Point of Retreat: A Novel [Kindle Edition]

Colleen Hoover (Author)

Book Description

Sometimes two people have to fall apart to realize just how much they belong together.

Colleen Hoover entranced readers everywhere with her bestselling novel Slammed, the book that introduced Layken and Will, a young couple whose love overcame devastating hardships to emerge stronger and more resilient than before. Now, as Layken and Will’s emotion-packed story continues, a stunning and unforeseen revelation about Will’s past leaves them questioning everything that they thought they knew about each other. With the foundation of their relationship at risk, they must decide whether they are willing to fight for a future together, or to retreat back into solitude and heartache.

How far does Will have to go to prove to Layken his love for her will last forever? It will require something truly extraordinary to keep this couple together, and the decisions they make and the answers they find will change not only their lives, but the lives of everyone around them.

“Colleen Hoover's second novel is just as brilliant and entertaining as Slammed. Point of Retreat is absolute poetry.” —Jamie McGuire, author of Beautiful Disaster

Editorial Reviews

Review

Goodreads Reviews-

"Again, Colleen Hoover delivers a riveting book about the strength of the human soul!!! Layken and Will are butterflying awesome!!!"

"OMG this book is every bit as, if not even more emotional than the first one."

About the Author

Colleen Hoover is the New York Times bestselling author of two novels: SLAMMED and POINT OF RETREAT. She lives in Texas with her husband and their three boys. Follow her on Twitter @colleenhoover and on Facebook.

Product Details

• File Size: 690 KB
• Print Length: 322 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1476715920
• Publisher: Atria Books; Original edition (August 10, 2012)
• Sold by: Simon and Schuster Digital Sales Inc
• Language: English
• ASIN: B008TRU9HU
• Text-to-Speech: Not enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #692 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #31 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Family Life
  • #37 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Women's Fiction > Domestic Life
  • #87 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

79 of 82 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Every Misunderstanding Should Be Solved with Slam Poetry April 18, 2012

By Melissa

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Here's the thing with series books that have a romantic element involved: I usually love them. Okay, I usually LOVE them. I eat them up like candy. Yum! But I know, without a doubt, that something has to happen to pull the couple apart at some point in the story. If it is a standalone romance it doesn't have to happen because the entire story can be the development of the relationship. But in a series what happens to drive the plot after the relationship becomes a done deal? Usually there is some sort of issue that comes between the two people, tempers flare, feelings are hurt, someone gives someone else the silent treatment, desperation ensues. It happens. I expect it, but that doesn't mean that I LIKE it. In fact, I absolutely cannot stand it in relationship books when communication breaks down due to some misunderstanding, pulling a couple I love so much apart for a good portion of the book. So with that in mind, let me offer my two cents about Point of Retreat, the second book in the Slammed series.

I absolutely adored Slammed, the first book in this series. I loved Will and Lake and their relationship. I loved everything about it. I thought that Slammed ended almost perfectly. No. I thought that it ended perfectly. But I wanted more anyway, so I was eager to begin this book right away. I knew after reading the blurb for this book that there was going to be some sort of misunderstanding involving someone from Will's past, and I knew that it was going to be the long lost ex-girlfriend. I knew that Lake was going to have issues with this and spend a good deal of time "carving pumpkins" (check out book one to see what this means). So all of those elements of a book two romance that I so dislike seemed to be coming my way. I was nervous. I didn't want to see my happy couple facing this sort of obstacle. But I read on.

As soon as Will decided that it would be best to not let Lake know that Vaughn was taking one of his college classes with him I knew there was going to be trouble in Will's immediate future. Oh how I wished that Will had some sort of soundboard of a friend to share his decision with so that that friend could knock him upside the head and tell him he was being an idiot. By not telling her about the situation he was going to make the situation seem much more important than it really was. I know that he was annoyed by Vaughn and wanted nothing to do with her. But Lake didn't have the advantage of seeing inside Will's head like I did. Trouble is coming his way.

