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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
3.5⭐️ There was nothing too special about this book and at times it felt immature. This is a part of a series but this didn’t have a cliff hanger and ended on a good note so I wonder what the other books are about.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Butterflying lived this story <3 what a fantastic author
Not my favorite Colleen Hoover books but still made me cry.
It is always an amazing book that immediately drives me to get up and DO. I don't just finish the book and reflect on the things I have read. I have an overwhelming desire to change something in my life or do something that I have never done before. I find myself wanting to truly experience something, to go out and LIVE life to its fullest. That is what Slammed did to me. No, nothing really life changing occurred with me after reading this book, but I couldn't move on until I immediately loaded the Avett Brothers onto my Pandora playlist so I could hear their amazing music. Then I searched for the beautiful lyrics of their songs so that I could soak them in and interpret them for myself. I have a need to find somewhere, anywhere within driving distance for me to see Slam poetry in action. I found myself sitting in my spare moments and thinking about the Slam poetry that I could perform about the moments in my life that have impacted me the most. I don't just want to sit around and think about the things that I read about in this novel. I want to DO.
In short, this is a book about grieving, but ultimately this is a book about living. Lake (a strange name for a main character, but soon it becomes natural and right to me as a name once I got to know her) finds herself transplanted from Texas to Michigan when her mom and she, along with a younger brother, move after the sudden death of her father. Although it has been a few months since her father's death, Lake is still experiencing residual sadness because of the loss of her happy family. Things are different now, and it is even more different when she finds herself in Michigan. She isn't happy to be there, but things begin to look up immediately when she meets the lovely man living next door to her. Will is a few years older than Lake, and they immediately hit it off. I mean they REALLY hit it off. I wouldn't go so far as to call it love at first sight, but they definitely find that there is a solid connection between each other. Within a few days they have gone on the best date ever in Lake's experience, and they are definitely way into each other.
SPOILER AHEAD. READ ON AT YOUR OWN RISK.
Then their happily ever after world tilts a bit on its axis. Lake shows up for her first day of school on the Monday following her amazing weekend of Will, only to see him in the hall at school as she starts searching for her third hour class. She goes to him, throws her arms around him, and he freaks out. Why? Well, young and lovely Will is actually a very young high school teacher at Lake's high school. He thought she was in college. She thought he was definitely not a teacher. And to add insult to injury . . . he's her third hour teacher. Noooooooo! Now that's trouble. Obviously they can't keep seeing each other. That's all kinds of wrong in almost any playbook in existence. High school teachers do not date their students. Even if the teacher is twenty-one and the student is eighteen. It just can't be done.
So what to do now? They try to avoid each other. They try to be "just friends." They occasionally get into snippy fits with each other. But they keep coming back to each other again and again. This becomes increasingly more frustrating as the novel continues. As a reader I am rooting for them to find a way to be together as a couple. No matter what Will may say, it is obvious that he wants to be with Lake. But even as my reading heart is wishing for this couple to make it work, my real life brain is saying that this wouldn't be a happy thing in a real life high school. Google any number of recent news stories on this sort of topic, and it becomes clear that situations like this do not generally have happy endings. And yet I continued to root for these two people who seem to be so meant for each other.
In Slammed, Lake's mother gives her some great advise about finding a good man. She says:
That is why I can't stop rooting for this couple. Will is a good man. He inspires Lake to be a better person. He treats her with respect. A good man. Somehow this relationship has to succeed.
Even with a crazy situation like this dominating her life, the difficulties are only beginning for Lake. She finds out that there is more to this move to Michigan than she originally believed, and this revelation is a doozy of a revelation. It will change Lake's life in a significant way, and it is in the midst of this struggle that I believe that Will truly shows his worth to her. Unfortunately it is mixed up in all the confusion of his being her teacher, so a lot of his awesome behavior is lost to her. But it was further proof of his goodness.
