Review: Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover

Firstly, thanks to Simon & Schuster Australia for this review copy <3



Date Read: March 26 - 30 2014
Release Date: March 18th 2013
Publisher: Atria Books (Simon & Schuster Australia)
Source: Review copy via publisher
Genre: Contemporary
My rating: 

Synopsis:

"At twenty-two years old, aspiring musician Sydney Blake has a great life: She’s in college, working a steady job, in love with her wonderful boyfriend, Hunter, and rooming with her good friend, Tori. But everything changes when she discovers Hunter cheating on her with Tori—and she is left trying to decide what to do next.
Sydney becomes captivated by her mysterious neighbor, Ridge Lawson. She can’t take her eyes off him or stop listening to the daily guitar playing he does out on his balcony. She can feel the harmony and vibrations in his music. And there’s something about Sydney that Ridge can’t ignore, either: He seems to have finally found his muse. When their inevitable encounter happens, they soon find themselves needing each other in more ways than one…"

---

“There will never be a maybe someday.”

I don’t think Colleen Hoover can do wrong in terms of contemporaries. Hoover has a way of writing controversial issues in the most beautiful and lyrical manner. I love the way she incorporates poetry or music, or a combination of both in her books. Maybe Someday is no exception. Utilising music to drive the book, I was totally immersed in Sydney and Ridge’s world.

Sydney’s just moved into a new apartment with her best friend Tori. She’s studying what she loves – music – and in her opinion, has the best boyfriend in the world. Or so she thinks until she finds out that her best friend is screwing said boyfriend – right under her nose too. Sydney is taken in by Ridge – the composer who lives across the courtyard and the one who witnessed her boyfriend’s cheating ways. As the two grow closer, there is no denying their budding romance and attraction that is almost tangible.

Sydney is an alright character and I quite liked her. While she does spend the beginning of the book moping about her ex-boyfriend she does get better as she immerses herself in writing lyrics for Ridge’s music. What I loved about Sydney’s character though was her understanding of what it was like to be cheated on and she didn’t wish this on anyone. As she forms connections with the various people in Ridge’s apartment/life, I could see her trying to refrain from her feelings so as not to hurt anybody.

“I don't want to be someone's second choice.”

I love the guys Colleen Hoover writes. Ridge is so sweet and thoughtful and I loved the way he explained the way he felt music. The way he described vibrations, showed them to Sydney and matched these to the beat of their hearts to feel the notes was spectacular. I mean I know musicians like Beethoven (who was deaf) composed music based on vibrations but to see it explained from a first person perspective was so breathtaking and eye-opening. One of the best things Hoover did in this book was she didn’t write Ridge’s attractiveness based on his rock-hard abs or stunning physique. I’m not sure that was ever really mentioned. What she does use to describe him is the way he uses his eyes to speak and how they display so much emotion; his hands and fingers and the way they strum the guitar; and his musical talent. This is one of the few books of the genre I’ve read where the guy isn’t defined by his gorgeous body.

One of the biggest problems I had with this book was how Ridge viewed Sydney. He kept seeing her as a damsel in distress and not as a heroine. He didn’t see her strength, and to be honest I didn’t either – at times her need for Ridge left her in a mess and I thought it was a bit pathetic. I didn’t like how she seemed so dependent throughout the book, first on Hunter then on Ridge. I would have really liked to see some independence.

A lot of Sydney’s feelings (and Ridges) were shown through the lyrics written. I’ve always loved how Hoover uses poetry and music to tell stories. Through the songs, Sydney and Ridge unknowingly tell their most intimate feelings and innermost thoughts. Through the scratching of the lines that go back and forth between the two as they try to find the right words, I could clearly see each person’s worries and conflict. The songs were so beautiful and spoke about feelings that couldn’t be returned, letting go and wanting things we can’t have.

“Words can sometimes have a far greater effect on a heart than a kiss.”

Maybe Someday has one of the most controversial and thought provoking plots I’ve ever read. There was so much conflict and no definite right or wrong. How does one split their heart in two and try to make everybody happy? There was no black or white in this book, and as I read, there were some things I definitely agreed or disagreed with, but often than not I was left in a grey area. If I could use one word to describe the plot, it would be ironic.

“We try so hard to hide everything we're really feeling from those who probably need to know our true feelings the most.”

Hoover was able to bring music to life through words on pages. Through her lyrics, I got a piece of Ridge and Sydney’s story, I felt their pain and I lived through their conflict. An extremely thought provoking book told through beautiful writing, Maybe Someday is sometimes all people can hope for.

