Review: Slide by Jill Hathaway

Title: Slide
Author: Jill Hathaway
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Age Group: Young Adult
Category: Mystery/Paranormal
Release date: March 27th, 2012
Pages: 250 (ARC)
Rating: 4 out of 5
Source: ARCycling
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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.

Slide is the surprising story of a girl who has an unusual ability.  Vee has been able to slide into other people's minds for years now, but she hasn't been able to tell anyone about it, because the last time she brought it up, she was taken to a psychiatrist.  Now she's in deep, because she witnessed a murder staged to look like a suicide.  Vee is the only one who can reveal the truth, but while she's trying to deal with that, other parts of her life become chaotic.

Vee was an awesome main character, possibly one of my favorites I've read in a while.  She has pink hair, awesome taste in music (Smashing Pumpkins, anyone?) and I recall a few mentions of Buffy the Vampire Slayer in the book.  Plus she can use her powers to solve crimes like a superhero.  Many readers will feel for her, because she has very few people that she can turn to when it comes to comfort, but she's always there to comfort those who need it.  Another character I enjoyed was Rollins, and I wish there would have been more of him in the book.

The plot was definitely unique, with many surprising twists and turns.  The first half of the book was intriguing, to the point where you couldn't put it down.  Towards the end, though, things started to get a little sticky.  It's not that we're left with loose ends, I just I didn't care for the direction that the author went.  The idea seemed a little too far-fetched and unrealistic for me, but that's not to say that others won't enjoy it.

Overall, I enjoyed the journey of Slide.  Learning about Vee and the difficulties she's had to deal with because of her 'narcolepsy' was the best part of the book.  When it came to the actual mystery, the story was a bust.  Would I read the sequel?  Probably.  I enjoyed the writing style, the characters and their personalities enough to indulge in the series once more, but I just hope that the ending won't seem as forced as this one.