jessicatamm92's review
4.0
I really enjoyed reading this book. I was really in the contemporary mood and this was the perfect book. I didn't want anything too heavy, and so again, this was perfect. This story is so much more than just two girls switching lives for a summer. I thought that the character development was great and I really enjoyed reading about each of their individual journeys. There was times when I would get a bit antsy (because each chapter switched back and forth between the two girls) and so at times I wished that I could just jump ahead to which ever story I was finding more interesting at the time. Later, I started to get over that and was enjoying both stories though. I thought that there was going to be a bit more of a build up, some might say that it was a tad anti-climatic, but I still enjoyed it all the same. It was a very enjoyable read.
sc104906's review
4.0
Sloane Emily Jacobs is a washed up figure skater who is trying to get back into the skating world. However, her personal problems are beginning to affect her performance on the ice. She has been sent to a camp in Canada to work on her skills.
Sloane Devon Jacobs is a hockey player from Philly. Her anger problems are getting out of hand and her coach has benched her. Sloane Devon has been sent to hockey camp in Canada to prove that she work through her issues and become the player that she used to be.
In classic parent-trap style, Sloane Emily and Sloane Devon meet up and decide to switch places. Both attempt to run away from their problems, but they soon learn that life's problems aren't easy to run away from.
Sloane Devon Jacobs is a hockey player from Philly. Her anger problems are getting out of hand and her coach has benched her. Sloane Devon has been sent to hockey camp in Canada to prove that she work through her issues and become the player that she used to be.
In classic parent-trap style, Sloane Emily and Sloane Devon meet up and decide to switch places. Both attempt to run away from their problems, but they soon learn that life's problems aren't easy to run away from.
haia_929's review
3.0
This is a trimmed down version of my review, to view the full review visit The Book Ramble.
I am a huge fan of Lauren Morrill's first book Meant to Be. So, when I came across this book by Morrill at work I was really excited. I was expecting a lot of cute moments, and heart squinching, swoon worthy moments. Unfortunately, I didn't get any of that. This book, about two girls who change places at separate summer camps, is something of a solitary journey which means it lacks what Morrill proved was her strong point in Meant to Be, chemistry. This book lacks that entirely, which is really disappointing. This book replaces it with solitary journeys of self discovery, which are really good, but they just can't fill the void where all that chemistry should be.
Sloane Emily Jacobs is a figure skater. She is also the daughter of a senator, and her family is falling apart around her. Her brother is trying to escape, her mother is ignoring everyone's problems, and her father is possibly cheating on her mother. Sloane Emily hasn't skated in 2 years, ever since her massive failure at a junior skating competition. All of this builds up a pretty deep and pretty interesting character. It's all quite well developed. I enjoyed Sloane Emily's story because there was a lot of avoidance and building up to the scandal her father has made. Out of the two Sloanes, I often preferred Sloane Emily because she seemed slightly less judgemental, which left her sounding a lot less bitter.
Sloane Devon Jacobs is a hockey player. She is the daughter of an alcoholic mother who has been charged with DUIs and is currently in rehab. Ever since her mother was taken away Sloane Devon has been totally off her game. She gets sent away to deal with her own anger problems at hockey camp. I found Sloane Devon's story a little less well developed, though towards the end it certainly had some much needed development. I didn't like Sloane Devon's voice as much because it got pretty judgmental at times.
The alternating perspectives worked well. The two voices are distinct, with Sloane Devon having a much more bitter tone pretty frequently. I found the role reversal to be really fun if a little unbelievable. Overall the plot is a little unbelievable, especially because while the pace is really slow the decision making of the characters is very fast which creates this weird sort of disconnect.
