Slide

May 26, 2012 Giselle rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, ebook, paranormal

Slide is a refreshing, fast paced YA mystery that has original paranormal elements along with great character building; a very quick read that I would recommend to all fans of thrillers.

Vee is able to "slide" into someone else's head when she gets these fainting spells. This is when she figures out there's a murderer on the loose. I loved this sliding ability. It's original, clever, and it can make for some serious amusement. I was a bit disappointed that it wasn't elaborated more thoroughly, t...more Slide is a refreshing, fast paced YA mystery that has original paranormal elements along with great character building; a very quick read that I would recommend to all fans of thrillers.

Vee is able to "slide" into someone else's head when she gets these fainting spells. This is when she figures out there's a murderer on the loose. I loved this sliding ability. It's original, clever, and it can make for some serious amusement. I was a bit disappointed that it wasn't elaborated more thoroughly, though. Curiosity gets the best of me and I want to find out why, how, and the purpose of these paranormal elements in books. Where do they come from? How did they get it? Who else is affected? When these bases aren't touched it simply feel out of sorts in an otherwise contemporary novel. Regardless, I still found it fascinating as it took us into the minds of several characters, and essentially enforced them with personalities.

I've been reading murder mysteries since I was in my early teens. I have always loved them - one of my favorite series was Veronica Mars (still sad it was cancelled). Consequently, I've developed quite the talent of figuring out who's guilty, so in my case I thought it was fairly predictable, but I wasn't too put down by it. I was still kept constantly entertained, mostly by the characters' relationships and family dynamics.

Jill's ability to write well rendered characters and their relationships is what I enjoyed the most in Slide. We've got very deep, emotional issues that are touched in this story. Absentee fathers, deaths (including suicide), bullying, affairs - she was able to create serious life problems that are dramatic, but also deeply realistic. It's incredible the way Vee deals with difficult situations she's thrown into. I loved her relationship with her sister the most. Being basically the one raising her, she has incredible patience and maturity to stand by her, supporting her through all her rights and wrong. This is only one of the many reasons why I absolutely admired Vee's character.

The mystery is fun, the characters are wonderful, and the pacing keeps you on your toes. Even though it didn't blow my mind, Slide is definitely a book I'd suggest for all fans of murder mysteries - a rare gem in current YA.

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For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads (less)

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Mar 30, 2012 Emily May rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-na, arc, 2011, mystery-thriller-horror

3.5
Crikey. What a very difficult book to rate. I'm still not sure I made the right decision.

The thought at the forefront of my mind when I finished Slide is that this author should have written realistic fiction about relationships and the psychology of the characters, rather than a mystery. I truly thought that the explorations of Vee's relationships with her father, her dead mother, her sister, her friend and her ex best friend were excellent. I took something memorable away from each and fou...more

3.5
Crikey. What a very difficult book to rate. I'm still not sure I made the right decision.

The thought at the forefront of my mind when I finished Slide is that this author should have written realistic fiction about relationships and the psychology of the characters, rather than a mystery. I truly thought that the explorations of Vee's relationships with her father, her dead mother, her sister, her friend and her ex best friend were excellent. I took something memorable away from each and found the messages about forgiveness and moving on to be very poignant.

I also think that Vee is an excellent protagonist, one I could like and understand - even though she is unlike me in many ways. The way she learns to cope with her gift (or curse) and then eventually to control it is told very well. She has made many mistakes in the past and they have shaped who she has become, but she has used each one to improve herself and has learnt from them that popularity isn't worth the price of turning herself into a heartless bitch.

All this was excellent. But the mystery - for me - was very lacking. Yes, I didn't manage to guess what was happening, but I thought that was more because the truth was so very far-fetched, rather than a demonstration of how well the author concealed the mystery. When a mystery is unveiled, I want to go "oh yes, of course, it all makes sense now!" not "eh!? really???" I felt like the conclusion came from nowhere and I wasn't particularly impressed.

And another reason this author would be better suited to realistic fiction - I wanted an explanation for Vee's strange ability to slide into other people's bodies. A random paranormal element in an otherwise real-world novel just seems weird and out of place here. It felt like an attempt to be original that went wrong. The sad thing is that the author didn't need to write a paranormal novel, she didn't need to write a mystery, because Jill Hathaway obviously has a talent for getting inside characters' minds.

I want her future novels to focus on people, relationships and personal issues. Then I will gladly read them.
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Jan 22, 2013 Maja rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: i-have-superpowers, totally-saw-that-coming, ya, reviewed-in-2013

Slide is one of those exciting books that you can (and probably will) read in one sitting, and then gladly re-read it a year or so later. It is a fast-paced thriller with a single paranormal element. I was honestly surprised by how quickly I finished it and how much I enjoyed it.

