Slide [Hardcover]

Jill Hathaway (Author)

Book Description

Release date: March 27, 2012

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 distant lately, 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.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Teenage drama meets Quantum Leap in this exciting debut about secrets and murder. Vee has an inexplicable ability; when falling into what appears to be a narcoleptic state, she is really “sliding” into the mind of someone else—watching events through their eyes. The mere touch of an object can trigger an episode, and they seem to be getting more frequent and more intense. When she slides into the mind of a murderer who has killed a friend and made it look like a suicide, Vee tries to channel her ability to solve the crime without revealing how she knows the truth. The story is intriguing and provides just enough information for the reader to piece together the mystery alongside Vee. The characters are well developed, with the exception of the murderer, whose motive, while believable, is not executed well enough to lift the climax above melodrama. Still, the novel is difficult to put down. While Vee’s questions about sliding remain unanswered, the knowledge that she can live with who she is may be the greatest truth uncovered. Grades 8-12. --Kara Dean

Review

"Jill Hathaway provides a fresh, vibrant voice to young adult literature. Skillfully filled with drama and tension, SLIDE is part mystery, part romance, and wholly engaging with its strong heroine and tornado-worthy twists. I simply could not put this book down."

-Laurie Stolarz, author of the DEADLY LITTLE SECRET series

"Heartbreaking and heart-pounding at the same time! A wonderful, intense story, SLIDE had me hooked from the first moment Vee slid into someone else's mind. I stayed up way too late because I had to see how it ended."

-Cynthia Hand, author of the UNEARTHLY series

"SLIDE consumed me. Intense and powerful. A mystery filled with romance and raw emotion. SLIDE is one of those extraordinary reads that stays with you long after you close the book."

-Sophie Jordan, author of the FIRELIGHT series

"An intriguing whodunit." 

-Kirkus

"An emotionally taut mystery with depth." -Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Jill Hathaway provides a fresh, vibrant voice to young adult literature. Skillfully filled with drama and tension, Slide is part mystery, part romance, and wholly engaging with its strong heroine and tornado-worthy twists. I simply could not put this book down.” (Laurie Stolarz, bestselling author of BLUE IS FOR NIGHTMARES and the DEADLY LITTLE LIES series )

“Heartbreaking and heart-pounding at the same time! A wonderful, intense story, Slide had me hooked from the first moment Vee slid into someone else’s mind.” (Cynthia Hand, author of Unearthly )

“Hathaway guides readers through family turmoil, integrating it well with her murder mystery. . . . An intriguing whodunit.” (Kirkus Reviews )

“Slide consumed me! Intense and powerful. A mystery filled with romance and raw emotion. Slide is one of those extraordinary reads that stays with you long after you close the book.” (Sophie Jordan, author of Firelight )

“Hathaway debuts with a gripping paranormal thriller that takes the concept of ‘empathy’ to a new level. . . . An emotionally taut mystery with depth.” (Publishers Weekly (starred review) )

“Its innovative premise is memorable.” (School Library Journal )

“Teenage drama meets Quantum Leap in this exciting debut about secrets and murder. [D]ifficult to put down.” (Booklist )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Balzer + Bray; 1 edition (March 27, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9780062077905
• ISBN-13: 978-0062077905
• ASIN: 0062077902
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (162 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #997,148 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jill Hathaway teaches high school and community college courses in the Des Moines area. She lives with her husband and young children.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A great young sleuth book! March 27, 2012

By Amanda Welling

Format:Hardcover

First Impressions: Every once in awhile I like a good murder mystery book! I'll admit that when I was a kid and when I spent weekends with my grandmother, we would sit down and watch Murder She Wrote. Now that that fact is forever on the internet, I will say that I really liked the synopsis of Slide. It sounded really unique and I had to read it to find out who the killer was! I thought it was interesting that Slide had a kind of paranormal aspect to it with Vee "slipping" into other people's minds, sort of like a psychic. I was excited to read how this would play out.

Characters & Plot Points: I liked how easily I got pulled into the story! Vee is the protagonist, who is an ex-cheerleader, who has bright pink hair and a whole lot of spunk. The story is told from a first-person perspective, which is starting to grow on me. I immediately really liked Vee and I thought she was a great character. She seemed very down-to-earth, tell is like it is, type of character who helps to move the story along at a comfortable pace.

There was a kind of love triangle going on in this book, but I don't think it was fully realized. I wasn't expecting to see a whole lot of romance in this story from reading the synopsis, but there is a small bit of romance thrown in for good measure. I'm not even sure if you would call it a love triangle. There were two guys who were attracted to Vee, but I don't think they were fighting for her affection. This felt like a nice change of pace when compared to similar young adult books. So much of the romance in books now feels very fake, and Vee's felt much more realistic.

