ARC Review: This Girl



Title: This Girl
Author: Colleen Hoover
Series: Slammed #3
Genre: New Adult, , Romance, Contemporary
Publication Date: April 30th, 2013
My Rating: 5 Stars


  Layken and Will’s love has managed to withstand the toughest of circumstances and the young lovers, now married, are beginning to feel safe and secure in their union. As much as Layken relishes their new life together, she finds herself wanting to know everything there is to know about her husband, even though Will makes it clear he prefers to keep the painful memories of the past where they belong. Still, he can’t resist his wife’s pleas and so he begins to untangle his side of the story, revealing for the first time his most intimate feelings and thoughts, retelling both the good and bad moments, and sharing a few shocking confessions of his own from the time when they first met.

  In This Girl, Will tells the story of their complicated relationship from his point of view. Their future rests on how well they deal with the past in this final installment of the beloved Slammed series

  I can't believe I've put this off for so long, but I'm thankful because it saved me from my reading slump. This was just the perfect book that I needed to read again!

  This Girl is just as beautiful as the first two books in the series, and I learned as many things from here as the first two books. To be honest, one of the reasons why I've put this off for so long was that I was afraid. Afraid that this book wouldn't match up to my expectations, wouldn't match up to the first two books that I love with all my heart. But I was wrong. So, so wrong, because this books matched my expectations and more. 

  Lake and Will are now married and are on their honeymoon. Lake makes Will tell her what was going on in his mind during some of the events that happened from the day that they first met, to the night of their honeymoon. Told in Will's perspective and alternating between the past and the present, this book brings in a whole new perspective into the series that everyone - including me - have loved so much.

  As much as I was afraid to start this book because I might be disappointed, this book actually became my favorite book in the series. It was amazing to know some moments with Julia that Will has never told Lake, and it was also amazing to know what went down in their honeymoon, and after that, in their marriage. While I was reading, I felt all the emotions that there was. And even though some of the moments were just repeats from the first two novels, it still hurt me because of the way Colleen Hoover writes. I was smiling, laughing, crying, hurting, and nodding along with the characters. It was just so beautifully written, and I couldn't help but be affected by everything.

  Throughout the whole series - but especially in this book - I have come to admire and respect both Will and Lake. They are both young, but were both forced to grow up and mature so fast. And yet, despite everything life threw at them, they still managed to survive. After all the hardships, responsibilities, misunderstandings and bumps in the road, these two made it, and are now happily in each other's lives. Despite everything, they know how to appreciate everything and be happy with whatever life has given them. 

  I loved how this book featured all the characters that I loved from the previous books (Kel, Caulder, Kiersten, Eddie and Gavin), and that it's not just about the honeymoon. I loved how Julia was prepared for everything, and that she thought of every detail. I love the poetry, and I loved reading the ones from the first two books again. Until now, they still affect me as much as they did when I first read them. 

  This book is the perfect ending to the amazing series that I have loved from the very first book. I know for a fact that reading this just once isn't enough, so I'll be sure to visit these characters again after a while. And I also know that this is a book that I will be shouting out for everyone to read.

  Colleen Hoover has written yet another masterpiece, and I just love every page, every sentence and every word of this book. Each page touched my heart, and each sentence resonated within me. Reading everything from Will's point of view brings this book to a whole new level of amazingness, and I have no idea how to get over this. Hands down, this is one of the best series of all time, and Colleen Hoover is one of the best writers of all time!

  I can't believe this is all over already. As I read these words, 

"I can't help but think back on these past two years and all we've been through. The heartache we had to endure to get here and the tears we've all shed in the process. I don't know how one minute, a person can think his life is nothing more than a barren valley with nothing left to look forward to. Then in the blink of an eye, someone can come along and change it with a simple smile."

  I felt happy and sad at the same time. Happy that everything came together so beautifully, sad because the book was saying goodbye to me. If it were up to me, I would want this series to be endless.

  I feel so happy right now because of this book. I will go to sleep tonight with a huge smile on my face and with a new-found appreciation for life and for everything that I have gone through. Because "it (life) doesn't get all up in your damn way because it wants you to give up and let it take control. Life wants you to fight it. Learn how to make it your own."


“I held this girl in my arms
She wrapped her tiny fingers around mine.
It was then that I realized.
She was the fusion.
The glue.
The cement that bound all my pieces together.
The piece that seals my puzzle.
The piece that completes my life.
The element that makes me who I am.
Who I was.
Who I'll one day be.
You, baby girl.
You're my final piece.”




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