I won't say more about the eventual ending or resolution of the various issues of the story. I will just say a few thoughts I had while I read. Most of all . . . I absolutely loved the character of Will. He was amazing in so many ways. The things he does for his younger brother and the consideration he gives to Lake's mother and to Lake as well were wonderful. He behaves in a way that seems very hurtful to Lake at one point in the novel (well, actually it is at several points), but once we discover his motivations for his actions, it makes him even more amazing in my opinion. The ending scene of the book was nice, but for me the most wonderful, incredible, amazing, swoon worthy, awwwwww moment of the book was when Will performed his Slam poetry, reading the "Lake" poem. My heart is still fluttering from that scene. I LOVED that poem and how he used words to so beautifully portray his love for Lake. I can't get them out of my head. That is writing genius in my mind. That is what makes a brilliant poem. Loved it!
The poetry of the lyrics of the Avett Brothers played a good part in this novel. They aren't just words to read and then quickly move on to the main plot. They are words that have to simmer in your conscience, percolating until the meaning seeps into your heart, finding residence that resonates with you on a deeper level. I just really loved the inclusion of these lyrics in the novel. It is a richer novel for having them in it.
Hoover does an amazing job of really portraying the struggle that Lake goes through as she realizes that she has fallen in love with Will. As a reader I could feel her desire warring with her head as she tried to find a way to make this situation work. I could feel her frustration. I could feel her moving through the stages of grief. The writing was very well done, keeping me turning pages until I could find a resolution that satisfied me.
So am I satisfied? Yes! And no. I love the ending of this novel. It was what I wanted to find, even though it occurred in a way I didn't expect. But I was not satisfied to be done with Will and Lake's story. I wanted more. I want to re-enter the world of Slam poetry that displays the emotions of the writers in such a raw and real way. Hurray that there is a second novel in this series! I downloaded it right away so that I can continue their story. This was a wonderful discovery for me as a reader. Five stars!
In short, this is a book about grieving, but ultimately this is a book about living. Lake (a strange name for a main character, but soon it becomes natural and right to me as a name once I got to know her) finds herself transplanted from Texas to Michigan when her mom and she, along with a younger brother, move after the sudden death of her father. Although it has been a few months since her father's death, Lake is still experiencing residual sadness because of the loss of her happy family. Things are different now, and it is even more different when she finds herself in Michigan. She isn't happy to be there, but things begin to look up immediately when she meets the lovely man living next door to her. Will is a few years older than Lake, and they immediately hit it off. I mean they REALLY hit it off. I wouldn't go so far as to call it love at first sight, but they definitely find that there is a solid connection between each other. Within a few days they have gone on the best date ever in Lake's experience, and they are definitely way into each other.
SPOILER AHEAD. READ ON AT YOUR OWN RISK.
Then their happily ever after world tilts a bit on its axis. Lake shows up for her first day of school on the Monday following her amazing weekend of Will, only to see him in the hall at school as she starts searching for her third hour class. She goes to him, throws her arms around him, and he freaks out. Why? Well, young and lovely Will is actually a very young high school teacher at Lake's high school. He thought she was in college. She thought he was definitely not a teacher. And to add insult to injury . . . he's her third hour teacher. Noooooooo! Now that's trouble. Obviously they can't keep seeing each other. That's all kinds of wrong in almost any playbook in existence. High school teachers do not date their students. Even if the teacher is twenty-one and the student is eighteen. It just can't be done.
So what to do now? They try to avoid each other. They try to be "just friends." They occasionally get into snippy fits with each other. But they keep coming back to each other again and again. This becomes increasingly more frustrating as the novel continues. As a reader I am rooting for them to find a way to be together as a couple. No matter what Will may say, it is obvious that he wants to be with Lake. But even as my reading heart is wishing for this couple to make it work, my real life brain is saying that this wouldn't be a happy thing in a real life high school. Google any number of recent news stories on this sort of topic, and it becomes clear that situations like this do not generally have happy endings. And yet I continued to root for these two people who seem to be so meant for each other.
In Slammed, Lake's mother gives her some great advise about finding a good man. She says:
"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 you to want to be a better person? You find someone you can answer yes to all three, then you've found a good man."
