ARC Review: Slide

Slide (Slide #1), Jill Hathaway

Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars

Genre: Paranormal Thriller, Young Adult

Publication: 3/27/2012, Balzer + Bray

# of Pages: 250 (Hardcover)

Source: I received an advanced readers copy (ARC) from the publisher in exchange for an honest 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 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.

My Review:  Slide was a welcome change of pace for me. I'd been reading a ton of contemporaries and while they are my favorite, I was in the mood for something a little different and Slide delivered.

Vee's ability to "slide" into another's consciousness is not in and of itself thoroughly original. I've seen it done before and to me it has always seemed like an extremely convenient way for an amateur sleuth to get the clues needed to solve the mystery that would otherwise be lost to him/her. That being said, Slide still appealed to me. There are a few Paranormal YA staples--Vee has her tragic past, her secret gift/curse that controls her life, and a male best friend who would do anything for Vee but who is harboring a few secrets himself. 

On the surface, there's nothing too extraordinary, but once you dig a little deeper, you'll realize that what really drives this story is not the plot but the characters. They're each fully drawn and emotionally engaging, each hiding a secret that I wanted to know. Vee is likeable to the nth degree. She's not overly snarky and she cares a great deal about her family, which includes a workaholic father and a sometimes bratty little sister.

I actually managed to solve the mystery long before Vee did, but overall this knowledge didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story. I kept reading because I wanted to know how Vee would react when she discovered it. I wanted to see her gain perspective about her ability. And I wanted to see the development of her relationships with her family and especially Rollins, her best friend/potential love interest. For me, Vee carried this story through force of personality alone and more than made up for what could have been a lackluster mystery. I am definitely looking forward to the sequel.

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