Review: Slammed

Slammed
Colleen Hoover
Young Adult
Slammed Series/Book 1
Self Published/January 5, 2012

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.

Layken aka Lake, isn't happy about moving from her small Texas town to a suburb outside of Detroit, Michigan.  She's isn't happy about a lot of things but upon meeting her new next-door neighbor things brighten up for Lake.  Suddenly Michigan isn't looking so bad.  It's that relationship with Will Cooper that takes center stage in Lake's life.  Sometimes Lake acted like a typical teenager, worrying over boys, friends and school.  Other times she acted far beyond her young age showing her maturity in the face of the horrible things life threw at her.  I liked Lake but she tended to jump to conclusions a little too fast for someone whom otherwise came off as intelligent.

Will Cooper has suffered tremendous loss and now shoulders a lot of responsibility at a young age.   I adored Will - his integrity, kindness and most of all, his love for his brother Caulder.   He also loves the music of poetry.  We see how Will's experiences have molded him into a serious young man with such focus on his and Caulder's future he's afraid of losing that focus.

Layken seems to latch on to people rather quickly.  First Will, then her new BFF Eddie.  Could be because of losing her father or she might have been like this prior to his death.  I wasn't quite sure what motivated her.  Turns out Will was what she needed but they still had some hurdles to jump before they could pursue their romance.

Slammed is an emotional read dealing with serious issues that don't always resolve the way you would hope for.  I read it very quickly but did have to set it aside for a day simply because of the sadness it evoked in me.  It's not by any means a light, easy read but garners strong emotions in not only the story but the poetry.  Beautiful words conjuring beautiful and sometimes heartbreaking visions.

Rating: B

Slammed Series ~

Slammed
Point of Retreat
This Girl (April 30, 3013)