Thursday, April 5, 2012

Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen




Flipped.jpg
"And as I read down the list of over one hundred and fifty eight-grade boys, I realized that to me, there had only ever been one boy.” 



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.













Even though I'd had this book on my bookshelf for a while, I hadn't actually read it. (I was planning to—really, I was.) But it was Amanda @ Born Bookish's review that finally made me pick it up.


When I sat down to write this, I realized if I started raving about how good this book was, I might not stop.

Honestly, I just fell in love with this book: with Bryce and Juli and their families and their lives. This is the kind of book that I wanted to re-read when I wasn't even finished reading it. This is the kind of book that I know I'm going to read over and over because I genuinely love the story and the characters and everything about it.

So I'll try to break down my thoughts for you. What I think hooked me at first was the character's voices. The story isn't just the things that happen but the way that it's narrated. I could read a thousand books from Bryce and Juli's point of views and still want to read more. And the he-said, she-said style is brilliant. I've read books in this style before and I completely hated the way it was done. The way they both saw every event that happened was completely different, because they were two completely different characters with two completely different perspectives. The author pulled it off so well.


I am full of way too much general amazement at this book to find anything negative about it. The five hearts up there say it all.

As it obviously doesn't need to be stated yet again, I love this book, and I can't recommend it more. I'm off to see the movie!

Read more reviews for Flipped at:



24 comments:

  1. I completely agree with you; this book is adorable! Have you watched the movie, Cheyenne? It's pretty good and sticks closely to the book. I definitely recommend watching it.

    Thanks for stopping by my blog and linking to my review!

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    1. I haven't seen the movie, but I'm planning to now! I've heard that it's a very accurate book-to-movie representation, so I'm excited for it!

      Adorable is exactly how I would sum up this book.

      You're welcome! Thanks for commenting! (:

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  2. Reading this made my day!! =) I'm so glad you enjoyed Flipped as much as I did!

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    1. Hahaha, I'm glad my review did that! Thanks again for your great review of Flipped! (:

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  3. You have to see the movie, it's wonderful in its own right!

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    1. There are so many great reviews for this movie; I seriously need to see it because I'm terribly behind on the craze over it!

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  4. Omg, i loved this book! It was so cute (:
    Check out the award we nominated you far, by the way?
    http://characterized.blogspot.com/2012/04/sunshine-award-nominated-nominees.html

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    1. Haha, I think it's such an adorable book!

      Oh, I'll go check it out right now! ;)

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  5. I've seen the movie. It is adorable! I need to read this book now too. :o)

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    1. Alright, I am going add it to my Netflix right now—there are way too many good reviews for it! I've got to see it.

      Thanks for stopping by! (:

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  6. I didn't even know this was a book until recently. I saw the movie and it was the cutest thing ever. I loved it. Some great actors in it, too! I will have to read the book now because it's always better than the movie.

    Heather

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    1. Haha, I loved the book, so I definitely recommend it. I can't wait to see the movie!

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  7. I haven't heard of the book or the movie version! I definitely want to read this now!

    Thanks for stopping by my blog. That go me over here to see this review! : )

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    1. You should definitely check it out. (:

      Thanks for visiting my blog!

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  8. I read this book a while back... can't really remember it much now, but I do remember loving that little chick on the cover, and the way it was upside-down :P

    Misa
    The Magic Attic Book Blog

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    1. I like how well the cover integrates with the story line...you should definitely reread it! (:

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  9. SO glad to hear this is good. I've been eyeing the audio.

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    1. You should definitely get it! I completely loved it. (:

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  10. I adore this cover! I'm glad to hear you liked it. I need to give it a try.

    Thanks for following my blog. I'm following back :)

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  11. Hello!

    I actually watched the movie adaptation of this and LOVED it (so much so, I went and bought the book).

    I have only read the first few pages of the book, but already I'm enjoying it.

    I hope you like the movie :)

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    1. I hope you end up enjoying the book just as much as you loved the movie!

      Thanks for stopping by!(:

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  12. I REALLY REALLY REALLY want to read this! Last summer (or the summer before...or A summer) I was on holiday in the US and I saw the movie trailer for Flipped, and I really wanted to see it, and I was really dissapointed when I got home to realise it wasn't going to be released in the UK! It looks SO sweet, and I can't wait to read the book now!
    Catherine :)

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    1. Oh, that must have been a bummer. I can't recommend the book enough! (:

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