The idea of slipping into the minds of others is certainly not new or unexplored, but I liked Hathaway’s version of it. Vee’s ability can be defined as a form of psychometry – touching emotionally charged objects causes...more Slide is one of those exciting books that you can (and probably will) read in one sitting, and then gladly re-read it a year or so later. It is a fast-paced thriller with a single paranormal element. I was honestly surprised by how quickly I finished it and how much I enjoyed it.

The idea of slipping into the minds of others is certainly not new or unexplored, but I liked Hathaway’s version of it. Vee’s ability can be defined as a form of psychometry – touching emotionally charged objects causes her to see things through other people’s eyes. Vee has only tried to share her secret once, with her father, who promptly sent her to a psychiatrist and refused to talk about it again. That experience has thought her never to reveal what she sees, not to anyone – her sister, or even her best friend.

I expected Slide to focus more on the romance, but the first half was practically romance-free, and I must admit I’m glad that was the case. It allowed me to take the rest – the mystery, Vee’s ability, her loneliness and her fears, more seriously and it gave the story more weight. By the time the romance came at the center, I was already fully invested in this page-turner and eager to discover the identity of the killer.

In style, Hathaway reminds me a lot of Kim Harrington, which is a big compliment in my book, with one very important difference. Harrington’s Clarity (or Perception), although equally long, never seemed rushed but rather perfectly paced, while Hathaway’s desire to be concise worked against her.

In the second half, things started coming together at a head-spinning pace. On the one side, this was good because there were no fillers, nothing to dilute the main storyline and as I already mentioned, I was kept on my toes the entire time. On the other side, though, it stopped me from forming strong emotional connections with the characters as there was simply no time to get to know them, and I was never given a chance to become fully invested in their relationships, be it father-daughter, boyfriend-girlfriend, or those between best friends.
By far the most impressive and memorable part, at least to me, was Vee’s relationship with her emotionally distant father. After Vee’s mother died, the brilliant pediatric surgeon started working himself almost to death, avoiding home at all costs and leaving Vee to care both for herself and her younger sister. Although Vee is full of resentment and feels utterly abandoned most of the time, she can’t find it within herself to stand up to him because he looks so utterly destroyed that her first desire is to protect him. Their reversed roles, their entire situation was done extremely well and it really struck a chord with me.

To make the short story even shorter, Slide is a thrilling read perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon when you need something to fully occupy you for a few hours and then let you go in time for work/school on Monday morning.

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Dec 02, 2011 Sam rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc-or-galley, other, paranormal, mystery

3.5/4 stars

Slide is a fresh addition to the young-adult genre, composed of a complex story line, and riddled with heart-breaking twists. Jill Hathaway expertly welds together a mystery novel while carefully adding a touch of romance and subtly addressing contemporary issues. For me, Slide was a gritty but enjoyable read. It did have some minor flaws, but, overall, I was thoroughly engaged by the book and stayed up well into the early hours of the morning to finish it.

My first impressions of thi...more 3.5/4 stars

Slide is a fresh addition to the young-adult genre, composed of a complex story line, and riddled with heart-breaking twists. Jill Hathaway expertly welds together a mystery novel while carefully adding a touch of romance and subtly addressing contemporary issues. For me, Slide was a gritty but enjoyable read. It did have some minor flaws, but, overall, I was thoroughly engaged by the book and stayed up well into the early hours of the morning to finish it.

My first impressions of this novel were pretty good. Yes, there are some high school cliches floating around in this book, but, if it doesn't bother you too much, it's easy enough to overlook. I loved the idea of 'sliding' - it was a wonderfully original idea that I was excited to read more about in the book. Sylvia, or Vee as she is sometimes called, has this ability to slide only if she is in contact with an object which carries someone's emotional charge. Once in another person's body she sees the world through their eyes, like a silent watcher trapped behind a window. I enjoyed how her 'gift' became crucial to uncovering the secrets in the plot and thought each and every 'slide' was presented well. My only criticism is that it would have been nice to know more about why she can slide. It was a pretty big omission, I felt.

The murder mystery was perhaps the most compelling aspect of the book as it was what kept me glued to the pages, desperate to finally uncover the culprit. All sorts of twists and red-herrings were included, creating a gripping plot that was full of suspense. I am still reeling from the utter shock of finding out who was behind Sophie's death. It was not at all who I was expecting, and definitely not for the reasons I was expecting. It was nice to be so thrown over that revelation as the other parts were quite predictable. I am also completely and utterly heartbroken after the little twist at the end with Zane's character. Although I did prefer Rollins over him, I still thought he was a great character who added an extra spark to the book.

