Tuesday 12 June 2012

Review: Slammed by Colleen Hoover (Slammed #1)

Title: Slammed 
Author: Colleen Hoover
Publication date: January 1st 2012
Age group: Upper Young Adult/ New Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Cover rating: 3/5
Content rating: 5/5
Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / Smashwords


Description via Goodreads:
Layken Cohen isn’t your typical 18-year-old. After the recent death of her father, she is forced to be the rock for both her mother and younger brother. Outwardly, she appears resilient and tenacious, but inwardly, she’s slowly losing hope.  
Enter Will Cooper: The 21-year-old new neighbor with an intriguing passion for “slamming.” Will and Layken immediately form an intense and emotional connection neither of them knew they needed until it was found. However, the two of them are slammed to the core when a shocking revelation forces their relationship to a halt.  
Once again, Layken must put on a brave face and accept that which she cannot control, but when a family secret comes into play, it becomes the ultimate test of her resolve. Unable to accept the harsh reality of her future, Layken puts everything at risk and turns to Will for solace. 
Both Layken and Will struggle as they attempt to find a balance between that which keeps them apart and the feelings that pull them together.
My thought:
Wow. I just finished this a little while ago and I'm having trouble forming coherent thoughts. I have read a lot of books. Hundreds upon hundreds. And Slammed, is, without a doubt, one of the best I have ever had the fortune of picking up. I expected this to be a good read- the reviews are gushing and I've been seeing it (and its sequel) everywhere for weeks now. But I honestly did not expect to find a new favourite. I don't think I'll be able to get this book out of my head for a long time.  It was phenomenal.

The less you know about Slammed before you read it, the better. I was so delighted that the description didn't give away the main point, like so many descriptions tend to do. The mystery is exactly what is needed. When the revelation did come about- I was shocked. Stunned. I put down my Kindle and just tried to take it in. I hadn't seen it coming at all and that feeling was awesome! I definitely recommend not reading any spoiler-y reviews before starting this one. It's powerful to feel the full effects of the situation.

I'm not going to go into a lot of detail. I will just say that this book is positively heartbreaking and it blew me away. I had barely started the book and I was already incredibly emotionally invested. There is so much going on in this novel, it was breathtaking. There are so many characters and they're ALL worth getting to know. Layken, Will, their brothers, Julia, Eddie... everyone. I felt so connected to them all by the time I finished the novel. It's like they were all old friends. They're all described and developed amazingly well.

Obviously, I would recommend this to everyone! I'm so glad I decided to give it a go. It really is a complete gem of a book that left me amazed. It's sad and happy and hopeful all at once! I'm really looking forward to getting a start on the second book but I think I might need a little break first. This is one powerful book that seriously packs a punch! 5 stars doesn't even seem like enough!

25 comments:

  1. I REALLY want to read this book! I've heard nothing but amazing things about this series, great review :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. thank you so much for this! I was just reading your review on Amazon and was hoping I would be able to say thank you somewhere, because I freakin' loved it!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great review! I have been reading a ton of them trying to figure out what exactly this is about lol But like you said, everyone seems to say I just need to experience it and be surprised so I guess I'll just buy it already and see! I'm just worried I will cry. Is there an HEA? LOL I need a happy ending. I don't know what it's about but I'm already worried about crying. I'm weird and emotional. Great review!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh, I LOVE those books that completely throw you, and I love it even more when it's a complete surprise! FABULOUS review--you have me so SO intrigued, simply by telling me so little, but focusing on the book as a whole. PERFECT! ♥

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm really glad to find a review for this on your blog because I totally trust your opinion and I wanted to read this but I thought all the Amazon reviews would be fake, ha! This sounds fantastic, I'm going to buy the Kindle version NOW!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Nicola, I said this on GR but I'm so happy you ended up loving this as much as I did! I agree, avoiding spoilery reviews is best. It's best to discover this story with as little information as possible. I was completely taken in from the first Slam! Lovely review Nicola. :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. A family member of mine read this one and highly enjoyed it so I'm going to have to give it a try. I love when you can dive into a book and not know exactly what the entire plot is going to be. Plus in a world filled with so many paranormal stories I think this hard hitting/emotional contemporary would be a great break from the norm in YA.

