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stressejesse's review against another edition
1.75
technically a reread since I read this in high school, forgot how it ended (or if I finished it originally), then saw it in a secondhand bookshop so picked it up out of curiousity to reread something I read as a teenager.
I can see why it appealed to me as a teenager, but it's very 2011.
the only time a Black character is mentioned as being Black is when the narrator remembers when bullies called him the n-word, which came out of nowhere and could've been done literally any other way
after a 22-year-old character has been lowkey stalking the 14-year-old protagonist (bc he's also dealing with a bodyswap situation and is about to become a mentor figure to him), this interaction happens:
"He was just along the carriage from us. I thought it was me he had the hots for but looks like it's Philip."
"Teri, please, that's disgusting."
"What is, Mum? The gay thing or the under-age thing?"
and then the subject is changed. but don't worry, later on in the book, that character confirms that he's actually straight. I hate that this was the only mention of gay people I got when I was in school y'know?
also, the love interest has an eating disorder (anorexia I think), and that's brought up in a "ew, you have a crush on the anorexic girl? gross" kind of way, and then never addressed beyond that for the rest of the book. the protagonist punches the dude who said it, but it comes across as more of a reaction to bad-mouthing his crush in general rather than a reaction to specifically making fun of her eating disorder.
anyway, the plot had a cool premise - a bodyswap where it's not a 1-to-1 switch, since their original bodies usually die. it dragged as it went on further tbh and it's very much dated now, and I feel like I probably DNF'd it as a teenager the first time around
I can see why it appealed to me as a teenager, but it's very 2011.
the only time a Black character is mentioned as being Black is when the narrator remembers when bullies called him the n-word, which came out of nowhere and could've been done literally any other way
after a 22-year-old character has been lowkey stalking the 14-year-old protagonist (bc he's also dealing with a bodyswap situation and is about to become a mentor figure to him), this interaction happens:
"He was just along the carriage from us. I thought it was me he had the hots for but looks like it's Philip."
"Teri, please, that's disgusting."
"What is, Mum? The gay thing or the under-age thing?"
and then the subject is changed. but don't worry, later on in the book, that character confirms that he's actually straight. I hate that this was the only mention of gay people I got when I was in school y'know?
also, the love interest has an eating disorder (anorexia I think), and that's brought up in a "ew, you have a crush on the anorexic girl? gross" kind of way, and then never addressed beyond that for the rest of the book. the protagonist punches the dude who said it, but it comes across as more of a reaction to bad-mouthing his crush in general rather than a reaction to specifically making fun of her eating disorder.
anyway, the plot had a cool premise - a bodyswap where it's not a 1-to-1 switch, since their original bodies usually die. it dragged as it went on further tbh and it's very much dated now, and I feel like I probably DNF'd it as a teenager the first time around
brandypainter's review against another edition
3.0
Originally posted here.
Ever Wake Up in Someone Else's Body? That is the tag line for Martyn Bedford's Flip. The body switching concept is nothing new. Sometimes it is done in a comedic fashion, sometimes in a creepy thriller fashion. Bedford's novel is closer to the creepy thriller side, but it is mostly a story about a boy named Alex who wants nothing more than to have his own life back.
Alex, an asthmatic awkward teen, wakes up one morning in the body of a much better looking athletic boy. Here is what I liked most about Alex: he was terrified and confused and never once went through a, "I'm going to live it up and do whatever I want because wow look at me now" phase. He begins merely trying to survive as Flip while figuring out what happened to him, Alex. He does take advantage of the fact he has a girlfriend to gain some kissing experience, but even this is done thoughtfully. He knows he doesn't like the girl at all. Despite Flip's family being wealthier, Alex misses his own family because his memories are with them and he knows they love him. He misses making music with his clarinet and playing chess with his best friend. This makes Alex sympathetic and likable, if a little flat as a character.
Through this plot a lot of questions on the nature of the soul and the afterlife are explored. The questions are interesting ones and Alex's frustration with his inability to find clear answers is evident. When Alex is questioning the religious studies teacher at his school we get this: The soul and the mind were not the same thing at all, in his opinion. Although, he had to point out that different faiths had different ideas about the nature of the soul-and the mind for that matter-and given that they were both abstract concepts, none of us could say with any certainty...and so on. As for where souls went at death and how they got there, Mr. McQueen set off on another global tour of belief systems tying himself in knots in his attempt not to set one particular theory above any other. Little wonder Alex was frustrated. As much as I appreciated the humor and accuracy in this paragraph I couldn't help but hear the author's voice intruding into the narrative. There are a couple of other places where I got the same impression. The quest for answers is an interesting thread in the plot but is buried under the dramatic conclusion (which was certainly riveting and well written) so nothing is ever completely explained. I rather liked this element, but people who like their stories all tied up in the end will not.
The story is fast paced and interesting and Alex's voice is very genuine teen boy. I would certainly recommend this one to those I know looking for such a book.
Ever Wake Up in Someone Else's Body? That is the tag line for Martyn Bedford's Flip. The body switching concept is nothing new. Sometimes it is done in a comedic fashion, sometimes in a creepy thriller fashion. Bedford's novel is closer to the creepy thriller side, but it is mostly a story about a boy named Alex who wants nothing more than to have his own life back.
Alex, an asthmatic awkward teen, wakes up one morning in the body of a much better looking athletic boy. Here is what I liked most about Alex: he was terrified and confused and never once went through a, "I'm going to live it up and do whatever I want because wow look at me now" phase. He begins merely trying to survive as Flip while figuring out what happened to him, Alex. He does take advantage of the fact he has a girlfriend to gain some kissing experience, but even this is done thoughtfully. He knows he doesn't like the girl at all. Despite Flip's family being wealthier, Alex misses his own family because his memories are with them and he knows they love him. He misses making music with his clarinet and playing chess with his best friend. This makes Alex sympathetic and likable, if a little flat as a character.
