Review: Slammed and Hopeless by Coleen Hoover

After seeing quite a bit of hype about Colleen Hoover from booktubers I obviously had to pick a few up and see what all the fuss was about for myself. I was not disappointed. Hoover's writing is so utterly captivating her stories consume your thoughts for the duration of the time you are reading one of her novels and still you are left reeling for days afterwards. I read the prologues for all of Colleen Hoover's books and these were the two I was most intrigued by so I bought them both and ended up reading them one after another as I couldn't get enough of the writing style.

Slammed - 4/5 stars

This was the first book of Hoover's that I picked up, slightly reluctantly I might add as I realised it was very poetry centered and had a student/teacher relationship in it which I have mixed feelings about. I went into this book believing that it would be nothing more than a slightly more gritty contemporary novel, but quickly got sucked into the deeper meaning of the book: that we all take life for granted. 

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.

As I've said before my opinion on books like this depends solely on how they make me feel and how they make me reflect upon my own life. This book did both of those things perfectly. The characters were so refreshing what with both of them being strong and independent yet not afraid to rely on each other if they needed to. The intensity of their relationship is beautiful and the way the author deals with the topic of death is just flawless. 

My favorite character in this book was surprisingly not the protagonist or her love interest, it was her mother. The book is so full of wisdom and subtle (and obvious) life lessons that are so breathtaking they reside not only within your heart but within your soul. I have learned things from Lake's mother that I aim to carry forward in my own life. There was not a single message that was not backed up by a stunning example from the characters. 

Hopeless - 4.5/5 stars

Just...seriously, this book. THIS BOOK. I can't begin to explain to you how this book made me feel. I have been searching for a book that made me feel like I did when reading Beautiful Disaster and this book came so gosh darned close. I can explain what this book did to me by showing you the text I sent to my friend at approximately 2:21 am this morning:  
 'I am emotionally compromised. I have just finished the book and oh my ever loving f*%$ what even are my feelings anymore THAT WAS SO INTENSE AND DRAMATIC I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO FEEL ANYMORE.'
Yup, that's what my friends wake up to in the mornings, lucky them. It's ok she's learned to accept my crazy ways by this point. 

Sky Davis is starting sixth form having always been home-schooled, and wants to keep a low profile. But then she runs into Dean Holder - messy brown hair, smouldering blue eyes, and a temper straight out of Fight Club, someone who Sky is determined to avoid. There is something about Holder that sparks memories of Sky's troubled past, those which she would rather stay buried. Little does she know that the mysterious Dean Holder is harbouring secrets of his own... When the truth unravels, Sky must piece her life back together and learn to trust again. Only by facing the revelations together can the two of them begin to heal their emotional scars and find a way to live without boundaries.

This book exceeded my expectations in every way imaginable. Dean Holder was absolutely amazing. With just a touch of bad boy, lickable dimples, a crooked smile and a tattoo, this moody, mysterious and endearing hot guy with a temper just utterly stole my heart. Deeply protective and totally swoony but with a bad rep, he was so contradictory – warm, cold. Sweet, sharp. Just like Sky, I just NEEDED to know more about him. And the more I learned, the more the mystery deepened.I loved watching them get closer and closer. Their chemistry was undeniable and their dialogue and banter was rapid fire and brilliant and just set my heart a flutter. What they had was intense, passionate, and oh-so REAL. Every single thing they went though and did was believable and just made you wish you knew them in person.

I loved that the story was serious but little parts made me laugh out, breaking up the more emotionally charged scenes. I swooned, squeed, proclaimed my undying love for the book, and had to take breathers to wipe the tears that sprung up on me more than once. I felt so in sync with Sky’s emotions and journey. I felt like I went through all her emotions without ever once feeling disconnected. Through her eyes, I fell in love with Holder, I felt her pain and confusion, and I felt her healing. She was a wonderfully strong, brave heroine – the kind you want to look up to and make you feel proud of.

I loved that the story was emotionally charged but with absolutely no stupidity. All the characters’ reactions were understandable and just made me more and more sympathetic to them. This isn’t to say that there wasn’t angst and heart-clutching turmoil, because there was. The subject matter and themes are serious, gut wrenching and very mature. I had to say I did see the big reveal coming but still that didn't take away from the appeal of the book for me.