The main problem with the book is the absence of chemistry. Jason and Julia in Meant to Be have such amazing chemistry and I was really expecting similar chemistry from on at least someone in this book. There weren't any interesting relationships in the entire book though. Maybe Andy and Sloane Devon had a somewhat interesting friendship though really undeveloped. The two romantic leads, Nando and Matt, are sort of uninteresting. I think if they had each had separate books and separate stories they would have much better relationships and love stories. Matt and Nando both have interesting backstories but the book doesn't leave much room for these stories to flourish. I think the guys were cute but just lacked the space to shape into someone memorable like Jason.
Overall I just felt there was a lot of potential in the book that wasn't met. The characters were somewhat underdeveloped, the relationships lacked development and chemistry, the plot was thin and inconsistent, the setting was lacking and also inconsistent, and the overall experience was more of a disappointment than anything else. It was a fun read at times but I would recommend reading Meant to Be over this book in a heartbeat.
I am a huge fan of Lauren Morrill's first book Meant to Be. So, when I came across this book by Morrill at work I was really excited. I was expecting a lot of cute moments, and heart squinching, swoon worthy moments. Unfortunately, I didn't get any of that. This book, about two girls who change places at separate summer camps, is something of a solitary journey which means it lacks what Morrill proved was her strong point in Meant to Be, chemistry. This book lacks that entirely, which is really disappointing. This book replaces it with solitary journeys of self discovery, which are really good, but they just can't fill the void where all that chemistry should be.
Sloane Emily Jacobs is a figure skater. She is also the daughter of a senator, and her family is falling apart around her. Her brother is trying to escape, her mother is ignoring everyone's problems, and her father is possibly cheating on her mother. Sloane Emily hasn't skated in 2 years, ever since her massive failure at a junior skating competition. All of this builds up a pretty deep and pretty interesting character. It's all quite well developed. I enjoyed Sloane Emily's story because there was a lot of avoidance and building up to the scandal her father has made. Out of the two Sloanes, I often preferred Sloane Emily because she seemed slightly less judgemental, which left her sounding a lot less bitter.
Sloane Devon Jacobs is a hockey player. She is the daughter of an alcoholic mother who has been charged with DUIs and is currently in rehab. Ever since her mother was taken away Sloane Devon has been totally off her game. She gets sent away to deal with her own anger problems at hockey camp. I found Sloane Devon's story a little less well developed, though towards the end it certainly had some much needed development. I didn't like Sloane Devon's voice as much because it got pretty judgmental at times.
The alternating perspectives worked well. The two voices are distinct, with Sloane Devon having a much more bitter tone pretty frequently. I found the role reversal to be really fun if a little unbelievable. Overall the plot is a little unbelievable, especially because while the pace is really slow the decision making of the characters is very fast which creates this weird sort of disconnect.
The main problem with the book is the absence of chemistry. Jason and Julia in Meant to Be have such amazing chemistry and I was really expecting similar chemistry from on at least someone in this book. There weren't any interesting relationships in the entire book though. Maybe Andy and Sloane Devon had a somewhat interesting friendship though really undeveloped. The two romantic leads, Nando and Matt, are sort of uninteresting. I think if they had each had separate books and separate stories they would have much better relationships and love stories. Matt and Nando both have interesting backstories but the book doesn't leave much room for these stories to flourish. I think the guys were cute but just lacked the space to shape into someone memorable like Jason.
Overall I just felt there was a lot of potential in the book that wasn't met. The characters were somewhat underdeveloped, the relationships lacked development and chemistry, the plot was thin and inconsistent, the setting was lacking and also inconsistent, and the overall experience was more of a disappointment than anything else. It was a fun read at times but I would recommend reading Meant to Be over this book in a heartbeat.
froydis's review
3.0
This was a pretty cute Prince and the Pauper type of story. I would have enjoyed it more if the author had left off the cheesy sit-com ending, though. It was so bad, you could almost hear the laugh-track. And I'm not sure I believe that they really could have switched - I think both sports take more dicipline than the book indicated, and that they wouldn't have been able to achieve what they did if it had been real life. But the story is cute, and the writing is readable. This is a fun, very light-weight read.
missprint_'s review
2.0
Sloane Emily Jacobs isn't sure about her supposed comeback to competitive figure skating. If she can't start landing her jumps and getting triples again her comeback might end up very short-lived. At least the frustrations and pressure of figure skating can give her a chance to get away from her family and pretend she doesn't know the truth about her father's indiscretions or the depths of her mother's oblivion.