    Thanks for the awesome review, so glad that you were able to find a new favorite. :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. I haven't head of this book before but that's not too surprising because I'm not a big fan of the contemporary genre. But you make me want to read this one. One of the "best" books you have ever read, I have to give it a go. Brilliant review.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oh, dear. Well, when you put it like that, there is no way I can NOT read this book. No way in hell. I love that it's more NEw Adult than YA, for start, and I've been hearing all these amazing things about it.
    I've been in a bit of a reading slump and this sounds like just the thing to pull me out.
    Lovely review, Nicola! I love it when you get all enthusiastic. :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. I really need to this after your 5 star review too, the reviews of this have been insane. But yours just makes me want to pick it up asap! Wonderful review Nicola! :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. I've heard so many great things about this book ! :D
    I was waiting for Barbara at Basia's Bookshelf to read and review it before buying a copy, but you've totally convinced me to buy it.
    I love that there's a lot of unexpected events that pop up that you can't guess when reading the summary. It's always fun to read a book that ends up shocking you ! :D
    Since you gave it 5 stars and it blew you away, it must be an EPIC read ! :)
    Lovely review, Nicola :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Amazing review Nicola! I'm so glad to learn of another contemporary novel with fantastic characters! :0 I really want to read Slammed!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Wow a new favourite? This must be an amazing read, I actually hadn't heard of it before. It is definitely going on my wishlist after reading your amazing review, Nicola :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Ooh this sounds right up my alley! I love mysteries, and I know what you mean about the less you know going in the better - those actually often end up favorites and the hardest to recommend or review bc you don't want to say anything about it >.< Though I think you nailed it! Great review, muffin!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Isn't it great when you find that shining gem in the indie/self pubbed world. I read a fabulous review of this one by
    Rachel at the Reader's Den last week and bought a copy. Of course I haven.'t had a chance to read it yet but your review is making me even more eager. Are you reading the sequel? Thanks for doing such a great job on the review without giving away anything!

    ReplyDelete
  16. This sounds like such a great book! And your review is beautiful, your love for this comes through so strongly.<3

    ReplyDelete
  17. You too?? And to think I never heard about this book until a few weeks ago -- now I feel like all the bloggers I love are falling head over heels for this book, and I can't believe I haven't read it yet! I especially love how this is a self-published books because we don't really have many gems in the area. And another reason why I'm definitely planning on reading this: I'm a total poet girl! Love the idea of poetry slams :')

    Really awesome review, Nicola! <3

    ReplyDelete
  18. Ha! I was just about to write what Mimi wrote. :P I hadn't even heard of this book until all the great reviews started popping up. It seems like everyone is giving this book 5 stars! I'm so glad to see you liked it, Nicola. After all this, I think I will just have tp pick it up and see what all the fuss is about. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  19. This book has been making its way around the blog, and every review I have read thus far..mimics yours ...i have got to read this. I love when a book grabs you like this. Awesome review Nicola!!

    ReplyDelete
  20. I don't think I've heard of this one before. Huh - now I really want to read it.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I loved the description, the setting, the twists and the characters. Enjoyed it so much I asked Colleen to do an interview for my blog, Ladies Who Critique.com, and her answers made me love the book even more. This is a fantastic debut and Colleen is a truly gifted writer who will go very far.

    ReplyDelete
  22. This sounds so good! I love contemps that take on tough emotional subjects....

    ReplyDelete
  23. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  24. What's up Dear, are you in fact visiting this web site daily, if so then you will definitely obtain fastidious knowledge.

    Also visit my homepage ... http://exercisevault.com

    ReplyDelete
  25. Very rapidly this web site will be famous among all blog users, due to it's nice content

    Here is my web page 1000 facebook likes cheap

    ReplyDelete

So sorry about the word verification, it's the only way to stop the huge amounts of spam!

Thanks SO much for taking the time to comment, I really appreciate it.

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...