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.
Review:
Being Sloane Jacobs is a wonderfully thought out book about two girls named Sloane Jacobs. But they couldn’t be any more different from each other. One is in the wonderful world of a figure skater, while the other is a hard core hockey player. Both want to be somebody else. The two have an encounter on the way to their prospected camps, and it’s there that they decide to switch places. It’s almost like The Parent Trap but without the parents and the trap.
Sloane Emily lives a life of privilege. She has the best of the best and a family who doesn’t really listen to her or what she wants. Her mother and father are all about presentation and looking good for the public. She also is getting back into the competitive skating competition, and going to camp will help her fight her way back up to the top.
“Sloane Emily Jacobs, do you have to dress like a street urchin every time we go to dinner?”
That line just really had me laughing out loud. If my mother ever said that to me… Who am I kidding, my mother HAS said that me! Must be why I liked it so much. Sloane Emily is such an adorably cute character. I realize I may have just compared her to a fuzzy kitty, but it’s true. I loved her character and it was amazing watching her grow throughout the book.
Sloane Devon is a little more on the rough side. Her life is on more of the normal side of things. While she isn’t necessarily poor (in my opinion), she has a roof over her head and food in the refrigerator. Middle class and not overly privileged such as Sloane Emily. Sloane Devon has a bit of an anger problem, which is precisely why she is going to summer hockey camp.
S.D was seriously a hilarious character and I found myself grinning everytime it got to a chapter about her. She is sarcastic and so funny! I don’t think there was a dull moment with her at all. At the same time she can hold her own and doesn’t take crap from anyone.
Being Sloane Jacobs is a heartfelt story about two girls wanting to be somebody their not, but in the end finding a piece about themselves they thought they never had. The characters are amazingly real and I have had fun on their journey.
If you loved Morrill’s novel, Meant to Be, you’re in for a treat with Being Sloane Jacobs.
Thank you to Random House Children’s Books via NetGalley for providing me with a review copy for an honest review. It has not influenced my rating in the slightest.
3.5 stars
Summary:
Meant to be or not meant to be . . . that is the question.
It's one thing to fall head over heels into a puddle of hazelnut coffee, and quite another to fall for the—gasp—wrong guy. Straight-A junior Julia may be accident prone, but she's queen of following rules and being prepared. That's why she keeps a pencil sharpener in her purse and a pocket Shakespeare in her, well, pocket. And that's also why she's chosen Mark Bixford, her childhood crush, as her MTB ("meant to be").
But this spring break, Julia's rules are about to get defenestrated (SAT word: to be thrown from a window) when she's partnered with her personal nemesis, class-clown Jason, on a school trip to London. After one wild party, Julia starts receiving romantic texts . . . from an unknown number! Jason promises to help discover the identity of her mysterious new suitor if she agrees to break a few rules along the way. And thus begins a wild goose chase through London, leading Julia closer and closer to the biggest surprise of all: true love.
Because sometimes the things you least expect are the most meant to be.
Lauren Elizabeth Morrill is many things, including, but not limited to, a writer, an educator, a badass roller derby skater, a former band nerd, an aggressive driver, and a die-hard Mac person. She also watches a lot of TV, eats a lot of junk food, and drinks a lot of Coke. It's a wonder her brain and teeth haven't rotted out of her head.
Her first novel, Meant to Be, sold in a two-book deal to Wendy Loggia at Delacorte for Paper Lantern Lit.
Her first novel, Meant to Be, sold in a two-book deal to Wendy Loggia at Delacorte for Paper Lantern Lit.
No comments
Post a Comment