Through this plot a lot of questions on the nature of the soul and the afterlife are explored. The questions are interesting ones and Alex's frustration with his inability to find clear answers is evident. When Alex is questioning the religious studies teacher at his school we get this: The soul and the mind were not the same thing at all, in his opinion. Although, he had to point out that different faiths had different ideas about the nature of the soul-and the mind for that matter-and given that they were both abstract concepts, none of us could say with any certainty...and so on. As for where souls went at death and how they got there, Mr. McQueen set off on another global tour of belief systems tying himself in knots in his attempt not to set one particular theory above any other. Little wonder Alex was frustrated. As much as I appreciated the humor and accuracy in this paragraph I couldn't help but hear the author's voice intruding into the narrative. There are a couple of other places where I got the same impression. The quest for answers is an interesting thread in the plot but is buried under the dramatic conclusion (which was certainly riveting and well written) so nothing is ever completely explained. I rather liked this element, but people who like their stories all tied up in the end will not.
The story is fast paced and interesting and Alex's voice is very genuine teen boy. I would certainly recommend this one to those I know looking for such a book.
paperbackmo's review against another edition
4.0
Pretty good book to be fair. Felt like the story-line actually moved, and it's not your normal 'body switch' story, which made it much more interesting to read. Overall 4/5 :)
literatetexan's review against another edition
2.0
I rarely give books two stars, because usually if I dislike a book, I put it down after about 50 pages. So this is better than most two star books, because it was compelling enough (barely) to finish. The premise is that a teenage boy wakes up in someone else's body one morning. At first, he doesn't understand what's going on, but eventually he does some Internet research and meets some other people who've experience the same phenomenon. I won't spoil the book by explaining how the plot turns out, but it's predictable and not especially interesting. You might enjoy this book, but it fell flat for me.
criticalreader's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
Interesting take on concept. Liked the ending. Main character however did irritate me on several occasions with his recklessness.
Interesting take on concept. Liked the ending. Main character however did irritate me on several occasions with his recklessness.
addictiontofiction's review against another edition
5.0
Thought provoking, deep and so intense I couldn’t put it down
Psychic Evaluation. It’s an area I’ve not ventured into before, nor have I ever given it a thought. But this book, threw me into the deep end and watched to see if I’d sink or swim.
In many ways it’s easy to relate to the main character (Alex-Phillip); we’ve all felt that sense of not belonging, of feeling alienated in a familiar environment. But the journey he undertakes as he learns to become Phillip is full of emotion, epiphanies and inspiration.
This book truly stopped me in my tracks and wouldn’t let me go until I’d learned the outcome. My one criticism is that it gets a bit muddled and winded at the end but I still really enjoyed it!
Psychic Evaluation. It’s an area I’ve not ventured into before, nor have I ever given it a thought. But this book, threw me into the deep end and watched to see if I’d sink or swim.
In many ways it’s easy to relate to the main character (Alex-Phillip); we’ve all felt that sense of not belonging, of feeling alienated in a familiar environment. But the journey he undertakes as he learns to become Phillip is full of emotion, epiphanies and inspiration.
This book truly stopped me in my tracks and wouldn’t let me go until I’d learned the outcome. My one criticism is that it gets a bit muddled and winded at the end but I still really enjoyed it!
demonicwitch12's review against another edition
Beautiful
A great read for anyone! A great view on what happens to soul sometimes and the ways other people view them! And how things may actually be happening but many people are oblivious to to!
A great read for anyone! A great view on what happens to soul sometimes and the ways other people view them! And how things may actually be happening but many people are oblivious to to!
stuhlsem's review against another edition
3.0
This book was completely ridiculous, starting with the tag line on the cover: Ever Wake Up in Somebody Else's Body? My answer: no.
It definitely wasn't bad, but it also wasn't great or especially special, I thought.
A nerdy, chess playing, asthmatic kid wakes up in the body of some guy across the country who is exactly the same age but otherwise completely different. Alex plays the clarinet, plays chess, and gets winded walking across the street. Philip (Flip) smokes, has two hot girlfriends, and plays just about every imaginable sport. As Flip, Alex manages to lose both girlfriends, actually befriend his (Flip's) sister, and find a website for other people whose souls have taken up residence in somebody else's body. The founder of the website (who is kind of a huge loser, though Alex can't seem to recognize that) comes to "help" Alex get used to his new body. Alex, however, really wants to get back to his body, even though it turns out he's in a coma (persistent vegetative state) back in his hometown. He does figure out how to switch bodies back, and then, ta da! happy ending.
It definitely wasn't bad, but it also wasn't great or especially special, I thought.
A nerdy, chess playing, asthmatic kid wakes up in the body of some guy across the country who is exactly the same age but otherwise completely different. Alex plays the clarinet, plays chess, and gets winded walking across the street. Philip (Flip) smokes, has two hot girlfriends, and plays just about every imaginable sport. As Flip, Alex manages to lose both girlfriends, actually befriend his (Flip's) sister, and find a website for other people whose souls have taken up residence in somebody else's body. The founder of the website (who is kind of a huge loser, though Alex can't seem to recognize that) comes to "help" Alex get used to his new body. Alex, however, really wants to get back to his body, even though it turns out he's in a coma (persistent vegetative state) back in his hometown. He does figure out how to switch bodies back, and then, ta da! happy ending.