Sylvia, as the main character, drew a very mixed bag of feelings from me. At first, I really liked her. It was so easy for me to relate to her almost instantly, especially seeing as though she was drawn to astronomy and music. After a while, however, I got a little restless with her less than lively spirit. I can completely understand why she wasn't exactly a bundle of energy, and I also appreciate that if she was then her character would have been a terrible match for the sometimes dark tone of this book, but I just wanted to see a bit more. I wanted to see a different side to her, even if just a peek, to keep me intrigued by her personality. I hate to say that she was a little boring...but she kind of was. Having said that, she isn't a terrible protagonist - definitely not. She is likable, just not as interesting as she could have been.

Rollins was without a doubt my favorite character. He was an enigma of a character at first, but when I did find out why he was all mysterious, I admired him a great deal more. (view spoiler) Jill Hathaway has approached this issue well and with care, presenting the heavy emotions of someone in Rollins position in a way that allows the reader to fully understand such a situation. This isn't the only contemporary issue addressed in this book. Depression, eating disorders, peer pressure, even suicide, all make an appearance in the story some way or another.

Overall, Slide was an interesting and wholly entertaining book. It's a little different to what I am used to, but definitely in a good way. It's absolutely worth a read, especially if you enjoy a thrilling ride to uncovering murder mysteries.

(This review also appears on my blog)(less)

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Dec 03, 2011 Isamlq rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

hmm..my usual complaints of predictability, of having unnecessary elements and of telling rather than showing apply to slide.

vee slides into others consciousness... intriguing at first but not as properly executed as i would have liked. the girl simply had a tendency to jump to conclusions; to be led around too easily, quickly. given a set of facts, she always went to the obvious. which is sadly, unbelievable because looking at the whole thing, i could tell who the real culprit was chapters befo...more

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Mar 31, 2012 Beth rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-on-kindle, 2012-reads, good-beginning-bad-ending, mixed-feelings, could-have-been-better, loved-the-premise, mehhh, nothing-special, march-2012

2.5 stars

I feel so conflicted about "Slide." On the whole, I felt that it was extremely intriguing and promising but ultimately disappointing.

It really pains me to put this book on my "mehhh" shelf, because I really thought that it could have been something special. But, despite some really good scenes and Hathaway's fluid writing, "Slide" felt like it was constantly stuck in mediocrity.

I actually get a stomachache writing that, because I so wanted to love "Slide"! It was so intriguing. Vee is a...more 2.5 stars

I feel so conflicted about "Slide." On the whole, I felt that it was extremely intriguing and promising but ultimately disappointing.

It really pains me to put this book on my "mehhh" shelf, because I really thought that it could have been something special. But, despite some really good scenes and Hathaway's fluid writing, "Slide" felt like it was constantly stuck in mediocrity.

I actually get a stomachache writing that, because I so wanted to love "Slide"! It was so intriguing. Vee is a good heroine. Not great, not loveable but certainly very likeable. She avoided certain whiny- and stupid-girl clichés that I thought "Slide" might slip into. Her backstory is so interesting and really engaged me in her character. Her special skill is so promising - more of a psychological thriller twist than overtly paranormal, which appealed strongly to me - there's something about being able to see snatches of other people's lives that is really complex and full of possibilities. For the most part, Hathaway capitalises on this and the standout scene in "Slide" is one where Vee 'slides' into the body of her childhood best friend and discovers something he's been trying to keep from her.

Her relationship with newboy Zane is okay. Very okay. It's not exactly bursting with chemistry or swoony moments, but you know, it's there and it doesn't take over too much of Vee's narrative or cloud her thoughts too much. I was really interested in Vee's past as a once-popular girl, but I felt that this really could have been developed more, especially with regards to her little sister, Mattie, who is now a truly popular girl. It's all so full of potential and feels like it's "so nearly there" but NOT. QUITE.

The mystery, on the other hand, is a huge stumbling block for me. I love teen mysteries and this new trend for them. I love red herrings and surprises and the plotline "someone is killing all the cheerleaders and making it look like a suicide." I don't care if your characters are stereotypes (there were a lot of stereotypes in "Slide", from the jerk jock to the bitchy cheerleader to the sensiitve new boy) as long as there's plenty of energy and twists and intriguing stuff. And there seemed like there was lots of the latter in "Slide", especially coupled with the heroine's mindscrewy ability. The pacing was really good, so that I constantly felt suckered in by something else. This all started to falter in the second half with the revelation about Vee's ability. (view spoiler) This felt annoying and inconsistent with what we'd already read about what she could do but I was willing to overlook it until I realised that Hathaway didn't really do anything that new or exciting with it.

