Sunday, August 12, 2012

Slammed

by Colleen Hoover
Read: April 2012
Publisher: WAS self-published by author. NOW Atria Books BUY NOW
Source: Purchased on Kindle
Category: Contemporary YA/New Adult


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'm just going to start off by saying: I LOVED THIS BOOK!! Seriously. It is one of my favorite books of this year. And I'm so thrilled that Colleen Hoover is another self-published author whose book has been picked up by a publisher. Although I own the original version of the book, I think I'm going to have to buy and read the newly edited story. I loved it THAT much. 

5 reasons why I LOVED Slammed. 
  1. Slam Poetry I’m not going to lie, I was really nervous about reading a book that features slam poetry, because it seemed cheesy to me (clearly, I had no idea what I was talking about). I can’t believe how beautiful and moving performance poetry can be. The book made me want to hop on a plane to find Club N9NE and hear Will and Lake perform. WOW. I still have chills thinking about the pieces in the book. 
  2. The Avett Brothers - I must confess that I didn't know who they were before I read Slammed. But I've since added a lot of their music to my iPod. Every chapter in Slammed begins with a lyric from one of their songs, which fits the story beautifully, and it's very clear just how much Colleen Hoover LOVES this band. She made me love them as well. 
  3. The PlotI didn’t know a lot about this story before I started it and I’m actually really glad that I didn’t. I love that the direction that the book takes SURPRISED me. The conflict that the characters face doesn’t happen because one of them is keeping secrets or acting stupidly, which is a common complaint of mine about YA contemporary fiction. I've been on the lookout for fresh, unconventional plot lines and I found what I was looking for (and more!) in this book.
  4. Will and Layken - I LOVE them individually and even more together. I love that I GOT why they were drawn to each other. The story is told from Lake's perspective and I love that I FELT her emotions as she experienced them. I wanted to cry and shout and laugh and sigh along with her, and that is a mark of an excellent book to me. And Will I fell for as soon as he performed his first slam (although he was pretty awesome all along). I love him for many other reasons as well. But most are spoilers, so you'll have to read the book to find out for yourself how awesome he is.  
  5. Kel and Caulder's Halloween Costume - I love Lake's mom for making it, the boys (Will and Lake's brothers) for rocking it, and Lake for defending it. The whole scene surrounding The Costume was one of my favorite parts of the book. It said a lot about every character in the story and made me love them more.  
As Will says, sometimes life gets in the way. Boy does it get in the way of these characters (it gets all up in their damn way), and they have to figure out how to face it and keep moving forward. The resulting story is one that is heart breaking. But it is also life affirming and brought me joy. Seriously, it was the perfect combination of everything. The book would also not have been as good without its amazing cast of characters. From Will and Lake to Kel and Caulder and Eddie and Gavin and Julia. I loved them all. 

Book two is called Point of Retreat and it's just as excellent as Slammed!

Rating: 5 stars!!!!!
Love Triangle Factor: None!





7 comments:

  1. I have not heard of this one, Lauren! It sounds like it's New Adult? Which I LOVE. I don't think I have ever read anything that featured slam poetry either, so I can relate to your skepticism. But I am really intrigued to know what this "shocking revelation" is! Adding this one to my TBR list:)

    Oh, Raw Blue is in the mail tomorrow, sorry I didn't get it out this week!

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    1. ok, just researched it a little more on GR and Amazon and went ahead and made the purchase. Thanks for the heads up, Lauren:)

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    2. Slammed does have a New Adult feel. Though I think it would be considered YA (maybe a transition book?). Point of Retreat is definitely New Adult though.

      I hope the story surprises you as well. I think the less you know about the plot, the better. I wouldn't necessarily call it SHOCKING in that it's CRAZY, just that I didn't see it coming. But I know some others have (and still enjoyed it). Let me know when you read the book!

      And THANK YOU for Raw Blue! I'll be on the lookout for it.

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  2. THE AVETT BROTHERS. I have all their music. I remember when you tweeted me about them being in this book and I started having palpitations. I've been so nervous about reading it since then because I have such a LOVE for that band that I'm scared the book won't live up to the lyrics. BUT I read another blog post about it and between the two (yours and the other one), I think it sounds good. I've requested Slammed and Point of Retreat from NG but if I don't get approved I may be emailing you. :)

    All of your recs to me have been but HITS so far, so I trust you!

    Sidenote: Pretty Girl from Cedar Lane is my favorite Avett song. It's about a girl with the same name as me. When does that happen?

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    1. I can't wait for you to read this! I HOPE that you love it as much as I did. Of course I didn't know what to expect when I started the book, and expectations can definitely affect someone's read. I do remember being surprised by the depth of the lyrics that start each chapter, as well as how well the fit the story. BUT when I read the book, I'd never heard any of the songs themselves, so they really didn't affect my read at all. Also, it's only one line from each song.

      I think I might have sent this to you before, but the chapter song playlist is in this article http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/avett-brothers-colleenhoover-slammed_b52675. It may be a spoiler for you, because you know the songs so well. But I didn't know if you'd want to listen as you read -or after. Anyway, it's nice to have the songs all in one place.

      I have BOTH books and will lend if you want them! Let me know if you don't get them approved. But the NG ones are probably the newly edited versions so I'm sure they're cleaner (although I didn't notice anything much with the originals).

      Sidenote: I don't think there are any songs out there with my name. Lucky you for one of your favorite bands featuring yours!

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    2. Surprisingly I did get approved for these! So I downloaded them both and hope I can get started on both of them (and Daughter of the Forest) ASAP.

      I remember that you sent me that playlist, but I can't find it. So I saved it and when I start Slammed I'll look at it. Or maybe I'll look at it as soon as I've finished. Because I do know them all pretty well.

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    3. YAY! Heather just finished Slammed and loved. So I have high hopes for you - on both books.

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