Flip by Martyn Bedford - Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists

Apr 01, 2011 Midnight Bloom rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Flip is a unique and fresh YA novel that I had so much fun reading! Drawn to its original storyline, I was immediately hooked to a story that promised to be different... something that would leave me burning with questions as I read and hoping for the best possible outcome for the main character Alex. You don't know how much of a temptation it was for me to not flip to the end of the novel and read the ending just so I could see if the events worked out okay. It was a struggle I tell you!

Imagin...more Flip is a unique and fresh YA novel that I had so much fun reading! Drawn to its original storyline, I was immediately hooked to a story that promised to be different... something that would leave me burning with questions as I read and hoping for the best possible outcome for the main character Alex. You don't know how much of a temptation it was for me to not flip to the end of the novel and read the ending just so I could see if the events worked out okay. It was a struggle I tell you!

Imagine waking up to suddenly find yourself in an unfamiliar home and surrounded by strangers... and then shortly coming to a worse realization that you're not even in own body anymore. For Alex, that's exactly what happens. One night he's fourteen year-old Alex Gray and then the next time he awakens, he's suddenly Philip "Flip" Garamond, a boy the same age living in another part of England. He doesn't understand how six months have passed by nor does he understand why the face in the mirror is no longer his. The only thing he does know is that needs answers to questions that might not be so easily solved... and soon.

Under the circumstances, I think Alex did considerably well as he tried to overcome the shock and horror of finding himself in somebody else's body. He doesn't just stay in bed and wallow in despair for eternity... no, he immediately seeks out ways to try fix things back to normal. Flip's family may be kind and nice, and Flip may be popular at school with his handsome looks and all, but he would do anything to just have his old, more simple life back. It's completely understandable that he's going to have a difficult time even attempting to accept his new life as Flip when all he wants to be is his true self... Alex.

While Alex is the main star of the novel, I thought that the author did a wonderful job creating a great cast of characters overall. Through Flip's friends and girlfriends, we really got more of a sense at just who this boy is that Alex has taken over and how they're so very different... which definitely makes it easy to see why Flip's friends, teachers and family are finding themselves confused in Flip's seemingly odd recent behaviour. I really loved Flip's sister Teri so I kind of wished there were more scenes with her in them since I laughed at almost all of her lines. She loves to tease Flip in a "I'm your big sister so it's my job to make fun of you" sort of way.

Martyn Bedford's debut YA novel Flip is a great read for those looking for something in the way of a thought-provoking psychological thriller! It will surely appeal to both boys and girls in need of a novel that will have your curiosity piqued the entire time you're reading as you wish Alex will hopefully return to his body once again and that it's not already too late! But most of all, Flip will have you treasuring your own family more as you come to realize that well... there's no place like home.(less)

like 4 likes · see review

Dec 01, 2011 Justin rated it 2 of 5 stars

I feel pretty bad giving this book such a low rating, so once I've had more time to think about it I will probably bump it up, at most, a star.

I read the Skinjacker trilogy earlier this year, so the big "reveal" as to why Alex's psyche was in Flip's body seemed derived. It's like every time something was built up, I already knew what was going to happen. I don't want to give myself too much credit here, so I'll give some of that predictability credit to the author, Martyn Bedford, for writing a...more I feel pretty bad giving this book such a low rating, so once I've had more time to think about it I will probably bump it up, at most, a star.

I read the Skinjacker trilogy earlier this year, so the big "reveal" as to why Alex's psyche was in Flip's body seemed derived. It's like every time something was built up, I already knew what was going to happen. I don't want to give myself too much credit here, so I'll give some of that predictability credit to the author, Martyn Bedford, for writing a book so linear that I could see the ending from a couple chapters in.

Ok, that was more harsh than I intended this review to be. I did, honestly, enjoy the beginning of this book, probably until about halfway through. It kept me up all night reading, and I was excited to pick it back up once I could properly keep my eyes open the next day. I was expecting there to be more on Alex coming to terms on being Flip before finding a way to become Alex again; coping with his current life while also working towards his old life. But there wasn't really much of that. Alex went to school as Flip a couple times, but most days he was just psychoFlip so we had to watch him sit on the Internet and interact pointedly with his family. Of course I feel bad judging him of that, because I mostly sit on the Internet and interact (albeit, much more amicably) with my family on a daily basis, but that's not something I want thrown into a book about identity.

