Slide by Jill Hathaway (Book Review)

Title: Slide (Slide #1)
Author: Jill Hathaway (2012 Debut Author)
Release Date: March 27, 2012
Publisher: Balzer + Bray for HarperCollins
Format: Advance e-Proof
Source: Netgalley
Buy It: Amazon
Add It: 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.

What an interesting take on a paranormal story, huh? A narcoleptic body snatcher on a quest to solve a murder she witnessed while inside and unknown killer. I was very excited to read this book, as I've heard great things about it. I liked it a lot, and was surprised (both positively and negatively) by the small details and plot elements of the story. As always, my main points are bolded. :)

1. The unique storyline was very well done and explained in great detail. The author did a great job describing the sliding process and what that meant for Vee. I almost felt like I was the one doing the sliding, because each event was painted out for us so well. These moments were my favorites of the book. I liked the opportunities Vee had to explore the people she thought she knew so well. It's like she and I were both flies on the wall. Sneaky!

2. I was hooked very quickly. The reader is immediately submerged in the story. Time is not wasted mapping out every single detail, and things just keep on going from there. There's not a lot of down time, and I was turning pages very quickly. 

3. I liked Vee, but her personality is a bit forgettable. Perhaps the next book in the series will let us get to know her more, but this book focused so much more on all the supporting characters than the main one. I think this had a lot to do with the fact that Vee was sliding so much. Naturally, that would focus the story more on the people who are slid into rather than the one who does the sliding. What we do know about Vee is sad. She does not really discuss happy memories or fun times, so she's kind of one-dimensional.

4. This book is much darker, heavier, and more emotional than I had expected. I'm not sure how I feel about this. When Vee is not sliding, she's focused mainly on comforting other people or putting herself in tough situations to try and discover who the murderer is. Her little sister's best friend is the victim of the murder, so Vee spends a lot of time trying to pull her sister out of a deep depression. The grief in this book is very real. The characters do a lot of mourning, which actually started to depress me a lot. This is not a light read.

5. I liked Rollins, the best friend. However, I'm starting to tire of the endless love triangles where the best friend is ignored for the bulk of the story. This storyline is getting a bit old, in my opinion. Rollins obviously cares about Vee a lot, and I think he's really sweet. He has a hard home life and some secrets, which both add a lot more depth to him than any of the other characters. He and Vee bonded in a very special way long ago, and their relationship is sweet when they actually get to sit and have fun rather than worry about who will die next. Zane, the newcomer, is mysterious and exciting, but I don't see why that automatically makes him the immediate love interest. I mean, if Rollins is the best friend, why does Vee start distancing herself as soon as someone new enters her life? Friends don't do that, and I feel bad that best friends are frequently treated badly, or just flat-out ignored in books like this.

6. I loved how complex the storyline was. There was a ton of stuff going on, page-gripping suspense, lots of characters and emotions, interesting twists, and a really convoluted mystery. We're constantly being introduced to new things, new people, new facts, etc.

7. The mystery was my favorite part of the story. It was not predictable like some mysteries are. I wanted so badly to find out what happened, and kept reading until I was done. Suspense and danger were involved, and I love it when books do that, rather than focus mostly on romance, with a little mystery on the side. The romance was definitely minimal, and not important to the story's flow.

8. The book did not end in a cliff-hanger! I was worried that since this is book #1, it would end in a frustrating cliffhanger. Everything was resolved, though, which I liked. This novel could be a standalone. Hopefully book #2 does not ruin that!

Overall, this was an interesting, unique, and emotional read. It was darker than I had expected, but the mysteriousness of the book needed that. I actually liked the storyline and the sliding better than any other aspect of the book, including the characters and the romance. I'd recommend this to people who enjoy paranormal thrillers with a tiny bit of romance.