ARC Review: Point of Retreat (Slammed #2) by Colleen Hoover

Still carving pumpkins....

Title: Point of Retreat
Author: Colleen Hoover
Series: Slammed Publisher: Simon & Schuster (US)
My ratings: 4 out of 5 stars.
Released: 18th September, 2012
 Another instalment of the heart touching story of Will and Layken by Colleen Hoover. This time it is being told by Will. It’s been a few months since the death of Lake’s mother, Julia, Will and Lake are still going strong. Will is back at college and so is Lake and both of them together with some help from Gavin and Eddie, bringing up their brothers. I loved Will in Slammed. I loved how he was a mature man yet still a boy of only 21 years old. He took his responsibility seriously which is always so attractive in a man. Point of Retreat starts off by how well all of them are doing and how Will and Lake want to take their relationship to the next level. But a person from Will’s past makes an appearance causing Lake to misunderstand. At that point we get to see how deep Will’s feelings for Lake run. They were so sweet together and I was going ‘awww’ and ‘ahhh’ most of the time. The separation hits Will hard and we get to see a different side off him. The desperate tactics he uses to get Lake back were at times funny and endearing.

If I were a carpenter, I would build you a window to my soul. But I would leave that window shut and locked, so that every time you tried to look through it…..all you would see that my soul is a reflection of you.

 Lake seemed to have grown up since we last saw her in Slammed. She understands more about life and has some hardness about her which I felt sad about. I also liked how she questioned her relationship with will as she wanted to be 100% sure of Will’s feeling towards her. Some tragic events unfold later during the book which had me sitting at the edge of my seat. I really thought something bad was going to happen considering Hoover’s history with using death in her plots. I nearly cried but only just nearly. There was poetry but not as much as in Slammed. A host of new characters were brought in which added a splash of lightness to all the doom and gloom. 

I have learned something about my heart, It can break. It can be ripped apart. It can harden and freeze. It can stop.Completely. It can shatter into a million pieces. It can explode. It can die. The only thing that made it start beating again? The moment you opened your eyes.

 Why only 4 stars you ask? Well, maybe my expectations were too high after reading Slammed, so the relatively less poetry was disappointing. Plus the story was told from Will’s POV who was the mean poet in the first book, so I assumed he would have more in him. Moreover, Eddie had so much dialogue in the first book but in Point of Retreat, she sort of fades in the background. Slammed had been wrapped up nicely and I’m not sure if Point of Retreat was necessary for Will and Lake’s story. I enjoyed it nevertheless and I’m glad it was written. 

The heart of a man is no heart at all If his heart isn’t loved by a woman. The heart of a woman is no heart at all If her heart isn’t loving a man. But the heart of a man and a woman in love. Can be worse than not having a heart. Because at least if you have no heart at all It can’t die when it breaks apart.

Will, does goes on a type of journey and (I think) learns more about Lake and the obstacles they go through make their relationship even stronger. Point of Retreat was bitter sweet for me as I loved it too and wanted more but I know the quality would not be the same for a third book. Regardless, I’ll only say that Ms Hoover, please don’t stop writing.