This Girl: A Novel: 3 (Slammed) Paperback – 13 Aug. 2013

A Beautiful and Poetic Conclusion to an Unforgettable Love StoryColleen Hoover has a way of making readers feel every emotion possible, and This Girl, the third book in the Slammed series, is no exception. What makes this novel so special is that it’s not just a retelling of Slammed—it’s a deeper, more intimate look into Will and Layken’s love story through Will’s perspective.Reading This Girl felt like revisiting old friends while discovering hidden layers of their journey. Will’s voice adds new meaning to moments I thought I already knew, making them feel fresh and even more powerful. His struggles, his devotion to Layken, and his reflections on their past are raw and honest, showing just how deeply he loves her.The poetry in this book is as breathtaking as ever. Hoover has a talent for using words to evoke deep emotions, and the slam poetry elements elevate this story beyond a typical romance. The way Will recounts their past while navigating their future together creates a beautiful balance between nostalgia and growth.One of my favorite aspects of This Girl is the way it highlights the importance of perspective. Seeing the events of Slammed through Will’s eyes gave me an even greater appreciation for his character and the sacrifices he made for love. It also made me fall in love with their story all over again.If you loved Slammed and Point of Retreat, This Girl is a must-read. It’s a touching, poetic, and deeply emotional conclusion to a love story that stays with you long after the final page.

"If I took every romantic poem, every book, every song, and every movie I've ever read, heard or seen and extracted the breathtaking moments, somehow bottling them up, they would pale in comparison to this moment.This moment is incomparable."GeniusExceptional intellectual or creative power or other natural ability.LoveAn intense feeling of deep affection.GratitudeThe quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.Isn't it funny how impersonal the above definitions seem when written out on their own? No feelings or emotions to help convey the words. If I had my way, Colleen Hoover's photo would appear right next to Genius. A picture of each one of her books would be shown along with Love, and a link to every single lovely review written about her books listed below Gratitude.I will never be able to say this enough... Colleen Hoover is amazing. The emotion she is able to pack into a novel is at times overwhelming. I freely admit that I am an emotional reader and I quite often shed tears of sadness and joy. But, even with that said, I don't think I have ever fallen so deeply in love with characters before. Will and Lake are truly something special, and Colleen has managed to bring a much loved series to a beautiful and perfect ending."Layken Cooper, I love you. I've loved you since the second I laid eyes on you and I haven't stopped loving you for a second since."In the future, if anybody asks me to describe how an author can successfully re-write a story from an alternating point of view, I will direct them to This Girl. This is how you re-write a story but still manage to make it seem new and wonderful.At the beginning of This Girl we find Will and Lake exactly where we left them, happy and in love. The retelling of pivotal moments from Slammed are told in the form of flashbacks. This is genius. This way we get the important scenes retold by Will but there doesn't have to be any filler. The filler comes from the scenes where we flash back to the present. In these scenes we get to see how Lake responds to what Will has shared and what she will ask him about next.We are also treated to some very important moments from Will that we were not aware of from Lake's point of view during Slammed. This is what kept everything so fresh and new. I refuse to ruin anything for you but I can honestly say I found myself shocked several times. This is very impressive for a retelling."She deserves to be kissed by someone who loves her. Someone who spends every waking moment trying to do everything right by her. Someone who would rather die than see her hurt. She doesn't deserve to be kissed by anyone other than me."As if I thought going into This Girl that I could not fall more in love with Will Cooper. oooOOOooohhh how wrong I was. Will is one of the most kind, gentle, caring, and sexy characters I have ever read. He is full of so much love, and that is never more evident than in this book. It is amazing being in his head, and to see so many wonderful moments through his eyes."You want to know my sweet?" I ask her.She nods.I kiss her on the forehead. "You. Always you."And, if you think all we get is a handful of flashbacks and a few present moments, you are wrong. Folks we have an epilogue. This is not just any epilogue either, this is the most perfect thing I have ever read. It not only provides us with the perfect ending for our beloved characters but it also has a new slam that is simply outstanding. To say I had tears in my eyes would be an understatement. I could hardly see through the happy tears."She doesn't speak, but she doesn't have to. I know in these moments, when it's just her and me and nothing else, that she truly, soul-deep loves me."So please, I beg you... If you have not read the Slammed series to do so as soon as possible. You will not be disappointed in the slightest. And if you have started them but not yet picked up This Girl, what are you waiting for? Get it, and start it now. It is butterflying perfect."I press my forehead against hers. "I'm so glad you showed up," I whisper. "You changed my life forever that night."Colleen, if I am lucky enough to have you read this review, I want you to know that I bow down to your writing abilities. You deserve every bit of success that is coming your way right now, and I promise you that I am a lifelong fan. You can write whatever your heart desires and without question I, and I know I would not be be the only one, will buy it immediately. I have no other way to say it other than, I love you for the characters you have brought into my life. Honestly, thank you.My suck: Having to say goodbye to characters I love.My sweet: Colleen Hoover for making it as perfect and painless as possible."Sometimes two people need to fall apart to realize how much they need to fall back together."I take her hand and rest it between us, then stroke the back of it with my thumb. "Let's not fall apart again," I whisper.She looks me in the eyes. "Never."ChristineRainy Day Reads

Getting to hear parts of Slammed from Will's POV? Yeah, I may have squealed a lot when I found out what this was.So, while I didn't enjoy This Girl as much as Slammed and Point of Retreat, I did love getting to hear everything from Will's POV. While there were some scenes that were in Slammed that were just changed to be from Will's POV, there were also some extra scenes - like Will finding out about his parents and some conversations between Will and Gavin - which added a lot and helped me understand Will a lot more.By the time I'd finished This Girl, I'd fallen for Will even more. Actually getting to hear what happened to him when his parents died was heartbreaking and I really felt for him. I still enjoyed seeing that though because it meant I could finally understand Will fully and see how deep his love for his brother was. Will is still one of the sweetest guys ever and he makes my heart melt.Lake kind of acted like a 5 year old again in this one. She wanted Will to tell her everything but the flounced off in a huff when she heard something she didn't like. She was starting to get on my nerves a little.I just adored getting to see my favourite moments in Slammed from Will's POV and getting to see Will and Gavin's conversations because Gavin knew. I also really enjoyed getting to see Will's past and the events that led him to Lake. And also, what Will was thinking when he first met Lake.The epilogue was beautiful and had me in tears yet again. I've cried so much while reading this series, but it's been one of the best series I've ever read. If you haven't read the Slammed trilogy yet or any of Colleen Hoover's books, I highly suggest that you change that because her writing and her stories are beautiful.

I very quickly read this trilogy, loving book 1 and 2, but 3 was a let down. It just repeated back passages from previous books as ‘memories’. Having read them so recently, i found the flashbacks boring and didn’t like reading the same text I had just read. I’ve never really skim read or skipped, but I found I skipped through a lot of this book. Some ok moments, but overall disappointed.