Blitz and Review: Being Sloane Jacobs #BSJBlogBlitz

Being Sloane Jacobs
Being Sloane Jacobs
by Lauren Morrill
YA Contemporary
Hardcover352 Pages
January 7th 2014 by Delacorte               

Summary

Meet Sloane Emily Jacobs: a seriously stressed-out figure-skater from Washington, D.C., who choked during junior nationals and isn’t sure she’s ready for a comeback. What she does know is that she’d give anything to escape the mass of misery that is her life.

Now meet Sloane Devon Jacobs, a spunky ice hockey player from Philly who’s been suspended from her team for too many aggressive hip checks. Her punishment? Hockey camp, now, when she’s playing the worst she’s ever played. If she messes up? Her life will be over.

When the two Sloanes meet by chance in Montreal and decide to trade places for the summer, each girl thinks she’s the lucky one: no strangers to judge or laugh at Sloane Emily, no scouts expecting Sloane Devon to be a hero. But it didn’t occur to Sloane E. that while avoiding sequins and axels she might meet a hockey hottie—and Sloane D. never expected to run into a familiar (and very good-looking) face from home. It’s not long before the Sloanes discover that convincing people you’re someone else might be more difficult than being yourself.
   


My Review

This is the first book I've read where the characters both ice skate, one as a hockey player and the other as a figure skater. I love watching figure and speed skating in the Olympics, but that, two hockey game visits, and a few visits to an ice skating rink in my teens and once in college are about my only experiences with ice skating. I loved that the author didn't overburden the book with definitions for both sports or really hardly any. It's written in such a way that you just experience what each character does. It's written so smoothly, even between each voice and even though each voice is very different.

As I read, switching from one POV to the other, between Sloane Devon and Sloane Emily, I couldn't help but fall in love with each of them. They both are running from some things in their lives, but things that are hard and would be difficult not to try to run away from. I had to crack up when they both run into each other and then decide to switch places, Sloane Emily (the figure skater) going to hockey camp and Sloane Devon (the hockey player) going to figure skating camp. They are so very different, but so similar too. There is a lot of great humor and sarcasm from both characters, but they also think and handle situations differently. It was fun to see how being out of their usual enironment challenged and changed them.

There is some romance as well. It was sweet and fun, and at a few spots heartbreaking, but it fit in the story and also wasn't the focus. There is also some drama, but like some other books, it wasn't over-the-top and I found some of it rather humorous. I like that there is an Epliogue too that let's us see just a little bit into the future.

Overall, this was a really enjoyable read. I would definitely recommend Being Sloane Jacobs to Contemporary YA readers. Morrill has a great voice! I loved her characters and the story's wit and humor! I've had Meant to Be (Morrill's first novel) on my tbr for a while, but I'm definitely going to plan on reading it now.

Content: Some mild swearing. Mention of a parent's affair. Some brief drinking references.

Source: From NetGalley, which did not affect my review in any way.


Lauren Morrill headshot 2013About the Author


Lauren Morrill grew up in Maryville, TN, where she was a short-term Girl Scout, a (not so) proud member of the marching band, and a trouble-making editor for the school newspaper. She graduated from Indiana University with a major in history and a minor in rock & roll, and now lives in Macon, GA with her husband and their dog, Lucy. When she’s not writing, she spends a lot of hours getting knocked around playing roller derby.


Other Books by Lauren Morrill:

Meant to BeMeant to Be
by Lauren Morrill
YA Contemporary
Hardcover304 Pages
November 13th 2012 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers          




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