book review slammed colleen hoover

Slammed Summary, Review, Characters and Themes

In “Slammed,” Colleen Hoover crafts a painfully poetic narrative that explores the tender complexities of first love amidst life’s inevitable challenges.

The story follows eighteen-year-old Layken Cohen, whose world is upended following her father’s death, leading her to a new start in Michigan where she encounters Will Cooper, a passionate young poet with a secret that could shatter their burgeoning bond.

The story follows the life of 18-year-old Layken Cohen shortly after the death of her father.

Layken, her mother, and younger brother, Kel, move from Texas to Michigan for a fresh start. On her first day in the new home, Layken meets Will Cooper, her 21-year-old neighbor, who has a similar passion for poetry and quickly forms a deep connection with him.

Will introduces Layken to the world of slam poetry by taking her to a club where people perform their poetry. The chemistry between them is undeniable, and they find solace in each other’s company, sharing a love for poetry that helps them express their deepest feelings and cope with life’s challenges.

However, their budding relationship faces a significant obstacle when Layken starts her senior year of high school and discovers that Will is her English teacher. This revelation puts them in a difficult position due to the ethical and professional boundaries that prevent them from being together. Despite their mutual feelings, they try to suppress their relationship to avoid the consequences it could bring.

As the story unfolds, Layken deals with more unexpected hardships, including her mother’s health issues, which adds to the weight of her responsibilities and challenges her ability to cope. The novel explores themes of morality, the complexities of love, and the impact of grief and loss.

Through slam poetry, the characters find a powerful outlet for their emotions and a way to connect with others who share similar experiences.

Layken “Lake” Cohen

At eighteen, Layken “Lake” Cohen faces immense change and loss, moving to Michigan with her family following her father’s death and her mother’s cancer diagnosis.

Lake’s character journey is marked by resilience and maturity as she navigates her forbidden love for Will, her poetry teacher, alongside coping with her mother’s terminal illness and taking responsibility for her younger brother, Kel.

Lake’s evolution from anger and confusion to acceptance and forward-thinking showcases her growth, ultimately leading to a harmonious resolution with Will and a new, blended family dynamic.

Will Cooper

Will Cooper, a 21-year-old student teacher and devoted guardian to his younger brother, Caulder, embodies sacrifice and responsibility.

Following the tragic death of his parents, Will abandons a college football scholarship to provide for Caulder, stepping into a parental role while pursuing a teaching career . His relationship with Lake adds complexity to his life, challenging his professional boundaries and personal desires.

Will’s thoughtful nature and dedication to his brother’s well-being highlight his character’s depth, culminating in a rewarding family union with Lake.

Kel Cohen, Lake’s nine-year-old brother, brings humor and vulnerability to the story, grappling with his father’s death and adjusting to a new life in Michigan. His friendship with Caulder Cooper forms a crucial connection between the Cohen and Cooper families.

Kel’s resilience and adaptability shine through the narrative, with Lake’s guardianship ensuring his stability and happiness. The merging of the Cohen and Cooper households symbolizes a new chapter of shared lives and parenting responsibilities.

Julia Cohen

Julia Cohen is a figure of strength and secrecy, dealing with her terminal cancer while striving to prepare her children for a future without her. Her initial decision to hide her illness stems from a desire to protect her family from further pain, yet her actions convey deep maternal love and wisdom.

Julia’s role evolves from protector to guide, encouraging Lake to pursue happiness with Will once ethical barriers are removed. Her legacy is one of love, resilience, and the importance of living fully in the face of adversity.

Eddie, Lake’s vibrant and loyal friend, overcomes a turbulent childhood marked by abuse and foster care, finding stability and love with her foster parent, Joel. Her friendship with Lake is unwavering, offering support and understanding despite the complexities of Lake and Will’s relationship.

Eddie’s resilience and positive outlook provide a stark contrast to the novel’s themes of loss and challenge, embodying hope and the power of chosen family.

As a devoted fan of Colleen Hoover’s works, I approached “Slammed” with a mix of anticipation and hesitation. My reservations stemmed from hearing that the novel was notably somber and perhaps not the pinnacle of Hoover’s literary achievements.

The decision to include “Slammed” in our book club’s reading list was a welcome one, as it offered a platform for discussion, whether the book met our expectations or not. To my delight, “Slammed” exceeded them.

Addressing the obvious, “Slammed” is Hoover’s debut, and the difference in polish when compared to her later novels like “ Maybe Someday ,” “ Ugly Love ,” and “ Confess ” is noticeable. Yet, this doesn’t detract from the book’s quality. There are moments where the narrative could benefit from deeper development, and instances where the prose feels overly simple. However, these minor issues didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment of the novel.

The core of my engagement with “Slammed” was the evolving relationship between Layken and Will. Their story was filled with unexpected developments that kept me hooked, reminiscent in some ways of plot lines from “Pretty Little Liars,” yet entirely captivating in its own right.

What truly stood out to me, a hallmark of Hoover’s storytelling, is the depth she brings to her narratives. “Slammed” begins with a romance, but it unfolds into something far richer, tackling themes that resonate on a deeper level. This blend of romantic intrigue and profound narrative exploration is what makes Hoover’s work so compelling to me.

I found myself eagerly turning pages, often at the expense of other responsibilities, captivated by the need to see where Layken and Will’s journey would lead. With “Point of Retreat” on the horizon, I am eager to continue their story.

In recommending “Slammed,” I also want to clarify a common misconception: the novel is not written in verse. While it incorporates slam poetry, which I found to be a brilliantly engaging and enriching aspect of the narrative, the majority of the book aligns with Hoover’s conventional writing style. This might be a relief for those hesitant about verse novels, though I personally find value in all forms of storytelling.

In conclusion, “Slammed” is a testament to Colleen Hoover’s ability to weave compelling tales that captivate and resonate with readers. It’s a book that offers more than just a romance, providing a multi-layered narrative that I enthusiastically recommend, alongside any of Hoover’s works.

1. The Power of Poetry and Expression

“Slammed” intricately explores how poetry, particularly slam poetry, serves as a vital outlet for expressing deep emotions and navigating life’s tumultuous waves. Through the passionate recitations at the slam sessions, characters reveal their innermost thoughts, fears, and desires, illustrating poetry’s ability to connect individuals at a profoundly emotional level.

This theme is central to the novel, as it not only propels the plot but also facilitates character development.

Layken’s initial skepticism towards poetry turns into admiration and reliance, showcasing her growth and the transformative impact of art on her life.

Poetry becomes a bridge between characters, allowing them to communicate in ways words alone cannot, highlighting its significance as a tool for healing, connection, and understanding.

2. Navigating Love Amidst Ethical Boundaries

At the heart of “Slammed” is the complex relationship between Layken and Will, which becomes fraught with ethical dilemmas once Layken discovers Will is her teacher. This theme delves into the moral complexities inherent in their situation, forcing both characters—and the reader—to grapple with the nuances of right and wrong in matters of the heart.

Their relationship, while genuine and deeply felt, crosses societal and professional boundaries, presenting a significant conflict in the narrative. Colleen Hoover skillfully uses this theme to explore the tension between personal desires and societal expectations, examining the sacrifices and decisions characters must make in pursuit of love while adhering to ethical standards.

This exploration raises questions about authority, consent, and the ethical considerations that come with relationships in positions of power imbalance.

3. Coping with Grief and Loss

The shadow of grief hangs heavily over the characters in “Slammed,” affecting their decisions, relationships, and outlook on life.

The novel opens with Layken reeling from the loss of her father, a theme that is revisited throughout the story as she and her family face further adversities. Hoover does not shy away from depicting the raw, often messy process of grieving, offering a nuanced portrayal of how individuals cope differently with loss.

This theme is pivotal in understanding the characters’ motivations and actions, as it influences their interactions and the trajectory of their lives.

The exploration of grief in “Slammed” underscores the notion that while loss is an inescapable part of life, the support of loved ones and the power of expression—through words, poetry, or art—can offer a pathway to healing and resilience.

Through this theme, the novel affirms the importance of confronting and processing grief to find strength and hope in the aftermath of loss.

Final Thoughts

Colleen Hoover weaves a compelling narrative that captures the intensity of first love and the complexities of navigating ethical boundaries.

“Slammed” is not just a love story; it’s a journey through the highs and lows of life, the importance of family, and the transformative power of art and expression. The novel resonates with readers for its emotional depth, relatable characters, and the way it addresses serious life issues with the right amount of sensitivity.

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A team of Editors at Books That Slay.

Passionate | Curious | Permanent Bibliophiles

‘Slammed’ by Colleen Hoover – Book Review

Slammed – Colleen Hoover Book Review

Colleen hoover’s first novel, slammed , demonstrates that she turned pro right out of the gate..

While it’s a tamer read than most of her fare – no explicit scenes and many reviewers call out that the book is relatively free of trigger warnings – it still packs Hoover’s one-two punch of love and heartbreak. Read more to see why we recommend the Slammed Colleen Hoover Book!

Perfect for the #lisquad! What’s better than a romance novel with poetry?!

Eighteen-year-old Layken (“Lake”) had hardly had time to grieve the recent loss of her father when her mother moved her and her brother Kel from Texas to Michigan. Within moments of their arrival, a little boy from across the street, Caulder, comes running over, and the boys click instantly. Michigan seems slightly less terrible when Caulder’s older brother, Will, emerges from the house.

As with their brothers, the connection between Will and Lake is instant. When Will invites her to a poetry slam, Lake is initially uncertain, but between her handsome escort and the raw emotion of the performers, she quickly becomes hooked.

To get the aesthetic vibe for Slammed, check out this TikTok Video .

On the first day of her senior year, Lake floats into school, still on a cloud from her evening with Will, and excited by the new world of slam poetry, which seems to tap into emotions Lake doesn’t have language for. The carriage turns into a pumpkin when she discovers Will is her poetry teacher. Will is equally horrified to learn that Lake is still in high school.