“I've learned that the heart can't be told when and who and how it should love.”

Review: This Girl (Slammed #3) by Colleen Hoover

Firstly, thanks to Simon & Schuster Australia for this review copy <3

Date Read: April 30 - May 1 2013
Release Date: August 13th 2013
Publisher: Atria Books (Simon & Schuster Australia)
Source: Review copy via publisher
Genre: Contemporary
My rating: 

Synopsis:

"There are two sides to every love story. Now hear Will’s.

Colleen Hoover’s New York Times bestselling Slammed series has brought countless readers to their knees with a whirlwind of love, passion, and heartache.

Layken and Will’s love has managed to withstand the toughest of circumstances and the young lovers, now married, are beginning to feel safe and secure in their union. As much as Layken relishes their new life together, she finds herself wanting to know everything there is to know about her husband, even though Will makes it clear he prefers to keep the painful memories of the past where they belong. Still, he can’t resist his wife’s pleas and so he begins to untangle his side of the story, revealing for the first time his most intimate feelings and thoughts, retelling both the good and bad moments, and sharing a few shocking confessions of his own from the time when they first met.

In This Girl, Will tells the story of their complicated relationship from hispoint of view. Their future rests on how well they deal with the past in this final installment of the beloved Slammed series."

---

“Remember the first time we didn’t call point of retreat?”

The conclusion to the Slammed series is one that may not be necessary, but one that complements and finishes the series wonderfully. Told completely from Will’s perspective whilst on their honeymoon, Will recounts his side of the story from Slammed onwards. If you’re thinking this is going to be boring because it’s just a retelling of Slammed and Point of Retreat, well you’ve got another thing coming for you! And don’t despair, it’s not just a story of the past, there are bits of their honeymoon interspersed throughout.

I’ll be honest I’m a complete sucker for Hoover’s books and I’ve pretty much read all of them but even I had my doubts about how Will’s perspective could take up a whole book and I really only read it for the honeymoon. I’m happy to say I got a lovely surprise reading Will’s story despite half of Point of Retreat being from his POV – This Girl was actually quite different.

“It’s my honeymoon… I should get to watch what I want.”

“Your honeymoon? What am I? An afterthought?”

Firstly, Will’s voice. Fantastic. Hoover has made Will’s voice distinct from Lake’s – as soon as I read the first page I could immediately tell I was reading from his point of view. I think there was something distinctly more mature and sophisticated to his voice compared to Layken’s, which made perfect sense because not only is Will 3 years older than Lake, but he’s also an English teacher who excels at poetry. I could also tell that the voice was male, I’m not sure how – there’s no profanity or swearing (ok there were some “shits” but I swear more than Will) which is great because the amount of new adult books that use vulgar language to differentiate between the male and female voice pisses me off. It’s possibly because Will’s thoughts are more straightforward whilst I remember Lake pondering everything and being almost whiny at times. Either way, his voice remained strong throughout and for the whole book I never faltered in wondering who I was reading.

I loved how Will wasn’t afraid to express his emotions. His inner turmoil was just as painful as Lake’s. The moment when she walks into his classroom for the first time? He is absolutely devastated and so conflicted because he sees her hurt and it causes him pain too – gah the feels! Throughout the book I could clearly see his frustrations, internal battle with himself and undeniable love for Lake. Certain situations I finally got clarity around from Will’s point of view really explained his actions; in Slammed and Point of Retreat (especially Slammed), many of Will’s words and actions were hurtful but I can see why they were necessary.

“I’d almost rather her be pissed right now than feel the way she’s feeling.”

Seeing Lake through Will is a real eye opener. Remember how the beginning of Slammed was a tad on the insta-love side? Well through Will’s eyes I could see how that could have happened. He sees only her, she shines so brightly in his eyes that he can’t help but notice her. He notices the little things about her, her actions and habits that make her Lake. She is so beautiful to him, her seemingly ordinary appearance standing out to him.

“No, I didn’t think you were cute. I thought you were absolutely beautiful.”

Hoover must again be commended on her beautiful writing. She has such a way with words and the way she incorporated poetry into this again was stunning, so many of the character’s deepest feelings were brought to the surface.

Plot-wise, the majority is Slammed and Point of Retreat but with lots of gaps filled in as we finally see what Will got up to during the times he was absent in Lake’s story. As the story progresses though, I could see Will and Lake facing the first hurdle of marriage: trust. For every feeling and secret Will shared, he had to face Layken’s potential hurt and varying emotions/reactions. In those 24 hours or so, the two face many memories – a lot of them being painful and it brought me to tears seeing old wounds ripped open. And that epilogue? Something to look out for. One of the sweetest books I’ve ever read, this is one conclusion I definitely needed.

“It was the best night of my life. I want you to tell me all about it.”

Review: Hopeless by Colleen Hoover

Date Read: January 3 - 14 2013

Release Date: December 17th 2012

Publisher: Self-published

Source: Bought

Genre: Contemporary

My rating: 

Synopsis:
"Sometimes discovering the truth can leave you more hopeless than believing the lies…

That’s what seventeen-year-old Sky realizes after she meets Dean Holder. A guy with a reputation that rivals her own and an uncanny ability to invoke feelings in her she’s never had before. He terrifies her and captivates her all in the span of just one encounter, and something about the way he makes her feel sparks buried memories from a past that she wishes could just stay buried.

Sky struggles to keep him at a distance knowing he’s nothing but trouble, but Holder insists on learning everything about her. After finally caving to his unwavering pursuit, Sky soon finds that Holder isn’t at all who he’s been claiming to be. When the secrets he’s been keeping are finally revealed, every single facet of Sky’s life will change forever."

---

“I want to make it better but I can’t and I feel so hopeless.”

This was so painful. My heart is still pounding right now. How can a book be so bleak, dark, haunting, heart-wrenching, raw, HOPELESS... yet so beautiful, full of love, faith and HOPE all at the same time?! I don't know how but Colleen has done it again.

One of the most amazing books I've ever read. Hopeless dealt with so many issues perfectly, never overcrowding, but relentless in filling my heart with an endless stream of emotions.

I laughed. A lot. I held my breath. A lot. And I cried. Hopelessly.

There was just so much going on and I LOVED it - never has an author dropped so many bombshells, pulled so many twists and yet managed to keep the plot not only continuing, but flow seamlessly with those bombshells and twists. I’ve read so many books that tried to deal with too many issues simultaneously and it resulted in the characters handling too much and becoming confusing. Colleen managed to give our protagonist and her love interest so many problems to deal with,  so many haunting secrets and each a past that overshadows and threatens to ruin whole lives (no I am not being dramatic – this is truth), in a perfectly relatable and understandable fashion. In the midst of so much conflict is the frail love that blossoms and blooms but could wilt at any moment. There is so much uncertainty and yet it’s filled with this gripping intensity that seized my heart.

Everything about the characters was damaged, flawed, broken and at the cusp of the pain, seemingly hopeless. Yet they hold so much strength, love, understanding and faith that there was this all-rounded hope embracing everybody. From the beginning, Sky is known to make out with boys because it makes her feel numb. At first read, this seems ridiculous and slutty but I couldn’t help but accept her for this. In Sky’s voice, Colleen has made Sky’s actions reasonable which is amazing. Then we meet Holder, who manages to make Sky’s frozen heart beat again. There is instantly a spark but as with Colleen’s novels, there’s no insta-love, but realistic attraction and development of feelings.

“I want to tell you exactly how I feel but there isn’t a single goddamned word in the entire dictionary that can describe this point between liking you and loving you, but I need that word.”

“Live. If you mix the letters up in the words like and love, you get live. You can use that word.” They live each other. I loved that. The weight and importance of that word carries through to the end of the novel and it’s only near the end that we realise what living really means.

Sky has got to be one of the strongest protagonists ever written. I’m filled with so much dread reading her – so many times did I go “oh god please no, let this not be real” as she’s had to endure so much. And she comes out so strong. Faced with betrayal of the strongest kind, nearly left with nothing she soldiered on. Never have I met a female lead so forgiving, so full of the capacity to love with a heart that should have died long ago – a heart shattered and in pieces yet still held together due to her perseverance. Her understanding, loyalty and COMPASSION are something I’m taking away from this book and taking upon myself to have. Yes her actions and feelings had THAT much of an impact on me. But she’s no saint, she hates too, and there is so much hate, fear, grief and just about every negative emotion thought of that I could associate with Sky. Some things are unforgiveable and realistically Sky doesn’t forgive but she learns to move on. All on her own.

“The things that knock you down in life are tests, forcing you to make a choice between giving in and remaining on the ground or wiping the dirt off and standing up even taller than you did before you were knocked down. I’m choosing to stand up taller. I’ll probably get knocked down a few more times before this life is through with me, but I can guarantee you I’ll never stay on the ground.”

