ARC Review: Being Sloane Jacobs by Lauren Morrill
Being Sloane Jacobs
by: Lauren Morill
Publication Date: Jan. 7, 2014
Publisher: Delacorte
Genre: Contemporary
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: e-ARC received via NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Page Count: 352 pages
Order Links: Amazon | B&N
My Rating: 3.5/5 stars
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.
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.
Being Sloane Jacobs ended up being a really cute read once I got into it. It was light-hearted, sweet, and really engaging. In the beginning when both Sloanes were together I did have trouble distinguishing who was narrating. However, once the girls went their separate ways and their storylines began to develop I didn't have as much trouble.
I admit, I liked Sloane Emily a bit better than Sloane Devon. Sloane Emily puts a lot of pressure on herself when it comes to ice skating. However, while she enjoys skating, she is not happy with her life. She has a lot of familial problems and instead of dealing with them, she runs from them. To the public eye Sloane Emily's family is perfect. Little do they know, it's all a façade. Her father is a Senator and he and his daughter have a rather uncomfortable relationship. Sloane Emily discovered something about her father that could destroy not only their family, but really taint his career as well. Being sent to a special skating academy in Montreal sounds great for Sloane Emily- anything to get her away from her family.
Sloane Devon on the other hand has a much different family situation. She lives with her dad, but her mom is not currently in the picture. Sloane Devon does not like to discuss her, but we do find out she had a problem with alcoholism. Sloane Devon is definitely the tomboy of the two Sloanes. She is a hockey player, but has been having trouble with her performance lately. She hesitates when it comes to shooting the puck and ends up choking. She ends up also going to Montreal to play hockey for the summer. Sloane Devon is a bit rough around the edges and doesn't hesitate to get in fights or call things like they are. When she first meets Sloane Emily, she thinks her to be nothing more than a pampered pretty princess.
However, after the two decided to swap places we really get to see them embrace their new roles and do what they have to in order to make their switch work. Switching places really makes these girls think about what they truly want to do. Sure, they are pretending to be someone else, but in reality they are the ones that have to adapt and learn how to do their new sport so they look like they belong.
Sloane Emily really embraces the freedom hockey has to offer. Ice skating is all about rigidity and discipline and she finally can eat what she wants and enjoy herself for once. She meets a guy named Matt, who is also a hockey player, but has a serious reputation as a player. He is friendly to Sloane E and wants to get to know her, but she has already heard the rumors circulating and she won't let herself fall into THAT trap. I actually really liked Matt's character. He was sweet and fun and didn't give up on Sloane E, even after finding out the truth.
Sloane Devon has ALOT of work to do to fit in as an ice skater. She has the roommate from you know where and must put up with being belittled and put down by her. Thankfully, she makes some friends of her own (Andy in particular). I loved Andy! He was great. He loved how Sloane D didn't take her roommate Ivy's crap. He ended up being a great friend after he found out the truth as he helped teach her how to skate pairs. Nando is Sloane D's love interest, but we didn't get a whole lot of interaction between them. Their relationship felt rather underdeveloped to me and we just didn't get enough time with these two.
Overall, this was a cute read and I enjoyed watching the two girls try something new and do their best at it. Both girls have their family issues and I felt they resolved them in the best way they knew how. It was quite fun to watch the two try to figure out how to use their own knowledge on the ice to succeed, even when it seemed hopeless. I am looking forward to reading Lauren's Meant To Be soon!
14 comments
Yeah, I had a lot of trouble figuring out who was who too. Even though they were supposed to be very different they were a lot alike so that made it harder to distinguish them, but I think I did eventually. I thought BSJ was cute. I'm not in love with it, but reading it made me very excited.
ReplyDeleteI agree- I didn't LOVE it, but it was a nice, cute read. I also felt they were alot alike too!
DeleteThis sounds cute but I got confused just from the synopsis lol.
ReplyDeleteHaha. Yeah, it definitely took a minute to get them straight and who was doing what!
DeleteI was going to start this today but decided not too. ALthough it sounds super cute, I think it would be a little confusing and hard for me to get into.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it took me a bit to get into it for some reason- it was engaging, but I guess my mind must have been elsewhere....
DeleteThis sounds like a cute story, but I can see how it would get confusing with both Sloane's narrating. I love stories where two characters switch places, and this one sounds like it would make a good movie! Great Review!!!
ReplyDeleteLindy@ A Bookish Escape
Thanks Lindy! Yes! This would definitely make a better movie! It would be a lot easier to follow, I think!
DeleteThis sounds cute, I adore that cover. I hate when you can't distinguish between characters tho but this does sound like a good read!
ReplyDeleteYes! I really like the cover! I did enjoy this one, even though there's not really a wow factor attached to it.
DeleteThis sounds like such an interesting storyline and while I am glad to see you found it cute, I wonder if I'd be wishing for more depth because I guess I am a masochist and love emotional, soul crushing books?
ReplyDeleteHahaha! You probably would. This one is pretty light and fluffy and didn't have that emotional depth to it.
DeleteThis sounds like a cute story. Both Sloanes seem like great characters and I like that they seem to grow over the course of the novel. I like it when characters grow. :) Fantastic review!
ReplyDeleteThanks Brandee! :) Their growth was probably my favorite aspect of the novel! I am a big fan of character growth and development in books!
DeleteLeave me some comment love! And I will get around to commenting back!
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