Review: Slammed (Slammed #1) by Colleen Hoover

Date Read: November 7 2012
Release Date: January 4th 2012
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Source: Bought
Genre: Contemporary
My rating: 
Synopsis:
"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."

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I need Point of Retreat RIGHT NOW! This was bloody, freaking AMAZING!
I loved how this wasn't just some YA focused on romance - it didn't just delve into issues such as death, family, futures and sacrifices but made those themes what the whole book was about.
And the way it was expressed? Extremely original! The character's stories and feelings were shown through slamming (reading poetry) so everything was really layered. I loved that - you had to strip back the layers which contained hidden meanings and symbolism, to get to the real meaning behind everything.

Lake and Will both have so much to lose through their romance (especially Will) but they also experience pain without it. In a way they were like a balm to each other's wounds - and gosh did they have wounds: gaping, weeping wounds. Poor Lake, after losing her father and moving to a new state and realising she can't be with the guy she's falling in love with, soon finds out that more heartache is coming her way. Will has already lost so much but meeting Lake means he could lose even more, and yet he needs her and she needs him - especially with what she faces from the middle of the book on-wards.

Loss is prevalent throughout this book and really opens the reader's eyes as to how fleeting life is.
- Death is the only inevitable thing in life, that's why we have to live it to its fullest and spend it as much as possible with those we love. Live with no regrets and push our boundaries.

This is a huge eyeopener - it shows how much we take for granted and how much of what we have and think is normal for a teenager, can be ripped away from us in a single moment. As a nineteen year old myself, I'm the same age as Will was when he lost everything and had to give up being a college student for his brother. At nineteen, I can't imagine myself being able to raise a kid and quitting uni, finding a job to feed two mouths AND pay the bills.

I don't think there's anything bad to say about this book - maybe Lake and Will should have had a few more dates to establish their feelings but otherwise this was perfection.