First off, Slingshot has a very similar mood to the books of Jennifer Dugan (Hot Dog Girl & Verona Comics). It is a quirky, off beat and more raw/real kind of a read. If you have read Dugan’s books and loved them this book will probably be right up your alley!

This book did a lot of things really well and there were some moments that were also hard to read for me. Overall it was a fantastic read for me and 4/5 stars. In regards to things it did well I would put character believability, sarcasm and wit, and the story in general felt very realistic. Something that was difficult for me to read was a moment of physical abuse by a parent near the end of the book. I was not expecting that and had to set the book down for a minute to process what I had read.

Okay, so the character believability, if that’s a thing, was incredible. As I was reading this I just kept thinking that these are totally things that teenagers would go through and experience, especially in this private boarding school setting. Each character had a unique voice and personality, but I personally loved our leading lady, Gracie. Reading her thoughts and reactions I could totally and completely see a kid reacting the way she does. The emotions and reactions are so real in this novel that I found myself slipping back into my high school mindset, thinking how I would have reacted to some of these situations.

The wit and sarcasm were ON POINT in this book! Mostly from Gracie but also occasionally from Beth, Wade, Derek and Georgie as well. The quick wit and sass (sometimes incredibly bitchy, but usually on point) was much appreciated as I read through things. There is one moment where the main character, Gracie, talks about how her wit and sass is only there in moments of extreme anger and I could totally relate to that. I am not sure how Mercedes Helnwein writes such great comebacks for her characters but I loved it!

The last thing that I really loved about this was story in general. The story felt very raw and real. These characters and their stories were believable and felt like things that could actually be happening at a school somewhere right now. With this raw and real writing does come the emotional ups and downs for the reader as well. I felt my mood fluctuating and changing as I read these things because it was so real and believable and that bring me into the one thing I had a very hard time reading in this book.

Near the end of the book there is a moment of some pretty severe physical abuse from a parent. I have not dealt with this in my own life, but reading it on the page was incredibly hard. It was very brief, over the course of 4 pages, but it was very real and happens to a character we grow to love as the reader. If you are triggered or suffer from trauma from abuse in your life, this might not be something you would want to pick up for that reason. I think I would have still read it if I had known it was going to happen, but I think it’s important other readers know it going in as well.

Overall, this was a wonderfully written novel and I can’t help but feel like I read someone’s actual life events. If you are looking for a raw and real contemporary novel to read this is it.

It is really tough to know where to start with this one. I loved every damn page of it. The author, Mercedes Helnwein, has this beautiful way of making you fall in love with complex characters that aren’t innately lovable on the surface.
In the middle of the Florida swamp, Slingshot is set in the least glamorous depiction of a boarding school of recent memory. Gracie navigates 24/7 high school, an unconventional family, and romantic pursuits with beautiful sarcasm and wit. I was surprised to find that a literal slingshot makes its debut as an emotional support mechanism, but it created a situation that was the perfect representation of the character that would follow. Gracie is the type of young girl you hope to identify with- badass and unapologetically herself, which is so unique for a teenage protagonist.
Her journey of growth throughout the book is not a typical young adult trajectory, and I think the fresh take, coupled with the unique voice of the author make this a MUST READ.

Mercedes Helnwein’s ‘Slingshot’ is a searing coming-of-age story that has as much humor as it does heartache.

Grace Welles is comfortably numb. Stuck at a boarding school and nursing a crush on her science teacher, she embraces her loneliness fiercely. One day, she happens to save the new kid from getting beat up, and ends up securing a best friend, whether she wants him around or not. Wade Scholfield seems unbothered by Grace’s acerbity, and seems too nice to be real. And, as he continues to be her friend in spite of her moodiness and rude comments? Grace realizes that he just might be the most important person in her life. So when she breaks his heart, for no particular reason, she finally has to grapple with who she is and why she does the things she does.

I’ll be honest when I say that ‘Slingshot’ was a difficult read for me. And not because it wasn’t brilliantly plotted or because it had one-dimensional characters. That wasn’t the problem at all; rather, it was because it’s real. Brutally so. Grace is not initially a “likable” character. You don’t really understand why she does the things she does, and it’s frustrating to be inside her head for most of the novel. But there’s an immense amount of growth that happens throughout the narrative arc, and the Grace at the end of the story is someone I’d want to know. Wade himself is a bit of a cypher, though his bond with Grace feels heartbreakingly real. But I found some of his behavior to be a bit befuddling, especially toward the end of the book.