But the solution to the mystery...dear God, I felt that the solution was AWFUL. It felt patched together and totally implausible. Also, it whacked out the otherwise really good pacing of the novel in general, because it was rushed and disjointed. But still...all the potential this had hurts my soul! So, yes, I probably am going to read book #2.
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Mar 31, 2013 Scott Pilgrim rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: love-triangle, paranormal, contemporary, e-books, netgalley, arc

Find this at Scott Reads It
***This review needs to be rewritten because it sounds extremely preposterous***
Slide was a good read, it wasn't great and it wasn't terrible. Slide is the story of Vee (Sylvia) who is diagnosed as a narcoleptic, but she really gets unconscious and slides into our people's bodies. She slide into a person's body just as they murdered her sister's best friend Sophie.

The whole idea of Sliding was very cool but it was very similar to [book:Wake|1661957. The pages flew...more Find this at Scott Reads It
***This review needs to be rewritten because it sounds extremely preposterous***
Slide was a good read, it wasn't great and it wasn't terrible. Slide is the story of Vee (Sylvia) who is diagnosed as a narcoleptic, but she really gets unconscious and slides into our people's bodies. She slide into a person's body just as they murdered her sister's best friend Sophie.

The whole idea of Sliding was very cool but it was very similar to [book:Wake|1661957. The pages flew by when I read Slide because of it's fast paced plot and skilled writing. I loved how it was a paranormal thriller and it really pulls the reader in.

The writing style was great and really pulled me in. Jill Hathaway is a writer that really writes characters well and their relationships. I couldn't connect with the characters at all because I couldn't relate to them. I love books when you feel like you could be in the character's situation but with Slide it wasn't like that. One of my favorite character relationship is Vee and her dad. Hathaway really nailed what a true father-daughter relationship is like. Vee's relationship with her dad and sister felt very realistic.

I didn't really like the love triangle at all because I felt like it was just a distraction from the action and mystery of Slide. Zane and Rollins just didn't cut it for me, they just were not that interesting. Rollins seemed to be pretty inconsistent with Vee and he really annoyed me at parts in the book. Zane seemed like he was pretty flawless for almost the entire book and that really annoyed me because nobody's perfect.

Slide is a great read for fans of The Lovely Bones and Wake. I kind hope in the sequel that the reason why Vee slides will be explained or maybe we will learn more about sliding. Hathway created an intricate story that is filled with surprises that readers will devour. Also I love the cover and the book trailer! I will definitely be reading the sequel Impostor!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdkdwg...
**Thanks NetGalley and Balzer + Bray for providing me with an ARC**(less)

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Dec 08, 2011 Reynje rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc-egalley, read-2011, young-adult, e-book-kindle, unexpectedly-liked

Once my flatmate and I camped out in our lounge room and watched all three seasons of Veronica Mars back to back. We may or may not have also been eating Milo straight from a jumbo size tin with spoons and a bottle of milk, but that is beside the point people, beside the point!

What the actual point is, is that Slide has a similar addictive, easy-to-consume quality. As Veronica Mars, I mean, not Milo. (Although, one could argue it’s two sides of the same coin).

I can’t help but think that the VM...more

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Mar 18, 2013 Kat (Le Pauvre Cœur) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: won-it-from-giveaway, cheesy-romance, eh, oh-my-a-love-triangle, stupid-heroine, guilty-pleasure

WHEEEE! I won this.

Will write a review of it once I read it.

Damn, that was REALLY fast delivery. I was totally not expecting it. IT'S SO PRETTY.

Upon Finishing

DANG. I...was wrong?!

Well, sort of.

Vee is a narcoleptic; she collapses at any time without being able to control it. But what everyone doesn't know, is that when Vee passes out, she slides into someone else's mind.
Whatever she had been touching last, a coat, a button, an earring, she goes into the mind of the person who had imprinted on...more

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Dec 04, 2011 Lindsay Cummings rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: myarcs, debutauthorchallengeread

My Thoughts-
WOW. I loved this book. Love, love, loooooved this book. Do you hear me, Jill Hathaway? I freakin loved your book, woman! :) Here's why:

The writing....is lovely. It's done in a way that its easy on the eyes, and the reader is drawn in right from the start. The use of descriptive language is something that I always look for when reading a book, and this one....yes. Just....YES.

Love the cover. It's trippy, is it not? Just like the main character, Vee's "slides".

There is so much I wis...more

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Oct 09, 2011 Michelle rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have had my eyes on Slide for a while, and have it on my "To Buy" list since I first heard of it. When I got my copy from Harper Collins UK I was excited to make a start on it and bumped it to the top of my "To Be Read" pile. Slide is the debut book by Jill Hathaway and it does not disappoint.

