Slammed (Slammed, #1) in The Indie Bookshelf

May 09, 2012 Tarryn Fisher rated it it was amazing

I hated this book. JUST KIDDING!
Let's start with Lake (I feel like I can call her Lake since I know her so well). Many authors-huge, famous authors-write characters that make me roll my eyes...scrunch up my nose...close the book and not miss them-EVER. Lake was not one of those characters. She was literary flesh and bone. She was "cool" and funny and deep. Most of all, I believed she was eighteen. We all know what Will was, so I won't go there.

Maybe I WILL

I want him

You know what else I want? A ...more

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May 01, 2012 Karen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

This is how I see Laken...
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This is my Will...
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May 25, 2012 Kristy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, deserve-more-than-5-stars

Wow. I don't even know where to start. This book absolutely positively blew me away. It might be the best book I have read this year - and I have read some awesome books. I honestly knew nothing about this book when I purchased it besides the fact that it had 4.9 out of 5 stars on amazon, with quite a few reviewers - and it was an independent book, therefore it fit my budget. It was worth 5 times what I paid for it. I laughed and cried throughout the book. I loved all the characters. I really fe ...more

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May 08, 2012 April rated it really liked it

Shelves: could-have-been-great

I tried, I really tried...

This story really had a lot of potential... However, it was rushed in most places, which created a huge disconnect.

There was definitely drama, it just wasn't explored enough to explain why the characters responded how they did with one another.

It was like reading a summary of a really long story. This book should have been at least twice as long, and each scene more thoroughly examined.

...more

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May 01, 2012 Hazel *Craves the Angst Reviews* rated it it was amazing

Shelves: romance, contemporary-romance, young-adult, drama

Just did a reread of this and WOW! Just as fantastic the second time around as it was the first.
Such an amazing read! I loved this story so much and the characters were adorable. All of them. Emotional and outstanding!

First read through - June 8-9, 2012
Second read through - January 1-2, 2017

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Jun 19, 2012 Jennifer rated it it was amazing

I have read a lot of books in my life. I have loved just about every one of them. I started to read slammed about 2 weeks ago, however with all the stuff going on around my house I was only getting to read small pieces here and there. I wasn't giving myself a chance to connect to the book. After about 56% in I finally decided to just take a day and relax and finish it. I truly just wanted to move onto the next book on my to be read list. So, after my daycare kids left Thursday I sat down and tur ...more

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May 23, 2012 Madison rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Read this and other reviews at Madison Says.

This was one of those series where I finished it in record time, felt like someone punched me in the gut and then proceeded to immediately Google and then stalk the author to find out if there was going to be more, because I NEEDED MORE! Slammed is beyond words amazing. There isn’t much I can say to do this story justice, honestly. I had never been so moved. This is one of those stories that you just have to read to be able to fully appreciate. No summ Read this and other reviews at Madison Says.

This was one of those series where I finished it in record time, felt like someone punched me in the gut and then proceeded to immediately Google and then stalk the author to find out if there was going to be more, because I NEEDED MORE! Slammed is beyond words amazing. There isn’t much I can say to do this story justice, honestly. I had never been so moved. This is one of those stories that you just have to read to be able to fully appreciate. No summary I give can describe the awesomeness.

Slammed is one of the most heartwarming and at the same time, gut-ripping stories of intense love, loss and growing up and apart and together. The relationships in this book are so dynamic – all of them – siblings, parents to children, boyfriends to girlfriends. You fall in love with all the love. Will, doing the right thing by his parents and his brother, and his maturity and passion are both deliciously sexy, but also just so endearing. Layken, has such passion for life, her brother, her mother, and Will – she is strong but also insecure and I loved watching her grow up and change during the story. Eddie, Layken’s best friend, is in your face, powerful and so, so smart. The brothers, Kel & Caulder – they’re just fun and young and their innocence reminds me of what I miss about being a kid. I lastly have to mention Layken and Kel’s mom – I hope to someday be that kind of mom to my children. She is strong (so much stronger than I could imagine), full of amazing advice and loves hard and unconditionally.

I love the concept of slam poetry and the way that its use enhances the story is beyond fantastic. Being a fan of poetry (having studied a lot of it during my time in college) I appreciated how Colleen used this to teach us so much about the characters, but also bring them together and pull them apart. It was so much more interesting to learn about the characters through their poetry; definitely a unique view, aside from typical dialogue or internal monologue. Side note: also love the use of Avett Brothers throughout the entire story – the references, the quotes at the beginning of each chapter and the connection it gave Will & Lake. I’m a fan of the Avett Brothers, so this was a fantastic find for me when I started the book! Music is powerful, and when combined with a beyond amazing story, you are transported somewhere beautiful!

And just for some technical awesomeness – the writing is superb, the dialogue is powerful, funny, witty and just the bomb, and the storyline sucks you in and just when you think it might be like any other romance, with some unattainable love, you’re bitch-slapped into a different twist. So, really, I give this book 5 stars, and would give it so much more, because it really is one of the most captivating collection of characters, storylines and plot twists that I’ve read in awhile. I cannot wait to see what Colleen has for us next and much congratulations must be given to her for recently having Slammed and book #2 Point of Retreat being acquired by Simon & Schuster. I’m not surprised she’d be picked up by a publisher in only 8 months after writing this, but it’s a true testament to the fabulous group of indie writers that we are currently blessed with these days! Pick this up now, and I promise you will NOT be disappointed!
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May 23, 2012 Desireedenato rated it it was amazing

I love that Will Cooper was 'healthy'. I've been reading all of these books lately about these messed up men (Travis, Kellan etc) and I just needed to believe that men aren't all effed up. I would rather have Will than any of those other fools. Layken was cool too, but I hate her because she has Will. ...more

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