It's almost as if this book had no set structure. Characters were going in and out in a series of pointless subplots. We met Flip's best friend and his two girlfriends, but were never given the opportunity to flesh them out. Alex-as-Flip was too unbothered by Flip's life for all but one chapter of the book, so we never got a sense of what Flip was like. And, to be honest, I was much more interested in Flip's life than Alex's. Flip had things going for him before he was inhabited by Alex, and all that shut down and everyone was apparently okay with it. Cricket coaches never raised an eyebrow, his parents ignored him acting differently, his sister accepted the changing dynamic of their relationship, his friends at school (we knew Flip was popular but never really met his friends) didn't even question him. This kid was popular, an athlete, a son, a brother, but none of these things Flip had in his life were even the slightest obstacle for Alex. Even when he was caught by police doing something unspeakably creepy, his parents simply suggested therapy and Alex said no. And that was the end of that conflict.

I know the story is supposed to be about Alex and him attempting to get back to his own body, but I feel wholly unfulfilled. If I were to suddenly wake up one day as someone else, sure I'd freak out at first, but there would come a time where I would have to embrace who I had become, stop panicking, and work on a solution while still keeping the person I was in alive. Alex, as I mentioned before and we're led to believe, didn't have much going for him. Here he is given the opportunity to exist as someone who actually has a life and more than one friend, but he's so hellbent on going back that he doesn't embrace the very opportunity, even before he learned the results of his life-altering accident and was given something to look forward to. It is for this very reason that I didn't feel like Alex learned anything at all. Most stories like these allow the main character to actually learn something, even if it just to appreciate life and the people around you. Alex, unfortunately, doesn't, and it becomes less a story about identity, and merely a story about being in someone else's body for a while and shutting yourself off from the world while you attempt to get back into your own body.

That's the problem with Flip against most of the other YA novels I have read. While other novels are unrealistic, the author writes them in a way that makes you believe that they could actually be real. Even when the same thing happened during the Skinjacker series, it felt like a plausible scenario within the scope of the story. With Flip, it never did. I'm in someone else's body and clearly acting differently in front of my parents and friends and teachers. I go online and search for answers, and it turns out someone with the exact explanation I'm looking for reaches out to me. Then it turns out that they are just a drive away and know what I look like and where I will be on the day they find me. Then after they find me, they mentor me, drive me to the beach with my friends, buy me beer, pizza, etc... I'm never questioned by my parents or friends (who think he is my cousin)...... yea, this actually happens in the book. There could have been more going on behind the scenes, like Alex posting pictures of Flip or his actual locations, I don't know, but the book just got so over-the-top unrealistic that I stopped believing.

And that brings us to the underwhelming ending. It ends in probably my least favorite way any book could end: an email from the main character's point-of-view even though the entire story was told in third person. It was completely out of place and didn't tie anything together. This whole book we are given half of the story, from Alex-as-Flip, and now at the end that's the same thing we are given. No answers as to what has happened otherwise or to anybody else. We don't know, for sure, what any of the unrealistic repercussions are, and trust me, there are quite a few of them that I can't mention because they would be major spoilers. The last few chapters were so frustrating that I couldn't wait for them to finish, hoping that maybe, at the end, everything would come back around. It never did.

Looking back, I was completely dissatisfied with this book, even though I mostly enjoyed it. That aside, I honestly would not recommend it. It became too trivial to read after a while and never really got my interest once the plot really took off. Oh well.(less)

like 5 likes · see review

Aug 08, 2011 Eric rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: scifi, young-adult-fiction, fantasy, mystery, teen

Hmm there isn't much to say about this book that anyone taking a peek here wouldn't already know. It's a nice body snatchers theme and for some reason I kept thinking "Freaky Friday" in my head - even though it lasts for quite a bit longer that both movies in reality (and the pain and torture of the LL remake...)

That said I like this book, I really did, although because the premise required you to suspend so much that when it came round to the end I felt like it just didn't fit. I'm not saying i...more

like 2 likes · see review

Jun 06, 2011 Basma Aal rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-debut-author

Could you imagine yourself, waking up one morning to find yourself in somebody else's body? Yea, well, this is what happened to Alex who woke up in a different body, different family and different life. The book starts with Alex trying to figure what is happening to him. He tried to solve this problem but how could he? What happened to the night before the transformation took place? Who knows?
This book had a new concept to it. All the time I was thinking about the ending. Well, it was nothing l...more

like 1 like · see review

Sep 06, 2012 Beverly rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: 13-16 year olds

Recommended to Beverly by: indiebound.org/next list

Shelves: young-adult-books

For adults, Flip is predictable and cliche. (The only character who knows Flip has been replaced is the dog.) For YA readers, it will be a tense creepy read that will generate some very good discussions on death and after life beliefs. Alex wakes one morning to discover to his dismay and befuddlement that his mind is in another teen's body. Flip is everything Alex is not: popular, athletic, wealthy, narcissistic. Alex struggles to hold on to his authentic self in Flip's world while he tries to f...more

like 1 like · see review

Oct 19, 2011 Ellen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: death, familyissues, medical, music, mysteries, scifi, suspense-thrillers, youngadultbooks