Will ends things between them immediately. He is his brother’s sole guardian and can’t afford to risk his job. Although they haven’t known each other very long, Will and Lake acutely feel their abrupt ending.

If you love new adult romance, slam poetry, or have a young adult reader in your life, Slammed is the perfect pick.

Find a copy of this “author debut” from your favorite retailer..

About the Author – Colleen Hoover

Colleen Hoover is the author of five New York Times bestselling novels. Her first series was published in 2012 and includes of course, Slammed, Point of Retreat, and the companion novel This Girl. Her second series, published in 2013, includes the #1 New York Time’ s bestseller Hopeless and the companion novel, Losing Hope . She has released a free novella, Finding Cinderella , as a thank you to her readers for their continued support. The novella is a companion to her Hopeless series, but can be read as a standalone.

Want more romance recommendations like Slammed by Colleen Hoover book review? Get the best love and romance novel recommendations, handpicked by our experienced editor, straight to your inbox each week. Sign up for little infinite’s Romance Newsletter, here .

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Book Review: Slammed by Colleen Hoover

“Don't take life too seriously. Punch it in the face when it needs a good hit. Laugh at it.” ― Colleen Hoover, Slammed

Slammed is a modern romance book. It may be read independently, but it is also the first novel in the Slammed series. The magical and bewildering first-love experience is perfectly captured in this passionate, emotionally charged debut book, which follows two young people as they form an unexpected friendship before learning that fate has other plans for them.

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.

My reaction in this novel...

With incredibly high hopes after reading Heart Bones and enjoying a profoundly romantic narrative, I made the decision to continue with this book. I actually don't know if this book will certainly top what I felt in Heart Bones because the YouTuber that I followed, who adores Colleen Hoover, hasn't read it yet. I'm not sure why I decided to read the Heart Bones first, despite the fact that I think this one ought to be the first because it was the first to be released. In any case, because this is Hoover's debut book, I'll give it to her. I can affirm that she made the book simple to read.

I had such a strong imagination that I truly believed I was present in the scene. This book will make you cry without you even realizing it, which is something I truly appreciate about it. I don't know, maybe it's simply that I read with a lot of feeling. I cried over the relationship between the main heroine and her mother more than the romance in this story. I found myself becoming teary-eyed during the point where her mother offered her a list of advise. I really cherished the scene in which Eddie was surprised by her foster father. It was really brilliant. At that point, I really started to cry. I had high hopes that Colleen Hoover's creative imagination would accommodate Eddie's stand-alone narrative.

Let's move on to the aspects of this book that I dislike after those that I enjoyed. First off, the love story of the main characters did not captivate me. I was unable to experience the love in every poem spoken throughout the slam. I can't feel anything, which could be because I'm not the traditional romantic who likes to read poetry. It seemed undercooked to me. Though I have nothing against age disparities between couples, and given that they just had a 4 year gap, I did not sense genuine love in this story. Despite my belief that love may be so untainted and innocent given the circumstances, I was not very excited by this. The teen anguish was exaggerated. She was occasionally a drama queen who was just interested in herself and had no empathy for other people. Occasionally, though, she acts like a goofy, giddy teenage girl. I didn't find her to be a compelling protagonist, regardless of the case.

Overall, it wasn't great, but it wasn't terrible either. I didn't love it, but it was a passable story that would be appropriate for teens who also appreciate poetry. I also question why a trilogy is required. Is the tale not sufficient, I wonder? It was quite monotonous and sluggish. Will it continue to make the readers bored? I won't know till I read it, albeit not today, so whatever. Maybe if my mind pushes it and I'm completely free.

My Overall Rating: ⭐⭐✨ (2.5/5)

“Question everything. Your love, your religion, your passion. If you don't have questions, you'll never find answers.”

We need to consider things as human beings. Having inquiries does not suggest that we are weak, uneducated, or misguided. Admitting that you don't know everything is sometimes a brave step. Sometimes it will make us grounded. It will make us human. It will help us become better versions of ourselves.

"Never judge others. You both know good and well how unexpected events can change who a person is. Always keep that in mind. You never know what someone else is experiencing within their own life."

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Slammed by colleen hoover review.

New Adult , Romance

Title: Slammed

Author: Colleen Hoover

First published January 4, 2012

354 pages, Kindle Edition

Rating: 4.21

After Layken’s father passes away, she is left to take care of her mom and younger brother. It’s a lot for an 18-year-old to handle, and Layken is barely keeping it together.

Then she meets Will Cooper, her charming and poetic new neighbor. They connect immediately, and Layken feels like she might be able to find happiness again.

But their budding relationship is rocked by a sudden revelation that threatens to tear them apart. Can they find a way to make it work, or will their secret keep them apart forever?

With heart-wrenching emotion and unforgettable characters, Slammed is a powerful story about love, loss, and the courage to keep going.

About the Author

As an author, I’ve achieved international and #1 New York Times bestselling status across a variety of genres, including romance, young adult, thriller, women’s fiction, and paranormal romance. I resist being pigeonholed into a single category – I prefer to explore multiple genres and push boundaries.

You can find me on social media with the handle @colleenhoover virtually everywhere, with the exception of my email, which is [email protected] .

I’m proud to be the founder of two organizations – a charity and Book Bonanza.

Editoral Review

Slammed by Colleen Hoover is a poignant and deeply emotional novel that showcases the author’s skillful storytelling and powerful ability to convey human emotion. This book, first published on January 4, 2012, is a contemporary romance that deals with themes of love, loss, grief, and second chances.

Colleen Hoover has quickly become a popular author in the romance genre, and Slammed is one of her most popular and highly regarded works. The plot of Slammed centers around the character of Layken, a young woman who moves to Michigan with her family after her father’s death.

Layken finds solace in writing poetry and develops a deep connection with her neighbor Will, who also happens to be a slam poet. However, their relationship is complicated by numerous obstacles, including Will’s commitment to raising his younger brother and the fact that their romance is forbidden.

One of the strengths of Slammed is the way in which Hoover explores the complexities of grief and the healing process. The depiction of Layken’s struggle to cope with the loss of her father is heart-wrenching and authentic, and the way in which she uses poetry as an outlet for her emotions is moving.

The character development throughout the novel is also exceptional; Layken and Will both undergo significant growth and transformation, and their arcs are fleshed out with careful attention to detail. Another notable aspect of Slammed is the way in which Hoover incorporates slam poetry into the narrative.

The use of this format highlights the power of words to convey emotion and create meaning, and it is an effective way of bringing the characters’ inner worlds to life. The inclusion of slam poetry also adds a unique and engaging dimension to the novel that sets it apart from other romance stories.

However, the pacing of Slammed can be uneven at times, and some readers may find certain sections to be a bit slow or repetitive. Additionally, the book’s ending may be slightly predictable for some readers, though it remains emotionally impactful nonetheless.

These flaws are relatively minor, and they do not detract significantly from the overall quality of the novel. Overall, Slammed is a masterful work of contemporary romance that showcases Colleen Hoover’s exceptional talent as a writer.

The novel is both heart-wrenching and uplifting, and it offers a powerful insight into the human condition. Fans of romance novels that delve into complex emotions and offer a nuanced exploration of relationships and grief will find Slammed to be a thoroughly satisfying read.

Score: 4.5/5

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Maryse's Book Blog

Following my heart, one book at a time...

Book Review – Slammed by Colleen Hoover

March 23, 2012 By Maryse 44 Comments

Maryse’s Book Blog: I LOVED SLAMMED!!! One of my best books of 2012, EASILY and now, one of my all-time favorites too!! Here is the book that kept me up until 2am (laughing and crying and sighing).

But I’ll give you something even better. At first (wayyyyyy in the beginning….), I prematurely thought that this book might be too easy in the “love department”. That maybe… even though the writing was witty, and completely in tune with me, that just maybe, the romance aspect might be *too easy*. HA! What did I know?! Nothing!!! That’s what!! Cause I was simply blown away at a certain early revelation in the book, and then every moment after.

I was all… No. FREAKIN’ WAY!

I was on the edge of my seat for the entire way after that. Sure, the book might be laugh-out-loud funny, (there are so many times I giggled with glee) but the romantic tension is off the charts, and the circumstances for all… just INTENSE. And that’s not all.

‘Cause it’ll make you cry. No. Wait, let me take that back. SOB.

What? You don’t cry that easy? Yeah I know right!!?? Me either. No really. Me either. Lots have cried over books that… sure. Have had me tear up… just a bit. Just enough to left me know that I’m with all of you “easy-cryers” (nothing wrong with that!). And I thought (again… prematurely), “Oh yeah. I see why y’all are crying. Yep. That would give any easy-cryer reason to cry.”

Sure. But then… oh. my. goodness. AM I SOBBING? Why YES. Well whatdya know! I am. No those aren’t just a couple of tears collecting at the corners of my eyes (easily hidden by a quick and easy swipe). Nope. Those aren’t just a few tears running down my cheeks. Nuh uh. I’m full on snorting. Too far gone to keep it from my husband had he been awake, but who, (I am thankful), is in full-snore mode. Usually when he’s that deep in, I can get away with the red-faced, sniffling, snorting, puffy lipped, full-on crying. I was wiping my face with my pajama top, and no matter how much I wiped, my face was soaked. And so was my top.

Why didn’t I use tissues? Remember that flu I had a few weeks ago? Well. The tissues that I had left from that episode are Menthol (Vicks) flavored. Errr… probably wouldn’t help my tear situation any. 😉 My dog even felt the need to comfort me, and I giggled which immediately set me into more sobs. What do they call that? An ugly cry. Yah. Glad y’all weren’t watching. But I DID have moral support! My Facebook girls, including THE ONE that recommended this to me!

