Opening
Two perspectives collide as Bryce Loski and Julianna "Juli" Baker start to change places: he begins to see her clearly for the first time, while she learns to question him. Guided by Chet Duncan, both confront painful family truths and reexamine what substance really looks like beneath a polished surface.
Their neighborhood, dinner tables, and an empty patch where a sycamore once stood become stages for a genuine “flip”—from infatuation and judgment to self-awareness, empathy, and choice.
What Happens
Chapter 7: Get a Grip, Man (Bryce’s Perspective)
Guilt over the trashed eggs eats at Bryce. Juli’s cold shoulder hurts more than her old attention, and when he spots her hacking away at her family’s neglected yard, he decides he’ll help as an apology—until he gets there and freezes. Chet is already beside her, working easily, talking and laughing. Bryce feels blindsided by jealousy and shame, counting how his grandfather chats more warmly with Juli in minutes than with him in a year.
Tensions explode at dinner. Rick Loski sneers at “that girl,” calls the Bakers “trash,” and mocks their yard. Chet pushes back, explaining the Bakers rent the house and funnel their money into caring for Juli’s intellectually disabled uncle. Rick snaps that it “must run in the family,” and Chet, furious, reveals the disability stems from an umbilical cord accident at birth. Bryce’s mother breaks down. Later, Chet tells Bryce the full reason: Bryce himself was born with the cord wrapped around his neck twice and was simply lucky. Bryce’s assumptions about his family—and his father—crack.
Needing air, Bryce walks with Chet. Passing the empty lot where the sycamore stood, Chet talks about finishes—flat, satin, gloss, iridescent—and about Juli’s spark. Back home, Bryce rereads the article about Juli in the tree and, for the first time, finds it powerful, not corny. He studies her photo, sees the strength in her eyes, and feels the first pull of something new and frightening—an attraction that signals his flip.
Chapter 8: The Yard (Juli’s Perspective)
Bryce’s remarks about her eggs and yard make Juli see her home with fresh, critical eyes: the weeds, the junked cars, the money worries she’s never probed. At dinner, she asks why they live like this. Her father, Robert Baker, explains they rent; yard upkeep is on the landlord. The argument that follows uncovers the truth: the Bakers pour every spare dollar into a private facility for Uncle David. Juli feels the weight and the love behind her parents’ choices, and a quiet pride replaces her embarrassment.
Determined to restore the yard anyway, Juli dives into the work. Chet arrives with tools. She bristles, assuming pity after the egg mess, and confronts him. Calmly, he says he knew nothing about the eggs—and that Bryce “still has a ways to go.” He’s here, he adds, because Juli reminds him of his late wife, Renée, a headstrong spirit who would’ve climbed the sycamore with her. The confession melts Juli’s anger, and an easy friendship forms.
They spend a week hauling, digging, and talking. Chet offers a counterintuitive idea—sometimes the whole is less than the sum of its parts—and nudges Juli to reassess people, especially Bryce. At school, Bryce’s smile still jolts her; now, it also frustrates her. With Chet’s guidance to look beneath the surface, she starts measuring substance, not shine. When Bryce shows up to apologize, he’s earnest and even funny—but she feels uneasy. The crush is gone; in its place stands a sharper, steadier gaze.
Key Events
- Juli decides to overhaul her family’s yard and starts the project alone.
- Chet joins Juli in the yard; Bryce, jealous and guilty, watches them bond.
- At the Loski dinner, Rick insults the Bakers; Chet reveals the truth about Juli’s uncle.
- Chet later tells Bryce he, too, was a cord-at-birth case—only lucky.
- Chet’s “iridescent” talk reframes Bryce’s view of Juli and sparks his flip.
- Bryce apologizes to Juli; she listens but remains unsettled.
Character Development
Bryce and Juli stop moving on autopilot. Their crush-versus-avoid dance shifts into conscious evaluation—of each other and of the families shaping them.
- Bryce Loski: Shame and jealousy give way to self-reckoning. After the dinner blowup and Chet’s revelations, he rejects his father’s cruelty and begins to value depth over appearances. His reread of the sycamore article signals the start of genuine admiration—and the flip.
- Juli Baker: Embarrassment transforms into agency. Learning the truth about her family’s finances deepens her gratitude and spine; rebuilding the yard channels that resolve. She stops idealizing Bryce and starts asking who he really is.
- Chet Duncan: A catalyst and moral compass. He models integrity, cuts through prejudice, and mentors both kids—nourishing Juli’s confidence and kickstarting Bryce’s conscience.
- Rick Loski: Exposed. His classism and cruelty isolate him and sharpen the contrast between posturing and character.
Themes & Symbols
The yard: To Rick, it’s proof of “trash.” To the Bakers, it’s the cost of love made visible—money redirected from curb appeal to a vulnerable family member. As Juli restores it, the yard becomes a badge of dignity she claims for her family and herself.
Perception vs. Reality drives every scene. Bryce’s snap judgments about the Bakers collapse under the truth of their sacrifices; Juli’s picture of Bryce blurs as she tests charm against character. Chet’s counsel turns both toward clarity.
Family Influence and Dynamics split sharply across the street: the Bakers’ quiet solidarity versus the Loskis’ brittle image-making and buried resentment. The dinner table becomes an X-ray, revealing what each family feeds its own.
Coming of Age and Personal Growth happens in real time. Bryce learns to sit with guilt and look again; Juli learns to choose respect over romance. Both start building their own values rather than inheriting them.
Chet’s counterpoint to hero-worship echoes The Whole is Greater than the Sum of its Parts: sometimes a person’s “parts” (looks, smiles, popularity) don’t add up. The chapters test whether beauty, kindness, courage, and integrity align—or cancel out.
Key Quotes
“Some of us get dipped in flat, some in satin, some in gloss... But every once in a while you find someone who’s iridescent, and when you do, nothing will ever compare.”
Chet hands Bryce a language for value beyond looks. “Iridescent” reframes Juli as rare and incomparable, catalyzing Bryce’s flip and setting a standard he can’t un-see.
“Must run in the family.”
Rick’s cruelty exposes entrenched prejudice and sparks the revelation that levels Bryce’s world. The line spotlights the novel’s moral divide: contempt versus compassion.
“Look beneath the surface.”
Chet’s guidance arms Juli with a method, not a rule—examine substance. It breaks the spell of Bryce’s smile and invites her to ask for alignment between appearance and action.
“Cluck-faced jerk.”
Bryce’s self-indictment shows a conscience waking up. Naming his cowardice starts the work of change and prepares him to act differently.
Why This Matters and Section Significance
- Turning point: The pursuit reverses—Bryce leans in; Juli steps back. That flip energizes the remaining conflict.
- Deeper stakes: The story widens from first crush to questions of class, disability, and what families owe each other.
- Moral center: Chet crystallizes the book’s ethics and becomes the hinge for both protagonists’ growth.
These chapters reorient the novel from surface to substance, ensuring that what comes next isn’t about whether Bryce and Juli get together, but about who they each choose to become.