Ice hockey is a bright spot in Sloane Devon Jacobs' otherwise dim life. Her mother is gone, her dad is busy, and Sloane might be a little angrier than she should be. Possibly all the time. With hockey as her one and only ticket to a different life, Sloane is in for a big problem when she is suspended from the team right when scouts might finally start paying attention.
One chance meeting for these unlikely named girls changes everything when they swap places for a summer at skating camp. In their efforts to avoid real life both Sloanes find more than they bargained for and possibly exactly what they needed to know in Being Sloane Jacobs (2014) by Lauren Morrill.
Being Sloane Jacobs alternate between Sloane Emily and Sloane Devon's first person narrations with handy headings labeled for each character. The headings are especially handy as, without benefit of external details like Sloane Emily's rich family or Sloane Devon's hard knock hockey persona, the two heroines have a habit of blending together.
The story is perfectly fun and easy to read so long as you can go along with the premise of these girls swapping lives. Being Sloane Jacobs has a vibe very similar to The Parent Trap with rich Sloane Emily and poor Sloane Devon swapping lives but in a cute, non-irritating way that mostly works. It was difficult to understand why--in a world of need-based aid, state schools, loans and merit scholarships--Sloane Devon would have no other option to get to college but for an athletic hockey scholarship although it is also an area outside of my expertise.
Morrill's writing is snappy and moves the plot along (although jarring slang that seemed dated in comparison to the modern story did often turn up) and--when the Sloanes converge--creates a seamless plot with clever moments of overlap as the two girls assess each other. The story here is a fun blend of serendipity, athletics and romance that is ideal for readers who want a dose of sports in their books. Being Sloane Jacobs is definitely a lighter read that will leave readers smiling.
Possible Pairings: Girl Overboard by Justina Chen, Stupid Fast by Geoff Herbach, 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson, Drawing the Ocean by Carolyn MacCullough, Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins, The Shadow Society by Marie Rutkoski, A Map of the Known World by Lisa Ann Sandell, Pivot Point by Kasie West, How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr
Ice hockey is a bright spot in Sloane Devon Jacobs' otherwise dim life. Her mother is gone, her dad is busy, and Sloane might be a little angrier than she should be. Possibly all the time. With hockey as her one and only ticket to a different life, Sloane is in for a big problem when she is suspended from the team right when scouts might finally start paying attention.
One chance meeting for these unlikely named girls changes everything when they swap places for a summer at skating camp. In their efforts to avoid real life both Sloanes find more than they bargained for and possibly exactly what they needed to know in Being Sloane Jacobs (2014) by Lauren Morrill.
Being Sloane Jacobs alternate between Sloane Emily and Sloane Devon's first person narrations with handy headings labeled for each character. The headings are especially handy as, without benefit of external details like Sloane Emily's rich family or Sloane Devon's hard knock hockey persona, the two heroines have a habit of blending together.
The story is perfectly fun and easy to read so long as you can go along with the premise of these girls swapping lives. Being Sloane Jacobs has a vibe very similar to The Parent Trap with rich Sloane Emily and poor Sloane Devon swapping lives but in a cute, non-irritating way that mostly works. It was difficult to understand why--in a world of need-based aid, state schools, loans and merit scholarships--Sloane Devon would have no other option to get to college but for an athletic hockey scholarship although it is also an area outside of my expertise.
