Review : Point Of Retreat by Colleen Hoover

Summary (from Goodreads)

Hardships and heartache brought them together…now it will tear them apart.

Layken and Will have proved their love can get them through anything; until someone from Will’s past re-emerges, leaving Layken questioning the very foundation on which their relationship was built. 

Will is forced to face the ultimate challenge…how to prove his love for a girl who refuses to stop ‘carving pumpkins.’

Personal Thoughts

I fell in love with the delectable characters in Colleen Hoover's debut, Slammed. Although I was very much satisfied with the ending of Slammed, I was pretty excited to learn that there was a second book written in Will's POV. As I absolutely loved the first book, I had high hopes for Point Of Retreat.

It's been a year since Layken's mom has passed away and Will and Lake are finally comfortable in their relationship. They are both dealing with college and raising their younger brothers, but most of all they are being happy. But happiness isn't something that comes easily to Layken and Will. Soon, the two lovebirds find themselves split up all over again when Will's ex-girlfriend, Vaughn, comes storming into their comfortable life, popping the bubble of happiness surrounding them and their close friends.

While Slammed was told in Layken's POV, Point Of Retreat was narrated in Will's POV. I was pretty excited to lunge into the workings of Will's mind, so that I could learn so much more about his personality and I was completely satisfied. Will was still the hopeless romantic that he was in Slammed. His affections for Layken seemed so genuine that I could feel the love. Will basically had to move mountains in this book in order to prove how deep and real his feelings for Layken was. I felt sorry for him because Layken put him through hell, not wanting to come to terms with the fact that Will loved her for who she was and not because they were in a similar situation. His willingness to go to lengths to prove his love for Layken showed how determined and head-strong Will was. His incredibly sweet nature had me sighing on so many numerous occasions. While Will had me melting into a gooey mess, Layken drove me up the wall with her attitude. I honestly loved her in Slammed, but in this one, I was really frustrated with her behavior towards Will. She acted so childishly, refusing to even give Will a chance to speak up and prove that he was worthy of her. It irritated me that Will had to 'prove' that his feelings for her were authentic, but when I gave it some thought, I came to the conclusion that her young age might have propelled her to behave in such an immature manner. I guess the loss of her mother and having to raise her brother was weighing down on her and in a way, her lack of trust for Will was an outlet for her doubts, insecurities and fear of being alone. Still, I didn't approve of her actions, because I thought what she and Will had was so much more than a romantic relationship. Point Of Retreat also sees the introduction of a couple of new characters. They were all delightful, most notably, Kiersten, Will and Layken's tiny new neighbour and Kel, Layken's brother's crush. She was an absolute breath of fresh air bringing a little sunshine during the dark times in the book with her wisdom and maturity that went beyond her age. I loved her perky nature and I adored how she indirectly helped to bring Will and Lake closer. I was also very happy to see that Kel and Caulder were growing into wonderful teenagers, not allowing their parents' death to inhibit them from experiencing their very first crushes. 

Point Of Retreat was drama filled. Just when you think that one drama has been cleared up, another one pops up out of nowhere, leaving you on the edge to find out what's going to happen next. The handicaps that Will and Layken face had me wanting to yank my hair in frustration(in a good way of course). I'm not a fan of drama, but there's something with Colleen Hoover's books that makes the drama entertaining. I guess I should pin that on her fantastic and emotions-inducing writing. Although the poetry is quite minimal as compared to Slammed, Will's poem at the end compensated for all the missing poems. Moreover, the advice stars that Layken's mom left them both with were truly incredible. It was like her mom never left and her presence was still very much felt. Eddie and Gavin also go through a tough period and I wished they had more screen time because I absolutely love their characters. If you loved the romance in the first book, the romance in Point Of Retreat will have your gut wrenching and your heart squeezing. It was simply beautiful and at the end of the story, I felt like Will and Layken's love for each other had grown by ten-fold.

Captivating and exciting, Point Of Retreat was a wonderful sequel. Those who loved Will in the first book will gobble down the opportunity to explore Will's intricate mind.  For me, Point Of Retreat was a definite winner !

Rating

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 4/5
Characters : 4/5
Writing : 4/5