Inspired by the bluegrass and folk-infused rock of The Avett Brothers, self-published author Colleen Hoover channeled their music straight into her romantic novel, Slammed.
Hoover (pictured, via) contacted Ramseur Records and received permission to use Avett Brothers’ lyrics in her book. In January, she posted about a two-day free promotion for her eBook on the official Avett Brothers fan site.
The promotion paid off as fans of the band grabbed the book and shared enthusiastic reviews on Amazon. The book currently has 197 reviews on Amazon (with an average of 4.9 out of 5 stars) and 2,477 ratings on Goodreads (with an average of 4.49 out of 5 stars).
Hoover explained in an interview: “The Avett Brothers are such a huge part of bringing back my passion for writing. Their lyrics are sometimes just so profound, it amazes me. I knew I wanted to reference them in the book, just to give them a ‘shout out’ in case anyone ever read the book that had never heard of The Avett Brothers. I had this dream that somehow, through my book, I could return a favor to them for all the joy they have brought me. I ended up finishing the book, then dividing it into chapters. I used lyrics to correlate with each chapter that I felt ‘fit’ the events of that chapter. When I was finished, it all fit together so well it seemed as though their lyrics were written for my book.”
Below, we’ve collected all the songs mentioned in the book in a free Spotify playlist. What do you think?


Slammed by Colleen Hoover: The Avett Brothers Playlist
The Avett Brothers – Salina
The Avett Brothers – Gimmeakiss
The Avett Brothers – I Would Be Sad
The Avett Brothers – Ill With Want
The Avett Brothers – Paranoia In B Flat Major – Live
The Avett Brothers – Living Of Love
The Avett Brothers – Tin Man
The Avett Brothers – The Perfect Space
The Avett Brothers – Slight Figure Of Speech
The Avett Brothers – Paranoia in B Major
The Avett Brothers – Die Die Die
The Avett Brothers – Swept Away
The Avett Brothers – All My Mistakes
The Avett Brothers – Ten Thousand Words
The Avett Brothers – Complainte D’vn Matelot Mourant
The Avett Brothers – Murder in the City
The Avett Brothers – Laundry Room
The Avett Brothers – Talk On Indolence
The Avett Brothers – If It’s The Beaches