My one major criticism with the novel is how the ending is left pretty open-ended. Without spoiling any plot points, I’ll just say that I mostly understand why Helnwein ended it how she ended it, but I was left feeling a little dissatisfied. But overall, this is a wonderful debut and I’m excited to see what Helnwein writes next.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I had things I loved about this book and things I really questioned. I loved the premise and think it gave the readers an honest look into the brain of a teenager. The ups and downs and the fake smiles they put on when their brains are scrambled with angst. I felt like it was a secret trip into a place where I wasn't normally privy too. I really struggled with understanding Gracie though. Maybe that was the point, but her actions were at time cringe worthy from an adults stand point. Still, I think this was a great look into the teenage mind and a great read for any high school teacher.

Ugh, my heart, this book was an emotional roller coaster! It did a great job of examining the complex emotions high schoolers feel. It was messy and sweet, rocky and all too familiar. I was a little unsure about Grace at the beginning of the book, but I really got pulled into the book and became so invested in Grace and Wade’s story. I mean, how can you not feel for them as they try to navigate the choppy waters of young love and growing up. And that ending...left me in all my feelings! It’s such a great book and I feel like this would be really good as a movie, too!

I really wanted to like this, but I found the dialogue stilted and unconvincing and I had to bargain with myself to keep reading until finally I couldn't anymore. I'm still not sure what the premise was

I am thinking I just wasn't the targeted demographic for this one. Based on the synopsis and marketing I expected it to be quite different than what it actually was. It was just a bit too cringey for me-I hate to say. Not a fan.

One of the worst romances (?) I've ever read.
Featuring an opening chapter where the 15 year old protagonist is convinced her teacher is her soulmate, and yells at him upon discovering he's engaged.
Um. YEAH. It's a massive yikes from me.

If any of the above was mentioned in the synopsis, which it wasn’t, I would have veered far from this book. Sure, Gracie being in love with her teacher is only a side plot in the midst of the main romance, but it was a very uncomfy aspect to add; one I feel was in no way necessary to her “character development”.

People are going to argue, “this is a book about teenagers experiencing first love and making mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes!” and yes, of course. Except my issues go way beyond the teacher plot recurring throughout the first half of the story.

~★~ What is this book about? ~★~

Gracie is a 15 year old growing more and more fed up with her life. Her father left for an entirely separate family that has no idea she and her mother exist. She attends a boarding school in which she has no friends, (is in love with her teacher while acknowledging that a relationship between them would be both illegal and pedophelic *gag*) and her mother is running low on money. When Gracie accidentally saves the new kid Wade from a fight by hitting his attackers with her slingshot, she gains an unlikely friend. Thus a romance ensues, and Gracie breaks Wade’s heart. She’s forced to undergo a reality check, and discover what she really wants out of love.

~★~

One of the main things that prevented me from enjoying this novel was that none of the characters acted their age. Maybe my high school experience was bizarre, but I’ve never heard 15 year olds curse, smoke, drink and talk about sex as casually as everyone in this book did. The four years of difference between freshmen and seniors is vast, and I think Mercedes Helnwein definitely struggled with finding that separation in maturity. Gracie sounded older than the 18 year old characters during several instances.

There were many other things I didn’t care for, and had a hard time excusing as “teenagers making dumb mistakes”. The most obvious being seniors hooking up with minors 3 years younger than them and cheating where both parties are aware they’re cheating. The word ‘love’ was thrown around too much for my liking, especially with how fast the characters would come to the realization they’re in love or get over the fact that they’re in love.

To be frank, I don’t have the energy left to criticise this book. I wouldn’t recommend it, as nothing inventive or original was presented that you can’t find in other books. There were issues I was not fond of, and it was overall an unfortunate time.

The first thing that caught my eye with this book was the cover, I LOVE the cover art. Really captures your attention!

My favorite book in high school was Catcher in the Rye and this high school coming of age story really reminded me of that, but in modern day - which I was not expecting. I was expecting a very cheesy high school love story - and this is nothing of the sort.

I don't want to give too much away but overall, the story and seeing the characters' coming of age really kept me pulled in. I surprisingly did not see the ending coming as it happened.

Overall, a solid 4 out of 5 stars!

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 3.5 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

Although I almost put this book down a dozen times in the first third, I’m really glad I pushed through and finished it because I actually ended up really enjoying it. Don’t get me wrong, there were so many moments I didn’t like (especially at the beginning). However, Slingshot accurately depicts the messiness of being a teenager and how much one can grow in such a short time.

Grace is resigned to hating everyone in her life and generally being someone who holds others at an arm’s length. Then she meets Wade. They get along so easily and quickly fall in love. However, she breaks his heart (and breaks her own in the meantime), and they both learn just how much first love can hurt.

