The Flipside of Perfect tells the story of Della and AJ...one person leading 2 different lives. One is with her mom in Michigan and the other in the Florida Keys with her dad. Della/AJ works very hard for these 2 worlds to stay separate. Overall, I really liked this book. I appreciated how the characters solved their problems through communication and hard work. However, I had a hard time believing that someone would change themselves so much around different families, and at times it took me out of the story. I will definitely give Liz Reinhardt another shot. I loved reading about Della's life in the Keys.
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The main character lives two separate lives, depending on which of her parents she's living with. During the school year, which she spends with her mother, she's prim, responsible AJ. But during Florida summers with her dad, she's cool, laidback Della. But when her younger sister gets sent to Florida for the summer, AJ/Della's neatly separated identities are forced to collide. The blossoming romance between Jude and Della was a highlight of this read, although it did take me a while to realize that AJ and Della were the same person. I also enjoyed the themes of identity in this story. I think all teens can relate to the experience of hiding pieces of ourselves depending on who we are with.

This book started out very interesting for me. The main character lives two separate lives, one around her mother and one around her father. All things change - including her name, her appearance, etc. A very interesting concept.

This book was very good in the first quarter or I’d even say half. After that, I started to just lose interest. The main character had not really much going on and kind of had me a little frustrated.

The writing was done pretty well, so I think I’d give Liz Reinhardt another chance!

I requested this book years ago, and am no longer interested in reading. Thank you for the opportunity.

In this YA we follow Aj who is a buttoned-up, responsible student attending a high-achieving high school in Michigan. She lives with her mother, stepfather, and two younger half-sisters. Then Della spends every summer with her father in Florida. A free-spirited wild child, she spends as much time as possible on the beach with her friends and older siblings. But there’s a catch: AJ and Della are the same people. I think there are good parts to think but the main character the flip sides were a bit confusing. They are so similar and you get mixed into thinking they are the same person at first. I think it shows that we all can cope in different ways. If you enjoy YA you might enjoy this. I also couldn't get in line with the writing style.

I wanted to read this book and love it but it wasn't for me and I had to DNF it. Something about the story didn't connect with me and I realized that pretty early in. It is possible I will try it again some day, but for now I have to let it go. But if this book sound good to you, try it and see for yourself. Maybe you are the right fit unlike me.

Didn't capture my attention and engagement. Interested in trying it again though and hopefully it will take.

Talk about TOO relatable. This book is for every over-achiever child, the one who thinks they have to be perfect and can't ever be carefree. The ones who might listen to Surface Pressure from Encanto a little too much. This was a GOOD one.

This book was ok, it wasn't my favorite, but I didn't hate it. There were a few thins I had issues with. Mainly, I didn't like how most of the characters felt inconsistent, like they just interacted in a scenario to move a plot along. I also didn't like how the mother was borderline abusive in how controlling she was of her daughters, but at the end, it's all ok. I did enjoy the character arc for AJ/Della, and I liked the romance with Jude.

I am disappointed with this book. I was expecting one thing and received another. It had potential but it was not well written.

Thanks NetGalley for the preview!!

I love love loved AJ and Della! This story was well written, the pacing was exciting and the details were engaging. The characters felt real and had tiny details that made them so wonderful. Jude was my favorite! I was rooting for multiple storylines and characters for the entire book. I'd love to see a sequel with these characters. The romance was small and sweet but I couldn't stop reading!

The premise of this book sounded lovely, but ultimately the character depth and plot failed to deliver. The writing didn't really flow well and made it hard to stay in the story.
Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for the advance copy.

The premise of this book was very promising but unfortunately a bit more work needed to be done, in my opinion, before publishing. The character development wasn't deep enough to truly feel like we are in this character's shoes. And there are a lot of lessons that were drawn as specific to her situation when in fact they are a lot broader than that. That being said, I have still recommended this book to many people and even to a book club, because there is a lot of potential for discussion amidst its pages. Also, the author writes well and I look forward to following her writing career.

A story of finding out who you truly are and being okay with that. Living two different lives has been the way of life for AJ/Della. She has changed her personality to fit which family she is a part of. This summer she is forced to reconcile those two people into one. This is a great story of finding yourself, and realizing the power and importance of family.

This was a cute, fun and quick read. Trying so hard to live up to expectations, while also being the person you're expected to be resonated with me.

I loved absolutely everything about this book. It was so nostalgic and reminded me of why being a teen is so hard and how in the end sisters and healthy relationships can make everything better.

This was a good YA novel! If it sounds interesting to you, I would definitely recommend trying it!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

An intriguing premise, a girl seems to live two different lives. A perfectly curated insta-ready life with her mother and step dad and a carefree, free-to-be herself life in Florida during the summers with her dad. The writing was uneven and the main conflict in the book, she had to keep her lives separate didn't pull enough weight to carry the story forward.

*I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my review. All opinions are mine.*

The Flipside of Perfect tells the story of Della and AJ. Della is a wild, carefree, beach bum of a girl who is the baby of the family and does whatever she wants. AJ is a Type A, straight edge, perfect big sister. The problem is that AJ and Della are the same person, who splits time between two families and essentially two lives. "Flipside" is what happens when those two worlds collide.

Not gonna lie, I absolutely loved Della's world, but hated everything about her life as AJ. I wanted to go through the book and just shake her into talking to the adults around her. I realize that as an adult now I see things differently than a teenaged character might, but a lot of her problems could have been fixed a little sooner if she had just had the courage to tell any of the adults in her life how she felt about the things she was going through. Even still the story was a good one. Life on the Florida Keys sounds great, and I really want to be on the beach myself. I enjoyed Della's story and I wouldn't be upset if we got to reenter her life again, through a sequel.

"The Flipside of Perfect" was published on 4/6/2021 and is available for purchase.

The Flipside of Perfect is a story about AJ and Della. Except, AJ and Della are the same person. AJ lives in Michigan with her mom, stepfather, and two younger sisters during the school year. AJ is type A, always running from one extracurricular activity to another, and in an on again, off again relationship with Lex. Della is carefree, works a job that she enjoys instead of just thinking about her resume, the little sister, and tanned from all the Florida sun. Della has an older brother and sister and lives with her dad in Florida during the summer.

I appreciate that the narrator/main character's voice felt authentically young, but I struggled to identify what the real conflict of this book was. It felt like a lot was resting on the main character's shoulders that would have been easily remedied by better parental communication and involvement. AJ's mom is a narcissist and extremely manipulative, and I was frustrated that this was just brushed aside.

There were parts of this book that were handled extremely well. I really liked the author's approach to Della and Jude's relationship, and the slow burn of their romance was a highlight of the book for me.

The author's writing was very good, and I think I would enjoy another book by her with different characters more than I enjoyed this one. My issues were with the characters, not the construction of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for a copy of The Flipside of Perfect in exchange for my honest review.