Review: Slide by Jill Hathaway

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Title:  Slide
Author:  Jill Hathaway
Series:  Slide
Publisher:  Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins
Publication Date:  March 27, 2012
Source:  ARC

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 off lately, more distant, 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.

 

 
As I was reading Slide, I was reminded of my time reading Fracture by Megan Miranda. I liked the characters, but I never felt at one with them. What really got me into the story, however, was the mystery, the thrill of the chase. This story was YA contemporary in nature, with an awesome paranormal twist. And you know that’s how I like my contemporary.
 
Just because I didn’t immediately connect with the characters, though, doesn’t mean they’re not relatable or are totally unlikeable. Quite the contrary. I was sucked into the story and finished it in one sitting, if that tells you anything. But sometimes you are so involved in a story that you feel as if you are going through things with the character, instead of simply watching as they tackle their obstacles, and that wasn’t the case with the characters in Slide.

But I enjoyed watching Vee figure out her ability, or curse, depending on how you look at it. Vee’s been through a lot, and things really started to get weird for her after the death of her mother. Still having both of my parents around, I can’t imagine how hard Vee’s life has been up to this point, but I can’t imagine it got any easier once she developed the power to “slide” into other’s conscious thoughts and actions whenever she passes out. Though, this power does come in handy once she learns how to control it a little better and uses it to try to discover the identity of the killer.

Admittedly, I was a little over halfway through when the puzzle pieces all aligned and I knew without a doubt who the killer was. But I love that any number of suspicions could have been proven correct and led Vee right to the killer. Motives were aplenty and dubious behavior was out in full force. It’s really anybody’s guess who done it. However, I often wonder if I’ve just read too much or seen too much and that’s why I find plots more predictable than others. Maybe I just have an uncanny sense for it. Either way, I don’t think many will find it as easy to determine the killer as I did, especially with all the twists and second-guessing that goes on in the story. I had several theories going before my final guess even panned out.

Slide was an absolutely phenomenal read. I’ve probably been over-using that word lately, but in all seriousness, all of the debut novels I’ve read this year have been, well, phenomenal! And Slide was no different. If you’re looking for a good murder mystery that keeps you on your toes and has you suspecting everyone, including the best friend, look no further.

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