I stayed up until 2 AM reading this book. Not that I don't frequently WANT to do this, but I usually have better sense. This is not your typical Freaky Friday body switch book. It raises questions of true identity; how much of who we are is based on our experiences and memories. Although there are many thought-provoking questions, I think the suspenseful plot will appeal to teens. After all, they can skim some of the parts with less action, which I was tempted to do at times because I wanted to...more

like 1 like · see review

Feb 18, 2013 Hannah rated it 2 of 5 stars

I saw the symmetry within the writing.
The book started off somewhat slow, leading the reader along with the promise of some kind of epic mystic science fiction ending. Instead the text brought me to an ultimate theme; death was hovering throughout the story-line. Just waiting till the end to pounce kind of like Alex armed with a crazy idea and a pillow, with death brings life in some sort of way or another.
I didn't particularly enjoy this book, I like one with more of a plot. All the same, th...more

like 1 like · see review

Jan 10, 2013 Jack Manning rated it 4 of 5 stars

The book flip, written by Martyn Bedford, is an extraordinary book that will leave you waiting at the edge of your seat after every chapter. It was hard for me to put down the book the moment I learned that some guy was in another guys body. There is some more mature parts when he first realizes his penis is different or when he is drinking beer at the beach in the book, or when he had sex with his girl friend. The thing about this book is the fact that the guy inside of Flip's body is not reall...more

like · see review

Oct 12, 2012 Ernie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult-book

Bedford begins with a humorous narrative reminiscent of Freaky Friday: fourteen year old Alex, skinny, chess playing, clarinet playing London boy wakes up in the muscular body of Phillip. Aka Flip, cricket star, school stud, disruptive, uninterested student and living in Yorkshire. And it’s six months later. Supporting this is a splendidly acerbic older sister, Teri, who provides more fun with her commentary on her even more hopeless than usual brother. There are humorous events associated with...more Bedford begins with a humorous narrative reminiscent of Freaky Friday: fourteen year old Alex, skinny, chess playing, clarinet playing London boy wakes up in the muscular body of Phillip. Aka Flip, cricket star, school stud, disruptive, uninterested student and living in Yorkshire. And it’s six months later. Supporting this is a splendidly acerbic older sister, Teri, who provides more fun with her commentary on her even more hopeless than usual brother. There are humorous events associated with food preferences, the chaos of faking his way at school and finding his new Yorkshire family posh in contrast to his working class and altogether tougher London life. Only the family dog suspects that Flip is no longer the consciousness inside his body.
Next the interest lies in how Alex investigates what happened to him (he’s lying in a London hospital in a vegetative state after a hit and run accident). His parents phone is now a silent number, his mother’s work colleague threatens him with the police and his best chess playing friend David also calls the police when Alex, with Flip’s body and Flip’s voice runs away to London to see his real parents and persuade his friend to help him.
The mood is skilfully changed as Flip’s parents, concerned about the changes to their son attempt to support him through his increasingly bizarre behaviour which deteriorates into increased nightmares and rages. After internet searches, Alex finds that he is suffering from “Psychic Evacuation” (PE) and meets a man in his twenties, Rob who attempts to teach him how to live in his new body. The tensions grow as Alex/Flip vacillates between the two personalities, especially when he is attracted to Cherry, who shares his musical interests but is reviled by Flip’s male and female admirers.
The pace of the story is well sustained towards a conclusion that kept me wondering how the writer was going to get out of his own trap. The ending will create much discussion, especially as the writer managed to successfully overcome my disbelief throughout most of the story. Years 9-10 ET
Science fiction, humour, identity, body image, families, friendship, living on the edge, school life, a question of gender.

(less)

like · see review

Jul 06, 2012 Jennifer H rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What would you do if you woke up one morning in someone else's body? Freak the hell out, right? Rant and rave? Cry? Curl up in a ball? Try to go back to sleep? I very much enjoyed the story in this book, but the one thing that kept me from really enjoying it was that I just didn't connect with the main character emotionally. This super tragic and bizarre thing has happened to him, waking up on someone else's body, someone else's life, and he sort of goes about coping with it. I understand that t...more

like · see review

Jun 14, 2012 Su rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The setup of this book is suspenseful and well-done. It's a trope I like, where someone wakes up as someone else, or not knowing who they are. The first half of the book is suspenseful, a real page-turner. And then it kind of fizzles. I wanted more of Alex living Philip's life, to be honest, trying to make sense of who he was and who he is now, and the reactions of the other people as he goes through this transition. I liked, for instance, his relationship with Philip's sister, and her changing...more The setup of this book is suspenseful and well-done. It's a trope I like, where someone wakes up as someone else, or not knowing who they are. The first half of the book is suspenseful, a real page-turner. And then it kind of fizzles. I wanted more of Alex living Philip's life, to be honest, trying to make sense of who he was and who he is now, and the reactions of the other people as he goes through this transition. I liked, for instance, his relationship with Philip's sister, and her changing reactions to him as he treated her in a new way. I'd like to read that book, the one where Alex is stuck there and has to figure out how to make it work.

Once Rob, the other "psychic evacuee" enters the story, the book flails around in twenty directions: Alex starts to make peace with being Philip, the big man on campus; no, wait, his more sensitive side can't help coming out and he starts to connect with a girl named Cherry; no, wait, there's really nothing he wants more than to be back in his old life; oh, no, that was two whole pages ago, now he's going to buy a clarinet and the consequences be damned.

I found the ending very unsatisfactory. The book tries to grapple with the tremendously untenable position it's put Philip in--after weeks of erratic behavior, he attempts to murder another boy--but you can't help but feel that Philip is pretty well f*cked. There's no easy route out for him. Sure, death in Alex's body was going to be no picnic, either--basically from the moment the book opens, there's no possible good outcome for Philip. I'd have preferred a book in which Philip, like the former occupants of other psychic evacuees', died along with Alex's body, right at the first. That would leave, to my mind, Alex with a more interesting situation to grapple with, the book with a clear direction it had no choice but to go in, and poor dead Philip just the YA novel equivalent of the unnamed redshirt who dies before the first commercial. Making Philip a living character who could come back to his life is just too mean, and, for me, hard to take as a reader.(less)

like · see review

Jun 11, 2012 Justin Liang rated it 4 of 5 stars

Flip by Martyn Bedford is a book about a fourteen year old teenager named Alex waking up in the morning and realizes that he’s not in the normal bedroom he usually sleeps in. The whole environment around him was unfamiliar, the house, the bedroom, the country he’s on. He went and explored his unfamiliar environment and sees a family at the breakfast table. He has no clue who they were whatsoever. Later, Alex runs to the bathroom and locks the door. He washes his face but then realizes his reflec...more

like · see review

Apr 18, 2012 Loren rated it 1 of 5 stars

Who's the guy's editor? The subject material is good, but the delivery is quite trite. Very few accomplished writers go out of their way to explain things in the overly verbose voice of the narrator rather than show these moments in action. This is a regular annoying occurrence, as to say to the reader that he was just to lazy to do anything other than pontificate. A good editor would of question his choices of storyline and various anecdotal explanations of what I considered more interesting ep...more

like 1 like · see review

Apr 11, 2012 mara rated it 4 of 5 stars

A 14-year-old boy wakes up in another boy's body. The details of this were well-handled and were sometimes just plain funny too. (Not being a guy, I wouldn't have thought about what his reaction to seeing certain parts of his new body might be lol.) The characters were distinct for the most part, except that I thought almost all the parents seemed interchangeable, but maybe that was on purpose. I was disappointed that Alex's relationships to everyone around him weren't taken further. It seemed e...more

like · see review

Feb 19, 2012 Barbara rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. When Alex Gray awakens one morning, he finds that his life has changed. Instead of waking up in his familiar bed, he somehow has entered the body of another teen with a far more privileged life than he has. Flip is something of a jerk, stringing along two girlfriends, and barely giving a passing glance to his homework. Alex is bewildered by the new life he has, and tries to let his family and friends where he is. Eventually, he discovers that while his mind may be in Flip's body, his own body li...more

like · see review

Jan 16, 2012 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: supernatural, suspense, boys, mystery, favorites

Reminiscent of Andrew Clements’ wonderful book Things Not Seen (in which the main character wakes up to find himself invisible), Flip is the story of 14-year-old Alex who awakens in a strange bedroom, in a strange body, with a strange family – six months after his last memory in his own body and many miles from where he actually lives. Alex’s mind and memory remain fully intact, but he inhabits an entirely different physical body, albeit another 14-year-old boy nicknamed Flip. The two boys could...more

like · see review

Dec 16, 2011 Jane Stewart rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult-paranormal-fiction

2 ½ stars. Same story, done before, switching bodies. Not enough showing of other characters’ thoughts and actions.

STORY BRIEF:
Alex and Flip (Phillip) live in different towns in England. They are both 14. The story begins when Alex’s mind wakes up in Flip’s body in Flip’s home. Flip’s mom tells him to eat and get to school. Alex is forced to attend Flip’s school, trying to figure out which classes to attend, where to sit, etc. Flip has two girlfriends who keep after him. Alex doesn’t know Flip’...more 2 ½ stars. Same story, done before, switching bodies. Not enough showing of other characters’ thoughts and actions.