Sylvia "Vee", avoids contact with other things as much as possible, and puts it down to being a germaphobe. In reality, a touch of any object that has a excessive emotional connection cause her to slide i...more

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Nov 01, 2011 Nomes rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, crime, kindle

Slide is a refreshing, energetic YA debut for fans of Veronica Mars.

Sylvia (Vee) can slide into other people bodies, bearing witness to what they are doing, but having no sway over them. It’s pretty much a perfect premise for a sleuthing novel as Vee can sleuth her way around people minds (helping progress the plot forward with conveniently witnessed scenes).

I liked Vee from the first chapter. She is funky without being try-hard. I loved her narration:

She is my sister and my exact opposite in e

...more

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Nov 21, 2012 Mike rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: excellent-ya, saved-by-everything, why-is-there-no-hype, good-books-have-good-covers, detailed-reviews, fantasy, magic, murder-mystery, action, suicide, thrillers, love-triangles, this-is-how-i-want-to-write, magical-realism

I'd forgotten how much I love mysteries.

I suppose I should explain that. In second grade, I was obsessed with mysteries. They were some of the only things I would read. I loved Nate the Great, Cam Jamson, and in particular, the A to Z Mysteries. There was a fun rush I got from finding the solution to one that I got from no where else at the time. Once I outgrew them, I stopped reading mysteries, instead starting a love for fantasy that continues to this day. (I attribute The Merchant of Death, w...more I'd forgotten how much I love mysteries.

I suppose I should explain that. In second grade, I was obsessed with mysteries. They were some of the only things I would read. I loved Nate the Great, Cam Jamson, and in particular, the A to Z Mysteries. There was a fun rush I got from finding the solution to one that I got from no where else at the time. Once I outgrew them, I stopped reading mysteries, instead starting a love for fantasy that continues to this day. (I attribute The Merchant of Death, which I read in third grade, to this love.) After a while, I forgot how much I love mysteries. This book brought all of that back, and it gave me nostalgia, despite this being my first time reading it.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's start from the beginning.

It was amazing. The high school in the book was one of the most realistic one's I've ever read. I read after the book was finished that Hathaway is a high-school English teacher. This doesn't surprise me a bit, because this high school is incredibly realistic, from the condoms under the bleachers, to the guy getting arrested for having weed in his lockers. Hathaway's handling of issues like anorexia and rivalry were equally realistic, so much so that I wouldn't have minded if this was primarily a realistic story, with Vee's sliding only so that we could get multiple viewpoints. In fact, once Sophie died (and not because she killed herself), I was actually a bit disappointed.

Thankfully, the plot from there didn't get any worse. For the entire time I was reading the book, I kept on thinking 'this is exactly what any girl would do in this situation'. Vee wasn't running around breaking into houses and such to find out who the killer was, because in real life, a person wouldn't do that. There was constant suspense and confusion around who the killer was (well, sort of... more on that later), and Hathaway masterfully weaved together plot elements so that the mood was dark and tense, and the pace went at a perfect speed.

Unfortunetly, there were a couple central flaws to the book that bump it down from a five-star rating to a four-star one.

The first was the killer, because even while I felt suspense, in the back of my mind, I thought I knew who it was, and in the end, when I turned out to be right, I was incredibly disappointed. This person's role in the story was too unnecessary without he/she being the killer, and I figured out who it was at about the 100-page mark. However, it is a testament to Hathaway's skills at writing a suspenseful story that I felt the mystery even knowing who the killer was. I was too caught up in the moment to be bothered by it for most of the story.

The second was the writing. Although it was generally inoffensive, it could be uncharacteristically flat, and it had a habit of using an obviously odd metaphor or simile and then just let it sit there with no acknowledgement.

Despite these problems, this is a dark, tense mystery that I would recommend to anyone who likes the genre.(less)

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Jun 06, 2012 Twinklesmile rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

3.5

Slide is a enthralling read with lots of twist and turns that will not disappoint a fan of thriller/mystery genre.

The protagonist,Silviya is able to "Slide" into different people by touching things that belong to them with their imprints on them.When she slides into them she can see through their eyes.The story takes an intriguing turn when she slides into the body of a killer.

The plot was well developed except for some minor flaws in it.From the first page to the last I kept on guessing as...more

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Jan 29, 2012 Jen at Reading Lark rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been posted on: http://readinglark.blogspot.co.uk/201...

