Review: Slammed by Colleen Hoover

Title: Slammed 
Author: Colleen Hoover
Publisher: -----
Release Date: January 5, 2012
My Rating: D

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. (Goodreads)

Slammed, by Colleen Hoover, made me feel every range of emotion; however, the one that stuck with me throughout this entire read was rage. Never before have I been so angry at a book character. From wanting to pull my hair out, to wanting to pull their hair out, Slammed did a fine job of ‘slamming’ my heart against a wall and leaving it an open, bloody, mess.

What really bothered me was Layken’s attitude. I wish I could delve deeper into my passionate dislike of her, but I would have to spoil a major plot twist; and I won’t do that to any of the readers. Just know I did not like the way she handled herself. As an eighteen year old, I expected her maturity level to be much higher than it was. Her tantrums and door slamming reminded me of my younger nieces and nephews, and that is not a good thing.

My feelings for Slammed took a positive turn about three-quarters way through, but it was about three-quarters too late for me to feel anything besides complete angst for this. On a positive note, because I always like to throw one in... I really liked the other characters. From Layken's best friend, Eddie, to her love interest Will. All of them were strong supporting characters. 

Written well, yet executed horribly when it came to the lead role of Layken, Slammed is a book I was terribly disappointed in. My personal experiences, and things I had in common with a few of the main themes, made it even harder for me to muster up any sympathy when it came to Layken. 

---- On a sidenote: If anyone would like to discuss this book with me, I am totally up for it. It would have to be done via email or Twitter DM, as I would not want to spoil this for anyone. Just let me know if you agree or disagree with my review.