Maryse's Book Blog

No real spoilers below, but if you haven’t yet read “Slammed” and “Point of Retreat” I must insist that you read those FABULOUS 5-star books, and then… top it all off with THIS book. It’s the cherry on top.

<—- This Girl… THIS book… completes me. Or at least, it completes my love for this series which is pretty close to the same thing. 😉 There was so much to “This Girl” that, emotionally, left me speechless.

As I told my friend Kirsten…

Kirsten: “I’m sure you’ve read, and I was really so happy with this one. Now I need to know… I’m a crybaby… did you choke up with that last slam?”

Maryse: The darn book was so good it’s as if I have no words.

I read so many parts through happy (and sometimes grief-stricken) tear-filled eyes. No, I didn’t sob like I did in Slammed, ’cause I wasn’t Layken and I didn’t have to 100% go through her pain again, (maybe just a bit via Will’s eyes)…

I’ll take her burdens, should there be any more, and I’ll be able to carry them for her.  It’s all I’ve wanted to do for this girl since the moment I first laid eyes on her.

… but “This Girl” filled my heart. It was simply brimming with love and emotional gratification. It served to enrich an already deep, poignant (yet lighthearted) love story that I thought was already perfect, and brings it around full circle. While it is a “revisiting” of the key moments in “Slammed” it does it through Will’s perspective, and allows us into his emotional turmoil as his sense of moral and loyal “duty” battle his internal urges, and what he truly wants.

It still managed to surprise me, even though I already knew just how clever Colleen Hoover was. She reaches deep, and her characters are so wonderfully human but she always packs a punch that makes you go… Ohhhh WOW. I thought I “got it” but this revelation makes it even that much more meaningful. It all makes sense now (even though it already did).

 Alicia: LOVED This Girl. It was perfect! In my opinion, Colleen Hoover can do no wrong.

I agree, Alicia.

It meant everything to live “Slammed” through Will’s eyes. To experience his heartache with him as he suffers through a tragedy…

I rolled onto my knees my elbows buried in the grass, and I completely lost it. Sounds came from deep within me that I didn’t even know I was capable of. I cried harder than I ever cried before…

sidenote: for some reason… I KNOW this emotion. This… tormented sound from deep. The detail. So rich and precisely right.

… and I beamed with him as he became smitten with his new pretty neighbor.

And that’s when it happens…the most beautiful sound in the world.  Sure, the song is beautiful.  All Avett Brothers songs are beautiful.  But the sound I’m hearing is the sound of commonality.  The sound of similarity.  The sound of my favorite band that I’ve been listening to non-stop for two years…coming from her speakers.

What are the chances?

And I experienced his shock when he realized the happiness he’d finally found again was forcibly out of his reach.

Oh, sh!t. What the hell have I done?

I take a step back against the wall, attempting to give myself space to think.  Space to breathe.

“Lake, no…” I say.  I hand her back the schedule without even looking at it.  There’s no need to look at it.  I know exactly where her “stupid elective” is.  I can’t seem to process a coherent thought while looking at her, so I turn around and clasp my hands behind my head.

I internalized his pain, and his very-human thoughts (and reactions) despite  his outward appearances. ‘Cause while he may make the logical and “right” choices, inside he’s absolutely seething. Agonizing.

I want so bad to push the thought out of my head that this is the last time I’m going to hold her like this—but I know it’s true.  I know once we separate, it’s over.  There’s no way I can continue to be around her with the way she consumes my every thought.  I know, deep down, that this is goodbye.

And now… if you ask me (and a few others ;)), Will is officially… the PERFECT man.

Yvette: Omg Im loving This Girl!!! **sigh** Will!!!!!!

Melissa: Me too…This guy Will~sigh! Best book bf ever!!!

The perfect hero, and he has become even more so knowing what was truly going on in his head. Knowing that despite his very righteous decisions, in reality, he had very human thoughts and resentments.

I can’t let go of her hand and I can’t stop looking into her eyes. In this moment, absolutely nothing is happening, but then again everything is happening. Every single second I silently look at her, holding on to her hand, erases days of willpower and determination I spent keeping my distance. Every ounce of energy I’ve put into doing the right thing has all been in vain.

Beautifully detailed as we explore a present conversation between two integral characters as they reflect on the delights and hardships of the past. I’ve done it before… in a cozy cuddle-chat. I’ve taken that stroll down memory lane, remembering important events, and asking for that special someone’s “take” on that same moment. I’ve had this conversation before, and for the author to explore a “POV” companion novel in this way was simply… ingenious. Poetic. Written by a true artist. And with all of that “amazing” the best part of it, is that it was genuine.

And then… a look into the near future. *sigh* Will’s connection to Layken is second to none, but his connection to Julia made my eyes well with tears. I’ve said it before, an I’ll say it again. An ending can truly take a book to that next level. And this one did. THIS had one of those endings that took a really good read into “Wow!! PERFECT” territory, for me.

It left me… serene.

Sadie: Colleen Hoover is SO GOOD! If any of your 21k followers havent read the Slammed series, get on it! This Girl was a lovely companion to the other books (Will is just…!!!) and provided a satisfying ending to the series. 🙂

Jamie: Maryse, as much as you loved the Slammed books, you should read This Girl! It was my favorite one.

Jillian: LOVED it!!!! Her writing and characters are top notch!

Lou: This Girl…Swoon for Will Cooper!!! Loved it, was just what I was hoping for.

She says: “Oh, this woman! I’m going to give away five signed copies of the entire SLAMMED series to random commenters on her blog review. Picking winners later this week, so go comment.”