I have to say that I am so glad that this story is told through Will's point of view. I think I would have been terribly irritated with Lake as she pushes him away again and again, despite all of his efforts to make this situation correct. I am no big fan of the silent treatment as a tool in conflict resolution, so her tactics weren't making me happy at all. Even when they did choose to bring things out in the open I thought that she was too quick to cut him off and throw away all of the good experiences they had shared together. I think that hearing the story through Will's point of view helped to maintain the love connection that exists between these two. Although Lake never loses it, she does spend a good deal of time angry. I preferred to hear Will's desperation to the anger.

Changing to Will's point of view in this book accomplished two things for me. First of all it made a difficult situation that normally irritates me into a better one. It isn't that the situation improved simply by having Will tell the story. No. It was still bad. But his refusal to let this relationship die and his determination to do whatever it takes to bring Lake back to him made this a story of strength rather than simply a story of a relationship funk. I appreciated that. The second benefit to Will as a narrator was that I was able to relive some of my favorite scenes of the first book through his memories. I LOVED that. Seeing those amazing scenes in his eyes added another amazing dimension to scenes that I already adored.

So this was a book that potentially could have ruined all of the good feelings I was feeling at the end of Slammed, but instead it was another wonderful addition to the story. I am totally going to have to follow Lake's mother's lead and make a vase full of origami stars containing words of advise for my children to pull out on days when things get difficult, whether I am dying of cancer or not. That was brilliant! I loved all of her advise, but I especially loved these words:
"Sometimes two people have to fall apart to realize how much they need to fall back together."
I absolutely loved this, and that sums up the theme of this book perfectly. I knew that Will and Lake had a great relationship at the end of Slammed, but at the end of this book I knew that they had an endurable and everlasting relationship. The struggles of this book when added to the things that they have lived through in their past combine to show the beauty of this love story.

And Will. Ahhhhhhhh Will! I absolutely love this character! I think he might be giving Dimitri Belikov (Vampire Academy) a run for the title of my favorite book male lead. I loved his actions at the end of the book so much, but as in Slammed, it was his poetry that pulled me into swoon-a-thon territory. The poetry doesn't take as much of a role in this book as in the first book, but it is there, and it is an essential part of the resolution of the issues in this book. There were some excellent poems written by the younger generation at the end that were wonderful. But Will's poem performance with props got me giddy. So amazing! I felt as if I got to relive the highlights of their relationship right along with them. Beautiful! I can't give this moment the right amount of justice in a review. You just have to read the story yourself.

So if you are someone like me who shies away from the stories in series where a relationship faces a major trial that could break it ... do not fear. Colleen Hoover does a great job of relating this story in such a way that I never felt annoyed. Instead I just felt this overwhelming need to continue to read. I needed for things to be made right for these two characters who I loved so much. I couldn't stop reading until I was content. And am I content? Oh yes. Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Hurray for a beautiful end to a beautiful story.

I think I heard a rumor that there might be another addition to this story spotlighting a secondary character. I hope that that is true because I love these two stories so much, and I think that there is more to explore in the lives of some of the other characters introduced through this story. I hope the rumor is true. I know I have found a new favorite author to add to my list!

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A stellar follow-up to Slammed! May 25, 2012

By Literary Meanderings

Format:Kindle Edition

Point of Retreat is the follow-up novel to Slammed. Point of Retreat is narrated by Will, giving us a much deeper connection to him and a chance to view Lake in an entirely new way.

*Contains spoilers for Slammed!*

Point of Retreat takes place about a year after Slammed. Lake's mother has passed away. Lake and Will are happily still together and they're both working hard to raise Kel and Caulder. The heartache, trials, and tribulations they've all been through has only brought their little family closer together.

Will's love for Lake couldn't be more intense and real, but when a blast from the past ends up in one of his classes, Will makes the decision to keep it from Lake. When she finds out the truth, everything changes. Lake begins to question everything about their relationship and their life together. This results in an epic struggle between the couple; one that could leave their new found family separated forever.

"If I were a carpenter, I would build you a window to my soul.
But I would leave that window shut and locked, so that every time you tried to look through it... all you would see is your own reflection.
You would see that my soul is a reflection of you..."

