Review: Slammed by Colleen Hoover

Following the unexpected death of her father, 18-year-old Layken is forced to be the rock for both her mother and younger brother. Outwardly, she appears resilient and tenacious, but inwardly, she’s losing hope.
Enter Will Cooper: The attractive, 21-year-old new neighbor with an intriguing passion for slam poetry and a unique sense of humor. Within days of their introduction, Will and Layken form an intense emotional connection, leaving Layken with a renewed sense of hope.
Not long after an intense, heart-stopping first date, they are slammed to the core when a shocking revelation forces their new relationship to a sudden halt. Daily interactions become impossibly painful as they struggle to find a balance between the feelings that pull them together, and the secret that keeps them apart.

I have to be completely honest here. If it hadn’t have been for all the MADLY raving reviews, I may never have picked up this book. And what a SHAME that would have been.

It’s just that I didn’t have a CLUE what slamming was, and so I wasn’t sure that I could really relate to this story. So, if you have this concern AT ALL, please let me assure you that this isn’t a problem in. The. Least.

Every once in a while I stumble upon a book that is original, compelling, interesting, and entertaining. A book that tells an absolutely beautiful romance story, but also has a great depth to it. A book that leaves me feeling like the last few days of reading weren’t a collossal waste of my time, when I finish it. Slammed was all of that and more.

I know that mature-for-their-age, late-teens and early-twenty-somethings are not at all common in real-life. In fact, I could go on and on about how I feel we enable today’s “older” youth. (But I won’t, so relax 🙂 However, when an author writes a story, they aren’t writing about “normal” circumstances. Because, let’s face it, that’d be boring. Instead, an author writes about a unique set of circumstances, while incorporating aspects that the reader can relate to.

Which is why I can get on board with Lake and Will. Will is twenty-one and as much of an adult as I am. And while Lake takes a little longer to get there, it DOES happen. Which makes the story that much more amazing, because I always want to see a character grow into someone better by the end of the story.

While there is all this maturity, character growth, and enough heartache to make me weep, there’s also that beautiful telling of a romance, that I wrote of before. From the moment Lake and Will meet there is a spark. A connection. And I wasn’t exactly sure where it was going to go, where Ms. Hoover was going to take them.

Let me tell you the ride is bumpy. From start to finish I was rooting for these two. Even after life just kept trying to tear them apart.

With all of these AMAZING story-elements, I must say that I TRULY enjoyed the familial side to the story, as well. From Lake’s relationship with her mom and brother, to Will’s relationship with HIS brother, there was never any question as to what this story was about. Love of ALL kinds.

I loved it so much that I read Point of Retreat the very. Next. Day.

~My Rating~

~About the Author~

I’m addicted to and seriously floored by the talent of The Avett Brothers band, which is obvious in both of my books. They are 99% of my playlist. The other 1% being Eminem and Jason Mraz.

I love lindor truffles (the white ones with the chips inside) and have an unhealthy addiction to diet pepsi. A serious addiction.
(Courtesy, Goodreads)

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