Review: Slide by Jill Hathaway

Slide by Jill Hathaway 

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.

Review:

Slide was an incredibly spooky and exciting debut from Jill Hathaway. Mysteries, particularly murder mysteries, are few and far between in young adult literature so I was so excited to read this paranormal mystery. It did live up to my expectations and Slide had me gasping and furiously turning pages; eager to see what would happen next. There were quite a few plot twists that kept me guessing, and even though I did suspect some of the ending, I enjoyed the wild ride Hathaway took me on from page one.

Although this was a mystery and it took place in modern times, there was a paranormal twist. Vee Bell isn’t a normal teenager and everyone thinks she is narcoleptic- but they’re wrong. When Vee passes out she “slides” into other people’s minds and sees things from their perspective. But she has never witnessed anything as terrible as the night she slides into the mind of an unknown person standing over the bloody body of a student everyone thinks killed herself. From there the mystery becomes more and more tangled and Vee doesn’t know who she can trust. There was a lot of mysterious activity going on and Vee’s life would never be the same.

Vee was a very likable protagonist and she was very well developed. Her family played a large role in the book and I liked seeing her relationship with her father and sister develop over the course of the story. I particularly liked how unique Vee was and how she wasn’t afraid to be different from everyone else. There were quite a few secondary characters that played an important role in the story (Zane and Rollins to name two), as well.

The plot was my favorite aspect of the book and while at times predictable, I enjoyed seeing how everything played out. There were quite a few surprising twists, though, which kept me on my toes and I recommend this to anyone who enjoys a spooky and intense read.

Overall, Slide was a fantastic debut and I’m so glad I had the chance to read this a few months early. The tagline “Sometimes you can’t look away” couldn’t be more perfect and this book certainly kept me up late. I’m eager to see what’s next for Jill Hathaway because I’m sure it will be just as intense and original!

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars

March 27, 2012/Balzer + Bray/256 Pages/Young Adult

Source: Author (ARC)