Again, I really hated the beginning of this book. Like, I genuinely hated it, particularly because the protagonist wouldn’t shut up about how she and her teacher were meant to be (nothing happens between them, it’s entirely one-sided, but it was so irritating to read). I also thought that Grace alternately sounded like a fifteen-year-old and like a fifty-year-old because she would go on these really detailed psychological monologues. Don’t get me wrong, I know that teens contain multitudes but it was really hard for me to reconcile these two into one character. Add on her woe-is-me, “I’m not like other girls” attitude, and I couldn’t stand her.

I actually almost marked this dnf about a dozen times but I continued just because I wanted to see what happens. And I’m glad I did because I ended up really enjoying this book. It’s messy and melodramatic and angsty but it grows on you. So yeah, if you’re reading it and not liking it, I would suggest toughing it out because you may end up liking it like I did.

Grace grew on me; her voice shines off the page and you can’t help but empathize with her by the end of the book. While she’s bratty as hell first, she undergoes a lot of character development. She felt like a real teenager, melodramatic and annoying and angsty, but she grows from her experiences and matures throughout the book.

I also really loved Wade! He is incredibly caring and genuinely loves Grace. I also liked Beth, Grace’s friend who’s a senior. It was nice to see that, while she idolizes her, she is sure to tell Grace that she’s a normal person who just seems “cooler” because she’s older. I even ended up liking Derek even if he’s the worst for so much of the book.

I’ve read a couple of comments pointing out that this book talks about sex when the protagonist is fifteen. I don’t think there’s nothing inherently wrong with this, especially because there’s nothing super explicit. I actually liked that the book says on-page that losing your virginity doesn’t have to be a magical experience and that you don’t have to be emotionally beholden to the person you first have sex with. It’s honest and messy, yes, but it’s realistic. I’m very up-front about pointing out how there is no one, true “teenage experience,” so this is just another “version” of being a teenager, so to speak.

Slingshot is unflinchingly messy and angsty and melodramatic, as only a teenager can be. It’s not perfect by any means; I do wish there would have been parts that had been cut or changed. (For one thing, I wish they hadn’t comped to Rainbow Rowell and Mary H.K. Choi, who both write books with much older protagonists.) Overall, though, this book shows what it’s like being a fifteen-year-old navigating a world of sex and first love.

Oh my goodness, how the confusion, hormones, and just plain confusion that are the teenage years was so well captured in Mercedes Helnwein’s Slingshot.  Even the way that we just end up one day waking up and suddenly, without any clear reason, are suddenly handling life a little better at 16 than we were at 15 was really well captured.  The story itself was heartbreaking at times, with two compelling main characters who are very engaging.  The plot is fairly simple: girl meets boy, etc. etc., many life lessons are learned and we all grow up.  The ending took me by surprise, pleasantly so.  I mean, it’s not to say that I don’t enjoy a good happily-ever-after type book, but I feel many of them are too perfect, too color-in-the-lines, by-the-book.  This one, well, suffice to say that although the life circumstances of the main characters are quite unique, the messiness will resonate with many a reader.  A quick and thought-provoking read.

Received a Netgalley ARC in exchange for an honest review.

<b><i>TW: abuse</i>
Please be safe while reading it!</b>

I had mixed feelings while reading this book. One moment I would feel like I’m finally enjoying it and then the next I’d dislike it again.

Okay, but what is it actually about? <i>Slingshot</i> is told through our main character, Gracie Welles’s, pov. Gracie goes to a boarding school, and, as you’ll find out in the second chapter, her home life is far from perfect. Long story short, one day while skipping class she comes across a new kid (Wade Scholfield) who is being bullied and she uses her slingshot, which she carries around for luck, to save him. At first she doesn’t like Wade but eventually they become friends and develop feelings for one another.

Now, let’s dive into my thoughts!

<b><i>What I didn’t like:</b></i>

➵ <b>Our main character (Gracie Welles):</b> She’s the epitome of “I’m not like other girls” and was honestly just a straight up bitch throughout the whole book without any reasoning. She also came off as really whiny and was really selfish. She also had like 0 redeeming qualities.

➵ <b>The language used:</b> Now I’m not a saint and I do swear but the book is marketed as young adult, which means it’s for 13 year olds and older. But the author used language I’ve read in New Adult books. Some examples are: cum and cunt. I just personally don’t think that those words should be used in a book that 12/13 year olds are going to be reading.

<b><i>What I liked:</b></i>

➵ <b>The side characters:</b> It’s sad, but it’s true.The side characters were the only interesting part about this book. Beth and Derek (two seniors) were really complex and fascinating characters to read about and whenever they were in a scene with Grace I actually started to care. I just wished they had more scenes (especially Derek).

➵ <b>Wade Scholfied:</b> He was adorable! Sure, he came off as cheesy in some scenes but overall I really liked him. He’s such a soft, gentle, kind-hearted soul and he just deserves the world.

