Being Sloane Jacobs
By Lauren Morrill
Published: January 7, 2014
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.
My review:
Being Sloane Jacobs reminded me of Parent Trap meets The Cutting Edge in a way because it features two people swapping identities and a figure skater playing hockey while a hockey player learns to figure skate.
Sloane Emily wants to swap places with Sloane Devon not only because she wants to avoid figure skating but also because of family drama. The idea of hiding behind Sloane Devon's hockey persona is appealing. Sloane Devon is under a lot of pressure to perform well in hockey and this camp is her last chance. Unfortunately it isn't one she can afford to take since every time she has to score a goal she has a mild panic attack. She agrees to Sloane Emily's crazy plan thinking that learning to figure skate would be a piece of cake compared to failing at hockey camp.
The girls both have to deal with rivals and find ways to hide their lack of skill. They also have to work really hard and in the process they find hidden inner strength. While there are romantic interests for both girls thankfully this takes a backseat to their experiences at camp. By the end of the summer they have learned something new about themselves and found friendships and love.
Being Sloane Jacobs is an enjoyable contemporary YA novel. It may not be completely believable but it is a lot of fun. The characters both grow and learn valuable lessons but the story is never preachy and it is definitely entertaining. I only wish the secondary characters were as well developed as the main characters. I think this book would appeal to fans of Abby McDonald and Catherine Gilbert Murdock.
Note: I received an ARC courtesy of Netgalley and the publisher for review purposes
This seems like a really cute book, despite the fact that the secondary characters are sort of flat. I like that you compare it to Parent Trap and Cutting Edge…love both of those movies! I will definitely have to check out this book. Great review, Christina!
ReplyDeleteI totally thought I had comment on this already! I had a lot of fun reading this book even though I sniffed at a lot of things that we were expected to buy. I loved how each girl was eager to avoid their problems but soon was forced to confront it anyway in their new surroundings.
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