Slammed by Colleen Hoover

Rating: Five stars
Date published: January 5, 2012
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Synopsis from Goodreads:

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.

Slammed was my very first Colleen Hoover novel. It's a book that I feel very strongly about and also my favorite CoHo book. Slammed is a gem in the literary world. Why do I love it so much? The slam poetry. I have never seen poetry integrated so flawlessly into the plot of a novel before, and I've certainly never seen it used to often over the progression of a novel. I find that it's impossible not to feel something when one of the characters is doing a slam. The poetry is so meaningful and reads really well. I couldn't wait to get to the next slam the entire time I was rereading Slammed.

It's also impossible not to love the characters. From Layken and Will to all the supporting characters, each one is extremely dynamic. Layken's mother was perhaps my favorite, followed closely by Eddie and then Will. Both the characters and the plot feel so incredibly real. I also like the emphasis on death and life that Hoover has in this novel. The progression of the plot brings even more in common between Layken and Will and without giving too much away, I like how similar their situations are. It brings a whole new level to the novel.

As for the romance, fans of forbidden romance will love Slammed. Will and Layken can't be together, even though they're perfect for each other. Will has so much on the line and he can't allow himself to give into his attraction to Layken. Meanwhile, she's stuck taking his poetry class and they have to deny that they know each other so well and see each other often, since they live across the street from each other and their little brothers are best friends. However, because it's a young adult novel, Slammed isn't too risque, which I don't find to be a problem. Layken and Will's scenes are still tension-filled and I loved their moments of weakness when they couldn't deny their feelings for each other.

Slammed is a great book that fans of romance and poetry will love. The writing itself is good; I've always said there's something about Colleen Hoover's writing style that makes you addicted. Once you pick up one of her books, you need to keep reading it, savoring all the twists and turns that take place over the course of the novel. So pick up Slammed if you haven't read it yet. You won't regret it.