- - -

Well, this book was just as amazing as book one. It was for the same reasons, but different ones as well.

First of all, Will as a narrator was just fantastic. Like I said up above: This brought the story of Will & Lake; their life, their love, to a whole new level of beauty. Being able to know how Will feels about Lake, how he sees her as a person, was very moving. In Slammed I found Lake to be a little capricious. She was the same in this book, but it was easier to get it, to get her while reading about her tantrums from Will's POV. I guess it made her look less like a brat. She had legit reasons for being how she was, but didn't really know how to channel her pain and frustration.

I have to say that the humor in this book had me rolling! This, in part, was thanks to a lovely new addition to the character line-up. There's a new kid on the street and her name is Kiersten. She attends school with Kel and Caulder and she is just about the most endearing character ever! ALL of these characters are just packed with personality! The hi-jinx that ensue are sure to make you giggle! :) It's all done so smoothly, too. Hoover must be a really fun gal to hang with IRL.

Point of Retreat is just as much of an emotional roller coaster as it's predecessor. I cried just as much as I laughed. Will and Lake's story was heartbreaking in entirely new ways. What these two go through together and apart is a lesson in being grateful for the life you have and the people who are in it. EXPECT TO BAWL.

All in all, this is a truly stellar follow-up novel. I didn't think the story could get any more amazing than it already was, but that's definitely untrue. The characters, new and old, are quirky and full of heart. I adore them all to pieces! The story of Will and Lake is precious and beautiful. I'm a sucker for a tragic story with an ultimately happy ending and this book definitely has that. Just as with Slammed, I can't even form the proper words to express how much I love this story. You just have to see for yourself... Colleen Hoover is a very impressive writer and I am going to be watching her blog like a hawk to see what she's going to throw at us next!

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Cute but predictable plot June 17, 2012

By PaleLemonade

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book was just okay for me. I picked it up because I thought Slammed was cute, and I wanted to see what would happen to the characters next. For whatever reason I had trouble getting through this one. There were some good moments but it wasn't grasping my attention overall. I felt the plot twists were very predictable so I was getting a bit bored.

*spoilers ahead*

I was not a big fan of the ex-girlfriend misunderstanding coming between Lake/Will. In my opinion that was a contrived and obvious route to go. I saw that coming a mile away and I was disappointed when it actually unfolded, because I was hoping the author would come up with something a little more original. It was too much drama over nothing. Also, I agree with another review (might have been for Slammed...?) in which the reviewer critiqued the character's "voice" as being weak. I was excited when I began the book and found it was being told from Will's point of view, because I always enjoy a fresh perspective and find it really interesting getting into "other" minds than the original narrator. Unfortunately, I kept forgetting it was Will because his "voice" was just not that strong. I would slip and think I was reading Lake's thoughts, then realize my mistake, and it was distracting. I thought the ending was very cliche.

Now on to some things I liked. I liked the jar of "stars" idea... That was really sweet and touching. I also enjoyed some of the poetry. The new character of Kiersten was a cute addition.

It was a cute book - just too predictable for me.

More About the Author

Colleen lives in Texas with her husband and their three boys. She released her debut novel, SLAMMED, in January 2012 and the follow-up novel, POINT OF RETREAT, in February, 2012 both of which became NYT's bestsellers. In December, 2012, she published a standalone novel, HOPELESS, that went on to become a #1 NYT's bestseller.

As a "Thank you" to her fans, she went on to write the male point of views of both SLAMMED and HOPELESS. THIS GIRL, (Will's pov plus a lot more) was released in April and LOSING HOPE will be released in July.

She is currently working on two standalone novels, UGLY LOVE and MAYBE SOMEDAY, both of which will be released in 2014.

You can find colleen on Twitter @colleenhoover and on her blog, www.colleenhoover.com

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#62 Overall (See top 100 authors)

#12 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary

#18 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary Fiction

#19 in Books > Romance

#20 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance

#41 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction

#12 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary

#18 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary Fiction

#19 in Books > Romance

#20 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance

#41 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction