Review: Flipped

When Bryce moved into Juli's neighborhood in the second grade, it was love at first sight... or was it?  Bryce immediately can't stand her; she's freaky, she's dirty, she raises chickens, and she sits in trees for fun.  But love is a funny thing, and in eighth grade their feelings begin to change.  Bryce begins to see how Juli's smarts, odd hobbies, and passions might actually be cool.  And Juli begins to look behind Bryce's adorable blue eyes, and realize just how shallow and empty he can be.

Entertainment: ★★★★

So here's the thing: I loved the first half of this book, seriously.  It was just so adorable.  The second half kind of went downhill a little, though, and it ended on an only-average note.  But overall, it was a cute, fun little read.

And oh, isn't that cover just the wackiest, cutest thing ever?

Plot: ★★

I wasn't in love with the plot, which seemed pretty overly-simplistic.  And a lot of the coincidences were just a little too convenient.  And, well, it just came off as predictable.

Characters: ★★★★

Bryce himself is severly lacking; the only characterization he ever gets, it felt like, was the constant gushing over his eyes and handsome face.  Juli makes up for him, though; she's dynamic, unique, and just interesting.  Also, I really liked most of the side characters.  While Juli and Bryce's school friends seemed a little flat, their family members were really interesting and well-written.

Writing: ★★★

Sometimes, there was a flash of description or narration that had a lot of potential.  But at other times, the writing was average at best.  It was really simplistic, and I got the sense that it was written for a much younger audience.  There just wasn't anything different or unique about the writing style at all to really hold my attention.

End Result: three stars.  A decent book, but not amazingly excellent.