If you thought Will and Layken were immature in Slammed, be prepared for further, seemingly impossible, regression. These characters are not believable college students. I mean, Will is supposed to be in graduate school. Add in the fact that they’ve lost their parents and are raising their younger brothers; they should be more mature than the last time we saw them, not less.

The entire relationship here screams high schoolers playing house. Will keeps secrets, and Layken hides her emotions, all to avoid adult conversations. I’ll never understand the need to make things public to prove their validity. A lot of the slam poetry here feels like screaming on social media about your perfect life. Even the source of the title here is rooted in their immature inability to discuss the boundaries and expectations they have in their relationship. And how they interact with each other when they hit a hurdle is even worse. JUST. HAVE. AN. ADULT. CONVERSATION.

Oh, and then, let’s throw in some high-stakes drama to make everything feel more intense for no reason. If Layken’s worried their relationship has a false intensity due to their shared traumas, what happens next isn’t going to soothe those fears.

Blahhhh. Their immaturity is affecting my own. I’m starting to remember why I didn’t have fond memories of my first read of this series… Do I have to read This Girl?