Christina: Holy Moly. I just finished reading Slammed by Colleen Hoover, and let me just say this, I hardly ever cry when reading but this book had me sobbing. The love story and the way life unfolds in this book is just amazing. You ladies really need to read this one. Wow. Y’all I am not kidding when I say that I laughed and I cried. It’s been a long time that’s happened. There are 2 books. The first is on Lakes POV, the second book Point of Retreat is in Will’s POV. I read both back to back. Peggy: The summary didn’t do it justice but between your rec and another poster, I went ahead and downloaded it…OMW…just started, loving it! Nancy : Thanks for the info!! Just got it! Maryse’s Book Blog: Reading Slammed. *gulp* … Just 17% in and Im already holding back tears… Maryse’s Book Blog: ‎*sigh* Maryse’s Book Blog: Oh no!! Noooooooooo! Christina: Isn’t it just amazing? The second one is good as well. I’m jealous you are reading it for the first time. Colleen!!!!! You freaking rock!!! I have NEVER cried as much as I did in these books!!! Maryse’s Book Blog: Oh boy. It’s just a mass of yellow highlights right now. I’m so into this. I swear I gasped, and then immediately hooted with joy at what I realized I was in for… Christina: Maryse, seriously? These books are THE BOMB! You laugh, and cry so much! And the Avett Brothers fit perfectly with the whole book. I could imagine every one of those songs when they were mentioned. Maryse’s Book Blog: Hehehehe…. Chuck Norris is killing me… So good! Christina: Haha! I know the Chuck Norris was awesome! I sooooo wish I could talk to you while you read! Which part are you at? Maryse’s Book Blog: Well…. The top of my pajama shirt is soaked. No tissues handy… I feel puffy-faced Christina: I told you! :'( Maryse’s Book Blog: Wow. Just… Wow. Another amazingly awesome read. Am I crying again? Tomorrow book #2 for me. I’d totally start it now, I don’t really feel like sleeping, but gotta work tomorrow. Peggy: Finished Book 1…omg…why oh why did I promise my friend I’d go with her the salon…as I’m reading it at the salon while I’m waiting for her, I’m tearing up…I kept chanting to myself to hold it in hold it in, no ugly cry face, no ugly cry face…then when I got home, the water works! Now I”m on to #2! Great book Colleen!! You made me cryyy 🙂 and laugh…my brother does the Chuck Norris thing…lol. I couldn’t get him to stop for the longest. Everthing was Chuck Norris. lol Maryse’s Book Blog: When she said she was still carving pumpkins… *sob* Jamie: You guys are KILLING me!!! I am running off to read it right now! I HAVE GOT to know what you guys are all crying about!!!! Jumping off the computer now to tear into my kindle! Jamie: Whoa…Ok, I am currently reading Slammed recommended by Maryse and Christina. I was curious to see what “Slam poetry” looked and sounded like…so, I googled it. Anyone reading this book….watch this! WOW! Now I understand Lake’s response to Will. HOLY HECK!! Maryse’s Book Blog: Jamie. Does Slammed rock, or does Slammed rock? I STILL can’t get over how addicted I got, and just how quickly… Jamie: Girl, I swear, I am 25% in and I am HOOKED! Where in the heck has this book been hiding? This is what I love about reading!!!! So good! 🙂 oh, and to answer your question….yes, it freakin’ ROCKS!!

Don’t let that cry scare you. This book stole my heart and STILL has it, but I’m glad to hand it over! In fact, All I want to do is immediately move onto book #2 . Which, happily, is already on my iPad. 😉 YAY ME!!!!!

Oh right!!!! You want to know what’s it’s about? Ahhhh this is one I can barely tell you a thing, because you need to get the full impact to fully appreciate it. I will tell you only this. It’s about a girl (18), who moves to a new city with her recently widowed mother (father just died) and her very young brother. Then she meets new friends at school and in her neighborhood.

And she (and I) I learned about slam poetry. And it’s sort of YA, but really? I really didn’t feel it necessary to provide a “category” for it. Sure. It’s… *clean* but it’s SO darn entertaining, so profound and SO extraordinarily passionate, that you really don’t need anything else.

And I’m leaving it at that. Oh wait!!! I wanna play slam-poetry too!!

*ahem* clears throat…

You slammed INTO me. Slammed right through me. Slammed to the other side of me. Eviscerated my heart. But you took those ragged pieces and taped them together. I am ready for #2.

Wait. Does that count? Too short? hehe. Maybe I need more practice. 😉

FIVE STARS PEOPLE!!! FIVE OF ‘EM!!!!!

On to book #2 —> Point of Retreat

Oh WOW look you guys!! The author just sent me this awesome little tidbit and video. A SLAM poetry artist performed her piece!!

“I got the idea for slammed because I loved watching this slam poet named Marty on youtube. He ROCKS! Anyway, my best friend surprised me and contacted him and had him read one of the poems out of my book. It was awesome. Here is the link: https://colleenhoover.com/2012/02/08/if-you-read-slammed-you-have-to-watch-this/ Just wanted you to take a look at it. He had one hour to prepare before my surprise party so he had to read from it, but it’s still awesome.”

➔➔➔ Looking for more of my must-read recommendations? Browse my 5 star and 4.5 star and 4 star reviews. 😀

➔➔➔ Love this author? Check out more of my Colleen Hoover features and reviews on my blog!

I am so upset that the eBook version isn’t available through Barnes & Noble.. you have me just dying to read this book now!!!! I hope it’s available soon.

Hopefully!!!

But if you’re dying to read now, you can always get the Kindle app for your computer or phone 😉

JUst bought it !!!.

Thank you, thank you, thank you Maryse for reviewing this book!! I just finished reading it straight through and I loved it!! Seriously, I think it is my fav of the year so far and I have already read 40 books this year (a lot of good ones too)! I downloaded this a while back and it may have just stayed in my huge pile of Kindle books that I fear I may never get to if I had not seen you mention it on facebook. Now I am wondering what other gems I might be missing out on that I already have!! Anyway, thank you again! Love your blog!!

Loved this book. I cried soooo hard too. I was afraid it would be too young but you get so wrapped up in the characters. My hubby was sick of hearing about the book because I talked about it so much.lol

Wow! I can’t wait to read it! Xxxxxxxx

Nicole – I emailed the author because I want to buy the NookBook. She said she is under contract with Amazon until March 30th and “hopefully it will be available on the 31st.”

good book. too close to my own life………but I will read the next one anyway after a good night sleep 😉

I read them both today, in one day! And even though the first book was good, I think the second was better!! It’s a keeper 🙂

OMG. Great Book! Seriously. For such a short book, I spent an incredible amount of time crying and laughing til I cried.

Ok, so the second book is already out…not sure you guys saw that…I have purchased and will be commencing the reading aforementioned second book IMMEDIATELY.

Ignore that last comment lol I missed that part of the review. oops.

I picked up the book yesterday – I’m finishing Mr. Impossible then onto this one. I’m curious whether I will have the same reaction you did, Maryse. I think I am exactly like you when I come across the tearjerker parts of a book. I may tear up a bit, or “know” that’s the sad part everyone is talking about, but I don’t start actually crying.

Up to the second book! OMG.

Girls, you are all in for such a ride!

When you say read it, I definitely do! I read both books this weekend and cried like a big fat baby!!! I absolutely LOVED these two books!! My heart was wrenched throughout the whole weekend! Husband, kids, what husband and kids?? I thanked Colleen Hoover immediately following and told you sent me! Thank you Maryse for telling us about them. Definitely worth re-reading!!!! Yay!!

Is it not available in the US?…I have tried to buy it on kindle app on my phone and on my kindle and it says not available in the untited states 🙁

Hi Brooke! Yes it is available in the US. Hrmmm? I wonder why it’s telling you that. Have you tried just clicking on the book cover directly on my page? It should lead you directly to the correct one on Amazon…

ahhhhh!! I Just found out that Amazon is having some temporary technical difficulties (for the Kindle books). Probably will be fixed REAL soon.

Yeah I just realized it is doing it for everybook I try to buy. GRRRR hopefully they fix it soon, I can’t wait to read slammed after seeing how much you loved it! 🙂

Wow, I cannot thank you enough for recommending this book. I love it! I am half way through the second book and like this one even more. I thought that would be impossible, but no.

These books KILLED me. They TORTURED me. And I loved every second of it. The second one is even better. Butterflying bemazing!

WOW!! Blew through both books in one day!!!! LOVED them!!! GAH!!!!

I LOVED IT! Thanks for the recommendation!

Lemme just say… WOW!! Started Slammed on Sunday at about 9 or 10pm and couldn’t put it down! Read it till I was finished at 3 am! It put me through an emotional roller coaster. Right when the tears would start flowing, I would laugh outloud. I was emotionally wiped out when I crashed but in such an awesome way! This book and the Point of Retreat are fantastic… not to mention it caught me off guard a little when I saw that I was a character … hehe 😉 Thanks for the awesome recommendations!

Thank you everyone so much for your comments! Just wanted to let those of you with Kobo and Nook know that both books are now available on Smashwords and should be on Barnes & Noble later today. Thanks again!

Wow wow and wow I started Slammed yesterday afternoon and finished late last night! I loved it so much, totally took me by surprise and my poor heart is still recovering. Now I’m hoping I have a slow day at work so I can catch a few chapters of Point of Retreat! Thank you Maryse for finding and sharing such a wonderful book!

Trisha! How’re you liking Point of Retreat? It is just as good (and some have said they liked it even better!!)

Oh I loved it…..finished it in one day! I really liked how it was from Will’s point of view…..I liked being in his head 🙂 I actually liked Slammed better and only because I didn’t see a lot of things coming.

Loved this book! Point of retreat!!! Can’t wait for the third book to come out…. Hey maryse you got a goodreads.com account? Would love to follow you there and read your awesome book reviews there

On top of the favorite list!!!! I totally loved Slammed and Point of Retreat. I read a lot and I have to say that it has been years since a book made me cry. I was just sitting there sobbing like a baby. I have to say that I did not want to go go work but keep reading.

Oh My Gosh!!! I absolutely LOVED this book! I fell in love with the characters, and it was funny and heartbreaking all at the same time. I couldn’t read Point of Retreat fast enough.

