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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
this was a good book. at points it makes you want to cry. it was hard to put this book down
This was a unique story, and it’s one that I won’t forget soon. The music lyrics and poetry incorporated into the story really ramped up the emotional experience for me as a reader. I love how realistically Will and Lake were portrayed, and I felt my heart aching along with them as they both faced incredibly difficult circumstances with their families. And the ups and downs of their romantic relationship were intense and gripping. Will was definitely swoon worthy --I have a weakness for boys who write poetry. I highly recommend Slammed to those looking for a different kind of love story.
Rating: 4.5
I definitely enjoyed this read, it was quick and light even with a lot of the serious topics within the plot.
I did guess the first plot twist mainly because I’ve seen it before and with the way the blurb was written I had my suspicions but it was still done so well and it wasn’t predictable in the overall sense. Plus they way it was handled felt natural and honest.
The main reason I dropped .5 (originally 1) is because there were several scenes where her attitude and behaviour became far too selfish and immature for my liking. I empathise to a degree but certain things I just couldn’t see past... BUT, I do think this was resolved more in the latter part of the book, and I definitely felt myself warming to her again and how the situation was handled. It showed development for her character and general growth throughout the story, which I think is good.
I will say that I do wish we got just a little more romance, even though I understand why we didn’t... but my heart needed more to be that little extra bit satisfied with the overall story. It wasn’t as mature as I expected it to be, both from the romance and her maturity overall but it was still a fun and quick read.
I definitely enjoyed this read, it was quick and light even with a lot of the serious topics within the plot.
I did guess the first plot twist mainly because I’ve seen it before and with the way the blurb was written I had my suspicions but it was still done so well and it wasn’t predictable in the overall sense. Plus they way it was handled felt natural and honest.
The main reason I dropped .5 (originally 1) is because there were several scenes where her attitude and behaviour became far too selfish and immature for my liking. I empathise to a degree but certain things I just couldn’t see past... BUT, I do think this was resolved more in the latter part of the book, and I definitely felt myself warming to her again and how the situation was handled. It showed development for her character and general growth throughout the story, which I think is good.
I will say that I do wish we got just a little more romance, even though I understand why we didn’t... but my heart needed more to be that little extra bit satisfied with the overall story. It wasn’t as mature as I expected it to be, both from the romance and her maturity overall but it was still a fun and quick read.
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
[2.5 stars]
This review contains some spoilers for a trigger warning that should be talked about more.
This is a really hard book for me to rate and review, because I loved parts of it and hated parts of it equally. It seems it would even out to a three stars so that's what I'm giving it, even though it left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. Actually, having said that, I'm going to give it a two.
What I really enjoyed about this book were the characters. I've seen a lot of reviews that say the main character, Lake, is insufferable. I respectfully disagree. I think she acted perfectly in character for an eighteen-year-old whose life has been upended. She isn't going to be the model of maturity. I also loved Eddie, her best friend. She was sassy and unique. The kids of the book, Caulder and Kel, added a fun sense of humor to the story.The only character I didn't like was Will. I saw someone compare him to Edward Cullen, and that made me laugh because it's true. He gets physical with Lake, is overprotective, is very hot and cold, and beats people up for her. It's very much the Edward Cullen vibe of "I want you but I can't have you, oh no!"
The romance is like... fine. I don't know, I guess I was expecting more angst. This definitely gave me Aria and Ezra vibes from Pretty Little Liars so if you're into that, you'll probably be into this. But Lake and Will developed a friendship, which made it feel less forbidden. They would hang out with their brothers and comfort each other in hard times, so the tension between them wasn't personally what I was looking for. Also, beware: this is one of the worst cases of insta-love and it's nearly unbelievable. I just tried to ignore that part.
Also, I did not like the writing style. Let me give you an example of how this book was written using my own experience reading the book:
I walk over to my desk and pull the chair out with my right hand. I sit down on the chair and scoot it back in. Opening the book in front of me, I turn the page and smooth it out. I read the lines on the page, and then read the lines on the next one. I turn the next page. My long, brown hair falls in front of my emerald eyes. I push it back behind my ear with my fingers and continue reading. No, but seriously, the amount of unnecessary details in this book drove me crazy. And if I have to read about someone's eyes being described as emerald one more time, I'm going to scream.
