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stitchbooks22's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Grief, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Terminal illness, Car accident, Death, Cancer, and Sexual assault
emptzuu's review against another edition
THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS
Colleen Hoover consistently portrays unhealthy relationships throughout her body of work, and this book is no different.
The dynamic between Will and Layken is particularly concerning due to its inherent power imbalance. The student-teacher relationship, already fraught with potential issues, is handled in a way that fails to establish equality between the characters. Instead, Layken's rapid infatuation with Will and the lack of meaningful connection between them prior to their romantic involvement exacerbate the problem. Hoover's treatment of their relationship fails to address the complexities and responsibilities inherent in such a dynamic.
Layken
Regarding the protagonist's age and behavior, while the book may be categorized as New Adult due to the characters' ages, the portrayal of Layken's actions and emotions paints her more as a tantrum-prone child rather than a mature young adult. Her frequent outbursts, name-calling, and selfish behavior make it challenging to imagine her as anything older than twelve.
In the book, we come to learn that Layken's mother is harboring a significant secret. Initially, Layken assumes it's a romantic involvement, which she finds appalling given her father's recent passing. This leads to resentment towards her mother. However, the truth is revealed later—it's not a new relationship, but terminal cancer. With potentially less than a year left to live, Layken's mother plans for her friend to become the guardian of Layken's nine-year-old brother, Kel, after her passing.
Layken's reaction to her mother's illness is initially characterized by anger and selfishness. She fails to consider her brother's need to know about their mother's condition, instead focusing on her own feelings of abandonment. This is exemplified by Layken's outburst, which lacks maturity and understanding of the gravity of the situation. Despite the gravity of her mother's illness, Layken's primary concern remains centered on herself, rather than the well-being of her family.
Her subsequent actions, such as engaging in emotional manipulation of her dying mother and displaying immature behavior at Will's house, where she undertakes unrequested chores while snooping through his belongings, reflect a lack of maturity. When confronted by Will, Layken disregards his requests, leading to a confrontational encounter.
Furthermore, Layken's attempt to incite jealousy in Will by involving herself with another person and her inability to engage in mature conversation when Will seeks to discuss important matters highlight her immaturity and emotional insecurity. These behaviors detract from her character's development and undermine her ability to navigate challenging situations with grace and maturity.
Will
Will consistently manipulates Layken's feelings, leading her on only to reject her and then attribute it to a lapse in judgment. This pattern repeats multiple times. Even upon discovering Layken is his student, he prioritizes his own comfort by requesting she change classes to avoid interaction, demonstrating his self-centered nature. Additionally, he exploits his sibling to garner sympathy, placing them both in an uncomfortable situation.
The portrayal of male characters resorting to violence as their default response is tiresome. While Will's intention may have been to protect Layken, his decision to initiate a physical altercation reveals a troubling tendency towards aggression. Rather than handling the situation calmly, he reacts impulsively out of jealousy, which is far from romantic.
Another instance that underscores Will's problematic behavior is his inappropriate reaction to Layken's actions, such as throwing water on her when she disobeys his request to stop cleaning. While Layken's presence without permission may be a point of contention, resorting to such actions is not justified.
Spoiler: Slammed 2 is even worse.
Colleen Hoover consistently portrays unhealthy relationships throughout her body of work, and this book is no different.
The dynamic between Will and Layken is particularly concerning due to its inherent power imbalance. The student-teacher relationship, already fraught with potential issues, is handled in a way that fails to establish equality between the characters. Instead, Layken's rapid infatuation with Will and the lack of meaningful connection between them prior to their romantic involvement exacerbate the problem. Hoover's treatment of their relationship fails to address the complexities and responsibilities inherent in such a dynamic.
Layken
Regarding the protagonist's age and behavior, while the book may be categorized as New Adult due to the characters' ages, the portrayal of Layken's actions and emotions paints her more as a tantrum-prone child rather than a mature young adult. Her frequent outbursts, name-calling, and selfish behavior make it challenging to imagine her as anything older than twelve.
