It’s probably not a bad thing,” I say as I loosen the fries from the pan. “Remember Eddie’s Alfredo?” It´s not like me to give a high rating* to these kinds of books, since i love angst. I mean I really, really love it. But this book was just the cutest so what the hell,right!? And you know what? When I started this the first time (yes, the first time) I read one chapter, thought "this isn´t for me, and then put it on hold. Thank God, I decided to try it again (peer pressure) I absolutely fell in love with it right away. Oh… I see,” he says. “Just text me when you’re through ‘giving it to her,’ and we’ll bring the boys home.”

Layken's Mom, Julia, continues to be a major part of this story. Her wisdom and unconditional love follow Lake and Will on their bumpy, but loving journey. I found Julia's strong spirit to be the most inspirational element of all. Yes, Mr. Cooper,” Gavin says sarcastically. “But I have to know,” he says, looking at the kids, “does she really waddle?” The silly drama. I honestly think that this book had no point other than to create and deal with silly drama. There was no new story to tell. The book was just a series of events that would probably not happen in real life piled together.

You want to scream and shout what and why are these things happening to me? Did I deserve to be the one betrayed? Did I deserve to be the one who was left out? Did I deserve to lose that special someone? Eddie, my favorite character in Slammed, is redrawn in Point of Retreat and faces a very difficult path. Note: Please do not continue to read this review, should you plan on reading Slammed and want to remain unspoiled.]

It's interesting that these old school behaviors are so popular in fiction--both YA and adult--these days, and it makes me extremely uncomfortable as it reinforces unhealthy relationship patterns and the tolerance of unacceptable behavior in the name of "romance" when in fact it's controlling and disrespectful. (Thanks, Twilight.) I brush her hair out of her eyes and run my finger along the edge of her cheek. “I love you, Lake.” Alright then, it is now time for all of you who have not read this book to stop reading because spoilers are coming up. If you don't mind them, feel free to continue reading what I have to say. The only thought I can leave you with right now is that this book is written beautifully and that all the characters are very easy to relate to and I'm sure that almost all of you will love it just as I do. Caulder walks into the kitchen and starts setting places at the table. I glance behind me and notice them setting an extra place. “We expecting company?” I ask. Caulder gets up from the table. “I’m gonna watch TV in my room,” he says. “See you later, Kel. Bye, Kiersten.” They both tell him goodbye as they leave.

Table of Contents

Will and Lake have fallen into a very comfortable routine that flows well with their school schedules and with the boys' (Kel and Caulder) school schedules also. They are adjusting to Julia being gone and are taking it one day at a time to be the best parents they know how to be to their younger siblings. We get to enjoy Eddie and Gavin again with some fun surprises in their relationship; we get introduced to past people in Will's lives, and also to new characters, Kiersten and Sherry, who are Will and Lake's neighbors...

Anyway, what I am really surprised about is just how much I'm in love with just her FiRST two books. Her writing style is amazing and I can't get enough of it. This is probably the first romance novel written from a male's POV which I actually love. I loved seeing things from Will's POV this time. I felt it was more appropriate being in his head this time because the things that occur in the book can probably only be fully understood if you know how he feels and what he thinks. In this book, we get to learn a little more about Will and how he feels about Lake. I think that what Collen Hoover did was great as readers will actually be able to love Will more when we get to actually "feel" his emotions. I know I fell in love with him a little more in Point of Retreat. Delicate like the cruel words that flow right out of your mouths and the food that flies right out of your hands… Those of you who have not read this series probably should get it like, right now. It's emotional and it is romantic and it is definitely funny at times. Point of Retreat is definitely a good book for people who love romance novels which are not too sad but are so touching that it will bring you to tears. Of course, however, i am not saying that there are no sad moments in this novel which will make you cry, I'm just saying that those of us readers who have are very sensitive can still read this book without being emotionally scarred. But, of course, you will fall in love with almost all of the characters because they are just so...loveable. They all have their own unique personalities and the way they act and talk are so different that they seem very real. I don't say that they are absolutely flawless, but I think that it is those imperfections which make me love them more cuz it makes them human. I don’t mean to belabor the sex issue, but I guess it bugged me because I couldn’t figure out if it was written that way to make the book okay for younger audiences (it is a YA book, after all) or if it was a case of following the old and annoying romance novel device of putting off sex for as long as possible to increase the tension. Indeed, there are contrived interruptions at several points that prevent the couple from doing the deed. I just found it tiresome; I wasn’t jonesing for some Will/Lake sex, but I did want to see the relationship move forward. (By the end of the book I wondered if there wasn’t some old-fashioned morality at play here as well, but I can’t really talk about that without spoiling the ending of the book.) Layken and Will are both in the same situation: they're raising their respective siblings while trying to make the transition to adulthood. It's a tough road, and puts them in an adult role before either are really emotionally ready. And yet, Layken's mother, prior to her death was inexplicably hell-bent on ensuring that her daughter and the boy she's dating (who Julia, the mother, very much liked and was close with) keep their relationship outside the realm of adulthood.I have been in the biggest Avett Brothers mood all of March and after listening to them non-stop on Spotify, all I wanted to do was re-read the ‘Slammed’ series. I forgot how much I love these books. Point of Retreat is the second book and the continuation of Laken and Will’s story and I loved this one so much because it’s told from Will’s POV. Now, unlike Slammed, there were no quotes at the beginning of each chapter. There was still great advice which is pretty helpful though. Anyway, in place for these quotes are entries from Will's journal. I have to say, I enjoyed the entries just as much as the quotes. Like the quotes in Slammed, these entries also give us readers a hint as to what the new chapter has in store for us. Will's journal entries are usually very beautifully phrased and I loved reading them. He doesn’t answer right away, which makes me feel guilty for even asking. Maybe they had plans already. In Point of Retreat, Will and Layken find themselves embroiled in even more drama, but the core of the story is two-fold:

A new character I quite liked--a neighbor girl with a quirky family--added some charm and humor to Point of Retreat where it was desperately needed. However, one of my big dealbreakers reared its ugly head near the end of the novel, in this case, the dreaded vegetarian randomly starts eating meat plot device.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.”