Slammed

Title: Slammed (Slammed #1)

Author: Colleen Hoover

Genre: YA/NA/Romance

Release Date: January 5, 2012

My Rating:
♥♥♥♥♥

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.

~ Goodreads

I love Slammed.  As in, I loved this book so much that I just had to cast aside my studying materials and finish it pronto.  And I was not let down.  I've always been a fan of teacher-students relationships in books (as long as the teacher isn't over 30 and a total creep!), so this was a must read!

Layken is devastated as the sudden death of her father leaves her and her family in shambles.  Layken, her mother, and brother travel the long distance to the foreign state of Michigan for her mother's nursing job and to try to get back up on their feet.  A very attractive 21 year-old named Will lives across the street, along with his younger brother that's the same age as Layken's younger brother, Kel.  Will is perfect; poetic, caring, strong, and handsome.  Seems perfect, huh?  Wrong.

Instant attraction quickly build between Layken and Will, but a secret rocks their worlds.  As they are forced apart, Layken swears to fight the walls building between them.  Will they overcome it, or surrender to the world?

Slammed is so amazingly riveting and passionate and so emotional that it's contagious!  I was sucked in right away; the characters were so lovable that I just wanted to hug them and tell them it'll be alright.

Intense.  So.  Much.  Intensity.  But it was the good type of intensity; the type that makes you want to squeal and jump up and down and up and down.  The type that has you fighting to keep the humongous smile plastered to your lips in check.  In my opinion, Slammed is a carbon copy of Hopeless, but with a different plot twist.  The same emotions were drawn from me, but with less crying.  There was some crying in Slammed!  I have to warn you guys, this one is a heartbreaker.  But all of Hoover's books are emotionally wrecked heartbreakers, so.... read them!

Slammed is a shortie at only 317 pages, so I finished it well under one day.

Although, I'm still not sure if I should categorize it under Young Adult or New Adult, because Layken is still in high school, but it touches some adult subjects.  I'm just going to put it in between YA and NA.

I have to say, I was definitely not a fan of the cover.  I don't want to be too harsh, but it's very... unattractive.  Maybe some color here or there and it would've been so much brighter!  But I do see where they're coming from and how they got the cover.  I just wish there was more to draw the eye to.

Overall, I'm giving Slammed a 5/5, because it surpassed my expectations with it's beautiful poetry and intensely emotional relationships that had me crying not even halfway through the book.