Okay I'm going to be honest I had a REALLY hard time getting through this one. The opening chapter about the main character Grace being certain her teacher was her soulmate, really turned me off. It was really hard to like her after that childish chapter. I know at 15 she is a child but reading about a teacher and student isn't something anyone should enjoy, and it was just really hard to get over. I've picked this book up probably five times but finally made myself finish it. The rest of the story was seemingly just about 15 year olds having sex all the time. I read a lot of YA books and the tone of this one was just way off. It didn't read like a ya book and the character don't seem to act like normal teenagers. The whole book was just kind of icky.

This book wasn’t at all what I thought it was going to be. It was in many ways more real than most contemporary books. It wasn’t cute, it was dirty and gritty and probably considered a coming of age story when I was expecting more of a romcom. The main character is totally strange, but I’ve always been pretty strange and had a hard time making friends because I swear my brain works differently from others and Gracie’s definitely works differently too. I am not a fan of cussing, I know people think it’s realistic, but seriously there are plenty of people who don’t. Personally I often use alternate words. I kind of wish Gracie and Wade had more of a normal home life because you can be different and think differently without having such bad home lives. I really liked some of the insights into how boarding school life sucks more than high school life since you are always stuck with those people and have to eat so you can’t skip the cafeteria all the time.
I thought this book had a Catcher in the Rye vibe and I liked that too.

3/5 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Man if there wouldn’t have been a few aspects of this story it could have been a 5 star.

If you have to like the character to enjoy the book, don’t pick this up.

If you are someone who doesn’t understand or enjoy reading about teens, sex, smoking, and their gross, inappropriate conversations...don’t pick this up.

Let’s start with what I really enjoyed. I loved Wade in the complexity of him. Honestly, if there is one thing I felt the author did a really good job of was creating characters that a really well rounded story, personality. However, it wasn’t always done the best. Sometimes, I was hoping the author would show us more.

Lord I loved Wade.

However, our MC really did how character growth, and realistic character growth for 15 years old. I think I enjoyed this as much as I did because I’ve always loved see how peoples background, experiences have affected the character, Helnwein did this well.

I think that the way this book opened up was too much. I think the author could have shown the MC infatuation with her teacher without her confronting her teacher how she did. I personally felt the author was trying to use this scene as a hook, and I think with a majority of people it will have the opposite effect. It made me dislike the character so for the first 2/3 of the book I was weary.

I think this had the potential.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.


When I first saw this book, I loved the cover! The description and summary were good enough for me, so I decided to give it a try. And, honestly, it was super hard for me to even finish it. If it wasn't an ARC, I would have definitely DNF it. Grace is really, really unlikeable, and part of me kept saying "she's a teenager, it's her phase", but every time she did something that made me annoyed, I couldn't help but dislike her. And I tried to connect with her traumas and problems, but it just didn't work for me. Which, honestly, is a shame. There are a lot of problematic stuff for me as well that made me uncomfortable, like the fact that there's a bunch of teenagers having casual sex at such a young age--and some of them were 18-year-olds having sex with people three years their junior, so, yeah, not a fan of that.


To be honest, it just felt like a waste of my time, and there are simply other YAs out there that are better written and have better characters for you to be fond of.

I was excited to start this book. I had held off until closer to the release date but, as I was trying to organize my Kindle for 2021 reading, I finally decided to just pick it up. And it immediately starts with a cringy storyline. I overlooked it because teenagers are ridiculous and the writing was captivating. Then I kept reading and it got even more cringeworthy. There were a couple of inappropriate jokes. And then there's the fact you're letting a child grow up thinking cheating is normal and okay. I can't sit through it anymore. There's too many other books I'd rather be reading. Unfortunately, this is a massive DNF that I probably won't be picking back up. I hope others find it enjoyable. It just isn't for me. *shrug*

Thank you, Wednesday Books, for providing me with a review copy.

Thank you, Netgalley for providing me a copy of Slingshot in exchange for an honest review.

I thought the cover and synopsis were cute, but the book was anything but.

Grace is not like other girls. Totally different. 100%. Her infatuation and sexual desires for her biology teacher are so disturbing. I don't even know why the author would even make that a plot device when she is underage. I found Grace extremely unlikeable and bland. She was just a terrible person throughout the book. She said, "You had to get the salad option if you weren't a pig". You what?? The writing was not my thing either. It felt like I was reading a checklist or something. Show don't tell? Yeah, there was a lot of telling and not enough showing.

This book wasn't for me, but at least the cover is pretty.

