Review ~ SLIDE (Slide, #1) 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.              ~From Goodreads

Imagine sliding into someone else's body, seeing the world through their eyes. Being afraid to touch any object that could cause the slide. Being so afraid of moving into someone else's body that you're terrified to fall asleep. Exhausting and creepy, right? Now imagine sliding into someone else's body, and seeing a murder. Everyone thinks the victim committed suicide, but you know the truth, it was murder. But, how do you explain the truth, without looking crazy? That's Vee's story. She slides into the bodies of those around her. And when she witnesses a friend's murder through the eyes of the murderer, she's in a race to find out the truth, before the person strikes again...even closer to home.

I have to start by saying, SLIDE is a truly original story. I haven't personally come across anything quite like it. The basis of "the slide" was interesting, Vee enters the consciousness of another person, caused by touching a personal item that person. The quiet desperation Vee feels because of this is a major theme in the story. She can't tell anyone, her dad sent her to a psychiatrist when she opened up to him. She is afraid to touch anything that might trip a slide, causing her to be paranoid and closed off. Vee is also saddled with fear of abandonment. Her mother died when she was very young and her father, a renowned surgeon, has basically left her to care for her younger sister, Mattie. So clearly, Vee is a complicated character. And even if I couldn't identify with her struggle, author Jill Hathaway plants you so firmly into Vee's head that you can't help but be immersed in her story.

Rollins is Vee's best friend, and it quickly becomes obvious (at least to me) that he wants more with her. I love the fact that he is not the "typical YA" best guy friend/potential love interest. Rollins is smoking, artistic, tough guy with a hard life. I can't tell you how much I loved the fact that I never once read about his rippling abs or biceps. I appreciated the fact that the author's focus was on him as a character and not the body. As for the other guy vying for Vee's interest, Zane is kind of that stereotypical guy. He's gorgeous, charming, seemingly perfect. I didn't get his appeal beyond the superficial. For me, it's a no-brainer.

My favorite part of SLIDE, by a landslide, was the murder mystery. The mystery literally made this book impossible to put down. I thought I knew who the culprit was, then something happened that would change my mind. Then something else would change it again. Then someone else died. And Vee would uncover another hidden truth. The suspense kept building and building, amping up bit by bit until I was flying through the pages. Because I was so desperate to learn the truth, I read SLIDE in just a few hours. I would think, "one more chapter", but when I hit that point I still couldn't stop. And I'll just admit it now, I was wrong. Dead wrong.

And that's the one thing I didn't really like about SLIDE. Not that I was wrong about the identity, I promise. It's because the identity didn't feel authentic to me. I mean, I can sort of see the motivation for the murder. But the logic behind it, the extremes gone to by the culprit, I just felt it was a bit much. And when I think about it, I don't even see how the murder could have actually been carried out without the person being caught. How did they get in and out of the house without her parents hearing? Did the girl just lie there and get murdered without making a sound?  I felt let down when I learned the truth. Well, that and a little bit angry, as well.

Having said that, I did enjoy SLIDE quite a lot. The plot was gripping and Vee was an intelligent, engaging character. Author Jill Hathaway obviously has a great voice. And even though I didn't love everything about the story, I am definitely going to read the next book in the series, IMPOSTOR, due in 2013.

Favorite Quote:

" I can never get used to the feeling of looking through someone else's eyes. It's as if each person sees the world in a slightly different hue. The tricky part is figuring out who the person is. It's like putting together a jigsaw puzzle - what do I see, hear, smell? Everything is a clue." (pg. 4, ARC)

Hardcover, 256 pages

Expected publication: March 27th 2012 by Balzer + Bray for HarperCollins

You can preorder SLIDE at:

Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Amazon

Source: Received from publisher for review purpose.