Review: Being Sloane Jacobs by Lauren Morrill - Winter Sports & Parent Trap

Title: Being Sloane Jacobs
Author: Lauren Morrill 
Publisher: Random House Canada
Publication date: January 7, 2014

Genre(s): Young Adult (Contemporary)

Source: Publisher

Format: Finished Copy

Pages: 352

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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

I went into Being Sloane Jacobs knowing that it is a sports themed (yeay!) contemporary with a parent trap (minus the parents) plot. Initially the pace was a bit slow and I kind of scuffed at the two girls being on the extreme social class spectrum: the rich senator's daughter with a secret of her own and the girl with the absent mother and money problems. Those seem like typical stereotypes in YA books so I was a bit wary. However I have to say I started to get more interested in the novel once both Sloanes met and the planning commenced. I also loved that it was set in Montreal and gave me flashbacks of ice skating movies like Ice Princess! 

Both girls, personality wise, were so different and they had to impersonate the other for a full month. I loved how initially they kind of disliked each other but once they had a common goal, they started to accept the other and even became friends. I wish more YA books focused on friendships, it is such a beautiful thing to witness. Once the girls each went their opposite and separate ways, Sloane Emily to hockey camp and Sloane Devon to figure skating camp, it was fun to read about how they coped with the other's sports (especially since they mocked each other's sports). I found myself reading 100 pages in a sitting, not even realizing i've read this much. I loved the friendships they created with other people, such as Sloane Devon and Aaron as well as Sloane Emily and Cameron. 

The romance, and both love interests in this book aren't really a focus of the book. I can't really say I swooned for either one but I didn't care. I cared more about both girls solving their own problems, the pressure from their families, and finally getting to the point where they realize the reason they started their sports was because they loved and enjoyed doing it. It kind of reminds me of a situation I was in with my schooling and how I finally took a step back and remembered the reasons behind the path I'm on and if it is even the right one. I think everyone nowadays gets caught up with expectations and needing to prove themselves that barely any people do things that they truly love. Sorry for going all serious but I just think that's the message in this book. Both Sloanes might have had to do a crazy thing to finally reach that realization, but I applaud them both for finally deciding to do something about it. I definitely recommend it to YA contemporary fans. I have to say I enjoyed this more than Morrill's previous book Meant to Be.

         Other books by Lauren Morrill:

         Meant to Be