I havent read books in 25 years, this March I read the 50 Shades Trilogy twice and I have been unable to put a book down since then, reading 1 a week, it’s amazing awhole different whole I have discovered. I have found all of my books since “50” from your blog….I am 75% into Slammed and I cried last night reading this has never happened, I have gotten a heavy chest, choked up or water eyes but I actually was crying…so foreign to me over a book…. I don’t want to finish, I don’t want it to end.

Was she carving pumpkins? That’s where the tears really got out of hand for me.

Yes Carving pumpkins and leaving the laundry room…..Ran home at lunch to get in a few pages…I Don’t have a kindle yet so I cannot get some of your books until they get to print.. After Slammed I will move onto Point of Retreat. I hear a sequel from Beautiful Disaster will be coming soon.

Done…. onto Point of Retreat..can’t wait..

Ok, I get through 49% of this book and I think, this book is not that sad…. why is everyone saying they are crying! Then bam…..I get slammed with emotion! My husband is next to me saying why are you crying! What an awsome book. On to point of retreat.

Patty, I was the same way. I read 50 shades In Aug and have not stopped reading since. I love how reading makes me feel so alive! Maryse is great, I check her blog several times a day to see what I should read next.

What a great book….first book that ever made me cry! Don’t get me wrong, I’ve definitely felt serious sadness for some characters in the past but this one really got to the core. I also laughed, got mad, excited, angst….it was a crazy whirlwind of emotions. Just wanted to give 2 thumbs up before I start the next book. Maryse- did you read/review the 2nd book as well?

I sure did Lisa!! It’s just as good. 🙂

I am staring at this box for a while now….I want to write a comment because this story deserves one but ‘wow’ I am speechless. I read the 2 books in the last 2 days and I have cried and laughed and smiled and sigh a lot. I couldn’t stop reading but I also didn’t want it to end! This books are in my ‘forever list’.

OMG I finished point of retreat last night. I miss the butterflying book soooooo much It was one of those books that u laughed and cried at the same time. My daughter saw this and said “geez mom what’s wrong with you!!??” I just want to say thank you again for giving us this book on your 2012 best books. I haven’t enjoyed a book this much since 1929! Not the year lol. There is a book called 1929. So anyone who has not had a chance to experience this book GO GET IT!!!!!! And I’m jealous!!! I wish I could experience this book for the first time alllll over again. BTW, I downloaded the edge of never for 99 cents the other day. I was so excited about the price. Can’t wait to start that too!!!! Have a butterflying great day HE HE!!! I love saying that now!!! If u read the books (point of retreat) u will know what this is all about. 🙂 🙂 🙂

I finished reading both Slammed and POR a couple of days ago and LOVED them BOTH!! When I first read the reviews-way back when, I thought… I really don’t want to get into a book that will make me want to cry right now. But it’s really not like that… it’s so much more than that with a range of emotions. Like with some books, you sometimes feel devastated at times and just want to break down and sob. I was so surprised by the story line… it was awesome!! Honestly, it’s best to go in blind and see what happens (you don’t want spoilers). I regret putting off reading these books, so that is why I wanted to share this with those of you who are on the fence. You WON’T be dissapointed!!!!

Wow now that’s a blast from the past!

I know!! It’s so fun to revisit these. 😉

Heidi Dischler

Book review: slammed by colleen hoover.

I’m back with more Colleen Hoover binge reading and this time I’ve finally gotten around to reading some of her first-ever novels. My Slammed review reminds me that even at the beginning of her career, Colleen Hoover was a romance queen.

Book Information

Slammed follow Layken as she is forced to move to a new state during her senior year of high school after her father’s unexpected and heartbreaking death. Lake thinks that the move will be horrible. She thinks that she’ll never be able to live the life she wanted now that her father is gone. When she gets to this new city, though, and meets a boy named Will (who she instantly feels a connection with), everything changes. But when Lake and Will find out something that could jeopardize their relationship and their families, they’re forced apart. As they both try to cope with this newfound obstacle, more secrets and surprises come their way. The one question they both have is, will they be able to face this together? Or will they always have to be apart?

Review | Heidi Dischler

Alright. I know, I know. Another Colleen Hoover book, but, honestly, who cares? Because she is the best and I’m obsessed with her writing style. For this book, it’s no different. It’s just a little less fantastic than her later novels (which is completely acceptable because I’m pretty sure this was her first one and my goodness has she grown as an author).

To start, it did feel very tropey (I don’t think it’s a word, but it should be!) throughout the novel. Lake is a typical teenager who resents her mother for the move and is overly sassy at times. It drives me nuts, but I think it was great for her as a character because she was a teenager. It’s not like she was acting like an adult in a YA novel, which would throw me off even more. I want my YA characters to act their age. It’s more realistic.

Now, Will, you say? He’s perfect. A beautiful man with beautiful intentions and a great heart. Sometimes I had to wonder what he saw in Lake, but when you love someone, I guess that’s just how it goes. He was hardworking. Intelligent. Not to mention, so damn adorable with his little brother. He definitely made this book worth reading by himself. The fact that he liked poetry? Wow. That’s a heart stopper right there.

As far as the plot points go, a lot of them felt convenient and obviously thrown in there for tension. I didn’t mind too much, though, because some tropes are tropes for a reason (because they just make a story good). I’ll talk more about the convenient scenes and plot points in the spoilers below.

Spoilers ahead.

So, the fact that Will was her teacher? I kind of resented that plot point. It felt weird and cringey even though they were only a few years apart. Maybe that’s just because of the ethical implications that my mind keeps going to (we just had ethics training at my work, too, ironically), but I just didn’t like it and tried to ignore that point even though it was the main focal point of the novel.

I also really hated the scene where Javi forced Layken to kiss him, and then Will punched Javi for doing it even though he didn’t know Lake was being forced. That felt way too convenient . It would’ve been better had she left it at Will knowing that Lake was being forced because him not getting kicked out of his job because he was lucky enough to actually be defending Lake was… yeah. I’m not into convenience in a book to make a character look more appealing and heroic.

Lastly, Lake’s mom having cancer. Was this just thrown in there to make Lake and Will come closer together? Because both of them have dead parents? I just really didn’t like that and felt that it could’ve been better.

Overall, 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4 on Goodreads) for Slammed . It was a “tropey” teenage book that was good for my long drives that I have for work. Entertaining but doesn’t take up too much brain power. Not memorable, though, when you compare it to Colleen Hoover’s other books.

Source: Audiobook from Overdrive Public Library

“This thing about you that you think is your flaw - it's the reason I'm falling in love with you.”

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Slammed | Colleen Hoover | Book Review

WHY DID I NOT READ SLAMMED BY COLLEEN HOOVER SOONER? I picked up Slammed the other night (as in I downloaded my copy onto my Kindle) and began reading it, finishing the book in about two days — if I had begun reading it earlier in the night it probably would have been a one day read. Friends, Hoover’s debut new adult novel is such an April read, I cannot even with my words right now. First off, it makes extensive use of slam poetry and you guys that used to be my thing. In high school I was on my school’s slam poetry team and I even won an award for it and it was awesome. I can name off some pretty big name slam poets too, including a few that I’ve seen live. So like, why the heck did I wait so long to read a book that goes into one of my actual real life interests in depth? Sigh. Personal fail, yo. Personal fail. Straight up, I loved Slammed .

Slammed by Colleen Hoover | Good Books And Good Wine

When Layken’s dad dies unexpectedly of a heart attack, her mom uproots her and her brother Kel from their Texas home to Michigan. Layken is understandably pissed about the move, but she accepts it for what it is. Things start to turn around when she meets her next door neighbor, a hot 21 year old named Will. Sparks fly between them, and he takes her out for a date where they attend a poetry slam. It is like nothing Layken has ever experienced before. Riding the poetry slam high, Layken and Will kiss and she goes home with a smile on her face and ready to start at her new school. At the school, Layken immediately makes friends with this upbeat girl, Eddie, who shows Layken around and convinces her to sign up for poetry class. It’s then that Layken encounters Will in school and OH NO he is not a student, but her teacher! As he actually has ethics and a little brother named Caulder to raise (Will’s parents died), Will immediately ends his relationship with Lake, sending her into a sort of tailspin. She’s not over him, and you guys Slammed is all about poetry and love and tragedy and life and, ugh, I loved it.

Layken is a mature 18 year old, but she’s still in high school. Yet, she does annoying teenager type things like pine all over a guy and say BS stuff like I WILL WAIT FOR YOU and thinks that she has the worst hand dealt ever, when okay yes, her life sucks but it could be worse. Rather than make me hate Layken though, I thought that she was tempered by having a mostly good head on her shoulders and by actually being likable. What do you know, a likable teenager exists! Kidding, kidding, kidding. I did think Lake had a killer sense of music taste though. Also, she is ultimately a good person who is honest and who has this really great love for her little brother. I quite liked reading about her being an awesome older sibling to Kel.

OH MY GOD. So, there’s kissing and it is forbidden and awesome. There are also poems! And love! And a whole lot of we really shouldn’t do this! I know people will read Hoover’s Slammed and be all rah rah rah unnecessary drama rah rah rah. The rahs are negative, FYI. Anyways, I liked all the drama in their relationship and the give and the take. I loved the interactions between Lake and Will and their instant attraction for each other that they really could not act on. I am actually super pumped up now to read Point Of Retreat , because I think that there’s sexytimes in that book and there totally were not any sexytimes in Slammed .

Okay so before I cut this review short, I just want to mention that Slammed really nails what poetry slams are like – from the sacrifical poet to the choosing of judges from the audience. It even puts in the famous quote ‘the points are not the point, the point is poetry’ which we used to pretty much yell at every slam. I also thought the poems within the book were decent, although the constant bolding annoyed me. Overall, Slammed by Colleen Hoover surprised me in that I did not expect to love a new adult book featuring a teacher-student romance so much.