This was very much a sleuth novel, just like I expected it to be. I thought it was well done and it was thrilling enough to keep me turning the pages.... I actually had to try very hard to guess who the killer would be, and the more I guessed, the more wrong I ended up being! It was so nice to read a mystery novel that I couldn't figure out how it was going to end. The author definitely put some nice twists and turns throughout the book that kept me on my toes. Eventually, I was able to figure out who the murder was, but I have to say I was wrong about that person's motive for the most part. The big "I've done it!" was really well thought-out and I have to give props to the author for handing everything so well!

Final Thoughts: I'm having difficulty finding anything I didn't like about this book. The characters were enjoyable (especially Vee), the pacing of the story was perfect, and I feel as though it had just enough drama and suspense to keep me guessing what would happen at the end. This is by far one of the best murder-mystery young adult novels I have read in quite some time. If you are looking for a good sleuth book with a slight paranormal twist, I would give this one a try! Read more ›

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A definite love! March 27, 2012

By Uniquely Moi Books

Format:Hardcover

I absolutely love what Jill has given us with this novel. A page gripping suspense that you won't put down until you're finished. A deep and emotional journey through the hard and rough life that Vee has no choice but to deal with as she struggles with her life, and the rare issue she has to deal with. She could give in, and pop pills all day, could run to her father and complain of her many issues that she has, but she doesn't. Vee has such a strong backbone and such strong will to go through every day as things seem to get worse for her. Jill Hathaway has made Vee a character quite like no other. Just what can she do?
Vee has the ability to enter other peoples minds for short periods. Let me also say that she certainly doesn't do this by choice. I might also add that she is a narcoleptic so it's when she's fighting sleep the most that the 'slide' happens. This is what she has labeled it. Her mom had narcolepsy too. Vee would love more than anything to talk to her. She passed away though. Vee can't help but wonder if she ever went into other peoples minds.
It's something that Vee can learn to deal with, (has) learned to deal with until she slides into someones body and watches as she realizes that whoever it is just murdered her sisters best friend. It was made to look like suicide and that's exactly what the cops said in the police report. As Vee starts to slide again she knows she can't let this happen like the last time. She is the only one who can stop it. But can she?

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Squandered premise & rushed through way too many weighty issues March 28, 2012

By Abigail VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

SLIDE is a book that despite an intriguing premise and an appealing protagonist, unfortunately slid right out of my mind the moment I finished reading it.

The opening of SLIDE was rather awkward because the idea of Vee randomly `sliding' into the minds of other people isn't established for several chapters. And when it does finally happen, no explanation is given for how or when it started or really what theories Vee has about it. Eventually, yes, we do learn when it started (and it's one of the stronger scenes in the book), but the delay really hurt my reading experience. What also hurt was how rushed everything was. The character growth, the romantic developments, the murder mysteries, and suspect motives. It's unfortunate because the bones of the plot and the premise for the supernatural twist had real potential (see below for a few other similar but stronger titles).

SLIDE should have been twice as long in order to appropriately deal with all the complex and weighty issues it attempted to tackle. Eating disorders, bullying, teen pregnancy, adultery, sexual assault, suicide, and two other BIG issues that I won't reveal because they would be spoilers. Hathaway writes well enough that it could have been great. Instead I suffered whiplash as all these serious issues were raised and then resolved (for the most part) in just a few paragraphs. The ending is especially grievous in that sense.

There is a sequel planned titled IMPOSTER that is scheduled for a March 2013 release. I can only hope that it's page length is worthy of the topics it covers.

Sexual Content:
Kissing, References to teen pregnancy

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Enthralling! March 8, 2012

By Wendy L. Hines VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Sylvia "Vee" Bell has narcolepsy, or so the doctors say. She zones out and just slides into another person's mind, seeing what they see. Sometimes it's very creepy, but sometimes it works to her advantage. When she passes out and sees her sister's best friend laying in a pool of blood, Vee wonders what she brushed up against to make her slide. She has to touch something that has left an imprint to slide into that particular persons mind. So when she sees her hand holding a knife over Sophie's body, she knows she's in the body of a murderer.

When she wakes up, she looks around but can't figure out who she could have slid into. When her best friend Rollins begins acting weird around her, she doesn't know what to think. The new boy in town, Zane, keeps her attention though and she really enjoys his company, but she doesn't want to lose her friendship with Rollins. But when another of her sister's friends is found dead in the football field, Vee is adamanant that it's too much coincidence for two cheerleaders to commit suicide and steps up her feelings that Sophie was murdered. But who will she slide into next that will give her that important clue?

Hathaway lures readers into the web she spins with her storytelling, captivating them from the very first page and leaves them totally satisfied. From the depth of her characterization to the tight plotting, readers will be enthralled with this suspenseful and page-turning read!