In the book, we come to learn that Layken's mother is harboring a significant secret. Initially, Layken assumes it's a romantic involvement, which she finds appalling given her father's recent passing. This leads to resentment towards her mother. However, the truth is revealed later—it's not a new relationship, but terminal cancer. With potentially less than a year left to live, Layken's mother plans for her friend to become the guardian of Layken's nine-year-old brother, Kel, after her passing.
Layken's reaction to her mother's illness is initially characterized by anger and selfishness. She fails to consider her brother's need to know about their mother's condition, instead focusing on her own feelings of abandonment. This is exemplified by Layken's outburst, which lacks maturity and understanding of the gravity of the situation. Despite the gravity of her mother's illness, Layken's primary concern remains centered on herself, rather than the well-being of her family.
Her subsequent actions, such as engaging in emotional manipulation of her dying mother and displaying immature behavior at Will's house, where she undertakes unrequested chores while snooping through his belongings, reflect a lack of maturity. When confronted by Will, Layken disregards his requests, leading to a confrontational encounter.
Furthermore, Layken's attempt to incite jealousy in Will by involving herself with another person and her inability to engage in mature conversation when Will seeks to discuss important matters highlight her immaturity and emotional insecurity. These behaviors detract from her character's development and undermine her ability to navigate challenging situations with grace and maturity.
Will
Will consistently manipulates Layken's feelings, leading her on only to reject her and then attribute it to a lapse in judgment. This pattern repeats multiple times. Even upon discovering Layken is his student, he prioritizes his own comfort by requesting she change classes to avoid interaction, demonstrating his self-centered nature. Additionally, he exploits his sibling to garner sympathy, placing them both in an uncomfortable situation.
The portrayal of male characters resorting to violence as their default response is tiresome. While Will's intention may have been to protect Layken, his decision to initiate a physical altercation reveals a troubling tendency towards aggression. Rather than handling the situation calmly, he reacts impulsively out of jealousy, which is far from romantic.
Another instance that underscores Will's problematic behavior is his inappropriate reaction to Layken's actions, such as throwing water on her when she disobeys his request to stop cleaning. While Layken's presence without permission may be a point of contention, resorting to such actions is not justified.
Spoiler: Slammed 2 is even worse.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Emotional abuse
strapmatey's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
almost dnf'ed it
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Car accident, Cancer, Death of parent, Trafficking, and Terminal illness
missrosymaplemoth's review against another edition
1.5
I wish this book was 200 pages shorter and ended with Layken transferring out of Will’s class. The “heavy themes” in this book were largely about navigating the taboo (read: illegal) relationship. So gross. It’s illegal for a reason; I don’t care that the age difference is “only” 3 years.
Some points that stood out to me:
- The slam poetry was confusing and cringeworthy.
- The narration was juvenile (even for YA) and long-winded at times (do we really need a play-by-play of Layken’s morning routine?).
- I didn’t enjoy how the only person of color’s storyline was
assaulting Layken, which in itself was just a plot device to get Will and Layken back together. - My jaw dropped when I read about the younger boys’ Halloween costumes.
Not to be uptight like that principal, but my mom had cancer twice and I was surprised at Julia’s reaction. What nine-year-old says they want to be their mother’s cancerous lung(s)? The whole thing was just very odd and inorganic to me. - I’ll give the book one thing: the note from
Layken’s now-deceased mom at the very end was nice.
I don’t understand why I read this, or how the author has the following she does. I will not be reading the sequels (which I’m disappointed to say do exist). This book served as a lesson and a reminder to never read a book by this author again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Death
Moderate: Car accident, Death of parent, Sexual assault, and Cancer
hangeken's review against another edition
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Cancer, Adult/minor relationship, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Alcohol
merah's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Toxic relationship
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