Disclosure: Purchased My Own Copy

Other reviews of Slammed by Colleen Hoover:

Dear Author – “ I did find Slammed progressively more compelling ” Chick Loves Lit – “ I was swooooooning ” Katie’s Book Blog – “ Don’t worry though, you’ll still really enjoy the story and you will devour it ”

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Dear Author

Romance, Historical, Contemporary, Paranormal, Young Adult, Book reviews, industry news, and commentary from a reader's point of view

REVIEW: Slammed by Colleen Hoover

Dear Ms. Hoover,

I’ve been trying to keep a lookout for new YA books to try, so when NetGalley touted this book and its sequel in an email, I requested the titles. Unfortunately, I don’t think these books are really what I’m looking for in YA: a compelling novel intended for a teen audience but sophisticated enough to appeal to older readers as well.

Layken has just turned 18 and is about to start her senior year in high school. She is not happy about the move – she’s leaving everything familiar to come to an alien (and cold!) place. Her mood is almost immediately lightened upon arrival at their new house when she meets Will, a neighbor whose younger brother becomes fast friends with Kel. Layken and Will fall fast for each other; after a handful of encounters, one date and about a week of elapsed time, both are already quite moony. Then Layken goes for her first day of school and discovers that Will is her poetry teacher.

Well, that’s a bummer.

What follows is a lot of push-pull “we can’t/we must” business on both of their parts. Will is 21 and has been responsible for his younger brother since their parents were killed in an accident when he was 18. He is interning as a teacher while he finishes his degree, and he really needs the money (and also needs not to have his planned career ruined by allegations of an inappropriate relationship with a student). He puts a stop to the burgeoning relationship and tries really hard to do the right thing but apparently the attraction between him and Layken is just so overwhelming; living across the street from each other, having brothers who are best friends and seeing each other at school every day doesn’t really help either of them develop the needed distance.

The title is a riff on Will’s interest in poetry slams. I was confused by the fact that nobody in the book seems to have heard of poetry slams; maybe they’ve been around so long they sort of died out and are making a comeback? I don’t know. But, anyway, Will’s into them, big time: on his first date with Layken he takes her to a club that features poetry slams on Thursday nights, and subsequently he makes his students a deal: to attend and perform at the slam and they can skip the class final.

I thought most of the poetry performed at the slams was pretty bad. Granted, maybe they would be more powerful to actually see live, but on paper they came off as all having a distinct formula, regardless of the performer or subject: 1) write a short monologue on some horrible trauma in your life; 2) perform monologue in a loud, staccato, rhythmic style, emphasizing random words for unclear reasons. It would be okay for them to be bad if the characters didn’t constantly react like each one was the most brilliant thing they’d ever heard.

It took a long time for me to get a feel for either Layken or Will; at first, both of them seemed relentlessly bland and lacking in personality. Layken supposedly misses Texas and can’t wait to move back after she graduates, but we never hear what she misses about it. She didn’t seem to have much of a life there – she went to a small school, and appears not to have had many friends (she had one best friend whom she mentions a couple of times as barely having talked to since she moved). It’s fine that she wasn’t a social butterfly, but the lack of detail, the lack of history contributes to the featureless, bland vibe she gives off as a character.

To make it worse, when Layken does show some personality, it’s usually when she’s expressing anger, which is often. I certainly have known 18-year-olds who are still given to teenage-girl histrionics of the “I hate you!” punctuated-by-a-slammed-door variety. I just don’t necessarily want to read about them, especially not as a first-person heroine. I think one of the challenges for me as an older reader trying to find good YA books is this: I want to read about characters who are relatively mature for their ages, but not unrealistically so.

Layken’s immaturity made the relationship with Will more problematic for me than it might have otherwise been; 18 and 21 isn’t necessarily a big deal, 18 and 21 and a teacher/student power imbalance is kind of a big deal, and immature 18 with mature 21 on top of that is heading towards being potentially icky. I kind of wondered what Will saw in Layken (well, I wondered what they saw in each other, at least during the early instant-attraction phase, since neither seemed that interesting; later they do bond over a number of heavy burdens that made their attachment to each other more realistic).

Midway through the book, another tragedy strikes. It really felt like too much to me. Layken’s dad, Will’s parents, Layken’s new best friend Eddie’s hard-luck story of an abusive mother and foster care placement, and now this? These are definitely the unluckiest young adults in Ypsilanti. I’ll spoiler tag this one:

An action of Will’s late in the book brings my opinion of him down a notch, too – he reacts with over-the-top and inappropriate jealousy when he thinks Layken is kissing another guy. I think the point was to show his intense passion for Layken, but all it did was make a previously stable character look kind of unhinged. Overall, the characterization of Will was inconsistent and didn’t quite ring true.

I did find Slammed progressively more compelling; towards the end I was pretty involved in the story, even if I had issues with both the characters and some of the plot points. For that reason, my final grade for it is a B-.

Best regards,

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How Colleen Hoover Rose to Rule the Best-Seller List

With legions of devoted fans and a knack for high-voltage emotional drama, Hoover has sold more than 20 million books. And she’s done it her way.

Colleen Hoover at home in Texas this month. “She’s defying the laws of how the market works,” said an industry analyst. Credit... Jake Dockins for The New York Times

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By Alexandra Alter

Published Oct. 9, 2022 Updated June 21, 2023

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Colleen Hoover has sold more books this year than Dr. Seuss. She’s sold more books than James Patterson and John Grisham — combined.

To say she’s currently the best-selling novelist in the United States, to even compare her to other successful authors who have landed several books on the best seller lists, fails to capture the size and loyalty of her audience.

She holds six of the top 10 spots on The New York Times’s paperback fiction best-seller list , a stunning number of simultaneous best sellers from a single author. She has sold 8.6 million print books this year alone — more copies than the Bible, according to NPD BookScan.

And her success — a shock that she’s still processing, she said — has upended the publishing industry’s most entrenched assumptions about what sells books.

When she self-published her first young adult novel, “Slammed,” in January of 2012, Hoover was making $9 an hour as a social worker, living in a single-wide trailer with her husband, a long-distance truck driver, and their three sons. She was elated when she made $30 in royalties. It was enough to pay the water bill.

Hoover, 42, didn’t have a publisher, an agent or any of the usual marketing machinery that goes into engineering a best seller: the six-figure marketing campaigns, the talk-show and podcast tours, the speaking gigs and literary awards, the glowing reviews from mainstream book critics.

But seven months later, “Slammed” hit the New York Times best-seller list. By May, Hoover had made $50,000 in royalties, money she used to pay back her stepfather for the trailer. By the summer, with two books on the best-seller list — “Slammed” and a sequel, “Point of Retreat,” — she quit her job to write full time.

Her success has happened largely on her terms, led by readers who act as her evangelists, driving sales through ecstatic online reviews and viral reaction videos.

Her fans, who are mostly women, call themselves CoHorts and post gushing reactions to her books’ devastating climaxes. A CoHo fan who made the following plea on TikTok is typical: “I want Colleen Hoover to punch me in the face. That would hurt less than these books.”

So far in 2022, five of the top 10 best-selling print books of any genre are Hoover’s, according to NPD BookScan , and many of her current best-sellers came out years ago, a phenomenon that’s almost unheard-of in publishing.

“She’s defying the laws of how the market works,” said the publishing industry analyst Peter Hildick-Smith.

Most blockbuster authors break out because of a popular series, like “Twilight” or “Harry Potter,” or build a brand by writing in a recognizable genre. Hoover is eclectic. She’s written romances, a steamy psychological thriller, a ghost story, harrowing novels about domestic violence, drug abuse, homelessness and poverty. Though her books are hard to categorize, most of them have an addictive combination of sex, drama and outrageous plot twists.

“I kept being told that authors need to brand themselves as one thing. And I was like, well, why can’t I brand myself as everything?” Hoover said. “Why can’t I just brand myself as Colleen Hoover?”

‘She’s in Charge.’

Hoover’s devoted fan base has given her a degree of control over her work that is unusual in publishing.

She got her start self-publishing and has continued to do so on occasion, but has also struck deals with multiple publishers, sometimes selling print rights and keeping the e-book rights. She is currently under contract to release six books with three publishers over the next five years: three new thrillers with Grand Central, a Hachette imprint; two new romance novels with Atria, a division of Simon & Schuster; and a new novel with Montlake, Amazon Publishing’s romance imprint.

“You think about John Grisham or Lee Child or James Patterson, those guys are creatures of the traditional publishing market. They were made by big publishers, they’ve been working with the same publishers for many years, they have a strong formula — it’s like a machine,” said Kristen McLean, the primary industry analyst for NPD BookScan. “She’s just different. She’s in charge.”

Hoover’s books are now dominating the best seller lists years after they were first released. Her top-selling book, “It Ends With Us,” a drama about a florist who falls for a brooding, abusive neurosurgeon, came out six years ago, but reappeared on the best-seller list in 2021 and has remained a fixture there: It’s currently No. 1 on The New York Times paperback list, and has sold four million copies. After fans begged for a sequel, Hoover wrote a continuation, titled “It Starts with Us,” which Atria will release on Oct. 18, with a first printing of 2.5 million copies.

Hoover’s deft use of social media, where she has 3.9 million followers across platforms and posts goofy, self-deprecating videos, helped grow her audience. So did timing: While she built a strong fan base early in her career, her sales soared during the pandemic, when her books became a sensation on TikTok. To date, the hashtag #colleenhoover has amassed more than 2.4 billion views.

@colleenhoover #stitch with @karlilovesbooks ♬ original sound - Colleen Hoover

Libby McGuire, the head of Atria, Hoover’s main publisher, called the phenomenon “the reverse of the Oprah book club.” Whereas Oprah was one woman making a recommendation, and sometimes selling two million books, now it’s a hundred people making a recommendation — and selling four million books, McGuire said.

“We’re all just sitting back going, ‘OK, what’s the next one they’re going to pick?’” McGuire said.

Hoover, who says she suffers from “the worst case of impostor syndrome in the world,” seems bewildered by it all.

“I read other people’s books, and I’m so envious. I’m thinking, ‘Oh my God, these are so much better, why are mine selling the way they are?’” she said.

“It’s not me,” she continued. “The readers are controlling what is selling right now.”