That is why I can't stop rooting for this couple. Will is a good man. He inspires Lake to be a better person. He treats her with respect. A good man. Somehow this relationship has to succeed.
Even with a crazy situation like this dominating her life, the difficulties are only beginning for Lake. She finds out that there is more to this move to Michigan than she originally believed, and this revelation is a doozy of a revelation. It will change Lake's life in a significant way, and it is in the midst of this struggle that I believe that Will truly shows his worth to her. Unfortunately it is mixed up in all the confusion of his being her teacher, so a lot of his awesome behavior is lost to her. But it was further proof of his goodness.
I won't say more about the eventual ending or resolution of the various issues of the story. I will just say a few thoughts I had while I read. Most of all . . . I absolutely loved the character of Will. He was amazing in so many ways. The things he does for his younger brother and the consideration he gives to Lake's mother and to Lake as well were wonderful. He behaves in a way that seems very hurtful to Lake at one point in the novel (well, actually it is at several points), but once we discover his motivations for his actions, it makes him even more amazing in my opinion. The ending scene of the book was nice, but for me the most wonderful, incredible, amazing, swoon worthy, awwwwww moment of the book was when Will performed his Slam poetry, reading the "Lake" poem. My heart is still fluttering from that scene. I LOVED that poem and how he used words to so beautifully portray his love for Lake. I can't get them out of my head. That is writing genius in my mind. That is what makes a brilliant poem. Loved it!
The poetry of the lyrics of the Avett Brothers played a good part in this novel. They aren't just words to read and then quickly move on to the main plot. They are words that have to simmer in your conscience, percolating until the meaning seeps into your heart, finding residence that resonates with you on a deeper level. I just really loved the inclusion of these lyrics in the novel. It is a richer novel for having them in it.
Hoover does an amazing job of really portraying the struggle that Lake goes through as she realizes that she has fallen in love with Will. As a reader I could feel her desire warring with her head as she tried to find a way to make this situation work. I could feel her frustration. I could feel her moving through the stages of grief. The writing was very well done, keeping me turning pages until I could find a resolution that satisfied me.
So am I satisfied? Yes! And no. I love the ending of this novel. It was what I wanted to find, even though it occurred in a way I didn't expect. But I was not satisfied to be done with Will and Lake's story. I wanted more. I want to re-enter the world of Slam poetry that displays the emotions of the writers in such a raw and real way. Hurray that there is a second novel in this series! I downloaded it right away so that I can continue their story. This was a wonderful discovery for me as a reader. Five stars!
Colleen Hoover did it again, made me cry like a little baby. From the halfway on, I was just in tears all the time. Also could not put this book down!
WHY OH WHY did it take me this long to read Slammed??? I LOVED this book. I know this book is controversial because of the main issue in question… yes it can be a bit cringey, but Slammed brought out every single emotion in me.
I mean every single one… I:
•Laughed
•Cried
•Was angry
•Was annoyed
•Smiled
•Hurt
•Loved
•Blushed
This story has depth to it. Love, friendships, grief, and family dynamics. The characters in this book developed beautifully and I adored them.
I guess I’ll have to continue the series at some point in the near future…..
I mean every single one… I:
•Laughed
•Cried
•Was angry
•Was annoyed
•Smiled
•Hurt
•Loved
•Blushed
This story has depth to it. Love, friendships, grief, and family dynamics. The characters in this book developed beautifully and I adored them.
I guess I’ll have to continue the series at some point in the near future…..
emotional
medium-paced
This is probably my least favourite Hoover, but it totally makes sense seeing as it's her debut.
This book came out approximately the year I graduated high school and so many of these references are... whatever the opposite of nostalgic is.
Also genuinely curious... did Hoover start the whole "not like other girls" / "I tend to listen to music that isn't mainstream" thing? Because I actually bite my tongue when I read that.
This book came out approximately the year I graduated high school and so many of these references are... whatever the opposite of nostalgic is.
Also genuinely curious... did Hoover start the whole "not like other girls" / "I tend to listen to music that isn't mainstream" thing? Because I actually bite my tongue when I read that.