Slide by Jill Hathaway

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.

The premise of this story had me hooked from the start. The idea that someone can slide into someone else and view life through his perspective is fascinating. Plus she accidentally witnesses a murder? Fabulous! I happily settled in to read more, and finished the book in a day.

I liked Vee, but I would have preferred to feel closer to her. I wish we could have gotten more about why she thinks Sliding happens to her, where it comes from, how it happens, etc. I can do that on my own as a reader, but I wanted to know her thoughts. I loved how close she and her sister became, though. That doesn't happen often in YA and it was refreshing to see.

The story kept the mystery quite well and I kept guessing right up until the end. Unfortunately, the end wasn't as satisfying as I hoped. It felt a bit anticlimactic, even convenient. A few obvious clues were overlooked and a few red herrings were debunked too early. Then the final resolution felt too easy. Also, Dad's terrible secret didn't feel so terrible once we got to the end. So, really, it felt like it started off with a bang but then sort of fizzled out.

Apparently, there is a sequel scheduled to come out next year, so I am hoping more will be explored with Vee’s sliding. And I hope the resolution has a bit more oomph to it.