Thursday 24 May 2012

Review: Slammed by Colleen Hoover




 Title: Slammed
 Author: Colleen Hoover
 Publisher: CreateSpace
 Publication Date: January 1st 2012
 My rating: 5 stars

Reviewed by: Rachel








This was such a moving story! I couldn't put this down once I started reading.

Eighteen year-old Layken, or Lake, has just moved to Michigan from Texas. Her father has just died six months earlier and her mother moves them there because she gets a good job offer and they can no longer afford their house. Immediately after pulling up with the moving van, Lake meets the neighbor across the street, Will, and his little brother Caulder. He's a few years older than Lake, and in her eyes, "hot." Caulder and Lake's younger brother, Kel are fast friends, playing the minute Kel jumps out of the moving van. Lake is happy that at least this move won't suck for her little brother. Although things start looking up for Lake when Will asks her out on a date.

Will is so different from most guys and so forward. It shocks Lake a little. Their first date is different and in my opinion, amazing! He takes her to a poetry slam which before reading this, I had no idea what it was. It's where people get up in front of an audience and perform a piece of poetry they've written. It's not typical poetry, more like a soul-bearing piece, written and then performed. She's is mesmerized by the first performance and then when Will gets up and performs his, she's a goner! She is taken by him and falls hard, and fast. And he's fallen hard for her, too. Here's a quote from that night that gives me shivers: "Patience." he whispers. You don't think that's much?  Wait until you read the scene! Lake discovers she has a lot in common with Will. Unfortunately straight after this date, they discover a block to their relationship and have to keep apart. Here's a heartbreaking quote for you:

"God Layken. How do you do it?" she says."How do I do what?" I sniff as I continue to wipe the tears from my eyes. "How do you not fall in love with him?"  The tears begin flowing just as quickly as they had ceased….."I don't not fall in love with him. I don't not fall in love with him a lot!"

Add to this, Lake's mom is all of a sudden leaving often for unexplained errands.  As suddenly as things seemed to be falling in place, everything has fallen apart.      

I can't tell you much I loved this story. I connected so deeply with Lake and Will. I adored the little brothers, Caulder and Kel, and Lake's mom too (even though I was a little angry with her for some things). My heart was pulled in lots of different directions. The reason Lake and Will must stay apart is not Will's fault, but you can't help but blame and get mad at him for his actions. Even when you know you shouldn't. Lake writes and recites a poem and you're right there cheering her on.  I know I'm being vague, but I seriously don't want to spoil this for any who haven't read it. This story pulls on all your heart strings! There's also a fair amount of humor in this story that lifts the mood in just the right places. 

This was such a heartwarming story! I read the sequel straight after because I didn't want to let these character go! Don't let the fact that this is a self-published novel fool you.  This was a truly amazing debut for Colleen Hoover. I'll definitely be reading whatever she writes next. 

13 comments:

Wendy Darling said...

Nicely reviewed, Rachel. :) I'm glad you loved the book as much as you did! I had a more mixed reaction to it, though I do think the author handled a potentially icky subject in a fairly tasteful way. I'm definitely going to be reading the next book, too!

Wendy @ The Midnight Garden

Shooting Stars Mag said...

Great review. I'm quite curious about this one now. I'm glad it was still a well-written story, being self-published. I know they CAN be but sometimes you just don't know. I've heard of poetry slams, but never been to one, so that's kind of cool the author brings that to life.

-lauren

Rachel said...

Wonderful review Rachel!! I absolutely love how you described poetry slamms! I watched a DVD of a few slamm performances and did one for my creative writing class last year, it was so fun.
I like the sound of cute little brothers! I'm definatly interested in reading this story. ;)

Heidi@Rainy Day Ramblings said...

I read this review this morming on GR and am so glad to find it here as well. I am interested in this just for the poetry aspect but I also want to know the secrets that you aren't spilling. I love books where you connect so strongly with the charcters. For $2.99 it is a good deal right?

Mimi Valentine said...

What a GORGEOUS review, Rachel! I literally just found out about this book not too long ago and added it to my TBR pile on recommendation, but this was sort of like the icing on an already good-looking cake! It sounds like one of those books that will pull your heart out and toss it around for a bit before giving it back -- in a good way, of course! And little brothers are sort of like puppies for setting up play dates -- so sweet! :')

Amazing review, Rachel! I'm already loving you on J's blog and you just joined recently! ;) <3

Maja (The Nocturnal Library) said...

Oh, my! *fans self* A guy could totally win me over by taking me to a poetry slam. In fact, that's pretty much all he needs to do, aside from knowing a thing or two about Neruda.
So now my Vanilla Queens are teaming up against me. Darn.
Wodnerful review, Rachel!

Vegan YA Nerds said...

I'm so glad you reviewed this, I've been wondering about it but didn't trust the reviews on amazon and was hoping someone I know I trust would review it. I'm definitely going to grab this and read it, great review, Rach!

Rachel said...

Thank you Maja! Maybe someday we will have a third Vanilla Queen?! Our evil plans are working.

Sam (Realm of Fiction) said...

Beautiful review Rachel! I'm heard so many wonderful things about this book and I can't wait to try it myself. That quote is amazing! I'm definitely looking forward to this. :)

Anonymous said...

I read Easy by Tammara Webber a few days ago and I found out that Slammed was similar to it. I was thinking about getting the book for myself and when I saw your review, I knew I was going to buy it.
Will seems like a total sweetheart ! :)
Thanks for sharing your review, Rachel ! :)

Ceska said...

I just finished reading this book, all in one morning. I could not put it down.....it was captivating, thought provoking, heartbreaking and incredibly romantic. The characters got under my skin and I rooted for them again and again. The poetry was incredible, as well...showing that Ms. Hoover is a gifted poet as well as a talented novelist. I hope this author continues to share her gift of writing with the world.

Rachel said...

I totally agree, Ceska, this was captivating! I will be reading whatever the talented Ms. Hoover writes next.

Jennifer said...

I bought the paperback of this a while back and have been dying to read it. I feel guilty every time I pass by it on my bookshelf case but I just am really behind on my reading LOL. I soo need to read this, though. Hopefully soon. Amazing review. I lovedd the quotes. Thanks for sharing :)

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...