This was so good. Just what I needed right now. I sat down and read the whole thing in one burst, and I feel really satisfied now... so it's getting four stars from me for being a really entertaining read. If I could, I'd probably say 4.5; I can't put it up on the same pedestal that I keep for books like the Hunger Games, but I did really love sitting down all day and reading it.

The book is about Vee, a girl who has what ev...more This review has been posted on: http://readinglark.blogspot.co.uk/201...

This was so good. Just what I needed right now. I sat down and read the whole thing in one burst, and I feel really satisfied now... so it's getting four stars from me for being a really entertaining read. If I could, I'd probably say 4.5; I can't put it up on the same pedestal that I keep for books like the Hunger Games, but I did really love sitting down all day and reading it.

The book is about Vee, a girl who has what everyone else thinks are narcoleptic fits where she just passes out. But when Vee falls into one of these episodes, she slides into another person's consciousness - who she slides into is determined by the objects around her, and if someone experienced a strong emotion while touching it. Vee has to work out who she is viewing the world as, and she must also deal with the secrets she learns of during her slides.

One day she slides into the body of someone who has just murdered her sister's best friend, a piteous character called Sophie, and made it look like suicide. Vee becomes consumed with the desire to work out why this has happened to Sophie, because she is the only one who knows that it wasn't suicide.

Vee also struggles with who to trust as everyone in this book has a secret - some of the secrets Vee finds out about, (and jumps to hasty conclusions), making it even harder to know who to trust. She has to work out what is going on with Rollins, up until now the sweet guy who became her best friend after rescuing her from a disgusting near date-rape moment, and if she can really trust Zane, the hot new guy at school who seems to take a real liking to her. She also has to deal with ex-best friends in the form of bitchy cheerleaders Samantha and Amber, and her little sister who seems determined to take Vee's old spot in the popular crowd, no matter the cost. Her mostly-absent father also has a few secrets, and it is quite heartbreaking how he has left Vee alone to care for her sister in the wake her their mother's death from cancer; the girls have very little emotional support throughout the deaths in the narrative. The family dynamic certainly felt realistic... the broken family pretending to be close but secretly being relived for being apart. I was glad to see this dynamic shift by the end of the story arc.

I really enjoyed the mystery element in this read. I was trying hard to figure things out, and satisfyingly, quite soon after I'd worked it out, so did Vee. I really appreciated that she wasn't some idiot who couldn't see the obvious... so many books I have read really strive to string out what mystery they have built (becoming frustrating) but that wasn't a problem here. Nothing but satisfaction!! I am definitely looking forward to seeing more from this author, as I felt this was a perfectly balanced and pacy read.

I think this will appeal to people who enjoyed Megan Miranda's Fracture, or Kimberly Derting's The Body Finder - these books are quite fresh feeling and have the kind of solid-but-dashing male best friend character that I would love to have all to myself. (less)

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Jan 23, 2013 Ala rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: gave-up-on

I'm really sad how this book turned out.
I was expecting it to be so good. It sounded awesome. But I knew 30 pages in I wasn't going to like it. I usually don't quit a book so soon because it might get interesting, but not this book. I basically picked it up, glanced inside, and I didn't like what I saw so I put it back.
The worst part was when I found out she had pink hair. I mean, I honestly couldn't imagine it. Why would someone want to look like they wash their hair with Pepto Bismo? Is thi...more

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Mar 26, 2012 Aeicha rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

THREE WORDS: Intriguing But Predictable

MY REVIEW: I’m a bit conflicted when it comes to Jill Hathaway’s novel Slide. There are things about this book that I really liked, and things that I either didn’t like or kind of disappointed me.

Everyone believes that Sylvia “Vee” Bell is narcoleptic, but she isn’t. Instead of falling asleep when she passes out, Vee slides into someone else, seeing the world through their perspective for a short time. The only person Vee has ever told about her sliding- he...more

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Mar 05, 2012 Jodie (Books for Company) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

4.5/5
www.booksforcompany.com
In Short
- Jill's writing straight away grabs your attention
- I was able to connect with the main character and feel sympathetic to her
- All the characters were well developed and played their own part in the story
- Slide kept me gripped all the way through

In Long
I can’t express how excited I was when I got Slide! You know when you read a books blurb and you know it’s a book you are really going to enjoy? Slide was one of those books and it didn’t disappoint! Before I...more 4.5/5
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In Short
- Jill's writing straight away grabs your attention
- I was able to connect with the main character and feel sympathetic to her
- All the characters were well developed and played their own part in the story
- Slide kept me gripped all the way through

In Long
I can’t express how excited I was when I got Slide! You know when you read a books blurb and you know it’s a book you are really going to enjoy? Slide was one of those books and it didn’t disappoint! Before I start my actual review though I do want to say that I read this book while on the plane and by the pool so at times I was quite distracted!
Slide is actually quite hard to write a review on because I did really love it but when it comes to explaining why I love it and telling you all the amazing things about this book I can’t or I may ruin something for you! I will give it my best shot!