Morrill's writing is snappy and moves the plot along (although jarring slang that seemed dated in comparison to the modern story did often turn up) and--when the Sloanes converge--creates a seamless plot with clever moments of overlap as the two girls assess each other. The story here is a fun blend of serendipity, athletics and romance that is ideal for readers who want a dose of sports in their books. Being Sloane Jacobs is definitely a lighter read that will leave readers smiling.
Possible Pairings: Girl Overboard by Justina Chen, Stupid Fast by Geoff Herbach, 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson, Drawing the Ocean by Carolyn MacCullough, Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins, The Shadow Society by Marie Rutkoski, A Map of the Known World by Lisa Ann Sandell, Pivot Point by Kasie West, How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr
sarahonthecoast's review
2.0
Sadly, this very much missed the mark.
This absolutely fell flat for me. I never walk in to a “swapping lives” story expecting too much realism, but this one didn’t even have one toe on the ground. Even if you can suspend all logic and believe that there are two Sloane Jacobs in such close proximity with similar problems, the ease at which they make their decision to switch and the lack of problems they face in trading lives is just silly- and boring. Morrill seemed more preoccupied in setting up romantic situations for the Sloanes than exploring the deeper issues or even how a figure skater and a hockey player could almost seamlessly transition into each other’s sports.
This absolutely fell flat for me. I never walk in to a “swapping lives” story expecting too much realism, but this one didn’t even have one toe on the ground. Even if you can suspend all logic and believe that there are two Sloane Jacobs in such close proximity with similar problems, the ease at which they make their decision to switch and the lack of problems they face in trading lives is just silly- and boring. Morrill seemed more preoccupied in setting up romantic situations for the Sloanes than exploring the deeper issues or even how a figure skater and a hockey player could almost seamlessly transition into each other’s sports.
emjrasmussen's review
When it comes to a reader’s adoration or dislike, few books are created equal. Some books I love, some books I love more, some books I like with a reservation or two, some books I dislike, and some books I hate. Feelings towards books come in a blurry gradient that can be difficult to decipher, but one constant is almost always true: my feelings usually fall significantly more on the positive or the negative side of the scale. However, I occasionally come across a book that gives me such utter mixed feelings that I cannot decide whether to write my review from a positive angle or a negative one. Being Sloane Jacobs is one of these books; it entertained me and annoyed me in equal measure, making it a perfectly middle-of-the-road story.
I will start with the negative: the entire concept of this story is fairly implausible. From the second I read the blurb, I found it difficult to believe that the two Sloanes could actually pull off their Parent Trap escapade, but I decided to give the book a try anyway, hoping that Lauren Morrill could somehow provide a realistic way for the characters to circumvent major obstacles. But instead, the author simply pretends the obstacles do not exist. I understood why no fellow campers recognize either girl—Sloane Emily has not skated in years, and Sloane Devon is a relative nobody—but it seems like a camp coordinator should realize something was off. Even more annoyingly, each girl has a miraculous talent for the other’s sport; after a few extra practices, Sloane Devon is landing double axels and Sloane Emily is impressing college hockey scouts. Yes, they look alike, and yes, they are both skaters, but it makes no sense for their scheme to last as long as it does or for them to pick up each other’s skills so quickly.
As for the positive, Being Sloane Jacobs does a marvelous job of mixing the fun with the serious. Both Sloanes meet undesirable roommates at each other’s camps and pull amusing pranks that left me laughing along with the characters and hoping for more lighthearted conflict. But Morrill also allows the characters plenty of time to reflect on their family issues, which are emotionally crafted and equally enjoyable to read about.
I have mixed feelings about the dual narration; it is the epitome of mediocrity. Sloane Emily’s voice is similar to Sloane Devon’s—close enough that I occasionally forgot who was speaking. However, the girls’ personalities and the camps they attend are different enough to keep the characters distinct and help readers distinguish who is who.
