This book comprises a series of he-said, she-said chapters; where the same set of events are told first from the male protagonist Bryce Loski’s perspective, and then from the female protagist Juli Baker’s perspective. The premise is interesting, if not very original.
Bryce is just trying to fit in, not get ridiculed, and just get by without calling attention to himself. So many sources of said ridicule surround him; father, sister, friends, classmates… and all interaction with Juli is a sure-fire way to invite ridicule. So his approach devolves to essentially treating her rather badly, so he can save face. Juli is cut from an entirely different cloth; she does the RIGHT THING, no matter what the price; and the last thing that has ever troubled her is what others think.
There is a bit of Mars-Venus undertones to the story as we see the protagonists navigate the world of small town suburban America and all its idiosyncracies. The characters are a little hard to identify with, as they seem rather precocious. Especially Juli.
It’s worth reading once, I guess. This was also made into a movie which is supposed to be decidedly more charming than the book.