That’s the beauty of this book and the romance – there is no co-dependence. Holder comes across as some delinquent bad boy in the blurb and I thought it would be something like Beautiful Disaster: two destructive people colliding and igniting (the fuel to one’s fire). However, each MC can stand on their own two feet because of sheer willpower and strength.

And oh Holder really seems like the perfect love interest. He has this intensity about him that I was instantly drawn to. The words he said would sound extremely lame, cliché and stupid coming out of anybody else’s mouth, but in the light of the situations, his words provided a support for all parties involved – they held a power that gripped my heart and then made it explode. Holder himself is filled with so much grief, loss and hopelessness that every time he was able to smile and make others smile, I fell in love with him a little more. He’s selflessness incarnate.

“And once again in my new world full of heartache and lies, this hopeless boy somehow finds a way to make me smile.”

This is probably the most quotable book I’ve read since The Fault in Our Stars. Colleen’s writing surpasses the poetic brilliance that was Slammed and Point of Retreat, and reaches a new high point. Why stop at the sky when you can reach for the stars beyond? Because she did just that; the witty and sarcastic words made me smile and laugh until I cried while her passionate and hurting characters made my heart shudder and shatter. Her ability to combine different forms of prose into one is amazing – we had the poetry in Slammed/PoR but here we have memories/flashbacks. Having previously read a book with a flashback to a young child I was severely disappointed with the outcome in that book, but again Colleen delivers with a beautiful, innocent and scared voice of 5 year old Sky.

“I don’t know what stargazing is, but it sounds like something I would like. I love the stars. I know my mom loved them, too, because she put them all over my room.”

I’m not finished gushing about Hopeless yet because the best is yet to come: when I finished this book, everything just came together. The way Colleen managed to connect everything, to link every event, every character throughout was like an orchestra coming together as it reaches its heart-stopping crescendo in a symphony and you’re left with this ache afterwards that there’s no more.

“The sky is always beautiful. Even when it’s dark or rainy or cloudy, it’s still beautiful to look at. It’s my favourite thing because I know if I ever get lost or lonely or scared, I just have to look up and it’ll be there no matter what...and I know it’ll always be beautiful.”

2012 End of Year Book Survey

I don't regularly book blog but I thought I'd give this a go since I've read so many great books this year and experience so many feels ;_____; I'm still a newcomer to the book blogging community (not really part of it - yet) but maybe I'll be more active in 2013.

This was something started by Jamie aka The Perpetual Page Turner aka @brokeandbookish 3 years ago and bloggers have taken to using her survey :D I'm hopping on the band wagon! Questions are by Jamie, responses by me c: 

Commence reflection of my 2012 reads!

1. Best Book You Read In 2012? (You can break it down by genre if you want)

Deity by Jennifer L. Armentrout and The Gathering Dark by Leigh Bardugo

Contemporary YA: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, Easy by Tammara Webber, My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick, Slammed and Point of Retreat by Colleen Hoover, If I Stay and Where She Went by Gayle Forman (old I know but I only found out about them this year!)
Dystopian YA: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi, Insurgent by Veronica Roth, Under The Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
Paranormal: Onyx and Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout, Endless by Jessica Shirvington, Losing Lila by Sarah Alderson, My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century by Rachel Harris
Fantasy: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead - don't get me wrong I loved this but it wasn't as great as all the built up hype made it out to be

Rapture by Lauren Kate - this was the best book in the series and the final one but honestly the series was a real let down and I kept expecting it to get better. It did get better by the final book but it just didn't hit that note I wanted to hear.

Breathe by Abbi Glines - I'd heard such good things about Breathe and so many people recommended it to me. But the writing was pretty bad (so many useless, short sentences that were telling rather than showing) and the two main characters were cheesy and lacked depth :c

3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2012?

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi - I always have doubts about dystopians and friends had been bugging me to read this for ages

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman - it sounded a tad weird but it was hella awesome!

My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century - I was worried this was like some Mary-Kate and Ashley book but the reviews were good so I hesitantly bought it and it's been one of my favourite reads this year.

4. Book you recommended to people most in 2012?

Definitely The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.

Also The Iron Fey by Julie Kagawa, Slammed and Point of Retreat by Colleen Hoover, Divergent/Insurgent by Veronica Roth

5. Best series you discovered in 2012?

It's a tie between The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo and Covenant by Jennifer L. Armentrout.

