Point of Retreat Review

Point of Retreat Review (Slammed Book #2)

By Colleen Hoover

CONTAINS SOME SPOILERS FOR SLAMMED

Summary from Goodreads

Layken and Will have proved their love can get them through anything; until someone from Will’s past re-emerges, leaving Layken questioning the very foundation on which their relationship was built. Will is forced to face the ultimate challenge…how to prove his love for a girl who refuses to stop ‘carving pumpkins.’ 

My Review

Compared to Slammed, I liked this book a lot less. Part of the problem, I think, had to do with the fact that I read Slammed at the very beginning of the year, so I spent a little while in the beginning of the book just trying to remember everything that had happened. It took me way too long to remember whether Lake's little brother was Kel or Caulder (after about thirty pages, I figured out that it was Kel).

Like in Slammed, I really liked the inclusion of poetry. After reading Slammed, I became really interested in slam poetry, so reading this having having watched some slam poets and liking it more, I appreciated the slam poetry in the book more than I did when I read Slammed.

"A first glance

A first smile

A first kiss

A first fall" (p. 189) 

I liked the addition of Kiersten in this book. I thought she was really funny and refreshing, because we there aren't many nine or ten year olds who are as vocal of their opinions as Kiersten and it made all of her scenes, especially when we first meet her, pretty funny. I also liked Kiersten's mom, because she was one of the few older adults in this book. Will and Lake are so young and they have so many adult responsibilities, so I think that it's good for them that Kiersten's mom is right down the road and that she can support them.

"'Sorry,' Kiersten says to Lake and me. 'Mom says the FCC is responsible for inventing cuss words just for media shock value. She says if everyone would just use them enough, they wouldn't be considered cuss words anymore, and no one would ever be offended by them.'" (p. 10)

A big problem for me in this book was its tone. It was so different from that of Slammed, where Will and Lake faced so many problems that were serious issues. In this book, though, some of their issues felt childish and so did their fights. I felt like after everything Will and Lake had been through together that they wouldn't really have trust issues, but there were some major trust issues in their relationship in this book. In the first half of the book, maybe a little longer, I found it a bit boring and Will and Lake's problems kind of annoying. However, a little past that halfway point something happens, and that was when I got more interested in the story and that helped to save the book a little for me.

"'Lake, stop it! You're acting like a ten-year-old!'" (p. 135)

I also liked the whole group parenting/family thing that Will and Lake have. I like that they were raising Kel and Caulder together, and that Eddie and Gavin would come over and they would all just hang out. I also thought it was funny that nobody ever knocked when coming into their houses. They were all so supportive of each other and I just like the community feel that they all had.

"Write poorly.

Suck

Write awful

Terribly

Frightfully

Don't care" (p. 86) 

Overall, I did like this book, but definitely not as much as I liked Slammed. I don't think this is a necessary read, but if you liked Slammed and want to know more about Will and Lake and their relationship, then I would say read it. It's not that long and it's a pretty quick read, so it doesn't take long. I gave this 3.5 out of 5 stars. 

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour Review

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour Review
By Morgan Matson



Summary from Goodreads

Amy Curry is not looking forward to her summer. Her mother decided to move across the country and now it's Amy's responsibility to get their car from California to Connecticut. The only problem is, since her father died in a car accident, she isn't ready to get behind the wheel. Enter Roger. An old family friend, he also has to make the cross-country trip - and has plenty of baggage of his own. The road home may be unfamiliar - especially with their friendship venturing into uncharted territory - but together, Amy and Roger will figure out how to map their way.

My Review:

I loved this book. Plain and simply put, I thought it was amazing. Amy & Roger's Epic Detour will most likely end up being one of my favorites for the year, and probably will be one of my favorites for a long time. Morgan Matson is a pretty popular author, but, before this, I had never read anything by her, although after reading this, I will definitely be reading more by her.

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour takes you on such an emotional -and physical- journey. I really grew to love the characters, and not just Amy and Roger, but also many of the side characters that we meet while they travel across America, too. Morgan Matson wrote them in such a way that made all the characters feel real, because they all had little flaws in them and they weren't perfect.

Amy and Roger also changed so much throughout the book and it was great to see how they impacted each other and made each other better people. In general, Amy and Roger's interactions were great and they had some funny dialogue together. The little things that Amy and Roger learned about each other while traveling across the country was really adorable, and it was nice to see their relationship progress. Even though this book took place over the span of about a week, it felt like longer, and at the end, it definitely  felt like Amy and Roger had known each other longer. 

One of my favorite aspects of the book was the road trip. This book made me want to be adventurous and go on a road trip in a completely new and unfamiliar place, and that may be one of the parts that impacted me the most. Throughout the book, pictures are included of places that Amy and Roger visited, which made their journey feel more real. There were also playlists included that Amy and Roger created and listened to along the way, which was a nice addition to the story.

Overall, this is one book that will always have a special place in my heart for so many reasons and I really loved it.

I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars.