I don’t even know how to begin to process the different emotions that Slammed put me through. It just touched me in so many different levels of my soul. It is beautiful, to say the least. It’s incredible that are so many authors out there just waiting for me to be read. I am so grateful that one author leads me to another excellent one. I’m really in awe of Colleen Hoover.
Slammed isn’t just another book out there. Slammed is a book that HAS to be read. It involves serious life lessons, some of them that I will definitely going to add to my daily life.
The book starts with hard topics to deal with, death and changes; the death of Layken’s father and moving out to a different city. For me, Layken’s life was pretty damn difficult at that moment. And for her to know Will and be able to connect so quickly with him, just like Kel with Caulder did, it was almost like a dream come true. I really adored how their “relationship” begins, even though it was fast, very fast. I love the fact that they are so honest to each other, that they don’t need to impress or pretend they aren’t interested in each other; something that usually happens in books were couples just can’t accept their love at once. But like every dream, it fades away.
I really didn’t see coming that he was going to be his teacher. And I must admit that at the beginning I didn’t understand why that was a problem. I thought that they were going to be together no matter what, but then I remember the strict laws against relationships inside schools and all that stuff. I think it was pretty sad that he rejected their relationship even if they never even begin one. But the fact that he was all alone with his brother was reason enough.
You won’t wait for me. I won’t let you give up what should be the best year of your life. I had to grow up way too fast; I’m not taking that away from you, too. It wouldn’t be fair. I don’t want you to wait for me, Layken.
One of the main things that I like the most about this book is their characters. I love the fact that the author doesn’t make a detailed description of any of them, but instead she let us know who they really are with their choices, their thoughts, their actions and their passions.
I never really thought that I could actually reflect so deeply in a character’s book. I usually find myself struggling with the female characters because of their lack of realness and stupidity. But man! Lake is simply an awesome normal girl. She reacted just the way I would react when handling things. And she just thought the same lame thoughts that I would have thought. She didn’t need to impress anyone or feel superior. She would do the same stupid things that a real person would do. Not in the level of stupidity that it’s almost impossible to believe, but the kind of stupidity caused by love, teenage love. The way she was hurt when Will just give up with their important thing. When she suffers every day and tries to forget him but everything just reminds her of him. When he is on her mind all the time, literally controlling her life. I think that every girl with an unrequited love had gone through that phase, where you just can’t stop thinking about him every second of the day, even if you don’t want to. I just adore how real she is. And how close she makes me feel to what she is passing through. How she gets excited with Will’s moments of weakness, making her to put down her walls in a second, just to stab her in the heart again and again. How she doesn’t understand how Will looks so good and she just simply can’t keep forward. How she thinks that his mom is having another relationship and blows it all to her face. And how she just can’t handle to talk about her mom’s cancer, preferring to continue carving pumpkins.
“How do you not fall in love with him?»
The tears begin flowing just as quickly as they were ceasing. I grab yet another tissue. «I don’t not fall in love with him. I don’t not fall in love with him a lot!”
By the way, I also really like her name, even though I prefer Lake just because I imagine how Will pronounces it. Yes, Will definitely is entering to my list of best book boyfriends, but not for the same reasons that in the previous cases. Will is such an amazing human being. After his parents died, he could continue living his live, studying in college and playing football, but instead he choose to take care of his little brother and grow up like ten years in just a moment. I admire him. He is such a fabulous gentle and caring young man. He puts Caulder’s interest in first place. He places his emotions behind all rest, just because he thought that what life was supposed to want from him. And I’m absolutely in love with his passion. He just melts me with being a romantic poetry lover. A man with that ability to express himself is simply irresistible. And yes, he also was hot, very hot, but that isn’t at all what Lake focus on him, but instead are his values, his emotions, his soul. Although he also had defined muscles and eyes to die for. I wish I could meet someone like him. I really love Will, and I definitely would like to have him as a teacher.
Whatever burden it was that she was carrying around, I wanted to carry it for her.
I think Lake and Will are perfect for each other, and life was in charge of putting one in others life just when they needed the most. They were apart several months before they could finally be together, but deep down they knew they had found their soul mate and that it was just a matter of time. But that didn’t make it less painful for each of them. Lake did suffer a lot. And that feeling intensified with the absence of his father and the illness of her mother. Nonetheless, Will was always there for her, every time she needed help. And although he struggled to not be weak, you could see that he was suffering just like Lake. That beating her classmate/his student was only because he was jealous and not because he knew he was attacking her just proves that. I really loved that he was jealous when one would think that nothing affected him. I love Will; it just makes him sexier than he already is.
I can’t do it anymore… The way you consume my mind when we aren’t together? I don’t have time for it anymore. I’ve got more important things to think about now than your little weak moments.
At the beginning, Lake’s mother didn’t stand up in the story, but after knowing the truth about her, you could discover a great person behind her. Julia’s cancer really had an effect upon me. I just can’t imagine how hard would be facing the fact of losing both of your parents so young; a situation that doesn’t escape from reality since I know a girl who lived something very similar in real life. I like the fact that she doesn’t want to hide it or make it something banned to talk about, but instead they embraced it as a family and prepare to what was next for them. She has so much love for their children, and Lake grows up in terms of accepting her mother’s fate and begins to take advantage of their time left. This book makes a perfect example of how death doesn’t have to be terribly confronted, since it is something inevitable, you better embrace it and be prepared for it. With Julia, Colleen gave us some pretty great and unforgettable advices of life; wisdom that you would wish to have heard in different stages of your life. I ended up loving her without even noticing it.
Does he treat you with respect at all times? That’s the first question. The second question is, if he is the exact same person twenty years from now that he is today, would you still want to marry him? And finally, does he inspire to be a better person? You find someone you can answer yes to all three, then you’ve found a good man.
Kel and Cauldron are a very important piece in the story, since they are the most precious persons to both of the lovers, and was their innocence than in several situations made us understand and see things in a very different way, like the lung cancer costumes. I really want to see how their relationship grows in the next books.
I must make a special mention to Eddie. She was a necessary support in Lake’s life. Although she wasn’t just the main character’s friend, she had her very own thing going on in her life. In fact, one of the most emotive moments of the book for me was her birthday. I literally ended up crying with the letter of her foster parent. It really melted my heart. I also adored her relationship with Gavin. He is such a great boyfriend. If I was been the receptor of his poetry slam in the poetry class, I would have died right away.
And, at last but not least, the poetry Slam. I’ve seen one of those videos in internet before about it, but I never truly understand what was going on behind…and now I really love it. The intensity you could feel trough the words is beyond description. The fact that they simply open their heart to strangers is amazing. I love Will for that. He is so powerful when he speaks, so in control of his emotions, I like that. And I adore that they can finally express to each other what they feel trough a slam. It was the perfect way for their story to end/begin.
Life knows.
Life is trying to tell me
That the girl I love
The girl I fell
So hard for?
There’s room for her in first.
I’m putting her first.
The end of the book left me with mixed feelings. I knew Julia was going to die, but the fact that she finally wasn’t there anymore just broke my heart. I love to see Lake and Will in a relationship, but I don’t understand why they aren’t living together, even if it is just to save money. I know they are doing it on her honor, but, c’mon! How do you want them to expect a year before having sex, are they not humans or what? I think is an experience you can’t refuse to enjoy, most of all because Lake hasn’t do it before. But well, all I can say is that that fact just makes me love Will more and more.
This is by far one of my top favorite books. I cannot wait to have some available time to read the next two books. Thank you world for making me know Colleen and her amazing books. Thank you Colleen for being so awesome.
So you keep your ocean, I’ll take the Lake.
Living thousand lives 