A Well-Oiled Operation

On a scorching summer day in Dallas, Hoover sat in a corporate conference room, looking anxious as a makeup artist fussed over her. When the stylist cheerfully asked what kind of look she was going for, Hoover seemed stumped.

“Whatever you think will help,” Hoover said. “This is so awkward for me.”

Later, hair curled into long beach waves and eyelashes applied, Hoover made her way to a cavernous underground convention hall. She took her place at a folding table, prepared for a keyed-up crowd at Book Bonanza, an annual charity romance convention she organizes.

For the next five hours, fueled by a steady stream of Diet Pepsi, Hoover signed books and posed for selfies with more than 500 fans. Many of them towed dozens of Hoover’s books in wheeled crates. Some were giddy, presenting gifts of chocolates and unicorn erasers. Others were overwhelmed, shaking and teary.

Hoover’s signings are well-oiled operations that unfold with the precision of an assembly line. A team of assistants kept the line moving: One greeted fans and scribbled their names on sticky notes. Another handed out goody bags. A third took readers’ cellphones and snapped photos of Hoover smiling with them as she signed.

The encounter often lasted less than a minute, but for CoHorts, meeting her is akin to making a religious pilgrimage.

“I’m going to cry,” one reader, Angie LePine, from Denton, Texas, told Hoover. “You are part of my life.”

LePine said she started reading Hoover’s books in high school, and returned to them a few years ago when she was struggling with postpartum depression.

“Her writing helped me laugh, cry, fall in love,” she said. “The books helped me learn how to feel again.”

A fan who had come from Cape Cod sheepishly set 18 books in front of Hoover. “I may have gone overboard,” the woman, Marie Kade, said.

By 7 p.m., Hoover had signed thousands of books, as well as T-shirts, mugs, a phallus-shaped wooden charcuterie board, and a baby onesie that said “Future CoHort Member.” Her attention to fans never flagged, but afterward, she seemed depleted, and made a stealth exit through a back service tunnel.

Making the Best-Seller List

Hoover grew up in Saltillo, a small town about 90 miles east of Dallas. Her earliest memory is from when she was two: She woke up one night to her father yelling, and saw him throw a television set at her mother, knocking her down. Her parents divorced shortly after. Hoover later learned that her father, who died when she was 25, had been an alcoholic and had physically abused her mother.

When she was four, her mother remarried. Money was tight. Their family owned a small dairy farm with about 50 cows where Hoover and her older sister, Lin, worked in the early mornings and weekends.

When Hoover filed for financial aid to attend a community college in 1997, she learned her family made $13,000 that year. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in social work, and spent years working in social services: at a child advocacy center, a home health hospice, then a state agency that offers nutrition counseling.

In 2011, when her youngest son was 7, he was cast in a play at a local theater. Hoover borrowed her mother’s laptop to entertain herself during his rehearsals. Watching slam poetry videos on YouTube gave her an idea for a novel about a lonely teenage girl who discovers slam poetry.

She shared chapters with family members and friends. Her boss at the nutrition center, Stephanie Cohen, loved it so much that she took some case work for Hoover, allowing her to write during the day. In January of 2012, Hoover uploaded the book — “Slammed” — to Amazon’s self-publishing platform.

“She called me one day and said, ‘Mom, six people I don’t know bought the book’,” Hoover’s mother, Vannoy Fite, recalled. “The next day, it was 60 people.”

When the trickle of sales turned into a flood, publishers pounced. Hoover signed with a literary agent, Jane Dystel, and sold rights to her first two novels to Atria. Atria made an offer on her third novel, but Hoover liked the freedom of self-publishing, and released it herself. It hit No. 1 on The New York Times’s best-seller list. (Atria later acquired the rights.)

Heath, her husband, started watching their boys so Hoover could write, and she hired Cohen, her former boss, to help run her business. “I still call her my boss,” Hoover said. “She runs our whole life and I don’t spend a penny without her permission.”

After “Slammed,” she wrote more than 20 books, jumping from young adult romance to erotica to a thriller. But it was in 2020, with the pandemic, that Hoover’s sales really started to pick up. That spring, Hoover made five of her e-books free. Readers devoured the free novels — and started buying her entire backlist. Hoover thought it was a fleeting moment, but it persisted. Novels that were years old popped back on the best seller lists.

“We were like, ‘Where is this coming from?’” said Melanie Iglesias Pérez, Hoover’s editor at Atria. “That’s when we started to see the TikTok videos.”

It was better publicity than anyone in sales or marketing could have engineered, she said.

Neither Hoover nor her business manager, Cohen, offered exact sales figures, and the total is hard to calculate, since royalty rates are different for self-published books, and she spreads her titles across several publishers. But there’s no question her books, now carried by chains like Walmart, Sam’s Club and Costco, have made a fortune: Collectively, Hoover’s publishers have sold more than 20 million copies.

“I used to get excited if I went into a bookstore and saw a paperback. Now I walk into a Barnes & Noble and they have a Colleen Hoover table,” Hoover told me. “It’s insane.”

‘We’re Not Flashy People’

Fame has come as a shock to Hoover, who is almost painfully introverted, and dislikes being in the spotlight. “I’ve been so nervous about this,” she said about participating in this article. “I don’t do well with interviews.”

She still shops at Walmart in her pajamas, and lives on the same 100-acre plot of land where her family’s farm used to be. Her uncle still harvests hay for his cattle on the property.

In 2015, with profits from her books, her family demolished the old dairy barn and built a spacious but homey single story ranch house. Hoover allowed herself a few indulgences: Her living room has built-in display spaces for gem stones and crystals. In her home office, a bookcase opens onto a secret second office where she sometimes hides away to write.

Her mother lives on the property. They are extremely close, and have matching heart tattoos on the inside of their wrists; Hoover writes about her admiration for her mother in an author’s note for “It Ends With Us,” her book about domestic abuse. Hoover knows almost everyone in her small town, and still keeps in touch with her high school classmates. “We’re not flashy people,” she said.

Some side effects of fame have been unnerving. Earlier this year, Hoover had a large metal security gate — custom designed to feature the same heart shape as her wrist tattoo — installed after some fans posted a video from her driveway on TikTok. The pressure to meet deadlines and to keep her business running has taken a toll, and Hoover canceled her book tour for “It Starts With Us,” because of stress-related health issues.

As Hoover has grown from an indie author with a cult following to an inescapable pop culture phenomenon, there is also, inevitably, a growing chorus of online critics who say she’s overrated. Hoover gets it — she is tired of seeing herself on TikTok, too.

“My feed became all Colleen Hoover stuff,” she said. “I just wanted to see cat videos, you know?”

Occasionally, Hoover has turned to the novelist E L James , the author of the erotica blockbuster “Fifty Shades of Gray,” for advice about navigating sudden success. This summer, they spent a morning together in Dallas before the romance convention, getting blowouts, shopping at Target, where they stealthily signed copies of their books, and eating chicken fried steak at Cracker Barrel.

“I call her all the time about what’s going on with me right now,” Hoover said. “It’s weird and not that many people have gone through it.”

As her audience has grown, Hoover has struggled at times to maintain her close connection with her readers. After the romance convention, Hoover heard complaints from some volunteers and friends who felt slighted. Hoover cried on the drive home, and called her mother.

“She was like, ‘You know what, Colleen? This is the trade off,” Hoover said. “And I was like, you’re right. You know, I’m very thankful for everything that’s happening with my career. It’s also scary.”

Just as she never expected to be a best-selling author, she said, she doesn’t expect it to last.

“Still, in my head I’m like, ‘This is going to end tomorrow,’” she said. “So I need to enjoy it.”

Audio produced by Kate Winslett .

Alexandra Alter writes about publishing and the literary world. Before joining The Times in 2014, she covered books and culture for The Wall Street Journal. Prior to that, she reported on religion, and the occasional hurricane, for The Miami Herald. More about Alexandra Alter

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Colleen Hoover writes charming, addictive novels. Her own rags-to-riches story reads like a bestseller

T here’s a singular allure to the seemingly unstoppable force that is author Colleen Hoover , and it’s not comprised solely of her easy-read, addictive books.

The 43-year-old mother with a Texas twang has lived the dream of every hobbyist with a creative passion, her rise to literary prominence every bit the modern-day publishing fairytale. She put her first book on the internet without the help of an agent, watching aghast as it took off through word of mouth and on social media. Within months, the Texan writing from her single-wide trailer emerged as a staggeringly popular pioneer of a burgeoning genre.

Fans have flocked to the narrative, admiring her in droves with their own nickname – CoHorts – with a passionate loyalty akin to Taylor Swift’s “Swifties”. Many likely see themselves in Ms Hoover — or wish they could be her — and cling to the positive trajectory, however unlikely. The author, for many, is living proof that miracles, with hard work and dedication, can happen. She looks like them, and dresses like them, and her social media openness further endears “CoHo” to her voracious readers.

They see themselves, too, in the plotlines she writes — usually, a woman from challenging circumstances who wrestles with life and relationships while ultimately triumphing in some fashion.

It’s a recipe that has propelled the author to an historic place on the New York Times Best Seller list; her 2012 novel, Hopeless , became the first self-published work to ever earn the list’s coveted #1 slot.

And it’s a rise Ms Hoover has marvelled at herself.

“I felt like a fraud,” she told Lone Star Literary in a 2015 interview. “It all happened so fast, I felt I hadn’t paid my dues as a writer yet. Here I was, this working mother who wrote a story, and now New York was calling? It didn’t make sense to me.”

That down-home humility is trademark Hoover, who’s spent almost her whole life living in the same rural patch of East Texas.

Ms Hoover was born two weeks before Christmas in 1979 in Sulphur Springs, but her mother quickly removed her young family from an abusive household, leaving Ms Hoover’s biological father and ending the marriage.

“One of my earliest memories was him throwing a TV at her,” the author told Today this summer.

Her mother remarried when Ms Hoover was 4, and she and her sisters would help out at the family’s small dairy farm; the author gave eager TikTok users a glimpse of the property in January while announcing casting choices for a movie adaptation of It Ends With Us .

