Flipped

The first time she saw him, she flipped. The first time he saw her, he ran. That was the second grade, but not much has changed by the seventh. She says: “My Bryce. Still walking around with my first kiss.” He says: “It’s been six years of strategic avoidance and social discomfort.” But in the eighth grade everything gets turned upside down. And just as he’s thinking there’s more to her than meets the eye, she’s thinking that he’s not quite all he seemed.

This is a classic romantic comedy of errors told in alternating chapters by two fresh, funny new voices. Wendelin Van Draanen is at her best here with a knockout cast of quirky characters and a hilarious series of misunderstandings and missed opportunities. But underlying the humor are two teens in transition. They are each learning to look beyond the surface of people, both figuring out who they are, who they want to be, and who they want to be with.

The first book I am reviewing in the year 2013! This is such a great, magical book! SO many memorable quotes too! 5 stars!!

“She’s the same as she’s always been; you’re the one who’s changed. And, son, from here on out, you’ll never be the same again.” –Chester (Grandad of Bryce)

“I knew we weren’t rich, but I didn’t feel like I was missing anything.” –Juli
“To be held above the earth and brushed by the wind, it’s like your heart has been kissed by beauty.” –Juli

“But every once in a while you find someone who’s iridescent, and when you do, nothing will ever compare.”

“One’s character is set at an early age, son. The choices you make now will affect you for the rest of your life.” –Grandad to Bryce

“The tree’s gone, but she’s still got the spark it gave her. Know what I mean?” — Grandad to Bryce
Bryce, deep within Juli, she’ll always have the love for nature.

“His hair smelled like watermelon.” –Juli !! HAHAHAAH!

“Juli loved that tree. Stupid as it was, she loved that tree, and cutting it down would be like cutting out her heart.” –Bryce

“It’s that way with people, too, only with people it’s sometimes that the whole is less than the sum of the parts.” — Chet to Juli

“… most people don’t look beneath the surface until it’s too late.” –Chet to Juli

“Other people thought it (sycamore tree) was ugly, but I never had. Maybe it was all how you looked at it. Maybe there were things I saw as ugly that other people thought were beautiful.” –Juli

“Nothing new there, but now it really bugged me. Like all of a sudden I didn’t fit in anywhere. Not at school, not at home…and every time I turned around, another person I’d known forever felt like a stranger to me. Even I felt like a stranger to me.” –Bryce

“It was like seeing inside the Bakers’ world had opened up windows into our own, and the view was not a pretty one.” –Bryce

“… I wondered at how much emotion can go into any given day, and thought how nice it was to feel this way at the end of it.” –Juli


I love how positive Juli is despite of every thing that’s happened in her family and between her and Bryce. I don’t think I can be ever like be Juli. I’m doing the best I can though. There are quite a number quotes that’s so memorable that will always have you think deeper of what’s all about. It’s really a great book and adorable.

I really love Bryce’s Grandad, Chet, Juli and Juli’s dad. They probably have the same characteristics that are interesting. They do not look just outside of things but beyond and what’s really underneath. Some people are blind because when they see nice things for their eyes, they want it when it’s actually ugly.

Both Juli and Bryce learned their lessons and I really love the author getting the readers into both side of Juli and Bryce’s perspectives. I can see that they did both learn from each other. For Juli, she learned that it’s only in people you see the beauty but also the nature and before she put everything she is in a person, she gotta have to know him/her very well, not only the outside. The most important is what’s inside, everything that’s beneath the beautiful surface. Juli got that while Bryce, he saw what was really happening in his home – his family. All the haze, fog, mist or whatever that got him blind for years were completely vanished when it dawned on him of what’s Juli to him and all of his life he had been living in a not-real world. Probably a deceptive world. Bryce thought his true friend is Garrett but in the end….what happen? He wasn’t at all.

Here comes Chet, the one who will open their eyes to what they do not see. And he gave good riddles that you have to figure out yourself and I guess he do that so you’ll be even curious.

Simple story that tells a lot about family, true friendships and last but not the least, finding who you truly are and it is not an objective at all, it’s to bring out your uniqueness self. Remember, you are the light of this world. Shine your light and let the whole world see!!