Point of Retreat by Colleen Hoover
Series: Slammed #2
Published by Atria on February 25, 2012
Genres: Contemporary
Pages: 215
Format: ebook
Source: Bought
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Layken and Will have managed to overcome the obstacles that threatened to destroy their love, proving that they are destined for one another. What they are about to learn, however, is that the things that have brought them together may be the very things that ruin their connection forever...

Layken is left second-guessing the relationship whilst Will is jumping over hurdles to prove his love for her. What the young lovers discover about themselves along this journey may change their entire world, and the lives of those who depend upon them the most...

I recently caved and read Colleen Hoover’s book, Slammed.  I was hugely impressed with it and I was really looking forward to checking out the sequel, Point of Retreat.  While I did enjoy the book, I was actually quite disappointed with it.

Will and Layken’s story was actually pretty wrapped up in Slammed but I was still interested in reading more about them so I decided to give Point of Retreat a shot.  After loving Slammed, I had really high expectations for the sequel.  Sadly, the book just couldn’t live up to them.  Everything went downhill right from the start.  The story was dull, the characters didn’t have any development, and everything was way too predictable.  I think the only thing I liked about Point of Retreat was the addition of Kiersten, a very quirky young girl who becomes friends with Calder and Kel.  She was hilarious!  She fit in great with their group and I really did love her.  However, from there on out, things weren’t so great with Point of Retreat.

First off, I wanted to slap both Will and Layken.  Will starts taking some college classes and his ex-girlfriend, Vaughn, is in the class with him.  Does he tell this to Layken?  Of course not.  So when she finds out, (like she inevitably will) she flips out.  Rather than give Will time to explain, she completely blocks him out and sets into motion the whole rest of the book.  Will and Layken handled things like teenagers.  If they expect to be parents to their younger brothers, they need to grow up and handle things like adults!  I mean, really, how hard is it to take a little time and just talk things out?  And I will admit, Will handled things a lot better than Layken.  Layken acted like a whiny little brat.  It really got on my nerves and I lost a lot of respect for her after her temper tantrums.

Then there were Eddie and Gavin.  While I actually didn’t have a problem with them throughout the book, it was their storyline that got to me.  I won’t give anything away but let’s just say that it’s rather predictable and overdone.  I did still love Eddie and Gavin’s relationship and their relationships with Will and Layken though. Eddie is just as hilarious as ever and when you put her and Kiersten together, it’s a total riot.

Like I said earlier, the story was rather predictable.  I won’t give anything away but I will say this: I wasn’t even sure I wanted to read the second half of the book!  It was really cheesy and rather than finding things romantic, I just wanted to roll my eyes and laugh.

Overall, Point of Retreat just wasn’t for me.  I should have stopped with Slammed and just enjoyed how much I loved that book.  However, tons of people have enjoyed this one so if you think you’ll like it, definitely check it out.

What others are saying about Point of Retreat:

Bookish Sarah’s Literary Meanderings’ review: “All in all, this is a truly stellar follow-up novel.”

Obsession With Books’ review: “Colleen Hoover writes memorable, believable characters, her writing is perfection and holds my interest throughout and the slam poetry is fabulous!”

Clear Eyes Full Shelves’ review: “If you, like me, enjoyed Slammed (perhaps, also like me, despite yourself), I’d recommend simply letting Layken and Will’s story end for you at that book.”