The Turbulent Trials of Love – Exploring the Slammed Series

Few romance series capture the agonizing lows and glorious highs of first love like Colleen Hoover’s evocative Slammed trilogy. Centered around young lovers Layken and Will as they reckon with family tragedy, betrayal, and the secrets of the past, this poignant trilogy charts an unforgettable coming-of-age journey.

• The 3 books in order: Slammed, Point of Retreat, This Girl
• Forbidden student-teacher romance blossoms in Slammed
• Shocking revelations test Layken and Will’s bond in Point of Retreat
• Married future explored from Will’s POV in This Girl
• Raw, urgent storytelling and emotional authenticity

The Slammed series by Colleen Hoover is an emotionally charged trilogy following the tumultuous relationship between Layken Cohen and Will Cooper. Centered around poetry and prose, this new adult romance depicts the agonies, ecstasies, and defining choices encountered on the precipice of adulthood.

Comprised of Slammed (2012), Point of Retreat (2013), and This Girl (2014), the series recounts Layken and Will falling desperately in love only to have their bond tested by family tragedy, shocking betrayals, and the spectral grief of past wounds. First independently published by Hoover herself, Slammed kickstarted her meteoric rise as a preeminent voice in modern romance.

The Slammed books should be read in this order:

1. Slammed
2. Point of Retreat
3. This Girl

You should read Slammed, the first book in the series, before reading Point of Retreat, the second book. Point of Retreat continues the story from Slammed.

Slammed

Eighteen-year-old Layken relocates with her family after her father’s sudden death, striving to be strong for her mother and brother. Next door resides Will, a passionate, charismatic 21-year-old teacher who infuses Layken’s world with hope and poetry. But their electric connection is thrown into chaos once their roles as student and teacher are revealed. An “impossible, unstoppable, unbelievable” love blossoms nonetheless, cementing Hoover’s signature blend of lyrical dialogue, affecting characters, and emotional authenticity.

Does Slammed get spicy? No, Slammed is not considered a steamy or spicy romance. While there are some sexually suggestive scenes, the book focuses more on the emotional relationship between the characters rather than explicit content.

Slammed can be read as a standalone book, but it also continues as a series that follows the main characters’ relationship across 3 books – Slammed, Point of Retreat, and This Girl.

Point of Retreat

Reunited against steep odds, Layken and Will’s devotion is pushed past the breaking point after a shattering revelation about his past. With trust fractured and wounds laid bare, they agonize over severing their nascent ties or fighting for the life they deserve. Point of Retreat navigates the intricate realm of forgiveness, sacrifice, and reconciling who we are with who we want to become.

This Girl

Now married, Layken yearns to fully know the man who still captures her heart after so much hardship. Will finally opens up to recount his side of their dramatic love story—from a childhood of neglect to the profound, instant connection he felt upon meeting Layken. Confronting painful memories remains their only hope of maintaining hard-won happiness.

At turns devastating and triumphant, the Slammed trilogy charts an uncommon romance beset by trauma and deep scars invisible to the eye. Through raw, urgent storytelling, Hoover immerses readers into a poignant vision of life’s beauty amongst its darkest corners.

In its devastating yet hopeful vision of life after loss, the turbulent Slammed trilogy captures the defining moments of youth, the complexity of forgiveness, and the quiet resilience of lovers who have weathered too much, too young.