home.

The structure is layered—jumping between characters and timelines—which sometimes made it a little tricky to follow, especially since it moves at a slower pace. Still, I appreciated that it’s loosely based on a true story, and the generational threads of trauma and abuse added emotional weight and realism to the narrative.

I didn’t always catch the humor in the language-based wordplay, likely due to the translation or my unfamiliarity with Italian idioms. It also made me wonder about the cultural differences in education systems—like whether Italian teachers are mandated reporters the way we are in the U.S.

Overall, Dear Teacher is a quiet, reflective novel that speaks to the invisible emotional labor educators carry. Short but powerful.

ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Oh this book was unlike any other I’ve read before! It was absolutely wonderful. What a story to carry with the reader for a long time.

The story’s tone is meditative and dreamlike, but also disorienting and occasionally opaque. While some may find that rewarding, I found it distancing. The emotional stakes, particularly involving the student’s death, felt underdeveloped in places — a heavy topic that remained abstract, even as it shaped the entire plot.

There are moments of beauty in Tanet’s prose, and the book raises important questions about grief, connection, and identity. But Dear Teacher left me disturbed more than moved. What could have been a powerful look at human vulnerability instead becomes a hazy retreat from it. For a novel so focused on finding meaning in silence and disappearance, it left me wishing it had said more — and done more — with its premise.

Dear Teacher is an atmospheric and mysterious novel that I found captivating from the start. Written in lyrical prose and based on a true story, Dear Teacher is an intimate exploration of self-discovery and a student-teacher bond. My only complaint is some things felt like they were lost in translation. I highly recommend Dear Teacher, the audio narration is superb.

Thanks so much to #NetGalley and #HarperAudioAdult for an ARC of the audiobook which releases tomorrow, 5/6/25.

#Dear Teacher by #MaddalenaVaglioTanet and narrated nicely by #NatalieNaudus.

Ok. This was weird. It starts weird, and never changes from there, but the gist of the story revolves around a little girl, Giovanna, whose life is falling apart. She gets beaten at home… just because…
Her Dad’s in a bad mood, she got a bad grade, the sky was blue… whatever…

So when she starts hanging out with some shady characters and misses school, her teacher is concerned. She thinks she knows what is going on at home, so she calls early in the day, hoping to speak with her Mom. And she does. But the Mom still threatens to tell the Dad. And then Giovanna threatens to kill herself.

It only goes downhill from here…

And the teacher, although I can understand where she’s coming from, well… she needs help!

Again, very, very strange, weird story for me.

3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me.

Look for it on shelves tomorrow.


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The synopsis promised me depth and emotional power. I did not feel the story delivered.

Its bones certainly are fractured, so it should have hurt more than it did, but the storytelling had a very artificial and distant feel to it. The character dialogue felt especially synthetic. I realize this could have been an issue with the translation, but this is the story I was given, so I can only comment on my experience with the translated work.

I eventually became incredibly frustrated with the teacher. I understand the tremendous impact of guilt mingled with an unconquerable grief led to her actions, and I understand that the author built this story around her own relative’s actions, but I did begin to feel that the teacher was being incredibly selfish. Because the emotional depth was absent, the narrative didn’t offer me any insight that would truly help me feel for the teacher. I was simply upset that she allowed this to go on for so long, especially since (in this fictional version) she had some understanding of the distress she had caused.

I also expected the relationship between the teacher and the student that finds her to develop into something more meaningful; something that would touch my heart. It was just as plain and emotionally void as the rest of the story, though. It was also such a burden to put upon him and, while this was briefly addressed, it didn’t eradicate my view of the teacher’s selfishness.

Ultimately, this was a dry disappointment, and my eyes are dry, too.

I am immensely grateful to HarperAudio and NetGalley for my copy. All opinions are my own.

⭐️⭐️ 2/5 Stars (Meh)
Setting: It alternates between a quiet, unnamed town and a dense, almost mythic forest—likely somewhere in Italy, given the book’s origins.
Genre: Literary Fiction

Disclaimer: This book is translated from Italian to English, and I feel the writer’s intended emotion to connect the reader to the story was lost in translation.



I really wanted to love Good Teacher—the premise is intriguing, and the setting is beautifully described—but unfortunately, it didn’t quite come together for me. The novel’s atmosphere is certainly haunting: a teacher vanishes into the forest, grappling with guilt and grief, while the town she leaves behind spins into speculation and quiet panic. However, despite the evocative backdrop, I struggled to feel connected to Silvia or any of the other characters.

Perhaps something was lost in translation, but the prose felt strangely detached, making it hard to invest emotionally in Silvia’s inner turmoil. The central mystery also fizzled for me; rather than deepening, it seemed to loop in circles, and I found myself waiting for a payoff that never really arrived. There are flashes of beauty in the writing, especially in its depiction of nature, but overall, I was left feeling underwhelmed. A thought-provoking concept that didn’t quite hit the mark. #netgalley #goodteacher #booked_this_weekend

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperAudio Adult, and Maddalena Vagilo Tanet for this Advanced Listening Copy. As a teacher, I think that this story hit really close to home in the tragic story of losing a student (Giovanna) because of bullying and an extreme adverse home life. Searching for meaning in the mundane, being grateful for her life "my teacher" talks of the conflicts and balance of loss of life and what it would be like to take a break from he rlife. The mystery and intrigue of what happened with Silvia as she reflects on her life. She is discovered by a new boy to the area Martino and helps the teacher and survive. The two share a unique bond and reflect on their own lives. I do recommend it to those that have high empathy, compassion, and are reflectors of their own lives, trauma, and how the events and things of our lives shape us.
Thank you again NetGalley, HarperAudio for this audiobook!

Dear Teacher is a compelling and heart-wrenching story that delves into the complexities of grief. The author’s descriptive writing—especially the vivid portrayals of nature—draws you in completely. It's a poignant journey through loss, guilt, and healing, beautifully rendered. This powerful debut has left a lasting impact, and I’m eager to see what the author shares with us next.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperAudio Adult for the chance to listen to this title in exchange for my opinion.