We can't lie: this ending is a wee bit frustrating. We've spent the whole book wondering if Juli and Bryce will ever see eye to eye. First she likes him… then he likes her. Will these two almost-lovebirds ever get in sync?
The truth is that we don't know for sure because the ending to Flipped leaves things a bit up in the air. So without a super tidy little resolution, we're left wondering about the fate of Juli and Bryce.
All this talk of not having a resolution could make it sound like the ending of Flipped is super sad, but it's actually kinda happy. Frustrating? You betcha. But sad? Not necessarily. Hopeful? Yeah, let's go with hopeful.
In fact, by the last sentences of Flipped, there's a lot of potential for good things to come in the future. Bryce has planted the sycamore tree in Juli's yard, and now it's Juli's turn to figure out her next move:
So maybe I should go over there and thank him for the tree. Maybe we could sit on the porch and talk. It just occurred to me that in all the years we've known each other, we've never done that. Never really talked.
Maybe my mother's right. Maybe there is more to Bryce Loski than I know.
Maybe it's time to meet him in the proper light. (14.266-268)
We've got a whole lot of maybes happening in this ending. On the one hand, this reminds us that we don't really know what's going to happen after these final sentences. But on the other hand, all these maybes tell us that the future is full of possibilities for Bryce and Juli.
Plus we're thinking the future might look pretty positive for these two. Just check out Juli's new batch of open-mindedness—it looks like she might be interested in getting to know the boy across the street again.
So what do you think? Is this a happy ending or a sad one? And what effect does this open-ended conclusion have on the rest of the book?