Title: Slingshot
Author: Mercedes Helnwein
Publisher: Panmacmillan
Length: 334 pages
Synopsis: Grace Welles has resigned herself to the particular loneliness of being fifteen and stuck at a third-tier boarding school in the swamps of Florida, when she accidentally saves the new kid in her class from being beaten up. With a single aim of a slingshot, the monotonous mathematics of her life are obliterated forever… because now there is a boy in it that she never asked for. Wade Scholfield. With Wade, Grace discovers a new way to exist. School rules are optional, life is bizarrely perfect, and conversations about wormholes can lead to make-out sessions that disrupt and logical stream if thought. So why does Grace crush Wade’s heart into a million tiny pieces? And what are her options when she finally realises that 1. The universe doesn’t evolve around her, and 2. Wade has been hiding a dark secret? Is Grace the only person unhinged enough to save him?
Look, is this a bad book? No absolutely not. Is it a great book? No absolutely not. Is this book pretty meh? Yes, yes it is.
I need to talk about the main character, Gracie, who in the first 100 pages is so annoying. Extremely annoying. She made me want to put the book down and never pick it up. She’s got such a bad attitude, and I know she’s meant to, and I can tell the other characters find it charming but as a reader I absolutely do not. And I think she’s meant to get better as the book progresses but again, nope.
Now lets talk about the romance or romances? I guess it’s actually a sort of love triangle. And I don’t get it. Why are these two boys in love with the her? One of the romances is actually pretty sweet, but it did happen very quickly. It definitely feels very shallow. And the other one just has no connection for me, it is more of a boy being in love with Gracie and she doesn’t feel the same but I’m still sitting here saying why are they all obsessed with her??
Here’s the thing, there isn’t much of a plot to this book. It’s all about finding your first love and having all those experiences. Maybe it’s because I’m too old for this kind of book, but it needs more! I didn’t believe the romances and the book sort of depends on them.
Like I said this isn’t a totally bad book, I just think to myself am I going to remember anything about this book in two weeks? I won’t, there’s so much brilliant young adult books out there at the moment with fantastic, important messages and this isn’t one of them.
Thank you so much to panmacmillan for my copy of this book in return for an honest, unbiased review, it’s out April 29th.
Until the next review
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