Deftly tackles tough topics in a way that works for its tween audience, while also keeping a great handle on characters and relationships. I especially appreciated way the story showed both what to do if you're the subject of harassment, and how to stand up for someone going through that and model positive behavior for others. Some of the opening did seem a little exposition-heavy (it almost seemed as if there was a previous book the focused on Maddie's struggles with anxiety), I thought the Charlotte/burnout storyline needed a bit more devoted to it throughout for it to land, and I wish the ending had put a finer point on the resolution of the sexual harassment plotline considering that there are girls in the world other than Maddie and I don't know that one talking-to about how to behave with people you like has solved the issue. Offer to fans of Front Desk or Starfish.

Catherine Arguelles' Flip Turns had me immersed in this upper middle grade mystery from the start. Maddie's struggle to stand up to Lucas's unwanted advances felt real and full of important, relatable lessons. Set against a summer of swim team practices, budding romance, strong-and-sometimes challenging friendships and family moments, I really loved how Arguelles' takes readers into the pool with Maddie and her teammates. The underlying mystery has twists and turns to keep readers engaged and leads to a satisfying conclusion. Sure to be a hit with readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

2..75 stars.
Sometimes it was trying too hard to be interesting and in the times here. But it felt somewhat cringy because of it. I did not understand why they had to add Nico as a love-interest.

Maddie is dealing with unwanted attention from Lucas, and although she’s let him know she’s not interested, he persists in giving her gifts and putting her down when she doesn’t respond. Thankfully, Maddie’s good friend Ez helps Maddie stay clear on the fact that she’s not obligated to do anything for Lucas just because he likes her. Together the two friends try to solve the mystery of who is sabotaging Maddie’s family’s business, the local swimming pool where both girls participate in swim team. Could it be Lucas? The mystery keeps the plot moving along, but there are many things to love about Flip Turns: Maddie’s family is refreshingly close-knit, with her two teen siblings both involved in the pool too, and her parents working cooperatively to keep the business going. I also like that Maddie accepts her anxiety as part of herself and knows that she can handle it using the tools she’s learned from therapy; the issue she really has to contend with is her frustration with her family’s overprotectiveness. There’s also a really sweet first crush! I will definitely recommend this to readers who like contemporary mysteries, but I will also hand it to kids who are interested in navigating crushes and family problems--and swimming, of course!

This has cemented my theory that I can only read middle grade that has an element I care about in this case swimming. Learning the game through these young girls was nice. It told the story it needed to tell we and I can't complain with the end result.

The story was a little formulaic if well written overall
The setting was unique but it's another forgettable story about a family business in trouble and a scrappy teen trying to save it, a tacked-on mental health issue, a friend with a noticeable health condition, an older sibling, and so on.

This unbiased review is provided in exchange for an ARC from NetGalley.

Thank you NetGalley, Jolly Fish Press, and Catherine Arguelles for the opportunity to read this e-ARC!

Maddie's parents own the local pool/club and she's really looking forward to the swim season this summer before 8th grade. Unfortunately, she's dealing with some unwanted attention from a boy, Lucas, and on top of that, the pool keeps getting vandalized. It's not just harmless pranks -- if the pool keeps getting shut down for repairs and cleaning, they won't have enough money to stay open at all. Maddie is managing her anxiety, Lucas, friends, and a potential new crush, all while trying to solve the mystery of who is attacking her family's pool.

Can't wait to add this to my library!

Things I liked:
- Great sport book with a female protagonist
- Maddie is a strong female character
- Topics like sexual harassment and anxiety are handled well for the middle grade audience

Maddie's parents own the local pool, and she's on the swim team there. After she tells classmate Lucas that she's not interested in him and returns a snow globe he gave her, glass from the globe turns up at the pool, and a series od damaging pranks are played, from poop in the pool to eggs and ketchup smeared around the area. Maddie struggles with anxiety, and her friend Ez is counting on her swim performance to help her get into a private school, so they try to find out who is pulling these pranks. Maddie wonders if it has anything to do with the FitWest people who are coming to town and want to buy the pool. Will she and her friends be able to save the family business? (May be available only in paperback.)

Thank you so much to Jolly Fish Press and Netgalley for the earc to read and review.

Maddie is a competitive swimmer on her families team The Eeels. A boy named a Lucas won’t get the message she isn’t interested in him, he gave her a snow globe and smashed it in his anger and still won’t leave her alone. Now her parents pool is being vandalised and Maddie is certain that it’s him doing it. With her anxiety to deal with she only shares everything with her best friend Ez, together hoping to get evidence to solve who is doing it.

I really loved the swim team scenes, the kids were all such perfect friends and had such a wonderful relationship with each other. They’d all known each other for so long that everything they did was done with their tight close connection. I also loved Nico and Maddie, they were seriously the cutest pairing.

I loved how inclusive this book was and how it was all written naturally, with two lesbian relationships, mental health/ anxiety issues and alopecia. It was so great that this book had a good focus on these topics but that they were all just a part of who they were and that there was more to them than just these things. Natural inclusivity is a wonderful thing.

I got so uncomfortable reading anything with Lucas my gosh he gave such awful stalker, obsessed creeper vibes the whole time and I felt so bad for Maddie that she was dealing with this all on her own. He was seriously awful and terrifying, wouldn’t ever leave her alone and just wouldn’t listen.