Cringe and eyeroll inducing. Slingshot is a about a girl Grace who attends a private boarding school. kind of have that feel. The story focuses mostly on Grace’s ‘romantic’ relationships and school struggles. It’s not exactly a coming-of-age story but it covers the transitional period from early to late teens, so it does have that feel. The characters were a bit of a mixed bag with some being portrayed realistic and other coming across like caricatures. Absent or clueless adults and parental figures do tend to be the norm in YA but this book took it to an extreme. I kept thinking surely no one could be surrounded by this many horrible adults. Also I feel like the relationship between Grace and her parents required expanding. I think this book is going to be one of those books that’s polarizing it’s either going to appeal completely or not at all. Really not for fans of Rainbow Rowell as it lacks the sincere sweetness usually found in that author’s work.

This book had an excellent premise and and interesting main character! Sometimes I did not understand the MC's choices, but I remembered her young age and how much she had to learn (which happens through mistakes!) Amazing mother-daughter relationship.

Wow. I felt like I was back in high school - I felt like I was right there living out the scenes with Grace. I've felt those things and fought those battles. I definitely enjoyed this one and recommend it to anyone who enjoys YA Romance.

I was really excited to pick up a YA book with a 15-year-old protagonist because I really think there is a need for this age group in the market. And Helnwein is an excellent writer and the premise really intrigued me right away. But I didn't fall in love with the execution. I taught high school freshman in California so I know in reality, sex and drugs and all sorts of dramatics are on their minds, but it was the minority of the students, not the majority. Some scenes made me uncomfortable but not in the way good books should. And it felt like Grace was a little too lost and didn't find herself enough. She felt too old for fifteen and I think the book would've been better received if the main character were a senior instead. Again, I would love to read more of Helnwein's writing, she's talented, this story, unfortunately, was not for me.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Right. This book was a bit all over the place for me if I'm going to be honest. I really enjoyed the writing style and found the MC to be incredibly relatable and her thoughts are just like any other teen. The reason I say this book had me all over the place is due to the fact that it's just SO long and could be condensed. Also, the climax didn't feel very climactic to me? I feel like there should have been more emotions involved at the height of it all.

Saying that, however, it was neatly tied up without tying it all up which I did appreciate as life usually isn't neatly tied up!

Slingshot by Mercedes Helnwein was a fun read and more realistic in digging down into YA emotions than most books I've read. The protagonist in this book was a bit hard on herself and probably served as her own worst enemy. The circumstances of her life were unusual to say the least and the writer introduced us to that life in such a way as to make us almost believe it was normal. But then, young people and teens can live through some unusual and stressful times and not realize that their lives are not ordinary and sometimes even in danger, such as we see with Gracie's friend Wade. I felt the author was able to develop these characters in such a way that we could understand them and care about them. There were many characters in the book that I found interesting and wanted to know more about them. I enjoyed this book from cover to cover and highly recommend it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars.
this book was an emotional roller coaster. the main character is can be very blunt sometimes and they say things that are exactly as they are. tbh the first part of this book kinda make me uncomfortable. but otherwise this book had me tearing up. i love gracie and wade. gracie doesn’t seem to care about what people think of her. and wade is the kindest character i’ve ever met i love him sooo much. i just want to wrap him up in a warm blanket and keep him safe forever.

Hello, bookworms! Welcome to my review of Slingshot by Mercedes Helnwein! This book releases on April 27, 2021. Firstly, I'd like to thank Wednesday Books and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy in exchange for an honest review. Now let's dive into this review!

​This book follows Gracie Welles, who is miserable and bored at her third tier boarding school in Florida. She's come to accept her suboptimal life, but everything changes when she saves a new student, Wade, from getting beaten up by classmates. From that point forward, her and Wade's lives are intertwined as they grow up and explore new feelings, thoughts, and ideas.

I unfortunately didn't enjoy this book very much. The story just didn't resonate with me and I disliked multiple aspects of it. The biggest issue I had with this book was the main character, Gracie. Her personality was exasperating and irksome; she was incredibly rude and had zero respect for anyone. It irritated me how she claimed to be much more mature than her classmates but acted so childish. This book turned me off from the first scene, in which Gracie was crying and yelling at her teacher whom she had a crush on because she learned he was engaged to someone. It was uncomfortable for me to read everything from her perspective because I didn't agree with most things she thought or said. This book did present some self-growth in Gracie, but most of it was packed at the very end. There didn't seem to be a whole lot of improvement until she returned to school for her junior year, and then she was suddenly much more mature.

The main thing I liked about this book was Wade. He was sweet, considerate, and always did kind things for other people. His character was interesting and had depth, and I liked reading about him. He was definitely the highlight of the book for me. I also liked Gracie's roommate, Georgina. Her conversations with Gracie were always really amusing and interesting. I wish she'd been in more of the book; I would have liked to learn more about her.