“This is the house that I grew up in and lived in … from the age of probably four to 18,” she says in the TikTok clip. “No one lives here now; we still live on the land.

“I just want everyone to know how appreciative I am to my mother, who got us out of a scary situation when I was little and brought us here to this house, which doesn’t look like much, but this house was full of love and joy, so thank you, Mom, for making that very difficult decision,” she said, fighting back tears as she stood before a modest white home.

Around the same time that young Colleen was settling into life on the dairy farm with her new stepfather, she was also discovering her love of the written word.

“I remember being so jealous of my older sister when she started Kindergarten because she could read and write and I couldn’t,” the author writes on her website. “I vowed at four-years-old to learn how to write and to be really good at it. When I was five and learned how to write, I wrote my first story called Mystery Bob. I’ve loved writing since then.”

She’d originally planned on majoring in journalism, but financial concerns were influential factors from early on.

“I was a senior in high school when I found out how poor we were,” she wrote in a 2019 Facebook post. “I never thought about my parents’ finances until I was filling out the FAFSA for college and had to use their tax returns. Their total combined income that year was $13,000. We owned a dairy farm and the price of feed went up and the pay for milk went down and they had to close the doors on the farm and go back to work full-time.”

Ms Hoover married her high school sweetheart, Heath, after graduation, and began attending college, switching her major “to social work so I could graduate sooner and find a job that could help with the bills”.

She wasn’t alone at college, though; her mother, aunt and grandmother also enrolled, and, eventually, Ms Hoover’s pregnancy meant her unborn child was attending classes too — “so technically, there were four generations of our family attending the same college at the same time,” she wrote on Facebook.

She gave birth to her son, Levi, then welcomed two more sons, earning her degree in social work from Texas A&M-Commerce and working as an investigator with Child Protective Services before returning to school to get her qualifications to teach special education.

She taught for a year before returning to school again to get a minor in infant nutrition and going to work for the federal Women, Infants and Children program, known as WIC. Writing for fun took a backseat as Ms Hoover worked 11-hour days, raising three boys in a single-wide trailer while her husband spent significant stretches away from home as a long-haul truck driver.

“I went probably ten straight years without writing for fun,” she told Lone Star Literary .

Then, when she was 31, her son’s participation in a local community theater production gave her some free time during rehearsals, when she’d search YouTube videos and became interested in slam poetry. She began looking for a book featuring a slam poet protagonist but couldn’t find one; she decided to write one herself, sharing bits and pieces of what would become her first book, Slammed , with friends and family — whose enthusiastic reactions spurred her on.

“I just wanted to finish before Christmas because I was very poor and it was something I could give my mother for free that she would love,” Ms Hoover said in 2015. “Little did I know what it would turn into!”

The fledgling author uploaded Slammed to Amazon in 2012 so her family could read it, but the book soon took off on its own, even after it could only be read for a fee.

“She called me one day and said, ‘Mom, six people I don’t know bought the book,’” Ms Hoover’s mother told The New York Times . “The next day, it was 60 people.”

They may have been surprised, but Ms Hoover’s family threw themselves full-force into promoting the talented writer within their midst — particularly her sisters, Lin and Murphy, who promoted Ms Hoover’s work on social media.

“They were very happy and excited, and they had big hopes for me,” Ms Hoover told Lone Star Literary . “We actually used to argue about it. At one point after I had finished my first book, my older sister had made a vision board (something she does every January) and wrote on the board that she hoped I would make $100,000 that year. I got so angry at her and made her remove it because I didn’t like that they had such faith in me. I didn’t want to let them down if no one ever bought or read the book.”

Her sisters, however, had clearly already recognised the addictive potential of Ms Hoover’s prose — with her work taking off exponentially. Within months, Slammed had reached the New York Times Best Seller list, and her other books were soon to follow. All of this was done without an agent; instead, Ms Hoover was giving free copies to key influencers and harnessing the power of social media.

“I was still working full-time when I started receiving offers from publishers in amounts that I hadn’t made in my entire life of working,” she told Lone Star Literary . “I was hesitant to accept any of the offers because I thought my first two books were a fluke and everything was going to stop at any moment. I didn’t want to disappoint a publisher, if that was the case.

“I ended up selling the two books I had already written to Atria Books, but didn’t sign any future books with them at the time. I didn’t know if I would be able to write under pressure, and the last thing I wanted was to be stressed about something that brought me nothing but joy.”

Her worries were unfounded, though, as Ms Hoover continued to churn out content that elicited huge emotional reactions from social media users — who have proven all too eager to share their thoughts and tears in videos and never-ending online commentary.

The June after publishing Slammed , Ms Hoover shared a charming, relatable blog post about leaving the family trailer for “a REAL house. A house with doors that work and an air conditioner that cools and electricity that doesn’t shut off if you run two electronics at the same time.”

“Seven months ago, we were struggling to make ends meet,” she wrote. “Now, things are finally coming together and it’s all because of you guys. Every single person that spent a few bucks to buy a book that I wrote deserves a big THANK YOU from my whole family.”

Ms Hoover’s background and folksiness, however, bely a shrewd business sense. She’s released books with different publishers while still occasionally opting to self-publish as she added to her personal canon; there are film projects in the works, too, along with a production company of her own

“Everyone keeps coming trying to make a blanket offer,” Ms Hoover told Time in June. “I would never sell everything to one company, because what if I don’t like how they do it?”

Regarding her own future production company, she continued: “Why am I selling my rights for them to do whatever they want with it when I could actually be a partner in this?”

She has partnered with her sisters, too, to create non-profit The Bookworm Box, where they “aim to leverage our love of reading to promote literacy and support various other charitable endeavors ... through numerous literacy-focused fundraisers, including our an annual book convention, Book Bonanza and an annual raffle,” they write on the charity’s site. Up until earlier this year, the effort included a subscription box service and online bookstore.

For this summer’s Book Bonanza, 15,000 people logged on to try to buy fewer than 2,000 $250 tickets – and they sold out in minutes, Time reported.

Ms Hoover has oft been cited as one of the most influential authors in a growing genre labelled New Adult, bridging the gap between YA fiction and more adult romances — but it’s a genre of which she’s said she was completely unaware before publishing Slammed.

“I’m pretty sure I was about three books into my career before I heard the term ‘New Adult,’” she told Lone Star Literary . “I came across it on a Wikipedia page and saw that I was listed as one of the first to write in that genre.”

She told the outlet that she’d “released at a good time, before the market was saturated. I had a run of good luck, unwittingly writing and releasing in a genre that was about to take off. I had some wonderful readers who loved the book [ Slammed ] so much, they talked about it online and to their friends.

“Word of mouth was probably the most effective aspect for sales of the book, and I believe word of mouth is still the most successful marketing tool available for a book.”

Word of mouth, however, can be a double-edged sword. Ms Hoover’s rise has not been without controversy, as critics take aim at her plot lines involving violence, abuse or other triggering subjects that some say are not properly explored within her novels. Even on BookTok — the literary-focused subculture of TikTok that fueled Ms Hoover’s meteoric rise — there is fierce debate about her novels constituting “trauma porn.”

One of her most popular works, It Ends With Us , incorporates domestic violence – a thread Ms Hoover says was “loosely inspired by my mother.”

During her TikTok video announcing that Blake Lively would star in the movie adaptation, Ms Hoover said the book’s connection with reality was “bittersweet ... because so many people have had to go through that, but to know that my mom’s decision has helped so many people get out of that ... I love you, Mom.”

Ms Hoover’s success has enabled her mother’s retirement, her husband’s ability to leave his truck driver job and her own opportunity to focus on, and support her self solely by, writing. She’s writing for her fans, and she’s writing for herself.

“A lot of writers are writing to impress — maybe publishers, maybe other writers — so they may go out of their way to use a large vocabulary and craft a substantial piece of literature. That’s not how I write,” she told Lone Star Literary . “I want people to devour my books in one sitting because the storyline and dialogue are too gripping to put down. I don’t try to write heavy books that educate, inform, and impress. My only goal is to entertain, and hopefully that’s what I’m doing.”

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Colleen Hoover is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty-three novels, including It Starts with Us , It Ends with Us , All Your Perfects , Ugly Love , and Verity . Colleen lives in Texas with her husband and their three boys. For more information, please visit ColleenHoover.com.

Product Details

Publisher: Atria Books (September 18, 2012)
Length: 352 pages
ISBN13: 9781476715902

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Your Favorite Colleen Hoover Novel Is Becoming a Movie

Hoover's romantic thriller novel 'Verity' has sold one million copies.

The Big Picture

Colleen Hoover's thriller novel Verity is being adapted for the big screen by Amazon MGM Studios.
The story follows aspiring writer Lowen Ashleigh as she uncovers dark secrets.
Hoover, a BookTok queen, also has another movie adaptation, It Ends With Us , set for release in 2024 featureing a star-studded cast.

With It Ends With Us slated for release this summer, another one of Colleen Hoover 's chart-topping novels is headed to the big screen. Her 2018 romantic thriller novel Verity has been snapped up by Amazon MGM Studios. The Hollywood Reporter has the news that a film based on Hoover's self-published hit is on its way, with a script in the works from screenwriter Hillary Seitz .

The novel centers around aspiring writer Lowen Ashleigh, who accepts an offer of a lifetime from the husband of potboiler novelist Verity Crawford; Crawford has suffered a debilitating accident and needs Lowen's help to complete her latest book. Upon arrival at the Crawford estate, she learns that Crawford's seemingly perfect life may be a facade — and her grim fiction may reflect the actual truth. Thrills and chills ensue. It will be the second big-screen adaptation of BookTok queen Hoover's novels; It Ends With Us , starring Justin Baldoni (who also directs), Blake Lively , Hasan Minhaj , and Jenny Slate will hit theaters on August 9, 2024 . The film aged up its main characters, which was controversial with her large and vocal fanbase; Hoover had to state that the decision was her choice .

Who Is Colleen Hoover?

