Atria Books
Published August 10, 2012
Kindle edition, 354 pages
I came across this Kindle book when I
was searching for another book and decided to buy it for $2.99 this
past summer. It's a good thing too because it has since been republished by Atria of Simon and
Schuster and now sells for $11.99.
Eighteen year-old Layken, her younger
brother Kel, and their mother move from Texas to Michigan six months
after their father passes away. Layken is sad and upset by the move,
but after she meets her front-door neighbour Will Cooper and they
fall in love, things are better until she discovers they cannot be
together because of circumstances beyond their control.
I read this book quickly because it was
an easy read and because I wanted to know how the two main characters
would solve their dilemma. Several things attracted me to this novel.
The first was the dilemma itself and how the characters handled it. I
liked both Layken and Will and understood both their positions and
their feelings on the matter. Next, I thought writing about this
particular ethical dilemma made for a good plot and was handled well
by the author. I also liked being introduced to slamming, which is
the reciting of one's poetry in front of an audience and informal
judging panel. Finally, I liked that the author included family and
dealt with the issue of death.
I was actually pleasantly surprised at
how much I liked this novel. Layken had a lot of anger to deal with
and had to grow up fast. The loss of a parent is always
heartbreaking, and I really felt for the youngsters, especially
nine-year old Kel and Caulder the younger brothers of both main
characters, who had their own way of dealing with it and taught the
older ones to confront it. The story flows smoothly and I finished it
faster than I thought I would.
The author also prefaces each chapter
with a quote from one of the Avett Brothers songs, which stirred a
great curiosity in me to look them up. This novel has a sequel named
Point of Retreat, which I will be reading next, although Slammed does stand alone and ends satisfactorily. This was a good read.
Note: This book contains some crude language. No f-bombs. Some heavy kissing but no sex scenes.
Reviewed by Laura
Disclosure: I bought this book and was not told how to rate or review this product.
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