“emotional,” “heartbreaking,” “beautiful,” “poetic” Common criticism tags: “unrealistic,” “slow,” “problematic age gap,” “melodramatic” 8. Conclusion – Is the “Slam” Deserved? The Slammed series is a tame entry in Colleen Hoover’s bibliography. For readers who despise her later glamorization of abuse, Slammed may feel comparatively responsible – the teacher-student dynamic is problematic but handled with acknowledgment of its wrongness. However, for critics who reject all “forbidden love” tropes involving power imbalances, the series remains indefensible.