STORY BRIEF:
Alex and Flip (Phillip) live in different towns in England. They are both 14. The story begins when Alex’s mind wakes up in Flip’s body in Flip’s home. Flip’s mom tells him to eat and get to school. Alex is forced to attend Flip’s school, trying to figure out which classes to attend, where to sit, etc. Flip has two girlfriends who keep after him. Alex doesn’t know Flip’s passwords for his computer, email, and bank account. He wants to know what happened to Alex’s body and Flip’s mind. He fears Alex may be dead.

REVIEWER’S OPINION:
This is generic young adult fiction. It’s a repeat of the same things I’ve seen in movies about body switching. I was hoping that in a book, there would be more in depth character development. I expected to be in the heads and emotions more. But it wasn’t done. Although switching bodies will always be a fun idea, there was nothing new or special about what was in this book. Most of the conversations and interactions were what you’d expect from high school kids talking to each other and to their parents.

I had a problem with the police involvement. This is fiction so I am willing to accept whatever laws the author wants to create. But in this book the anti-stalking laws felt unreasonable and contrived for the sole purpose of intensifying conflict. Mrs. Gray’s son Alex is in a coma. Flip calls her at work. He asks to speak to her. A coworker hangs up on him saying not to bother Mrs. Gray. Flip didn’t get a chance to say what he was calling about. Flip goes to Mrs. Gray’s home to talk about Alex. She tells him to leave. Then he emails David, Alex’s best friend, just saying hello. David refuses to reply. Flip walks up to David on the street asking to talk to him. David calls the police who hunt down Flip to arrest him. Flip’s attempts to talk to these two people did not sound like dangerous stalking to me. The police involvement felt artificial. Except for one phone call and one email, this “alleged stalking” happened on one day. It wasn’t repeated stalking over a period of time.

I was annoyed and felt the author was playing me during the final climactic scene. Flip had only a few minutes to do something before someone would stop him. Yet the author had Flip taking several moments to look at someone and think about things instead of taking quick action. The delay was artificial suspense.

Technically the ending was happy, but it felt empty. The book is told in third person but it’s entirely from Alex’s point of view. At the end, I wanted to know what was happening in Flip’s life, what he was thinking and doing. I wanted to know Flip’s thoughts and memories about the past. I wanted to see Cherry interact with Flip and see how and why her thoughts changed concerning Flip and Alex. The book felt unfinished, unexplained, and empty. But there was one good thing. I got goose bumps with the final paragraph which I liked.

There was one idea I really liked, page 151. It demonstrates a type of lacking intelligence. “Now that Alex knew Donna better, he saw that she wasn’t unintelligent so much as lacking in curiosity. She learnt what was required of her at school but wasn’t all that interested in any of the subjects beyond their usefulness to her as a set of grades somewhere down the line. Same with people. When she’d asked Rob about the camper van, it was the first time Alex had seen her show an especial interest in someone else’s life, and even then, Donna had related it to herself. ‘I’d get claustrophobic.’”

DATA:
Story length: 258 pages. Swearing language: moderate, including religious swear words. Sexual content: none. Setting: current day England. Copyright: 2010. Genre: young adult paranormal fiction.(less)

like 2 likes · see review

Dec 01, 2011 Alisa Carter rated it 5 of 5 stars

Oh, oh, I couldn’t wait to review this book! I actually started reviewing it when I was half-way through because I wanted to talk about it. This is one of those books that makes you invent reasons to be alone so you can read. I took a bath so I could read this book. I never take baths. Some books end up all wrinkled and “puffed out” – a bathtub book – from being dropped in the bathtub or the sink or in a puddle in the street from reading while walking. When you see a book like that on a friend’s...more Oh, oh, I couldn’t wait to review this book! I actually started reviewing it when I was half-way through because I wanted to talk about it. This is one of those books that makes you invent reasons to be alone so you can read. I took a bath so I could read this book. I never take baths. Some books end up all wrinkled and “puffed out” – a bathtub book – from being dropped in the bathtub or the sink or in a puddle in the street from reading while walking. When you see a book like that on a friend’s shelf, grab it – it’s bound to be good. This, folks, is a bathtub book.