I think what I found the most frustrating is how this book is falsely advertised. I went into it thinking it was a fun, forbidden romance between a student and a teacher. While that's an element of the story, this book is way more about family dynamics. And that's cool, we love complex plots. However, what wasn't cool was the cancer plot twist. I knew grief was going to be a part of this book because Lake's father had just died, but dealing with grief and watching a family member die are two very different things. Had I known what the major plot of this book was going to be, I wouldn't have picked it up, because cancer is something I absolutely don't want to read about right now. And by the time it's introduced over halfway through, I was already invested in the romance. I found myself skimming sections just to find out how Will and Lake find their way back to each other. Anyway, this is example #421 why I believe in trigger warnings before a book starts.
I'd recommend this book if: you're into books about family dynamics that heavily explore grief, death of loved ones, and found families, with a side plot of a teacher/student romance. Just go into it knowing what you're getting.
This review contains some spoilers for a trigger warning that should be talked about more.
This is a really hard book for me to rate and review, because I loved parts of it and hated parts of it equally. It seems it would even out to a three stars so that's what I'm giving it, even though it left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. Actually, having said that, I'm going to give it a two.
What I really enjoyed about this book were the characters. I've seen a lot of reviews that say the main character, Lake, is insufferable. I respectfully disagree. I think she acted perfectly in character for an eighteen-year-old whose life has been upended. She isn't going to be the model of maturity. I also loved Eddie, her best friend. She was sassy and unique. The kids of the book, Caulder and Kel, added a fun sense of humor to the story.
The romance is like... fine. I don't know, I guess I was expecting more angst. This definitely gave me Aria and Ezra vibes from Pretty Little Liars so if you're into that, you'll probably be into this. But Lake and Will developed a friendship, which made it feel less forbidden. They would hang out with their brothers and comfort each other in hard times, so the tension between them wasn't personally what I was looking for. Also, beware: this is one of the worst cases of insta-love and it's nearly unbelievable. I just tried to ignore that part.
Also, I did not like the writing style. Let me give you an example of how this book was written using my own experience reading the book:
I walk over to my desk and pull the chair out with my right hand. I sit down on the chair and scoot it back in. Opening the book in front of me, I turn the page and smooth it out. I read the lines on the page, and then read the lines on the next one. I turn the next page. My long, brown hair falls in front of my emerald eyes. I push it back behind my ear with my fingers and continue reading. No, but seriously, the amount of unnecessary details in this book drove me crazy. And if I have to read about someone's eyes being described as emerald one more time, I'm going to scream.
I think what I found the most frustrating is how this book is falsely advertised. I went into it thinking it was a fun, forbidden romance between a student and a teacher. While that's an element of the story, this book is way more about family dynamics. And that's cool, we love complex plots. However, what wasn't cool was the cancer plot twist. I knew grief was going to be a part of this book because Lake's father had just died, but dealing with grief and watching a family member die are two very different things. Had I known what the major plot of this book was going to be, I wouldn't have picked it up, because cancer is something I absolutely don't want to read about right now. And by the time it's introduced over halfway through, I was already invested in the romance. I found myself skimming sections just to find out how Will and Lake find their way back to each other. Anyway, this is example #421 why I believe in trigger warnings before a book starts.
I'd recommend this book if: you're into books about family dynamics that heavily explore grief, death of loved ones, and found families, with a side plot of a teacher/student romance. Just go into it knowing what you're getting.
Absolutely awful. The writing was sophomoric, the narrative was cliche, the characters weak and childish. The book synopsis teases with a "secret that will keep them apart", meanwhile, it's barely a groundbreaking revelation. PLL manages to handle the same "secret" in a more mature way, and nothing on ABC family is mature. Complete waste of my time and money.
Actually i wanted to rate the book 2 stars but couldn’t decide.
The teacher student love relationship really shouldn’t have been but it was okay. It got better when they weren’t teacher student at the end of the book.
The cancer lung costume is really fucked up. It really has a lot to do with my rating..
But the mother dying caught me. That’s what shoved my rating up one star.
The teacher student love relationship really shouldn’t have been but it was okay. It got better when they weren’t teacher student at the end of the book.
The cancer lung costume is really fucked up. It really has a lot to do with my rating..
But the mother dying caught me. That’s what shoved my rating up one star.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Minor: Cancer, Death of parent
Update 01/10/23: I no longer feel the same way about this book and this author. Thus, I have removed my rating. This review was from the mind of a 16-year-old. Again, I no longer feel the same way.