I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Being Sloane Jacobs by Lauren Morrill
Published by Delacorte Press on January 7, 2014
Pages: 352
Format: ARC
Source: the publisher
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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.

Being Sloane Jacobs was an adorable, fun read with amazing characters. I had heard it described as a Parent Trap-esque type of book and I definitely agree with that statement! (Although, with that in mind, I kept picturing both Sloane Emily and Sloane Devon as Lindsay Lohan with dark hair.. O.o)

I really liked Sloane Devon. She was down-to-earth and relatable. Plus, it was extremely entertaining to see a rough/tough hockey player transform into a figure skater. There was something about her story that was more interesting and I was always eager to switch back to her POV. I loved that her love interest was someone she knew from her life, not someone she met in Sloane Emily’s life. It amped up the risk of discovery, of Nando running into someone who might reveal the truth to him – Which… Yeah, just read the book! *Zips lips to prevent spoilers*

Though I liked Sloane Devon more, I still loved Sloane Emily. One thing I really loved about her was the attitude she developed. She was tougher than she first appeared! She refused to let herself be pushed around and often stood up for herself where, in her “old” life, she might not have. I especially loved her physical description of Matt, a hockey player with a bad reputation. It cracked me up!

My absolute favorite character, without a doubt, was Andy, a figure skater Sloane Devon meets. He was hysterical and sassy, with a perfect blend of attitude and loyalty. As the book moves forward, Andy is really there for Sloane Devon, every step of the way. He pushes her and forces her to fight harder, to never give up. I just freaking loved him.

Another significant character in Sloane Devon’s life was Nando. Nando and Matt were very similar characters. Aside from being the love interests for Sloane Devon and Sloane Emily, respectively, they both ended up making false assumptions at the end, refusing to let Sloane Devon and Sloane Emily explain their side of things. That kind of lost them brownie points with me – I hate when a truth is revealed and the character learning the truth makes a dramatic exit without letting the other character explain. It’s just very frustrating! But both guys redeemed themselves in the end.

Ivy was a brat. Melody was a scary pain in the butt. Both both characters played their parts perfectly and you just loved to hate them. I didn’t care about Katinka at all in the beginning, and then she did something awesome at the end that I loved.

Both Sloane Emily and Sloane Devon had harsh family situations. Though Sloane Emily’s situation was more public, both were tragic and upsetting. And though Sloane Emily and Sloane Devon were very different characters, they reacted the same way to their family situations: by running away and trying to forget anything was wrong. They learned, throughout the book, that running away and becoming someone else won’t make your problems go away. In the end, neither family situation was completely resolved, but things were on the mend. I liked that it wasn’t a fairy tale ending with everything suddenly being okay – Family situations like that take time to heal and that was much more realistic.

The only negative with this book was the switchng POV. In the beginning, when the POV switched, the timeline back-tracked a few times so we could see things from the perspective of both girls. It was a little jarring and took me out of the story. And at the end, for the last few pages, the POV switches back and forth like crazy. Again, slightly jarring.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. There were moments that were fluffy and moments that were serious. The dialogue was great. Sloane Emily and Sloane Devon were both pretty hysterical. I would definitely recommend this to readers who love contemporary young adult fiction.