Review: Slide (Slide #1) by Jill Hathaway

Slide (Slide #1) by Jill Hathaway

Publication Date: March 27th 2012
Pages: 250
Balzer + Bray for HarperCollins
ARC provided for review

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Vee Bell is certain of one irrefutable truth--her sister's friend Sophie didn't kill herself. She was murdered.

Vee knows this because she was there. Everyone believes Vee is narcoleptic, but she doesn't actually fall asleep during these episodes: When she passes out, she slides into somebody else's mind and experiences the world through that person's eyes. She's slid into her sister as she cheated on a math test, into a teacher sneaking a drink before class. She learned the worst about a supposed "friend" when she slid into her during a school dance. But nothing could have prepared Vee for what happens one October night when she slides into the mind of someone holding a bloody knife, standing over Sophie's slashed body.

Vee desperately wishes she could share her secret, but who would believe her? It sounds so crazy that she can't bring herself to tell her best friend, Rollins, let alone the police. Even if she could confide in Rollins, he has been acting distant lately, especially now that she's been spending more time with Zane.

Enmeshed in a terrifying web of secrets, lies, and danger and with no one to turn to, Vee must find a way to unmask the killer before he or she strikes again.

Slide is a fresh take on YA paranormal. The protagonist, Vee, has a unique ability, and it really captures your attention. While those around her thinks she has narcolepsy, she actually slides into another person's mind and sees the world through their eyes. During one of these episodes, Vee witnesses a murder. The rest of the book is spent with Vee sliding into various characters as she attempts to solve the mystery of who committed the murder. Through Vee's sliding episodes, the reader is given several suspects and more clues. It is not an easy mystery to solve for Vee or the reader.

While the character of Vee was likable for the most part, I didn't really get a chance to know the other characters very well. Vee's best friend, Rollins, was secretive and elusive. And even though they were best friends, he bailed when the new boy in school, Zane, showed an interest in Vee. So, at least we didn't have a love triangle. Although it may have livened up the 'romance' aspect of Slide. I am hoping that Rollins and Vee become more than friends in the future.

The one very big thing that I did not like was Vee's usage of caffeine pills. She has been prescribed medication for her 'condition', but she doesn't like the way it makes her feel. So instead, she eats caffeine pills by the handful several times a day. This is not a good message to send to the 14-17 year olds who are the target audience for this book.

I really would have liked more of an explanation of Vee's ability to slide. Such as how she got the ability, and why. Also why she chose now to try and control how and when she slides. I was a little bit disappointed that the author didn't go into this in more detail, and I hope everything will be explained in the next book in this series. I also hope that we get more details about Vee and her past as one of the 'popular' girls at school.

Slide was a very quick read and very entertaining. It is mostly a contemporary story, a mystery with a touch of paranormal, and it is very interesting because no one else knows about Vee's ability. Most of the characters are well developed and seem very real - they definitely have real problems. I also think that this book should be for older teens. There are quite a few issues that are dealt with such as suicide, substance abuse, underage drinking, and date rape.

(I wasn't really happy with the way most of the teen girls were portrayed. They were supposedly 'popular', but they were petty and catty and real b!tches- especially to each other. They spread nasty rumors about each other, sent a naked photo of one girl to the guys on the football team, etc. Just really horrible things all the time. Personally, I found a few lines that I would never expect to read in a YA book. One sentence was a rumor about a girl 'going down' on a boy in the locker room during a school dance. Another line that really bothered me was "Samantha spread a rumor that --- gave head to all the seniors on the football team." Really? I didn't actually know that term was used in the past few decades. I certainly don't find it appropriate to use at any time, much less in a book for young teens. I can't be the only one who was offended by it.)

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars