What do you think?
Rate this book
352 pages, Hardcover
First published January 7, 2014
“We look alike. Even that desk attendant thought so,” I say, as much to myself as to her.Both have misconceptions of the others. Sloane Devon, the tough hockey player, the tomboy, thinks that ice skating will be a piece of cake.
Sloane blinks at me from the other side of the table, staring at me as though I’ve gone insane.
And maybe I have.
But the idea won’t let go: Here it is. My chance to be somebody else for a bit.
My chance to switch.
Figure skating is way easier than hockey. No one is trying to break your legs or bash your brains out when you’re figure skating. There are no shots to take or miss, which means no tingles. And there are no scouts or coaches expecting me to be a hero, thus there’s no way to fail.Sloane Emily, the pampered, feminine ice skater, is just plain glad that she won't have to skate.
I’m on a public bus in Montreal, on my way to play hockey for four weeks. I can sit however I want, and no one is going to tell me otherwise.Needless to say, it doesn't exactly turn out the way they planned. Both girls have plenty of adjusting to do, not to mention that neither ice hockey or ice skating is as easy as they thought it would be. They make new friends, they face their own fears, they learn that you can't simply run away from your life without eventually having to face the consequences. Regardless, it will be a summer to remember.
This is going to be the greatest summer ever.
No triple axels. No triple axels.
"Either you love it or you don't. Either you can do it or you can't. And, kid? I been watching you for years, and I know you can do it. The question you gotta figure out is, do you love it?" (4)
"I, Sloane Emily Jacobs, am sitting in my pajamas on the handlebars of a boy's bike, being whisked around a foreign city at midnight. I can't even imagine what my mom would say. The thought makes me grin." (139)
Sloane Emily Jacobs used to be the best figure skater her age and then she choked and suffered an injury that’s crippled her career. Her mom is gunning for a comeback and shipping her from the ever watching eye of paparazzi in Washington, D.C. to a camp in Canada. Sloane Devon Jacobs is an ice hockey player who has had one too many penalties. After a coach threatens to bench her next season, her dad decides that she has one last chance at redeeming herself and he’s already talked to the coach. She finds herself shipped off to Canada and with bags that have her name on them but are way too fancy to be born. When the two Sloanes meet Sloane Emily proposes they switch places and it just might be what they need.
The main female characters, Sloane Emily and Sloane Devon, are both strong characters that have a presence. Both of their POVs are entrancing and the worlds of ice hockey and figure skating are done wonderfully. As a child I went through a brief obsession with figure skating and loved to watch the competitions during the Olympics or whenever they were on TV. Sloane Emily’s transformation from broken, figure skater who does things to please her parents to someone who finally does what she wants and needs were well done. Sloane Devon’s transformation from rebel with extreme anger problems to someone who can take a breath and let things go. Both Sloanes have a lot of family problems and they were touched on perfectly. I really enjoyed seeing the growth of both girls and they went from being people who were handicapped by personal problems to people who were able to cope with their problems and embrace them knowing that they would get better.
The main male characters are Matt and Nando. Matt and Sloane Emily got off to a bit of a rocky start and I loved it! Their small budding romance was my favorite of the two. It was so sweet and I could feel the chemistry between Sloane and Matt. Sloane Devon and Nando’s romance wasn’t as captivating, but it was still sweet. I honestly don’t think Sloane Devon’s story needed to have a romance part in it. I do like Nando and Sloane and Nando knew each other as children, so it wasn’t completely random, but I feel like it just wasn’t necessary.
The Villain- There wasn’t really a villain. Just more of a girl who enjoyed ruining Sloane Devon’s life when thinking she was Sloane Emily. It was actually interesting. The drama was melodramatic, but interesting nonetheless.
I really liked Sloane Devon’s skating partner and their friendship was funny and light. (I forgot his name since I read this book in November. Oops!) I also like the characters that Sloane Emily had to face like her roommate who didn’t like her and the college scout dropping by. Everything was interesting and it flowed well.
Being Sloane Jacobs was a fun story with a fun swap and great character growth. It was never a dull moment when reading and I’m definitely going to check out Morrill’s other works.