Overall, I’d give this books 2.5 stars because there were some aspects of it I genuinely enjoyed.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Slingshot by Mercedes Helnwein.

Grace is a fifteen year old girl who attends a boarding school and has a huge chip on her shoulder, mostly due to her loneliness and frustration. She's in love with one of her teachers, and everyone else around her is an idiot. But then she "rescues" the new kid Wade by hitting his bully with her slingshot, and everything changes. Maybe life isn't so terrible when you have a person.

This is one of those YA books, that had I been seventeen, I would have stayed up all night reading, with a thumping heart, experiencing all the feels. As a grumpy grownup, I felt like I spent way too much time reading a teen saga that kind of went nowhere? Except that it did if you're young. Because romances that go nowhere are par the course for young people. They're figuring things out, falling in and out of love, having ridiculous fights, and acting way too dramatic. I fully embrace that, but now that I'm way past it, I just don't need to read so much about it, and this was a pretty long novel.

It did address some serious issues, including child abuse, so fair warning. But I felt like the author handled it well.

Slingshot is the story of Gracie and Wade, and how they navigate their relationship during their sophomore year at a private boarding school. It’s really hard to review their story without giving a way any spoilers, so I’ll try not too, but man this story reeled me in at the beginning. I love, love Gracie even though she has issues. She reminds me of someone very dear to me, whose on the spectrum and everything Gracie did I could totally relate because that’s exactly how my friend is. To me the story played out like a 80’s teenage rom com, except the girl fell for the best friend instead of the hunky quarterback and ugh Wade, I wanted to wrap him up in the biggest hug ever. I loved everything about this story but the end, don’t get me wrong it was a good ending so I don’t fault the author but the ending that I had in my head was totally better for me. LOL I would recommend this story to anyone.

This was the epitome of adorable. I wish I had been able to get my hands on this exact book at 15. It’s one of those books I appreciate for the nostalgia of making the younger me inside thrum happily. And that’s a brilliant feeling. I’m so glad I got to get my hands on this!

I enjoyed how this story started, but the high-school melodrama was too much for my tastes, and I couldn’t bring myself to finish reading. However, for those who enjoy reading about teenagers sorting through the consequences of their actions at a time of life when everything feels like the biggest deal, you’ll like this.

I have never read a book quite like The Slingshot in all of my years of reading YA coming-of-age stories. This emotional-rollercoaster of a novel follows Gracie, a high school student at a Florida boarding school, who strives to have no friends until she accidentally joins forces with new-kid Wade by defending him from bullies with a slingshot. The story that follows is messy, heart-wrenching, and every bit as melodramatic and embarrassing as real-life teen experiences. Fans of John Green, Rainbow Rowell, and unreliable narrators will find this book impossible to put down. Gracie is a fascinating narrator with an active inner life and a truly impressive character arc despite her outward hostility toward most of the other characters. Wade, her best-friend/love-interest/savior-of-her-life is wonderfully compelling and sympathetic; his charm, openness, and tragic home life all make the reader fall in love with him right alongside Gracie. The interesting thing about this novel, though, is how a stereotypically "unlikable" character like Gracie, who makes wrong decisions at every turn and is actively rude to everyone around her, can make the reader root for her so hard. I think Gracie has something every person has in high school--a big, messy, uncontained heart under a heavy layer of sarcasm-as-defense. My only critique of this book is its ending, which too closely mimics that of Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor & Park--down to minute plot details. That, and it was difficult to read for someone who was also an emotionally-volatile, unhappy teenager. Still, the way Slingshot deals with loneliness, sex, "fitting in," and bigger questions about family and love is truly mind-boggling. I will be thinking about this book for a long time, and I don't think any reader will be able to forget it.

For being a debut for this author, it’s rally great. I didn’t want to stop reading it. Definitely buying a copy. I loved getting to know Gracie and who she is and how she evolved through the book. I like that we automatically knew Gracie was easily infatuated with men because of her hot teacher. But Wade is such a great compassionate person, I love how comfortable they are with each other almost immediately! Both were so real with each other and I appreciated that. Reason why I didn’t give it a 5 stars is, I don’t understand why Derek had to get intimately involved with Gracie. Why couldn’t they stay just be friends or the “enemies” they once were.

I really disliked this book especially the main character. She didn't care about anyone, from the vibe she gave off, yet cared enough about one girl's advice to go ahead and nearly destroy a relationship with a faithful friend. Made no sense and just makes you angry. I realize the main character is a troubled teen who has gone through a lot. But the story was just off and felt much more like a train wreck. I skipped around toward the middle of the book to see how the story turns out. Yet cannot recommend this story at all.