Also:

Lux by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Lila by Sarah Alderson

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

6. Favorite new authors you discovered in 2012?

Eep so many:

Leigh Bardugo (The Grisha Trilogy - stunning fantasy world, extremely unique and omg those characters)

Jennifer L. Armentrout (Lux, Covenant, Cursed - how did I only find out about this legend this year?! Everything she writes is AMAZING)

Sarah Alderson (Lila - only just found out about the Lila series this year and it's amazing)

Veronica Roth (Divergent - the world she creates is amazing; I usually don't get sucked into dystopians but I fell right into this one)

Colleen Hoover (Slammed - her debut novel was like she's been writing award winning poetry and prose her whole life)

Veronica Rossi (Under the Never Sky - awesome dystopian world)

Rachel Harris (My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century - I'm a sucker for European history and Rachel painted it in a beautiful and accurate way)

Tammara Webber (Easy) - woah just WOAH. I want me some more Lucas!

7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?

My friends and I all know I don't like dystopians/sci-fi - the amount I've picked up and tried to read but put down is quite large: Delirium, Across the Universe, Uglies, Inside Out, The Immortal Rules (I'll hopefully get back into this because I do love Julie's writing).

So when I was recommended Divergent I was EXTREMELY hesitant to read it. I actually put it off for a good 2 months. Then I bought a cheap $5 copy at Basement Books. Then I finished it in 1 sitting in a matter of hours and had to get Insurgent the next day. Divergent definitely made me like dystopians again.

Tahereh Mafi's Shatter Me was also really good too!

8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2012?

Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson (and the sequel Losing Lila) - holy crap this was so action packed it was like Heroes without the fillers. Loved every moment of it!

Also Deity by Jennifer L. Armentrout. The things this book did to me. I laughed, cried, screamed and nearly chucked things through my laptop.

9. Book You Read In 2012 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year:

Deity by Jennifer L. Armentrout and The Gathering Dark by Leigh Bardugo.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2012?




Pure by Jennifer L. Armentrout! My favourite colour is blue (I'm biased I know) and the rose just fit so perfectly with the story. It was also so simple yet so elegant - none of those girls-in-dresses or girls-and-half-naked-guys-with-wings-in-the-air covers.

That being said, my favourite Girls in Dresses cover would have to be none other than Kiera Cass's The Selection.




11. Most memorable character in 2012? 

Hands down the Darkling in Leigh Bardugo's The Gathering Dark (The Grisha Trilogy).

She's created a dark, seductive, troubled, damaged, sexy, hot, handsome, eloquent, I-know-there's-more-to-you-deep-inside-than-the-scheming-evil-villain-you're-made-out-to-be secondary love interest for the love triangle <3

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2012?

It's a tie (again) between:

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins - my favourite line “French name, English accent, American school. Anna confused.” The voice Stephanie created for Anna is beautiful, realistic, relatable, paranoid and so like me it was stunning. The way this was written was UGH love.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green - need I explain myself? Anybody who's read this book (any of John Green's books really but ESPECIALLY TFiOS) will vouch for this. Your argument is invalid.

Where She Went by Gayle Forman - Adam's voice and the lyrics used are amazing. The raw emotion conveyed is heartbreaking and bone chilling - utterly captivating.

Slammed by Colleen Hoover - the use of poetry to tell people's back stories and explain their feelings is an amazing technique Colleen used in this book and I just kgd;fkjsdhfsdfsd -squirms excitedly in chair- LOVE

My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century by Rachel Harris - Rachel's descriptions are so beautiful, her imagery so detailed ; the words she chose were so vibrant and rich I was catapulted back into the 16th Century with Cat.

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick - witty, funny and just plain adorbs I loved the writing style of MLND.

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2012?

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green - having had an immediate family member battle cancer, this book basically hit close to home. Poignant, heart-wrenching, raw, this book had the honour of breaking my heart.

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2012 to finally read?

Divergent by Veronica Roth. Fk me dead lol I'm always inwardly bashing myself whenever I think of how much I missed by not reading this earlier.

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2012?

"That's the funny thing about trying to escape. You never really can. Maybe temporarily, but not completely." - Jennifer L. Armentrout, Onyx

"You don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world... but you do have some say in who hurts you. I like my choices." - John Green, The Fault in Our Stars

"The problem with wanting is that it makes us weak." - Leigh Bardugo, The Gathering Dark

"Love is not the absence of logic

but logic examined and recalculated

heated and curved to fit

inside the contours of the heart" - Tammara Webber, Easy

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2012?

Longest — Hallowed by Cynthia Hand or Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff I think? Endless by Jessica Shirvington looks long (it's the same size as Hallowed and Stormdancer) but I don't think it is...

