Reviews: Slammed, Point of Retreat & This Girl (Slammed series) by Colleen Hoover

Slammed

Author: Colleen Hoover

Series: Slammed 1

Pages: 214

Publisher: Atria Books

Amazon – TBD

Synopsis: Goodreads)

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.

Review: 4 out of 5 stars

I have recently finished Hopeless & Losing Hope by Colleen Hoover and I was eager to dive into her Slammed series and to be honest I don’t know what took me so long!

Writing this review is difficult because revealing little tidbits will be telling a big part of the story so it may seem a little vague.

Layken Cohen has moved from Texas to Michigan after the sudden death of her father, she is a character who has felt pain yet puts on a brave face to support those closest to her - her mother and young brother. She is realistic in her actions and believable in her feelings and reactions; she copes as a true teen would when faced with heartbreak.

Twenty-one year-old Will Cooper is Layken’s neighbour with a passion for Slam poetry, I have to admit I had no idea what this even was before starting this book but I loved it! It was emotional, witty and really cleverly written and certainly unique. Will was the most wonderful character - sweet, caring and kind; his responsibilities made him seem a lot older than what he was, his words were inspirational.

The relationship Layken and Will come to share didn’t come without the drama; it started off really sweet but then came a huge obstacle which more or less forbid them from seeing one another but it didn’t stop the chemistry or attraction between them and they came to share many special and unavoidable moments, especially since their younger brothers were best friends. My only gripe was the suddenness of the romance and how quickly it progressed.

I adored the secondary characters, especially Eddie, Gavin and brothers Kel and Caulder and I was saddened by a few revelations, especially about mum Julia. The interactions between all of the characters were believable and genuine.

Colleen Hoover’s writing is mesmerising, her characters are true to life and loveable, the romance is heartfelt and the overall story wonderfully gripping and enjoyable. I haven’t cheered on a couple as much as I did Lake and Will in a long while, their relationship was the sweetest.

Overall, Slammed is a story about love, hope and getting past pain and tragedy – it is beautifully written with the most endearing characters. I can’t wait to dive into Point of Retreat.

 

Point of Retreat

Author: Colleen Hoover

Series: Slammed 2

Pages: 214

Publisher: Atria Books

Amazon – TBD

Synopsis: Goodreads)

Hardships and heartache brought them together…now it will tear them apart. 

Layken and Will have proved their love can get them through anything; until someone from Will’s past re-emerges, leaving Layken questioning the very foundation on which their relationship was built. Will is forced to face the ultimate challenge…how to prove his love for a girl who refuses to stop ‘carving pumpkins.’

Review: 3 ½ out of 5 stars

This review will contain possible spoilers from the previous book

Point of Retreat follows on straight where Slammed left off, after facing a terrible heartache Layken and Will are adapting to life and dealing with the many obstacles that they are forced to face daily – relationships, family and love but it doesn’t come without hurt and drama.

This book shows great character progression as they deal with difficulties that life has thrown at both of them; it is told from Will’s POV which gives us great insight into his thoughts and true feelings towards his relationship with Lake and their predicament.

Will had a lot to prove in this book and I think he did an extraordinary job of it, this guy is perfect! Lake is still in the adjustment period of managing her studies, home life and her relationship but she is coping as expected since she is still a teen herself.

Each of the secondary characters is amazing! Gavin and Eddie are facing a big decision of their own, Kel, Caulder, Kiersten and her mother Sherry are truly amazing and so supportive, Kiersten’s dialogue had me giggling on numerous occasions – I adored all of them and I think their interactions and the love they share towards one another is what really keeps me entertained.   

My only gripe with this book were the number of dramas this couple has had to face and the immaturity in which Lake dealt with them, don’t get me wrong, I do think she is a wonderful character but her temper tantrums drove me batty. We see the reappearance of Will’s ex Vaughn in this book which caused a lot of doubt and jealousy, there was a major event towards the end of the book which left me gaping; just as you think one problem was sorted, another would appear, these guys couldn’t catch a break.

Colleen Hoover writes memorable, believable characters, her writing is perfection and holds my interest throughout and the slam poetry is fabulous! I read Point of Retreat in one sitting and can’t wait to start on This Girl.

This Girl

Author: Colleen Hoover

Series: Slammed 3

Pages: 300

Publisher: Atria Books

Amazon – TBD

Synopsis: Goodreads)

Colleen Hoover's New York Times bestselling Slammed series has brought countless readers to their knees with a whirlwind of love, passion and heartache. Layken and Will's love has managed to withstand the toughest of circumstances and the young lovers, now married, are beginning to feel safe and secure in their union. As much as Layken relishes their new life together, she finds herself wanting to know everything there is to know about her husband, even though Will makes it clear he prefers to keep the painful memories of the past where they belong. Still, he can't resist his wife's pleas and so he begins to untangle his side of the story, revealing for the first time his most intimate feelings and thoughts, retelling both the good and bad moments, and sharing a few shocking confessions of his own from the time when they first met.In This Girl, Will tells the story of their complicated relationship from his point of view. Their future rests on how well they deal with the past in this final installment of the beloved Slammed series.

Review: 4 out of 5 stars

This review will contain spoilers from the previous book (although the synopsis also reveals a big spoiler if you haven’t read Point of Retreat)

My thoughts are conflicted about This Girl, I loved the story but since Slammed was told from Layken’s POV, Point of Retreat was from Will’s POV, it would have been nice for this book to either be a continuation of the overall story (which I don’t feel was necessary) or have had it told from a different characters POV.

This Girl is more a story about Lake’s curiosity about Will’s past and his re-telling of his thoughts and emotions of the events of when they first meet; they are on their honeymoon and she wants to experience everything through his eyes.

Having read the first two books back-to-back, it was still quite fresh in my mind so it did feel like I was re-reading snippets of Slammed. We go back and forth between the honeymoon and flashbacks.

We still get to experience all of the intense and all-consuming feelings, but also see the characters meet and fall in love all over again, I thought it was a little too much too soon in the first book but reading about the mutual attraction and trust gives you the warm and fuzzies all over again.

It was great re-visiting the slams, I adore the poetry and the heartfelt moments we as a reader experience through these passionate words, it draws you into the story and the characters emotions. The epilogue was also truly wonderful!

Colleen Hoover is an auto-buy for me, I adore everything about her detailed and beautiful writing, the characters, their lives and the real life dramas make everything believable and you can’t help but hope for a HEA.

Overall, a satisfying conclusion to the Slammed series; I would love to see a spin-off series from another characters POV fast-forward into the future.

 

About the Author: I love music. LOVE music. Namely The Avett Brothers, Lumineers, Pink, Eminem. I have eclectic taste? If you have any recommendations, send them my way!

I'm addicted to diet pepsi and could tell you in a taste-test which restaurant it came from. It's a serious addiction, I tell you. 

I get stoked whenever I get a message from goodreads saying I have a new friend request...so request me, dangit! 

If you want to know when I have new books out or just want to be inundated by random, pointless blog posts, follow me at www.colleenhoover.com 

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