Two other major problems I had with this book were the abundance of swearing and the unhealthy messages about sex. This might not bother some people, but I personally didn't enjoy reading a book where the characters threw swear words into every single sentence. I'm perfectly fine with some swearing in books, but this was overly excessive. The way sex was presented in this book was also bothersome to me. One of the older girls at school tells Gracie to have sex with someone that she doesn't care about--instead of saving it for someone special so she's not too "emotional." It's also mentioned that characters didn't use protection while having sex. I feel like those aren't great messages about sex for a book to present. This book also touched on important topics like abuse and mental health; however, I disliked some of the ways the book talked about mental illness, like how Gracie said her mom was "insane" numerous times in reference to her mental illness.

That's all for my review of Slingshot. I wish that I'd liked this book more than I did, but unfortunately I only gave it 1 Star ⭐️. Hopefully anyone who decides to pick up this book will enjoy it more than I did!

Slingshot Book Review

A huge thank you to NetGalley and — for allowing me to read the advanced copy of this book prior to it coming out in —

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

While this book starts slow, it does pick up. Initially, when you begin you meet Grace crying in a bathroom after finding out the teacher she has a crush on, is engaged. I won’t lie, at this point, I wasn’t sure where the book was going to do.
However, it didn’t go at all where my mind expected, and I was thankful that this part of the plot seemed to vanish before the halfway point of the book. However, my concerns for this did taint my enjoyment of the first half of the book. I became dubious and unsure if I could finish it until the build-up began of the real romance of the book.
Grace was… relatable, but frustrating. I’m not sure if that’s because of my own age now and wanting to shake her as I’ve been through that heartache. Or if it was simply because she was written to be unconscientious when it came to others. Her idea of herself isn’t at all what others see, and while I loved this in the book, it was also the biggest annoyance when it came to her mistakes.
Wade was likeable, but tormented. As the reader, you don’t figure him out until the end of the book, and then unfortunately he is ripped from us. I think because of the book being told from Grace’s point of view, this is intentional, and I actually feel her acknowledging Wade’s importance in her life was the strongest part of the book and my favourite part.
I feel there were a lot of unexplored threads, such as Grace’s Dad and other family members that would have been wonderful to explore. Instead, we get her staying behind and making a decision which we all knew would come back up later and ruin her happiness. I may be bitter about this. I think more anger should have been there earlier than it does appear, and that would have made for a more interesting dynamic than the ones we were given. I only say this as the book presents itself as something different, and while it achieves this partly, it becomes the “staple YA tropes” instead, which felt like a let down.
Overall I did enjoy the book. Once I realised the student teacher dynamic wasn’t happening, I felt I settled and began to enjoy the plot more. While I wish there were other things added into the plot, the actual storyline was good and enjoyable. It was an easy read, and something different than a lot of boarding school YA books.
I’ll be excited to see more of the authors work later on in their career.

(Review to be posted on blog soon)

I am very surprised I got through this novel.
So we have a main character who opens the story with a fixation on her teacher only to immediately scream at him when she finds out he has a fiancée? I get the taboo idea that books and media are coming out with, but this one is just weird. As an adult reading this book I couldn’t imagine giving this to a young teen and actually being okay with giving them this content.

I hated all the characters. Wade had some good qualities, but other than that I just couldn’t deal with any of them.

I really enjoyed this book. I read some kind of negative reviews mid-way through reading it saying that teenagers didn't really swear that much and it was reminiscent of The Catcher in the Rye. I liked those things about it! I feel like girls don't often get the coming of age stories where they are allowed to be unlikable and angry. The protagonist, Gracie, is very angry and often unlikable. She is at a boarding school where she doesn't try to fit in with anyone and comes from a difficult home situation. The story starts out with her being completely infatuated with her biology teacher and being heartbroken when she learns he is engaged. This storyline might make some people uncomfortable but it is good for showcasing how big and outlandish emotions can feel and nothing inappropriate happens with her teacher. Gracie goes on to make friends and learn about herself while still remaining a challenging and interesting character.

This book was not for me. The story was not that good. The characters had nothing to them. The love story was ... no. This book read as if the main character’s age should’ve been 18+ not 15. This made it difficult and uncomfortable while reading. At 15, I could never imagine speaking the way she did or discussing topics that she did.

The plot of the 15 year old main character acting as if her teacher is her soulmate and getting upset at the man was disturbing to me. It’s slight underlying role through the novel was uncomfortable. A little crush is ok, but full blown thinking you had a shot together? Not for me.

Our main character was rude and disrespectful the entire novel. She never tried to change her ways. She was always rude to those who treated her nicely.

The dialogue that went on between the main character and grown adults was horrible. A grown woman allowing a 15 year old to continue smoking a cigarette in a school bathroom as if no big deal? No. It just was off.

The love story was non-existent at times. I guess they “loved” each other, but nothing was developed enough for me to say a definite answer.

I could not find anything positive about this story and I don’t recommend.

From the start I just didn't connect with this story. Overall it was an OK read, just not for me. I feel like some of my students may enjoy this story but for me, it wasn't what I expected.

This book was really, really not for me. I really didn't like the main character, and the story itself was a big yikes.