In Colleen Hoover’s Slammed, a grieving family’s relocation to Michigan collides with a burgeoning slam-poetry scene, forging bonds that blur the lines between obligation and desire. The novel’s cast centers on two sibling-led households—one Cohen, one Cooper—whose love, loss, and artistry interweave into a found family. Against teacher-student boundaries and the weight of premature adulthood, these characters learn that expression can be survival—and love can be responsibility.
Main Characters
Layken "Lake" Cohen
As narrator and 18-year-old heroine, Layken "Lake" Cohen arrives in Ypsilanti raw with grief after her father’s death and furious about starting over. Her guarded wit shields a fierce devotion to her little brother, Kel, and a deepening attachment to slam poetry, where she channels Grief, Loss, and Acceptance into voice and courage. Drawn to her neighbor Will in the first chapter, Lake’s hope is jolted by the reveal that he’s her teacher, igniting Forbidden Love and Obstacles that test her ethics and resolve in the Chapter 11-15 Summary. When her mother’s illness comes to light in the Chapter 16-20 Summary, Lake grows into premature adulthood, culminating in her "Schooled" performance in the Chapter 21 Summary and a hard-won acceptance of guardianship for Kel and a future with Will.
Will Cooper
At 21, Will Cooper balances parental duty and personal yearning as guardian to his brother, Caulder, and as a teacher who unexpectedly falls for his new neighbor, Lake. Defined by steadiness and restraint, he uses slam to translate grief into meaning—his "Death" piece in the Chapter 6-10 Summary lays bare his losses and the rules he lives by. Will’s arc wrestles with Responsibility and Premature Maturity: he distances himself to protect Lake’s future and his own career, only to realize love doesn’t have to come at the expense of duty. His final resolve—signaled by “Better than third”—reorders his life so that devotion to Caulder and commitment to Lake can coexist without compromise.
Supporting Characters
Julia Cohen
Both protector and secret-keeper, Julia Cohen uproots her family to Michigan to face terminal illness on her own terms. Stern but wise, she equips Lake with hard-won guidance—especially her "three questions"—and reframes love as a practice of clarity and courage. Her revelation in the Chapter 16-20 Summary and her final letter in the Epilogue make her an enduring moral compass whose care outlasts her presence.
Kel Cohen
A spark of humor and heart, Kel Cohen adapts quickly to upheaval, befriending Caulder and inventing games like “backwards day” to keep joy alive. His frank observations—like associating “basagna” with bad news—cut through adult evasions, reminding everyone what matters. Kel’s resilience and bond with Caulder embody Family and Found Family, grounding Lake’s growth into guardianship.
Caulder Cooper
Bright, mischievous, and loyal, Caulder Cooper mirrors Kel’s energy while carrying the shadow of past trauma. His closeness with Will is both tender and defining, revealing the costs and comforts of their small, tight-knit family. Caulder’s friendship with Kel helps both boys rebuild normalcy, anchoring Will’s sense of purpose.
Eddie
Fiercely authentic and instantly loyal, Eddie becomes Lake’s first real ally in Michigan, folding her into a friend group that softens the move’s sting. Her "Pink Balloon" poem transforms a difficult foster-care past into strength, humor, and empathy; she challenges Lake to face truths about love and loss. With Gavin and foster father Joel, she models found family as a choice made daily.
Minor Characters
- Gavin: Eddie’s goofy, big-hearted boyfriend whose levity and “Duckie” reveal about Will add warmth and texture to the friend group.
- Nick: A well-meaning jokester whose terrible Chuck Norris bits and brief interest in Lake highlight the gap between ordinary dating and Lake’s impossible situation.
- Javi (Javier): A disruptive student whose harassment of Lake escalates to confrontation, precipitating Will’s resignation and testing boundaries and professionalism.
- Layken’s Dad: A felt absence whose love of The Avett Brothers and the “magic” purple hair clip become emblems of memory, protection, and the ties grief can’t sever.
- Brenda: Julia’s childhood friend and practical lifeline in Michigan—Julia’s initial plan for Kel’s care underscores her quiet foresight.
- Joel: Eddie’s steady foster father, whose formal welcome on her eighteenth birthday affirms that chosen family can be unconditional.
Character Relationships & Dynamics
Lake and Will are the story’s gravitational center: neighbors turned lovers whose connection runs up against an immediate ethical wall when teacher-student lines emerge. Their push-pull—desire checked by principle—forces both to articulate what responsibility truly requires, transforming infatuation into an intentional love that survives distance, job loss, and public scrutiny.
Parallel to their romance is the gradual merging of the Cohen and Cooper households. Kel and Caulder’s instant camaraderie models healing through friendship, giving their older siblings permission to hope; Julia’s wary respect for Will evolves into trust as she recognizes his steadiness and care for both boys. Together, these four become a blended family built on shared grief and mutual protection, with Lake’s guardianship and Will’s parenthood knitting the group into a stable unit.
Around them, Eddie, Gavin, and Nick form a social cushion that normalizes the extraordinary: Eddie’s candor and compassion give Lake a safe place to land, while Gavin’s warmth and humor balance the heaviness of adult-sized burdens. Frictions—like Javi’s antagonism—strain these bonds, but slam poetry provides a communal arena where truths can be spoken aloud. In that space, love, loyalty, and loss align into a single ethos: the points are not the point—the point is connection.