Author: Colleen Hoover
Series: Slammed
Genre: NA Contemporary Romance
Published: January 5th, 2012
Source: From OTSP Secret Sister
This is an older Colleen Hoover title, compared to the first one I read. But it is just as good, and continues to cement my love of this author's work. As a teacher myself, I often have some issues with any kind of relationship between teacher and student, but in this book, it works for me because of their ages and definitely their circumstances.
The main character is Layken. Her father recently passed away unexpectedly, and so her family, which includes her mother and younger brother, have moved to where a friend of her mother's lives. On basically the first day there, Layken meets the neighbors across the street, a little boy who is the same age as her brother and immediately they become best friends. And also his older brother, Will, who is his brother's guardian, as they lost both of their parents. Layken is 18, and Will is 21, and there is an instant attraction between the two of them. Will is very much into poetry slams, and takes Layken to one shortly after they meet. And then, when Layken finally starts at the local school for the end of her senior year, their relationship hits a big obstacle. Turns out that Will is going to be one of Layken's teachers.
Of course this means that they can't keep dating. As Will is the guardian for his brother, and the only family left, he cannot lose this job that helps him take care of his brother. Yes, Will is kind of young to already be a teacher. It seems as if this is a bit of an internship type of job, and that he will be guaranteed a job as long as he does well. Will must put his brother first, and so he tells Layken that they can't be together anymore. Layken tries to stay away, even thinks about switching classes. Until Will realizes it isn't fair to make her do that, and they will just have to try to go to a teacher-student/neighbor relationship, at least for the rest of the year.
Of course it isn't just this relationship that will cause Layken stress. Something to do with her family will cause her life to turn upside down, and she will turn to Will for comfort. And while the two of them are able to do their best to stay platonic, in the end they will have to admit their feelings and decide how to handle them in a way that won't destroy both of their lives.
I loved the romance, and the book ended so good, but left me so eager to read on since this is a series I guess. So now I'll have to get a copy of the 2nd book. Once again I am going to suggest that if you haven't read Colleen Hoover yet, you need to grab one of her books and get started! Another great emotional romance from this author!