Shortest — I'm assuming e-novellas and POVs don't count *cackles* so... Everything Left Unsaid by Jessica Davidson and Breathe by Abbi Glines - I'm not sure which is shorer

17. Book That Had A Scene In It That Had You Reeling And Dying To Talk To Somebody About It? (a WTF moment, an epic revelation, a steamy kiss, etc. etc.) Be careful of spoilers!

The ending of Endless OMFG THAT ENDING. I NEED BOOK 5 DAMMIT.

When Clara finds out about her father in Hallowed I choked.

18. Favorite Relationship From A Book You Read In 2012 (be it romantic, friendship, etc).

THIS IS SO HARD ERMAGHERD.

Alex/Aiden in Deity are so amazing but but Tris/Four in Divergent AND AND Lila/Alex in Hunting/Losing Lila...

My favourite friendship would be Grace and Tim's from My Life Next Door!

19. Favorite Book You Read in 2012 From An Author You Read Previously

Everything I read this year was either a debut author or an author I'd just discovered *sighs*

So I'm going to cheat and say Endless by Jessica Shirvington coz that's book 4 in The Violet Eden Chapters LOL.

20. Best Book You Read That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else:

THIS IS LIKE 1/2 OF MY 5 STAR RATED BOOKS ON GOODREADS O_O

Divergent by Veronica Roth :3

Review: Point of Retreat (Slammed #2) by Colleen Hoover

Date Read: November 8 - 11 2012
Release Date: September 18th 2012
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Source: Bought
Genre: Contemporary
My rating: 

Synopsis:

"Hardships and heartache brought them together… now it will tear them apart.

Layken and Will have proved their love can get them through anything; until someone from Will’s past re-emerges, leaving Layken questioning the very foundation on which their relationship was built. Will is forced to face the ultimate challenge…how to prove his love for a girl who refuses to stop ‘carving pumpkins.’"

---

"My sweet is right now"

This was BUTTERFLYING amazing! Absolutely LOVED Will's POV.

I didn't think I'd be able to laugh and cry EVEN MORE than in Slammed... But I did!
I love how the slamming continues on here and extends to the kids too. I thought it was great how the kids matured as well. Kiersten is a great character and I loved her wisdom throughout this book - she was this ball of energy but also a breath of fresh air with her bluntness and knowledge. I loved how we see another side of Kel and Caulder - Kel after the incidents of part 2 and Caulder with his slam and appreciation for Will.

And Will... oh my god how do I even begin to describe Will Cooper? What a kind, loving, fiercely passionate, strong, smart and beautiful guy. As I've said, I wish I had a Will in my life. As this was in his POV we really get to see how reacts to Lake and what he thinks of her. So many of the uncertainty I had about his reactions in the first book were answered here so I got my closure lol (yay!) But gosh his love is so UNCONDITIONAL it made my heart ache. The way he wrote his feelings at the start of each chapter really conveyed his emotions and reading from his POV cemented those words.

What made this book all the more believable was that, amazing as everybody is and how beautiful they are inside, they've all been through shit to put it simply. Nobody in here has had an easy life, is privileged or perfect in any way. Their flaws are what made them stronger, better people and shaped them into the amazing characters I was reading.

Eddie and Gavin: Eddie's been through so much foster care and yet she still maintains that happy demeanour and ability to make others around her smile. Her and Gavin have more obstacles to face as well, and here I could see Gavin isn't the perfect guy - he's indecisive as well but his love for Eddie pulls them through.

Kel and Caulder: despite both losing their parents at such young ages, they can still get up every day. One might say they're too young to understand, but they do and we see that through Caulder's slam and Kel's emotions in part 2.

Kiersten: she's so smart for her age and gives amazing advice. She's a great girl but she gets bullied constantly; she smiles even though it hurts her and her school does nothing about it.
Sherry: this mother figure came in at just the right time but she doesn't appear too much that she's interfering with Will and Lake's parenting. Her heart ache and experiences with love add to everything that happens in this book.

Lake: need I say more? This girl is so strong and she nearly loses Will here but she's still so strong.
Will: Will... oh Will... where do I ever begin? Part 2 nearly killed me. How he managed to make it through I don't know. His undying support and love for Lake made it all the more harder to read the beginning of part 2 as I was left wondering (won't put any spoilers here!) A part of me thinks Lake pulled through because she was fighting for them too. But he's been through so much and SO MUCH MORE to lose than in Slammed. I didn't think it was possible but he did and it killed me inside.

After just finishing this book I can say "My sweet is right now".

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.