First off, Jill’s writing straight away grabs you from the first page. She throws you into a whirlwind of lots of different emotions that all the different characters have, luckily it was in a way where you don’t find yourself having too much to take in. The main characters, Vee, has a lot going on in her life and a lot to deal with and I found myself feeling very sympathetic to her and also in awe with how she dealt with it all. I think that’s why I warmed to her very quickly.

The other characters in the book were all very well developed which was really refreshing. You often find in books that have an unsolved mystery that characters are almost just thrown in to keep you guessing who it was. With Slide all the characters had their own reason for being in the book and each added something to the storyline. I loved how Jill let me have my own thoughts about each of the characters but as things were revealed I found myself changing my opinion on them.

Slide really kept me gripped throughout the whole book, I didn’t know what was going to happen and didn’t see any of it coming until it happened! I have to admit I am really bad at seeing things before they happen but I am glad as I really loved Slide for the big twists.

When I read Slide I didn’t know that Jill was a debut author and now I find myself really excited to know this. If her first book is this good, how good will her second be?

Final Thoughts
Slide is a great book which will keep you both gripped and guessing what will happen next. Jill is a great author who has a lot of potential! (less)

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Dec 28, 2011 Giselle at Book Nerd Canada rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, e-pub

Sylvia isn't your normal high school girl. She's a narcoleptic, but not only does she have no control sleeping, she slides into a person when there's a strong imprint attached to an item. Kind of creepy if you think about it, but she has no control over it.

No one knows that she slides into people's lives, not even her best friend Rollins. Then one Friday night alone, she slides into a body of someone murdering her sister's best friend Sophie. The killer places a note making it seem Sophie kille...more

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Jun 22, 2012 Shannon rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, confusing-as-hell, super-disappointing

I wanted to like this book. I really did. At first, I was super into it. I liked how the main character Vee was able to 'slide' into others minds after touching important items of theirs. I especially was into how she ended up sliding into a killer's mind because god knows I'll read any book where a murder takes place. I was confused the whole book through, but in a good way. There were so many clues being flung about and I didn't know how they fit into the big picture or if they were even relev...more

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Nov 05, 2011 Emily Crowe rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book features a largely realistic setting with one aspect of fantasy, or suspend-your-disbelief, for the reader: Vee Bell suffers from narcolepsy, but when these sleeping fits overcome her, she "slides"into another person's mind and sees the world through their eyes for a little while. Which is how she knows that her sister's friend, Sophie, didn't kill herself--she was occupying the killer's mind and saw the knife. But of course how can she possibly go to the police with this information?...more

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Mar 16, 2012 Sasha rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-debut-author, harpercollins, ya-qc-5, young-adult, read-in-2012, 2012-publication

Slide is a story about a pink haired girl named Vee. She’s just your regular teenager, except for the fact that she can “slide” into other people’s minds if she has something of theirs. Sometimes she can help it and sometimes she can’t. When her younger sister’s friend dies of a so-called suicide, Vee must put the puzzle pieces together to find Sophie’s killer.

This book wanted to be a thiller but it didn't meet the mark. It felt too formulated. The main character is a girl who is has traded in h...more

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Mar 30, 2012 Imo :D (Omnom Books) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: psychic, ya, ya-paranormal, ya-romance, arc

Please note: An ARC of this novel was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Slide was perhaps one of my most anticipated books in early 2012, and I cannot begin to describe how excited how I was when Netgalley offered me a galley for review. A thrilling YA paranormal mystery that includes a mixture of wonderful characters, sizzling romance and an unexpected murder, Slide is a book I would recommend to fans of thrillers and the paranormal.

Vee’s ability is something th...more Please note: An ARC of this novel was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Slide was perhaps one of my most anticipated books in early 2012, and I cannot begin to describe how excited how I was when Netgalley offered me a galley for review. A thrilling YA paranormal mystery that includes a mixture of wonderful characters, sizzling romance and an unexpected murder, Slide is a book I would recommend to fans of thrillers and the paranormal.

Vee’s ability is something that instantly captures your interest, if only for the fact that it is completely unique. Though most authors tend to go for the ‘wow’ powers that often include explosions and near death, Hathaway has carefully chosen her character’s ability to perfectly match the plot she has written. Of course, what makes it so interesting is perhaps the mystery behind it. How does it work? How did Vee get it? What else can she do? I was slightly disappointed by the lack of information we are given on this, though I am holding fast in the hope that it will be expanded on in later books.

