Slide by Jill Hathaway

"I slid into someone else. Someone bad. Someone with a knife."

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. 

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.

This was another one of those times where I shamelessly judged a book by its cover. Not that you can blame me—that cover is like, gorgeous. The highlighted face? The blueish tint? The streaks around the title? So very awesome.

Okay so, Vee, our main character, has the (unwanted) ability to "slide" into other people's minds, and basically experience what they're experiencing without anyone ever knowing about it. I kind of fell in love with this book instantly, because the plot reminded me so of Lisa McMann's Wake, which I adore.

Note: If you have not read Wake, go read it now.

Anyway, from the first scene where Sophie's murder comes into it, I was completely hooked. It actually gave me chills down my spine. It's hauntingly creepy, because it's not some paranormal thing: There's a murderer. That person is running around your town. You could be next.

Another thing: I adored Sophie. Even though her murder happens only five chapters in, I was already rooting for her, just like Vee. I felt the same way as Vee a lot of the time: I hated Scott Becker, I loved her little sister; she was a great main character to cheer on.

My biggest dislike was the conclusion. I'm not going to spoil it, but the murderer reveal was a letdown for me—I just didn't really get the motive. I guess I was expecting more...and that was just it.

My one other complaint is about Vee's best friend, Rollins. Vee thinks he suspects something about her sliding, which she never told him about. Whenever she tries to, she decides against it, because she told her dad years ago and all she got was a shrink. But still, she always feels guilty and he gets upset since he knows she's not telling him something. That would be understandable.


My problem is that, in the year that she's known her best friend, not once has she been to his house. He repeatedly gives her fake excuses when she asks to go over, and she just accepts them, never connecting the dots and saying "Um, why is it not okay for me to keep one tiny secret when you're hiding half of your life from me?" which is what I would've said long before.

I loved the suspense of the book, and loved seeing the sliding aspect, but the ending didn't quite measure up to what I was expecting. You'll probably spend a good portion of the book trying to track down a murderer with Vee, playing detective.

Read more reviews for Slide at:

Uniquely Moi Books and I Swim for Oceans