Character Analysis
Lynetta is Bryce's older sister and, in his opinion, she's a serious pest—she's got four years on him, and most of the time she won't let him forget it. In fact, right from the start Bryce tells us that she's a "pain-in-the-rear sister" (1.34). Yep, Bryce and his sis don't have the smoothest relationship. And she fights with her parents a lot too, so it's safe to say Lynetta's got herself a temper.
For a lot of the book, Lynetta just seems like the cranky older sister who fights with her parents a lot, especially her mom. Even Juli thinks that Lynetta is kinda scary. But over time we get to see a new side to this older sis—it really comes to light at the Baker-Loski dinner party when Lynetta stands up for her friends Matt and Mike Baker:
All the adults were dying to jump up and turn the thing down, but Lynetta stood guard and just glowered at them. And when the song's over, Lynetta pulls out the CD, punches off the player, and then smiles—actually smiles—at Matt and Mike and says, "That is the raddest song." (11.80)
Can you tell how surprised Bryce is at Lynetta's support? He's used to her fighting and pestering, so when she shows her full support for Matt and Mike's music, he sees her in a whole new light. Even her smile has Bryce pretty surprised.
Perhaps Lynetta's not just a cranky big sis after all.