The Texas-born Hoover wrote her first novel, Slammed , in 2012, and has maintained a prolific output ever since, with over twenty-five novels, novellas, and short stories to her name, including Hopeless , Maybe Someday , and All Your Perfects . Her work encompasses elements of romance, thrillers, new adult, and occasionally the supernatural. Her work was originally self-published, but after it gained the attention of several prominent bloggers and the bibliophilic "BookTok" section of the popular social media video platform TikTok, her popularity exploded. She was subsequently signed by Simon & Schuster imprint Atria Books. At one point in 2022, Hoover's books occupied six spots on the New York Times top-ten list of bestselling paperback fiction. She has sold over 20 million books worldwide and was named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people in 2023. Her latest book is 2022's It Starts With Us , a sequel to It Ends With Us .

Screenwriter Seitz's other screenplays include Insomnia , Eagle Eye , and The Unforgivable . Verity will be produced for Amazon MGM Studios by Eat the Cat’s Nick Antosca ( Hannibal ) and Alex Hedlund ( Chucky ). Amazon MGM Studios' adaptation of Verity is in development; no casting or release date has yet been announced .

It Ends With Us is out on August 9. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.

It Ends With Us

Lily believes she's found true love with Ryle, but when a painful incident triggers past trauma, she must decide if love alone can carry her marriage through. However, things are complicated when her first love returns to her life.

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Genre Fiction

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Slammed Paperback – January 1, 2013

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Book 1 of 3 Slammed
Language English
Publisher Simon & Schuster UK
Publication date January 1, 2013
Dimensions 7.8 x 1.22 x 5.12 inches
ISBN-10 147112567X
ISBN-13 978-1471125676
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Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster UK (January 1, 2013)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 147112567X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1471125676
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.8 x 1.22 x 5.12 inches
#6,308 in Family Life Fiction (Books)
#7,049 in Women's Domestic Life Fiction
#55,861 in Contemporary Romance (Books)

About the author

Colleen hoover.

Colleen Hoover is the #1 New York Times and International bestselling author of multiple novels and novellas. She lives in Texas with her husband and their three boys. She is the founder of The Bookworm Box, a non-profit book subscription service and bookstore in Sulphur Springs, Texas.

For more information and for a schedule of events, please visit colleenhoover.com.

To contact Colleen and her team (Her team's name is Stephanie), please email [email protected]

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Slammed (Slammed, #1) by Colleen Hoover
For more of my reviews, visit Aestas Book Blog And come join the Aestas Book Blog Facebook Page. 6-star-books book-1-of-my-fav-series favorites. 294 likes. Like. Comment. ... Jennifer Armentrout, and Colleen Hoover. Slammed follows the story of new Michigan transplant Lake as she is forced to start a new life her senior year of high school ...
Slammed Summary, Review, Characters and Themes
Slammed Summary, Review, Characters and Themes. In "Slammed," Colleen Hoover crafts a painfully poetic narrative that explores the tender complexities of first love amidst life's inevitable challenges. The story follows eighteen-year-old Layken Cohen, whose world is upended following her father's death, leading her to a new start in ...
Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Slammed: A Novel (1)
Author Colleen Hoover dedicated this book to the indie band the Avett Brothers who inspire her writing. These lyrics tie in beautifully to the book and for a music (especially indie and alternative music) lover like me it is always such a treat to read how music motivates writers.
'Slammed' by Colleen Hoover
Reading Time: 2 minutes Slammed - Colleen Hoover Book Review Colleen Hoover's first novel, Slammed, demonstrates that she turned pro right out of the gate. While it's a tamer read than most of her fare - no explicit scenes and many reviewers call out that the book is relatively free of trigger warnings - it still packs Hoover's one-two punch of love and heartbreak.
Book Review: Slammed by Colleen Hoover
I had high hopes that Colleen Hoover's creative imagination would accommodate Eddie's stand-alone narrative. Let's move on to the aspects of this book that I dislike after those that I enjoyed. First off, the love story of the main characters did not captivate me. I was unable to experience the love in every poem spoken throughout the slam.
Slammed: A Novel (The Slammed Series) (Slammed, 1): Colleen Hoover
Slammed by Colleen Hoover is the best of the best, and it definitely deserves a 5 STAR rating. I never questioned, not even for a second, whether or not this novel was worthy of 5 STARS. This novel was FLAWLESS from beginning to end. ... Book reviews & recommendations : IMDb Movies, TV & Celebrities: IMDbPro Get Info Entertainment Professionals ...
Slammed by Colleen Hoover Review
Title: Slammed Author: Colleen Hoover First published January 4, 2012 354 pages, Kindle Edition Rating: 4.21 Overview After Layken's father passes away, she is left to take care of her mom and younger brother. It's a lot for an 18-year-old to handle, and Layken is barely keeping it together. Then she meets Will Cooper, her […]
Book Review
I just finished reading Slammed by Colleen Hoover, and let me just say this, I hardly ever cry when reading but this book had me sobbing. The love story and the way life unfolds in this book is just amazing. You ladies really need to read this one. Wow. Y'all I am not kidding when I say that I laughed and I cried.
Book Review: Slammed by Colleen Hoover
Overall, 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4 on Goodreads) for Slammed. It was a "tropey" teenage book that was good for my long drives that I have for work. Entertaining but doesn't take up too much brain power. Not memorable, though, when you compare it to Colleen Hoover's other books. Source: Audiobook from Overdrive Public Library.
Slammed
Other reviews of Slammed by Colleen Hoover: Dear Author - " I did find Slammed progressively more compelling ". Chick Loves Lit - " I was swooooooning ". Katie's Book Blog - " Don't worry though, you'll still really enjoy the story and you will devour it ". Bio.
Slammed (3 book series) Kindle Edition
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of It Starts with Us and It Ends with Us, Colleen Hoover's bestselling Slammed series comes to its gripping conclusion.There are two sides to every love story. Now hear Will's. Layken and Will's love has managed to withstand the toughest of circumstances, and the young lovers, now married, are beginning to feel safe and secure in their union.
REVIEW: Slammed by Colleen Hoover
REVIEW: Slammed by Colleen Hoover. Please note that there are major plot spoilers throughout this review. Dear Ms. Hoover, I've been trying to keep a lookout for new YA books to try, so when NetGalley touted this book and its sequel in an email, I requested the titles. Unfortunately, I don't think these books are really what I'm looking ...
Slammed Series by Colleen Hoover: The Ultimate Guide
The Slammed series by Colleen Hoover comprises three books: Slammed. Point of Retreat. This Girl. The series begins with Slammed, Colleen Hoover's first novel that she independently published in 2012 and became a hit on social media, catapulting Colleen Hoover's name and subsequent work onto the main stage where it's only continued to grow.
How Colleen Hoover Rose to Rule the Best-Seller List
Hoover has sold 8.6 million print books in 2022 alone, and many of her current best-sellers came out years ago — a rarity in publishing. Allison V. Smith for The New York Times. Heath, her ...
Colleen Hoover's Slammed Series Order: Helpful Guide
Slammed (Book 1 of 3) Trigger Warnings: terminal illness, death. Spice Level: 0.5 out of 5. Slammed is Colleen Hoover's debut novel. It follows Layken Cohen, an 18-year-old high school senior whose life is uprooted when her father unexpectedly passes away and her mother moves her and her younger brother, Kel, from Texas to Michigan.
Slammed: A Novel (1): Hoover, Colleen: 9781476715902: Amazon.com: Books
Colleen Hoover is the author of five New York Times bestselling novels. Her first series was published in 2012 and includes SLAMMED, POINT OF RETREAT and the companion novel THIS GIRL. Her second series, published in 2013, includes the #1 NYT's bestseller HOPELESS and the companion novel, LOSING HOPE. She has released a free novella, FINDING ...
Colleen Hoover writes charming, addictive novels. Her own rags-to ...
The June after publishing Slammed, Ms Hoover shared a charming, relatable blog post about leaving the family trailer for "a REAL house. A house with doors that work and an air conditioner that ...
Colleen Hoover
Colleen Hoover (born Margaret Colleen Fennell; December 11, 1979) is an American author who primarily writes novels in the romance and young adult fiction genres. [2] [1] She is best known for her 2016 romance novel It Ends with Us. Many of her works were self-published before being picked up by a publishing house.
Slammed
Colleen Hoover, the Most Wonderfully Unexpected Bestselling Author You'll Meet Today. Atria Indie Author Webisode starring Colleen Hoover. Colleen Hoover's life changed drastically when fans started reading her books. 0:00 /. Slammed. By Colleen Hoover. Read by Heidi Baker.
Book Review- SLAMMED: Point of Retreat X Colleen Hoover ...
84 Likes, TikTok video from EMILYGGARZA26 (@emilyggarza26): "Book Review- SLAMMED: Point of Retreat X Colleen Hoover @Colleen Hoover #colleenhoover #slammed #slammedseriescoho #pointofretreat #book #booktok #read #reading #tbr #fyp #foryou". Book Review: Point of Retreat by Colleen Hoover (Slammed Series Book 2)Calm Down X Love Nwantiti - DJ Drek.
Your Favorite Colleen Hoover Novel Is Becoming a Movie
Hoover, a BookTok queen, also has another movie adaptation, It Ends With Us, set for release in 2024 starring a star-studded cast. With It Ends With Us slated for release this summer, another one ...
Slammed: Colleen Hoover: 9781471125676: Amazon.com: Books
Slammed. Paperback - January 1, 2013. by Colleen Hoover (Author) 4.6 27,519 ratings. Book 1 of 3: Slammed. Award nominee. See all formats and editions. 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 ...
Colleen Hoover
Colleen Hoover. Colleen Hoover ( Sulphur Springs, 11 de dezembro de 1979) é uma escritora norte-americana que escreve principalmente livros que abordam como tema central traumas, violências e a romantização de relacionamentos tóxicos, ambientado no gênero "romântico" de ficção para jovens adultos. [ 1][ 2] Ela é mais conhecida por seu ...