Opening
As a formal dinner looms, Bryce Loski and Julianna "Juli" Baker hit irreversible turning points. Bryce confesses his worst secret and suddenly sees the prejudice around him; Juli meets the uncle she’s never known and then overhears Bryce’s betrayal, flipping her feelings for him for good.
What Happens
Chapter 9: Looming Large and Smelly
Bryce wakes to a tense house: his father, Rick Loski, has slept on the couch after the previous night’s fight about the Bakers. At a strained breakfast, his mother declares a solution—host the Bakers for a formal sit-down dinner. Rick calls it punishment and Bryce’s sister mocks it, but Bryce’s grandfather, Chet Duncan, calls it a “marvelous idea.” Bryce panics, sure his two-year secret about Juli’s eggs will surface.
He can’t stand it and confesses to his mom: he intercepted Juli’s eggs each week, trashed them, lied about salmonella to cover it, and got caught. She’s upset but grateful, promises to keep it from Rick, and doubles down on the dinner as a way to make amends. At school, Bryce watches Juli and finally sees the brave girl from the newspaper photo in front of him; when Darla Tressler catches him staring, he blurts a lame excuse about a bee in Juli’s hair.
That night he digs the article out of the trash, and after his sister barges in, he stuffs it in his binder—where Garrett Anderson finds it the next day. In the library, Bryce spills everything: the egg fiasco and what [Chet Duncan] told him about Juli’s disabled uncle. Garrett sneers, “A retard? Well, that explains a lot, doesn’t it?… about Juli.” Fury surges through Bryce; in a flash he recognizes Garrett’s casual cruelty as a mirror of his father’s. It’s a jolt of Coming of Age and Personal Growth: Bryce begins rejecting the values he’s absorbed at home.
Chapter 10: The Visit
Juli wakes unsettled and finds her father, Robert Baker, heading to visit his brother David on his 40th birthday. On impulse, she insists on coming. At Greenhaven, a residential facility for adults with developmental disabilities, her father greets staff and residents with easy warmth. Juli meets Uncle David, a stocky, nonverbal man whose room is papered with finished jigsaw puzzles. The visit is tender and complicated, ending with a public meltdown when David drops his ice cream cone.
Driving home, Mr. Baker finally lays out the truth: caring for David was overwhelming; Greenhaven became the right choice, but the guilt lingers. He admits he feels like a failure—especially next to someone like Mr. Loski. The moment lays bare the heart of Family Influence and Dynamics. Juli pushes back hard, calling him the “best dad ever” and insisting she’d rather marry someone like him than Mr. Loski. Her clarity about character over appearances crystallizes the core of Perception vs. Reality. Back home, they discover Mrs. Loski has invited the Bakers to dinner.
On Thursday in the school library, Darla hustles Juli toward a nearby conversation. Hidden, Juli hears Bryce recount the egg story and mention her uncle; Garrett’s slur lands like a slap. Bryce laughs and adds, “Oh, right.” In that instant her remaining affection dies. Cold anger settles in. She’s through with Bryce and resolves to vote against going to the dinner.
Character Development
Both narrators cross personal fault lines: Bryce starts choosing a moral compass independent of his father and friends, while Juli roots her identity in her family’s quiet strength and redraws her view of Bryce.
- Bryce Loski: Confesses the egg lie, feels unexpected admiration for Juli, and recognizes Garrett’s cruelty as a reflection of his father’s prejudice. He begins to separate from the toxic norms he’s internalized, even as he fails to defend Juli in the moment.
- Juli Baker: Faces her family’s hardest truth with courage, deepens her bond with her father, and finally lets go of her long-held crush on Bryce, replacing it with clear-eyed resolve.
- Robert Baker: Reveals compassion, endurance, and vulnerability; his care for David underlines a sturdy moral core that contrasts with the Loskis’ image-consciousness.
- Rick Loski: Embodies status-driven prejudice; his couch exile and resistance to hospitality spotlight his rigidity.
- Chet Duncan: Acts as a moral counterweight in the Loski household, endorsing empathy and nudging Bryce toward better choices.
- Garrett Anderson: Functions as a foil—his cruelty and peer pressure expose the line Bryce must learn to draw.
Themes & Symbols
These chapters sharpen contrasts in family values. Family Influence and Dynamics plays out in the dinner plan and in two fathers: Rick prizes appearances and control; Robert prizes care, even when it’s messy and public. Bryce sees how prejudice trickles through families and friend groups; Juli sees how love reshapes what “success” looks like.
Perception vs. Reality intensifies. Bryce’s gaze shifts from Juli-the-nuisance to the brave girl from the newspaper. Mr. Baker’s self-perception as a failure crumbles under Juli’s fierce praise. Juli’s final judgment of Bryce—based not on his looks or charm but on his silence—cements the theme’s moral stakes.
Symbols cluster around Uncle David’s puzzles. Their walls of completed images suggest patience, pattern-finding, and the truth that a life—or a family—can’t be judged by isolated “pieces.” The 3,000-piece sky puzzle signals a daunting, almost abstract challenge: meaning emerges only when you commit to the whole.
Key Quotes
“A marvelous idea.”
Chet’s simple endorsement cuts through Loski family sniping and models generosity. It marks him as Bryce’s quiet ally and moral guide, legitimizing compassion in a house wary of the Bakers.
“A retard? Well, that explains a lot, doesn’t it?… about Juli.”
The slur exposes the casual cruelty Bryce has normalized. His visceral anger at Garrett reveals a new moral boundary—and forces him to confront how close he’s been to that same prejudice.
“Oh, right.”
Bryce’s two-word laugh is a devastating failure of courage. For Juli, it’s proof that his private attention means nothing without public backbone, and it flips her feelings off like a switch.
“Best dad ever.”
Juli’s affirmation answers her father’s shame and reframes what strength looks like. It anchors her values in care, not status, and rejects the Loski model as hollow.
Why This Matters and Section Significance
Chapters 9–10 form the novel’s hinge. Juli ends her crush with finality, guided by a clearer moral vision of love, loyalty, and worth. Bryce begins his own “flip,” recognizing and resisting the prejudice he’s absorbed—even as his inaction costs him Juli. The set-piece dinner now looms as a crucible where both families’ values collide and the protagonists’ new convictions face their first real test.