My son actually picked it out, and I wouldn’t read it until he promised me it had a good ending. I was worried that it would be too sad. The great thing about this book is that it makes you think about what you value in your life. If you woke up in a better body – stronger, faster, bigger, more mature, better looking – would you want to stay? When Alex and Flip switch bodies, Alex finds himself in exactly that situation. He’s a star athlete, all the guys want to be his friend, and he has not one but two girlfriends, both hot, popular girls he never had a chance with before. His new “family” has more money. And his new “mom” is even a better cook than his real mom. He starts building a pretty good relationship with his new “sister,” who apparently couldn’t stand Flip. It’s a good life.

But he’s miserable. He misses his parents. He misses his best friend. He misses his clarinet. He even misses his little brother. He’s attracted to a girl who is not popular, a cello-playing nobody he can really talk to. He’s an unpopular geek trapped in a popular kid’s body, and all he wants is to go home. He realizes that being himself is more important than being popular. We all say, “Oh, if I were only her/him, my life would be perfect, and I would be happy forever.” The author makes you evaluate, what about your life would you miss if you were put in Alex’ position? What do you like about yourself?

The way Alex misses his family is well written; his anguish is gut-wrenching, and it feels real. And the pacing is good – the desperation Alex feels as time is running out keeps you flying through the pages. Not a lot happens, really, but the book doesn’t drag. This book isn’t about what happens, anyway; it’s about what’s important in any given person’s life. I loved it. (And my son was right – the ending was great.) BTW, the book’s setting is England, so there’s the added element of learning what a kid’s life in another country is like. Some of the phrases the characters say give you a grin or two.

Would I recommend this book? Absolutely.

(less)

like 1 like · see review

Nov 05, 2011 Richie Partington rated it 5 of 5 stars

27 February 2011 FLIP by Martyn Bedford, Wendy Lamb Books, April 2011, 272p., ISBN: 978-0-385-7399-0

"I guess I should have stayed in bed, my pillow wrapped around my head
Instead of waking up to find a nightmare of a different kind..."
-- Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, "This Just Doesn't Seem to Be My Day"

"Alex stood perfectly still in the middle of the car park. He had been holding his breath, he realized; he exhaled, releasing the air from his lungs in a ragged sob.
"Shutting the phone off, he clenc...more

like · see review

Oct 02, 2011 Cheryl Rainfield rated it 5 of 5 stars

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 be...more

like · see review

Sep 16, 2011 Amy Lignor rated it 4 of 5 stars

Alex Gray went to bed on Friday night after returning from his best friend’s house. Yet, here it was, Saturday morning, and his Mom is screaming from downstairs to get up…he’s late for school! Alex is so confused. It’s December 22nd and there is no school for two weeks. It’s Christmas break and he’s ready to rest. The woman screams again. “Philip, get down here!” Who’s Philip?

Alex Gray opens his eyes to a bedroom he’s never seen before in his life. There’s no dull, gray winter sky outside his L...more Alex Gray went to bed on Friday night after returning from his best friend’s house. Yet, here it was, Saturday morning, and his Mom is screaming from downstairs to get up…he’s late for school! Alex is so confused. It’s December 22nd and there is no school for two weeks. It’s Christmas break and he’s ready to rest. The woman screams again. “Philip, get down here!” Who’s Philip?

Alex Gray opens his eyes to a bedroom he’s never seen before in his life. There’s no dull, gray winter sky outside his London room - it’s beautiful, it’s warm, it’s sunny…and it’s not London. He’s sitting in the middle of a green, lush countryside. Wearing strange pajamas, Alex Gray walks through a house he’s never seen into a kitchen that’s filled with the smell of croissants (which Alex really dislikes), a girl dressed all in black with purple hair, named Teri, and a tall, lean Mom who looks like a ‘cross between a human and a giraffe.’

Running back upstairs, his mind racing, Alex Gray soon finds out that although he went to sleep as Alex Gray - he is now Philip Garamond - a boy he’s never met - and Alex Gray’s life is gone. Readers stand by Alex’s side as he goes to school as the ‘coolest’ kid in class. Philip is called Flip, and he has two girlfriends, he smokes, and is a complete and utter rebel in his town. Alex tries desperately to contact his family and his old friends but the phone numbers either don’t work, or when he gets them they start screaming at him about how horrible he is to even mention Alex Gray. If he calls again, they’ll call the cops.

Well…there is a reason - a frightening one - Alex Gray has experienced what a man named Rob calls psychic evacuation; going to sleep as one body and waking up in another. Why evacuate your own body? Well, Alex Gray is hanging on to life in a hospital room and Flip must find a way to either live as Philip Garamond, or get his own body to wake up so he can go home.

This is an outstanding tale with twists and turns and characters appearing out of nowhere to keep the story moving right along. Usually an adult novel writer, Martyn Bedford has taken his first step into the Young Adult world. And he is most definitely someone who should stay.