My absolute ambivalence makes it impossible for me to make any recommendation regarding Being Sloane Jacobs, either telling you to read it or telling you to stay away. If the premise interests you, pick it up; you will get a light and fun escape. If you are not intrigued, you can safely skip it without missing any brilliance. But either way, do not be surprised if it leaves you with the unfulfilling feeling of “fine” when you turn the final page.
This review originally appeared at www.litup-review.com.
I will start with the negative: the entire concept of this story is fairly implausible. From the second I read the blurb, I found it difficult to believe that the two Sloanes could actually pull off their Parent Trap escapade, but I decided to give the book a try anyway, hoping that Lauren Morrill could somehow provide a realistic way for the characters to circumvent major obstacles. But instead, the author simply pretends the obstacles do not exist. I understood why no fellow campers recognize either girl—Sloane Emily has not skated in years, and Sloane Devon is a relative nobody—but it seems like a camp coordinator should realize something was off. Even more annoyingly, each girl has a miraculous talent for the other’s sport; after a few extra practices, Sloane Devon is landing double axels and Sloane Emily is impressing college hockey scouts. Yes, they look alike, and yes, they are both skaters, but it makes no sense for their scheme to last as long as it does or for them to pick up each other’s skills so quickly.
As for the positive, Being Sloane Jacobs does a marvelous job of mixing the fun with the serious. Both Sloanes meet undesirable roommates at each other’s camps and pull amusing pranks that left me laughing along with the characters and hoping for more lighthearted conflict. But Morrill also allows the characters plenty of time to reflect on their family issues, which are emotionally crafted and equally enjoyable to read about.
I have mixed feelings about the dual narration; it is the epitome of mediocrity. Sloane Emily’s voice is similar to Sloane Devon’s—close enough that I occasionally forgot who was speaking. However, the girls’ personalities and the camps they attend are different enough to keep the characters distinct and help readers distinguish who is who.
My absolute ambivalence makes it impossible for me to make any recommendation regarding Being Sloane Jacobs, either telling you to read it or telling you to stay away. If the premise interests you, pick it up; you will get a light and fun escape. If you are not intrigued, you can safely skip it without missing any brilliance. But either way, do not be surprised if it leaves you with the unfulfilling feeling of “fine” when you turn the final page.
This review originally appeared at www.litup-review.com.
readingundertheradar's review
4.0
Go check out my full review here! http://www.happybookloversblog.com/2014/02/being-sloane-jacobs.html
After a mishap with my Kindle—the book deleted literally in the middle of me reading it and I panicked and ran around for about a day in distress because I was loving this so much—I finally finished this one. Basically I finished it with a gigantic smile on my face.
That was the general feel of the whole book. First of all, I LOVE hockey. I love the sport, I love stories about the sport, I love the fighting and the jerseys and the guys, and I love it all. So I was stoked when I realized that was half the book's focus (I don't like reading the backs or descriptions of books. I just go for it).
I loved that there were multiple layers to this story, and that there weren't easy answers for some of them. I mean, aside from the whole switching places thing, there were complex issues with each character, and their family lives brought on entirely new challenges for them to face. They learned about dealing with tough roommates and opponents and how to handle it with grace and class (and a few harmless pranks, because you can never get enough of those).
After a mishap with my Kindle—the book deleted literally in the middle of me reading it and I panicked and ran around for about a day in distress because I was loving this so much—I finally finished this one. Basically I finished it with a gigantic smile on my face.
That was the general feel of the whole book. First of all, I LOVE hockey. I love the sport, I love stories about the sport, I love the fighting and the jerseys and the guys, and I love it all. So I was stoked when I realized that was half the book's focus (I don't like reading the backs or descriptions of books. I just go for it).
I loved that there were multiple layers to this story, and that there weren't easy answers for some of them. I mean, aside from the whole switching places thing, there were complex issues with each character, and their family lives brought on entirely new challenges for them to face. They learned about dealing with tough roommates and opponents and how to handle it with grace and class (and a few harmless pranks, because you can never get enough of those).