Review: Point of Retreat by Colleen Hoover

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Sometimes two people have to fall apart to realize 

how much they need to fall back together.

I might have done my heart permanent damage by reading Slammed and Point of Retreat back to back. I really should have had a buffer book (or three) in between. As it is, my emotions are mess and my little feelings have been trampled upon beyond recognition. Basically, your typical Colleen Hoover aftermath.

I *love* that Point of Retreat was told from Will's POV. I wasn't aware of the switch in POV (from Slammed) before starting the book and it was such a happy surprise. I loved being in Will's head, getting his perspective, seeing Lake through his eyes. I love getting the guy's POV in general (Breakable by Tammara Webber sent me over the moon, but I digress) and from a character that I was already in love with - Will Cooper! - was even better. One of my favorite things about Will is that he is so open and so generous with his love. Once he's committed, he doesn't hold back. His love for Lake was extraordinary and he showed it.

"I love you because of you.

Because of

every

single

thing

about you."

Lake has taken on a lot at a young age (as has Will) and seems to have adjusted well. But I found myself frustrated with her at times. I felt she was unnecessarily hard on Will here. Will was plainly head over heels in love with her, consistently put her happiness first, and yet she doubted his feelings? As my mother would say, she was just borrowing trouble. Maybe it was due to her youth. Maybe it was because Will was her first serious relationship. Maybe she was still bogged down in grief and not thinking clearly. But I did find myself frustrated with her doubts and the way she pushed Will away. I wanted her to be joyful in what they had, recognize how rare it was, and cling to it with both hands!

"Love is the most beautiful thing in the world.

Unfortunately, it's also one of the hardest things

in the world to hold on to, and one of the 

easiest things to throw away."

There were so many elements in Point of Retreat that struck a chord and meant so much. The jar of stars from Julia that always seemed so timely and relevant, Gavin and Eddie, the suck and sweet game, the addition of secondary characters Kiersten and Sherry, Will's slam poetry (and the slams from some surprising sources!), Will's determination not to leave Lake's side... so many things that proved yet again Colleen Hoover's amazing ability to make me FEEL.

This is the first by Colleen Hoover not to get a 5-star rating from me, but I just didn't connect as completely as I did with Slammed. For that, and for my frustration with Lake at times, I shaved a half-star. But Point of Retreat was still a phenomenal story with heart and emotion and with characters I have come to love. Highly recommended!

Note: Point of Retreat is *not* a stand-alone novel. It is book two in a trilogy and should be read after Slammed.

Top 5 Wednesday: Books I Wanted To Start Yesterday

Top 5 Wednesday was created by Lainey at GingerReadsLainey.

Click HERE for a complete list of participants.

So many books, so little time... it's the lament of book lover's everywhere. There's always a big stack or a long list of books on my TBR, but these are the ones I want to read, like, yesterday. :)

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Speaking of yesterday, this one was actually just released yesterday. Abbi's Rosemary Beach series is like book crack to me. I devour them quickly and then wait anxiously for the next one. This will be happening SOON.

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It's no secret that CoHo is my favorite author. Her books break my heart 

every time (in the very best way) and I keep coming back for more.  However, 

I just read two of her books back to back (Slammed and Point of Retreat) and 

my heart just can't another right now. I'll need a few buffer books before 

diving into Confess. :)

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I read Ten Tiny Breaths last year and was *blown away.* It was so much more than I was expecting. So I'm dying to continue on with the companion novels.

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The Bronze Horseman is my favorite book ever. You'd think that I would 

have immediately read the other books in the trilogy. Makes sense, right? 

Well, it's been a year since I read TBH and I still can't bring myself to pick 

up Tatiana and Alexander. I'm enjoying the anticipation too much. It's all 

right there waiting for me... and I adore that feeling. No one said my 

reasoning had to make sense, right? ;-)

Find at: GoodReads

This last one is so new that it doesn't even have a cover yet. Jennifer L. Armentrout just last week announced an upcoming book tied to the Lux series that will be told from Daemon's POV. Color me excited! Oblivion is still in work and will not be released until December. But I need it yesterday!

So what books do you want to start yesterday? I'd love to hear!

Top Ten Tuesday: Characters You Wish You Could Check In With

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme 

created by The Broke and the Bookish.

Wow, I love today's Top Ten Tuesday theme! There have been many, many books that ended with me still wanting more of the characters I'd grown so attached to. Or characters that I have found myself thinking about long after I'd read the book. Wondering how they were, what had become of them, were they doing okay. As if they were really out there somewhere continuing on after that last page of the book! :)

It's going to be hard to narrow it down to ten, but here's my list:

Tate and Miles (Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover) - Yes, Colleen was good enough to add an epilogue that fast forwarded a bit and we saw this couple down the road a bit but I would still love more. I realize there couldn't really be another story without conflict of some sort, but I'd love to see into their lives now.

Eleanor and Park (Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell) - The book ended rather abruptly (seems to be a trademark of Rowell) and was pretty open-ended. I'd like to think I know that Eleanor and Park ended up together but I'd love to have a sequel from Rowell herself with more, more, more.

Bettina (The Things You Kiss Goodbye by Leslie Connor) - I really need to know that Bettina (Beta) is okay. 

Daemon and Katy (the Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout) - Yes, the final book ended the series very well. And, yes, Jennifer has been great about providing a few snippets on her website. But I'll never get enough of these characters or their amazing chemistry.

Rachel (Crash Into You by Katie McGarry) - Rachel was mentioned often in McGarry's Take Me On but I'd really love to flash forward a year or two and know that Rachel is doing well. (Hard to phrase this one without spoilers! LOL)

Anna and Bennett (Time After Time by Tamara Ireland Stone) - I'd love to check in on these two and find out how their very unconventional relationship was working!

Tana (The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black) - Never have I wished for a sequel as much as I do for this book. I'm dying to know what became of Tana. I mean, come on! Did she or didn't she? Ack!

Lou (Me Before You by Jojo Moyes) - Here's one where I'll actually get my wish! I just recently saw that Moyes has a sequel planned so I'll get to revisit Lou and see how she's doing.

Travis (Something Like Normal by Trish Doller) - Travis returned from Afghanistan facing a host of issues (PTSD, grief, his parent's splitting up). I was satisfied with the book's ending but I'd still like to check in on Travis.

Anna and T.J. (On the Island by Tracey Garvis Graves) - Yes, the ending was totally satisfying but this couple stayed with me for long, long after I finished the book. I'd love to be able to check back in with Anna and T.J. and see their lives now.

What characters would you like to revisit and check back in with?

Review: Slammed by Colleen Hoover

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Answer: 317 pages of perfection
Question: What is Slammed by Colleen Hoover?

It's no secret that I adore Colleen Hoover. She's my favorite author. She manages to create realistic characters in believable situations while drawing you in and making you FEEL. These characters joys and heartaches become your own. I don't know *how* she does it, but Colleen Hoover does it like none other.

I've had the Slammed trilogy for quite a while but have put off reading it for a variety of reasons. 1) I've been savoring the fact that there were THREE CoHo books on my shelf just waiting for me to open the covers and step inside. THREE. That's a good, good feeling, people. 2) I knew flying through this series would be three FEWER CoHo books for me to read. I'm catching up to her quickly and soon I'll be waiting on her to publish more. Not good. 3) I knew I needed to be ready for Slammed. There's no getting out of a Colleen Hoover novel with your emotions intact and untouched. So I had to be ready to dive in and accept all that was coming.

Slammed is one of those books that seem almost impossible to review because I feel like my words are inadequate. Like instead of an actual review I should just spew a bunch of semi-coherent, half-formed words on the page and then say, "See what I mean?"

"So keep your ocean. I'll take the Lake."

Lake is still grieving the loss of her father when she and her mom and younger brother move from Texas to Michigan. Within minutes of arriving at her new home she meets neighbor Will and there is an instant connection. But don't cue the violins just yet. Lake and Will's relationship is not typical. It has obstacles that stop things before they ever really start. Watching as Lake tries to navigate some kind of friendship/relationship with Will made my heart ache. All the while she is grappling with a new school, new friends, and the discovery of a secret that changes everything yet again.

I loved Lake. She was a mature 18 year old but realistic enough to have moments of giggling at inappropriate moments with best fried Eddie like the teenager she was. I appreciated the portrayal of her family especially the fierce love she has for her little brother Kel and the completely believable, sometimes taciturn, relationship with her mother. She questioned, she worried, she risked, she made assumptions - I believed in Lake completely and wanted so much for her. 

Will Cooper was a character with so much under the surface. A 21 year old young man with staggering responsibilities and losses of his own. Despite it all he was not closed off or bitter; he was open and warm and friendly and kind. But with Lake he found himself in an untenable situation. But even with circumstances being what they were, he was there for Lake. He was her sounding board, he held her when she cried, and he did his best to give advice and impart wisdom because he was so able to see Lake's situation from the other side. Will selflessly showed Lake wasn't she wasn't able to see on her own. It was impossible not to fall in love with Will Cooper.

It's hard to believe this was Colleen's first novel. While Maybe Someday and Ugly Love may have upped the ante, there's nothing lacking in Slammed. I loved the characters and their development, I loved the secondary characters, I loved the inclusion of the Avett Brothers lyrics (music obviously being a passion of Colleen's and a theme that she likes to employ), I loved the humor and the heartache (yes, CoHo even makes me thankful for the hiccuping sobs her story evoked), and I loved watching Lake and Will find their way. My favorite thing about Slammed (and any Colleen Hoover novel) - there may be a happy ending but it never comes easy. There are messy situations and hurt feelings and real life and tears and impossible obstacles along the way. A happy ending is not delivered on a silver platter; it's hard-fought and hard-won.

"How do you do it? How do you not fall in love with him?"

"I don't not fall in love with him. I don't not fall in love with him a lot."

Review: Just a Little Flirt by Renita Pizzitola

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I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of Just a Little Crush (Crush #1) last year (read review here) and enjoyed it so much that I jumped at the chance to also read an ARC of Just a Little Flirt (Crush #2). I'm so glad I did because I loved it every bit as much as the first book, if not more.

Too much time spent partying and hooking up with guys has left Fallon close to flunking out of college. But she's taking her summer internship in the pediatric ward of a hospital seriously and is determined to turn things around. She even bets a friend that she can make it through the six week internship without sleeping with anyone at work.

That was before she ran into (literally) Cade, who volunteers with his therapy dog, Scout, and spends time with the kids at the hospital. He's the hottest guy Fallon has ever seen and just happens to also be sweet and funny and genuinely interested in Fallon. But guys like Cade don't go for girls like Fallon, right?

A history of one-night stands since arriving at college left Fallon with quite a reputation. She's a party girl who isn't shy about her escapades. But an opportunity to be hired on as a staff member following her internship has Fallon determined to put her reputation to rest and be taken seriously. There was so much more to Fallon than just partying and random hook-ups. As I learned more about her background and her relationship with her ex-boyfriend, she became easier to understand and much more relatable. She was determined not to get burned again and thought she knew the best way to avoid it. True love and happily ever after might be for other people but not her.

I loved watching the relationship develop between Fallon and Cade. It was a slow burn, but with plenty of heat! Fallon was determined to not fall into her same pattern and not do anything to jeopardize her internship (plus win that bet). But her attraction to Cade was undeniable and, to her great surprise, it was more than that. Cade was fun and sexy and kind and considerate. But good guys like Cade just didn't get involved with girls like Fallon. Despite Fallon's doubts, Cade's attention doesn't wane and she finds herself more and more attracted to this guy... and not just to his looks.

Fallon was so determined that she didn't deserve a guy like Cade and I loved how Cade ever so patiently showed Fallon how he saw her. And that was my favorite thing about Cade - his patience and his willingness to give Fallon the time she needed to open herself to a relationship with him. Sweet and sexy, funny and understanding... Cade might be the best book boyfriend ever.

Despite the almost-instant attraction between these two, there was no insta-love and their relationship took time to build. Watching as they slowly got to know each other was a joy. I loved their banter and Pizzitola has an amazing gift with dialogue and humor. There were several laugh out loud moments which doesn't happen often for me.

Confession time: If I know in advance that an animal plays any significant role in a book chances are I'm going to pass on it. I'm just not an "animal/pet person" and don't typically enjoy books where animals/pets are featured. I even cringed a little when I first read that Cade was a therapy dog handler. But what a surprise it was to find that I loved what Scout added to the story. Not only did I not mind in the case but I warmed to Scout and I even got a bit emotional at one particular scene. The fact that I was able to overcome my initial bias and actually enjoy this aspect of the story is something that I credit completely to Pizzitola's writing.

There were so many times when I caught myself smiling as I read this book. It quite literally put a smile on my face. And that's what I loved most about this book. Pizzitola's creation of two characters that I was totally invested in, truly pulling for, and who just made me happy. This is only my second book by Renita Pizzitola but I already feel that I'll be reading anything she writes from now on.

Just a Little Flirt is the second book in the Crush series but can easily be read as a stand-alone.

Note: ARC kindly provided by NetGalley and Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review.

______________

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Renita Pizzitola is the author of New Adult contemporary romance and Young Adult fantasy. When not writing, she can be found feeding her caramel macchiato addiction and reading just about anything she can get her hands on. She lives in Austin, Texas.

Find her at:

Website:

http://www.renitapizzitola.com/home 

Twitter: @renitapizzitola