Find my reviews on Blogger ~ Reviews by Bookish Sarah 
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 18-year-old Layken (or, "Lake") is still coping with the death of her father when her mother moves the family (Layken, her 9-year-old brother, and her mom) from Texas to Michigan. Lake's mother claims this is due to financial issues which have forced her to take a job with an old friend in Michigan. Lake isn't too happy about it, but she doesn't have a choice in the matter. 
 Lake's sadness over the move quickly dissipates after meeting her new neighbor, Will. Just days after the move-in, Will and Lake go on a date; a date that changes everything for both of them. During and after their date, the two young adults experience a powerful connection unlike anything either of them has before. 
 When Lake begins school the next week, an unexpected and unwelcome revelation takes place - one that dashes Lake's hope of a future with Will, and vice versa. It's now a matter of ethics and a matter of choosing what's most important in life - and their relationship isn't it. The couple struggles with keeping apart, but when Lake's life spins out of control in other ways, she can't help but turn to Will for comfort, and, ethically wrong or not, Will can't bring himself to deny her. 
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 **Could be spoilery!** 
 Where to begin? 
 I guess I could start with the characters. Will and Lake. What can I say about them and their relationship? I feel like nothing I could say would sufficiently express just how amazing they are together. Will is a passionate character. His character radiated so much emotion when it came to just about everything - his job, his family, Lake, poetry, doing what's right. He did everything with purpose and with determination. I loved his character a whole lot right from the get-go. Lake, on the other hand, I had some problems with at first. She struck me as sort of petty in the beginning. When she couldn't have things the way she wanted them, she went into immaturity mode and started throwing tantrums. Eventually I grew to appreciate her, though. Even if not done in the most mature way, she spoke the truth and tried to go for what she wanted at all times. She was strong in her own way and determined to do the best she could with what she was given - which was a crappy situation. 
 She and Will together? Well, that was something! Colleen Hoover did a great job with the intensity of their relationship. My heart was pounding away in my chest through the entire book. I cried and cried for this couple and their situation(s). This book turned me into a complete sap! I can't even describe just how beautiful their love was. It was passionate and tragic and beautiful... I really don't know what else to say about it other than WOW, JUST WOW. 
 The secondary characters were just as amazing. Lake's mom & brother. Will's brother. Eddie and Gavin. They all had such amazing personality and I loved each and every one of them. 
 THE POETRY. Now, I am not really a huge fan of poetry. I know and love some of the classics, sure. Poe. Frost. Shakespeare. Blake. Aside from that, I don't really go near poetry. I can appreciate it, but probably not to the extent that it should be appreciated. That being said, the poetry in this book was very moving to me. I have seen slam poetry myself once before (other than in movies, that is) and it was fascinating. I think Colleen Hoover did a really beautiful job of bringing the power of slam poetry into this story. Even in print, it was an incredibly moving experience. 
 The struggles. Everything these characters go through is portrayed so well. Lake and Will's relationship, Lake dealing with her father's death, the imminent death of her mother, knowing she will have to raise her brother, college... just everything. This girl was thrown multiple curve balls and every single emotion she felt, I felt. Everything all the characters felt, I felt. Will, Eddie, the young brothers, and Lake's mother - they all went through things in this story and it was emotional to read. Hoover has a way with words and storytelling that gripped my heart and soul. 
 Slammed is a beautiful and tragic story. It's sad and hopeful. It's passionate and humorous. It made me laugh and it made me cry. It made me feel. It's a fast-paced book that kept me enthralled from cover to cover - literally. I read it in one sitting and I did it easily. The romance is packed with intensity and heat. The characters are multidimensional and FULL of personality. Slammed is so much more than a story of girl meets boy, girl falls in love with boy she can't be with, girl stays with boy anyway. It's more than just drama and angst - it's an inspiring, beautiful, passionate and completely emotional ride. Nothing I say can accurately portray just how incredible this book really is. If you like Young Adult contemporaries, you will LOVE this. 
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 Book source: Purchased through Amazon 
 Publisher: Createspace