A clear, concise, absolutely fun and entertaining story that offers as much thrills and chills as it does humor, love, and an in-depth look on the will and desire to survive. A fantastic read!
(less)

like · see review

Jul 29, 2011 Kendra rated it 4 of 5 stars

What would it feel like to wake up one day only to discover you have switched bodies with someone? Although it seems impossible, this "psychic evacuation" (The phrase is explained in shockingly realistic detail in the book. It makes it seem like this could really happen!)is just what seems to have happened to Alex who wakes up one day as Philip, aka Flip. Teenager Alex has no idea what has happened to him, but as he pieces together clues from the life he is living now as Flip and the research he...more

like · see review

Jun 03, 2011 Cathy/The Crazy Bookworm rated it 4 of 5 stars

I had such a blast reading Flip! It was a nice, refreshing change from the average young adult books that I have read.

Flip packs a lot of punch. It hooked me in from the very first page and didn't let me go. It delivers a compelling story while packaged in only 270 pages, making it a quick but gripping read! The premise alone is enough to draw you into the book; Waking up in someone else's body?! Whoa! Flip lived up to it's intriguing premise and simple cover. The deliverance of the story and t...more

like · see review

May 28, 2011 Sue Morris rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: sci-fi, paranormal fans, fans of excellent writing

Shelves: young-adult, my-library

Few words can describe Flip with justice, so I am not going to try. Taken from the inside jacket flap:

One morning fourteen-year-old Alex wakes up to find himself in the wrong bedroom, in an unfamiliar house, in a different part of the country. Six months have disappeared overnight. The family at the breakfast table? Total strangers.

This will undoubtedly be the shortest review I will ever have the privilege of writing. Whatever the top prize is each year for young adult literature, Martyn Bedfor...more

like · see review

May 04, 2011 Walt rated it 4 of 5 stars

FLIP is an interesting word. It means many things, of course. It can be a transitive verb — to throw or toss, to spin, or to flick; an intransitive verb — to turn over, to somersault, or to move quickly and lightly; or a noun — the act of flipping, as in a flip of the wrist, a reversal, or a mixed drink made of alcoholic beverages often with beaten eggs. It has transformed into other words, too: flip-flop, flipbook, flippant.

When I was fourteen or so, the age of the protagonist, Alex Grey, in th...more FLIP is an interesting word. It means many things, of course. It can be a transitive verb — to throw or toss, to spin, or to flick; an intransitive verb — to turn over, to somersault, or to move quickly and lightly; or a noun — the act of flipping, as in a flip of the wrist, a reversal, or a mixed drink made of alcoholic beverages often with beaten eggs. It has transformed into other words, too: flip-flop, flipbook, flippant.

When I was fourteen or so, the age of the protagonist, Alex Grey, in this YA novel, the kids in my neighborhood used the word "flip" when they were frustrated. If, for example, you tried to make a layup when you were playing basketball and missed, you'd say, "Flip! I should've made that!"

Martyn Bedford chose to call his main character by the moniker, Flip. It was also chosen as the title of his book. It was a careful and calculated selection, bringing lots of inherent connotation with it. It's selection is indicative of the care with which Bedford has constructed an adventure in the lives of Alex Grey and Philip "Flip ” Garamond for any willing reader to consider. Flip denotes action: being turned over or around, the dizziness of spinning, the frustration of — not a missed basket — but a missed life.

As a redheaded kid — or, as the British say, ginger-headed — with a freckled face, I identified with this story. Often, as a lad, I daydreamed about being popular, being athletic, having dark hair and skin that tanned, and being good-looking. Wished for it. "If only," I thought. Well, that's the basic premise in this book. Alex Grey plays the clarinet and likes chess. Boring. He sunburns and does relatively well in school; he doesn't get in trouble. He is not popular, there's nothing much about him to attract much attention. But all of that is, of course, backstory that unfolds after his life has flipped over and he has become Philip Garamond, a.k.a. FLIP the beautiful. If you were a coin and got flipped high into the air, turning over and over and over again before you alighted, you would be dizzy and disoriented.

So, with a new identity, also come new challenges and responsibilities for Alex, who now is Flip. For as Flip, you have to live the life of someone athletic, of someone attractive, of someone prone to trouble; you have to put up with all of the intrusions of popularity and a whole new set of people to deal with. And it makes you think. It makes you wonder. It makes you analyze.

As I finished the book, I said to myself, Flip! It's over! It wasn't a missed layup, although I'm still trying to figure out all of its meaning. Very nice job.

