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marieweitzel77's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. I definitely got into the beginning, let the middle drag out a bit and then finished the last 8 or something chapters this afternoon. Its very much a page turner and at least I really didn't know what was going to happen next in the story, until it did happen. I am also a bit disappointed we didn't meet the real Flip in person but the ending was very optimistic and open for the readers own interpretation of events following. This novel makes you challenge your identity, and think about what makes "you, you". I really liked it.
lazygal's review against another edition
4.0
The other "body switch" books I've read recently (Jump and Out of Sight, Out of Mind) have been Message books: the switchee has learned some Great Lesson about their life and are now somehow a changed person. Not so here.
Alex is late getting home, and when he wakes up the next morning, he's in another room... another body... another city... and it's six months later. He's suddenly a relatively popular (two girlfriends!), athletic, not-quite-the-smartest bulb, middle-class boy named Flip, a far-cry from the unpopular, asthmatic, clarinet and chess playing Londoner he was. Of course he's confused, and of course Flip's friends and family are equally confused.
He starts by calling "Mom", and is told by a work friend of hers that he's evil and should never call again. He does some research on the internet and learns that Alex is in a Persistive Vegetative State (aka a coma) and has been since - you guessed it - the night he was late getting home, when he was hit by a car. So of course he heads down to London to see his family and his body, and equally of course it ends badly.
More research, and he learns that there's a group of people on-line who have had similar psychic evacuations, where their soul has jumped into another body after their physical body has died. Problem is, Alex' body is still alive. So now his soul has to figure out a way to get back into his body and to give Flip's body his soul back.
Once you've bought the premise, the book becomes somewhat predictable. Alex/Flip's voice, confusion and actions are all very realistic, and the adults are appropriately sketchy (better than the Peanuts' disembodied mwahmwahmwah voice, but not fully-realized people). Rob/Chris is the weak link, even though he is pivotal to the plot.
Usually this sort of book is for girls, but this one will definitely appeal to boys.
ARC provided by publisher.
Alex is late getting home, and when he wakes up the next morning, he's in another room... another body... another city... and it's six months later. He's suddenly a relatively popular (two girlfriends!), athletic, not-quite-the-smartest bulb, middle-class boy named Flip, a far-cry from the unpopular, asthmatic, clarinet and chess playing Londoner he was. Of course he's confused, and of course Flip's friends and family are equally confused.
He starts by calling "Mom", and is told by a work friend of hers that he's evil and should never call again. He does some research on the internet and learns that Alex is in a Persistive Vegetative State (aka a coma) and has been since - you guessed it - the night he was late getting home, when he was hit by a car. So of course he heads down to London to see his family and his body, and equally of course it ends badly.
More research, and he learns that there's a group of people on-line who have had similar psychic evacuations, where their soul has jumped into another body after their physical body has died. Problem is, Alex' body is still alive. So now his soul has to figure out a way to get back into his body and to give Flip's body his soul back.
Once you've bought the premise, the book becomes somewhat predictable. Alex/Flip's voice, confusion and actions are all very realistic, and the adults are appropriately sketchy (better than the Peanuts' disembodied mwahmwahmwah voice, but not fully-realized people). Rob/Chris is the weak link, even though he is pivotal to the plot.
Usually this sort of book is for girls, but this one will definitely appeal to boys.
ARC provided by publisher.
gschroeder's review against another edition
3.0
This book was interesting because it explored what it would be like if you woke up in someone else's body, only to find that your actual body was in a coma. To make matters worse, no one believes what has happened to the main character, Alex, except some people he meets on an online message board.
I gave this book 3 stars because it was written by an English author, and some of the wording and references were a little confusing. Also, the story got a little repetitive.
I gave this book 3 stars because it was written by an English author, and some of the wording and references were a little confusing. Also, the story got a little repetitive.
fueledbyrobert's review against another edition
3.0
Picked this up on a whim, I liked it. It's a nice take on the whole body-switching idea, and it makes you think. Kept me reading, and the characters were quite well done.The little part at the back with all the different body-swap stories was fun to read.
alittlecupofbooks's review against another edition
4.0
http://alittlecupofbooks.blogspot.ca/2014/06/2014-reads-flip.html
cherylrainfield's review against another edition
5.0
Whenever I read a book that grips me so much that I don't want to put it down, and at the same time I don't want to finish it because then the book will have ended, I want to tell others about it. Flip by Martyn Bedford was one of those books; it's a new favorite. I will be watching out for any future YA books that Bedford writes.
In Flip, 14-year-old Alex wakes up in another boy's body, in another boy's house and life--Phillip Garmond, and six months have passed. Alex can't convince anyone to believe him, and he doesn't know how to reverse it and get back to his own body and life. He just knows that he has to try. And try he does, as he slowly puts the pieces together.
I found myself rooting for Alex through the entire book, intensely hoping that he would find a way to get back to his own body and his own family, and feel once again like he belonged. Descriptions were vivid--of his new bedroom, new house and family--and yet never slowed the story down. It also helped that there were some positive characters who helped Alex, and eventually a few who believed them. It helped me keep reading and keep hoping for Alex to get his life back.
Read the entire review here: http://wp.me/p1yz4O-131
1zee2's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
bibliotechied's review against another edition
4.0
A satisfying addition to the "switched bodies" genre. Alex, a 14 year old boy who lives in London wakes up to discover he is trapped in the body of a 14 year old Northerner six months later., remembering nothing in between. What lifts the book out of the ordinary is the way Alex thinks through the dilemma of his situation trying to work out what actually makes one oneself as he is forced to realize that physical capabilities contribute to personalities. Could provoke very interesting discussion s of the idea of mind and soul. Interesting structure to the narrative and use of backwards font and the title is in itself a good discussion point.