I have always been the biggest fan of murder mysteries, I can still remember the first time I read And Then There Were None in year 9 English, and five years later it remains the best murder novel I have ever read. Though Slide is nowhere near as genius in its complexity or logic, it still presents an entertaining plot that includes its fair share of twists and red herrings. I admit I had a couple of wrong guesses, but even though I managed to piece it together fairly quickly after that I was content to keep on reading, if only to follow the character’s plot arcs instead.

And they were certainly worthy of my attention, Hathaway’s skill at writing three dimensional characters and their relationships was the highlight of this book for me, and I found myself just as interested in Vee’s personal life as I was in the murders. There are several serious issues skimmed over in here; parent troubles, bullying, bulimia, substance abuse, affairs – and Hathaway’s realistic way of portraying them meant that it didn’t feel overly dramatic or ridiculous. Teenagers are involved in these things, and I always congratulate an author when they are prepared not to shy away from that.

Overall, this is a highly entertaining read. Jill Hathaway already has some wonderful skill in writing, and I look forward to seeing how she develops it in later books. Perhaps it did not exactly rock my socks off, but it kept me reading past my bed time, and that it certainly enough for me.
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Mar 26, 2012 Ashelynn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

this review is also posted on Gypsy Book Reviews!

disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange of an honest review.

Slide has an interesting premise; I love that Vee is able to slide into other people’s bodies, and then when she slides into a killer’s body… dun dun dun. However, the execution behind the premise makes for a very predictable read.

I liked Vee as a character. Her voice pulled me in right away and hooked me. However, as I read, the book sort of fell apart....more

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Sep 30, 2012 Mickey (I'm A Book Shark) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, around-the-world-tour, 2011

See full review here!

I received this book through the ATW ARC tours. Here is my honest review:

I enjoyed this original sci-fi-ish novel quite a bit! It started out pretty strong and it ended with a bang, too. This book was good all the way throughout. I was never bored and I didn't lose interest. Definitely a good book!

I liked the idea of Vee sliding into other people's bodies. I wanted the control part to play out more, and I did think it was pretty convenient that she slid when juicy stuff was...more

1 like · like · see review

Jun 14, 2013 Summer rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I picked up this book after seeing the second one and realizing it was part of a series. The concept of sliding sounded intriguing, so I figured I'd give it a chance. I did like the "Slide" part of the story, but I had a few problems with the book itself.

(view spoiler)...more

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Jun 06, 2013 Levian rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

while everyone believed that Vee was a narcoleptic, it was just a front. instead of falling asleep uncontrollably, she was actually passed out while sliding into somebody else's mind and experiencing the world through that person's eyes. her sliding problem had gotten worst these days, especially when she slide into someone who held a bloody knife while standing over Sophie's slashed body. Vee's younger sister, Mattie were best friends with Sophie and Amber. when Amber was killed soon after, Vee...more

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May 29, 2013 Anna rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The concept of this novel sounded beyond awesome. I mean, how insane would it be to be able to “slide” into another person for a few minutes? I’d totally want that power, life would be so much simpler (coPASSINGTESTSugh).

Vee Bell hates this ability of hers, so much that she consumes around 30 caffiene pills a day just to try and stop her ability. But it comes, whether she wants too or not, and Vee finds herself slipping into the mind of a killer, just as he/she is forging a suicide note and stan...more

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May 08, 2013 Elisa Johnston rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Review posted at: http://www.readingteen.net/2013/03/sl...

At a Glance:

A contemporary book with a slightly paranormal twist- the main character can go into other’s bodies. It was a very easy quick read and it a decent storyline and a unique mystery.

Action:

There really wasn’t much action in this book. Ya, you knew about murders, but it was a mystery, not an action story.

Romance:

This book had a small crush in it. It wasn’t focused on romance, but there was enough throughout it to make me feel those...more

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Apr 15, 2013 AJ rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, sci-fi

This wasn't ever on my list to read, but when I was having a hard time finding something to read at the "library" near our house (horrible library with almost no books) I saw it on the shelf and thought it looked interesting.

It was an interesting premise. The main character is able to somehow slide into other people's minds and see and experience what they are at that time. She happens to see her sister's friend murdered, even though everyone thinks it's a suicide. Anyway, I won't go any further...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
YA Buddy Readers'...: Slide (Slide #1) by Jill Hathaway - Starting June 7th 2013	75	23	Jun 13, 2013 02:28am
Excited about book two?	6	13	Jun 06, 2013 06:16pm

title link	preview: Slide
avg rating	preview: Slide Goodreads rating: 3.68 (2994 ratings)
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