I wrote TIME FOR ALL ETERNITY.(less)

like 2 likes · see review

Apr 11, 2011 Cindy rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: JH, HS Students

Shelves: jr-high-high-school

Fourteen-year-old Alex Gray wakes up one morning to find that everything has changed: his room, his mom, his dad, his body, and even his name. He is no longer Alex Gray. He is now Philip Garamond. Alex was scrawny, fair skinned, played the clarinet, had one best friend and stayed away from girls. Or maybe they stayed away from him. Philip is muscular, handsome, athletic, popular, and has a string of girlfriends. Alex tries to find his way in Philip’s body, reaching out to his own family and his...more

like · see review

Mar 25, 2011 Lyndsey Rushby rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was really excited when I was asked if I wanted to review this book. The idea of being in someone else’s body was a fascinating idea and although this kind of thing has been done before e.g. Freaky Friday but I had a feeling that this one was going to be really different.

The beginning of this book was amazing. I was thrown right in the middle of the story and was hooked from the first page. Waking up in a different body without even realising what is going on to begin with must be completely...more I was really excited when I was asked if I wanted to review this book. The idea of being in someone else’s body was a fascinating idea and although this kind of thing has been done before e.g. Freaky Friday but I had a feeling that this one was going to be really different.

The beginning of this book was amazing. I was thrown right in the middle of the story and was hooked from the first page. Waking up in a different body without even realising what is going on to begin with must be completely terrifying and I would have no idea how I would react if it were me in that position. I though Alex dealt with the situation quite rationally and in somewhat of a calm manner for the most part, considering what he was experiencing anyway.

The characterisation in this book was amazing. Very slowly, the mannerisms and traits of each person, Alex and Flip seep through. I loved how I was able to get to know each person at the same time and to be able to distinguish the differences between the two. Although Alex’s mind is in the foreground, he has to live Flip’s life, which is where it becomes possible to learn about him. Alex does his best to stay true to himself but he also has a hard time when it comes to not enjoying life as someone else.

On becoming Flip, Alex has to form brand new relationships and friendships with people he hasn’t even met before now and I can only imagine how hard that must have been. Everyone around him already think they know him so Alex has to try his hardest to be the person they all think he is. I really enjoyed watching Alex try to cope in this situation and watching how much of himself, and not Flip he actually let through for other people to see.

The aspect of psychic evacuations was the most interesting part of Flip. This is something that I hadn’t even heard of before but it is clear that the author put in a lot of research into it. The idea that this had happened to many other people before was fascinating and I was glad to see someone else with this brought into the story. Once this had been explained a little bit, I wanted to know more about what it involved and who else this had happened to.

Flip is a fantastic body swap book but with a huge twist that I have never seen done before. Bedford’s language and descriptions draw you in and make you feel like you are right there next to Alex, experiencing everything that he is. An amazing book and a must read!
(less)

like · see review

Jan 24, 2011 Barbara rated it 5 of 5 stars

You wake up one morning in the wrong bedroom, in the wrong house, being greated by the wrong family using the wrong name. Add in a stranger staring at you from the mirror and six unaccounted for months and you have the first few pages of FLIP. Fourteen-year-old Alex awakens to find himself inside Philip (Flip) and no way to convince people that he is who he knows he is. Flip is everything Alex is not, healthy (Alex has asthma), athletic, good looking and popular. But Alex is desperate to return...more

like · see review

Jun 22, 2012 78sunny rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

5 von 5 Sternen
*Inhalt:*
Als Alex eines Morgens die Augen aufmacht, ist er nicht mehr in seinem eigenem Zimmer, dem Haus seiner Familie und nicht einmal mehr in seinem eigenem Körper. Er steckt in Philips (Flips) Körper und niemand scheint zu bemerken, dass Philip nicht mehr Philip ist sondern Alex. Was ist geschehen? Muss Alex sich mit seinem neuen Leben als Philip abfinden oder gibt es einen Weg zurück?

*Aufmachung*
Die Aufmachung ist für ein Jugendbuch, dass auch Jungs ansprechen soll, sehr gut...more

like · see review

Feb 16, 2012 Aaron rated it 3 of 5 stars

This one was a bit of a disappointment as I had heard so many great things about it. Alex, a fourteen-year-old British teen, wakes up and finds that he is actually in the body of another teen, who is named Philip. Alex ad Philip never knew each other, and there seems to be no reason for such a swap to happen. Alex and Philip seem to have almost nothing in common as Alex is a asthmatic and bright musician while Philip comes across as quite the brutish oaf.

Things become even more complicated as Al...more

like · see review

title link	preview: Flip
avg rating	preview: Flip Goodreads rating: 3.51 (1395 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8714383-flip?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320455322l/8714383.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8714383-flip?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Flip by Martyn Bedford[/url]

Flip

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (19)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Books by Martyn Bedford

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Flip

Quotes from Flip