I loved the mystery of the whole who is actually destroying and sabotaging the property and the pool and the team. I unfortunately figured out the culprit pretty early on but I’m sure to others reading it would be a total shocker. It was still so fun getting all the answers and following along with the mystery of it all.

This book was a really great book to read, it had great friendship, cute romances, a fun mystery, a team that loved what they were doing and a cause they all wanted to fight for and a really perfect ending to the whole thing.

I recieved an ARC so I could review this book :). Thank you for the opportunity. Please keep in mind that the final edition may not match the one this review is based on,

Maddie's family owns a community swim club. In many ways, it's great. She gets to spend the summer with her friends and swim team. However, when the pool starts getting vandalized, Maddie suspects a boy from her class who has had a hard time accepting that she doesn't want to be his girlfriend, and, worse, the costs of fixing the vandalism and of the shutdowns may force her family to sell the pool-which likelt means no swim team, either.

Maddie is a relatable character and so are her friends. Her concerns about Lucas are founded in fact, but are also age appropriate. I loved that Ez's alopecia is part of her character, but not the whole character, and that Maddie's anxiety disorder is approached realistically. I believe this will be a welcome addition to library shelves for middle grade/early teen readers, and is a book that can be used to discuss issues such as sexual Harrassment, anxiety, and parental expectations.

If you like a mystery with your sports stories, take a look at this juvenile fiction book. Flip Turns is a story about a family who owns a recreation center in California and sponsors the youth swim team as well. The entire family, including the children, are involved in the business and swim team. Suddenly, vandalism events begin to cause the family to experience financial hardships and discuss selling the center to a large fitness franchise. This would mean the end of the swim team and the way of life for the kids. Maddie, the youngest daughter, decides to solve the mystery of who is vandalizing their pool before they have to sell everything, all while navigating feelings for the new boy in town. This was a really fun book to read and the sweet romance that blossoms during the mystery adds to the overall enjoyment of the book.

"Flip Turns' by Catherine Arguelles 3.5 stars
This book was interesting, the writing felt like it was just right, and it didn't over-explain anything. The storyline itself was fun same for the characters, they were lighthearted but still kept up the bit of mystery. The messages from the book stick with you and the ending was good, it felt just perfect how the characters ended. This was indeed an enjoyable read.
Thanks, NetGalley for the arc.

Lucas has been crushing on Maddie for a year and a half. How many times must she tell him she’s not interested?

When he surprised her the week before with a heart-shaped snow globe for her 13th birthday, Maddie reluctantly accepted it. Now, on the last day of seventh grade, she returns it and tells him—clearly, again—she doesn’t like him that way, and she wants him to leave her alone.

Lucas doesn’t take it well. But is he mad enough to vandalize the aging community pool Maddie’s parents own? Maddie and her best friend, Ez, are determined to make like real Nancy Drews and find out.

The pool sponsors the Electric Eels coed competitive swim teams and serves as the neighborhood summer hangout. It’s truly a family business. Maddie’s older sister coaches. Her older brother is a lifeguard. Maddie handles the pool’s social media, serves popsicles and nachos at the Snack Shack, and helps out however she can.

Although the vandalism temporarily shuts down the pool, Maddie’s dad brushes it off as pranks. But as it increases, so do Maddie’s worries. Is it sabotage? Will her parents accept a buy-out from a slick fitness club chain? Money is tight, and the pool needs repairs. If it doesn’t pass inspection, it’ll have to close anyway. What will happen to the Eels?

Readers will practically smell the chlorine and taste the hot, salty pretzels at the swim meets, where team comradery and behind-the-scenes drama are as compelling as the races. It’s nice to see a character who enjoys her sport and is pretty good but isn’t obsessed. Meanwhile, Ez and Charlotte, the team’s stars, are battling for a swim scholarship.

As Lucas continues to harass Maddie and her suspicions about him grow, she longs to seek her parents’ help. But if she does, they’ll think she’s not handling her anxiety, which has been well-controlled for a while.

Readers will sympathize with Maddie’s frustration with her parents and Lucas, who doesn’t seem to understand the harm he’s causing. There are plenty of good guys here, though. Maddie’s comfortable, realistic friendship with teammates Owen and Aidan and her possible romance with Cute New Guy Nico offer nice contrasts to her dealings with Lucas.

While her 16-year-old brother playfully brags about his popularity with girls at the pool, he watches out for Maddie and offers sound guidance. Maddie’s older sister and her girlfriend also offer support, fashion advice, and an example of a happy, healthy romantic relationship.

These important lessons for middle-grade readers never feel didactic. The characters are realistic, well-rounded and a joy to spend time with. Maddie’s friendship with Ez, who is bald from alopecia, is particularly well-rendered. As the girls work to save the pool and find the vandal, the satisfying ending is both surprising and nuanced.

I received a digital copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I don’t post about books I didn’t finish or enjoy.

I loved this one! I'm so impressed with Catherine Arguelles' debut! Flip turns is a great upper middle grade read, and deals with some sensitive subjects with grace. The important topic of stalking / unwanted advances is so needed, and I have not found many middle grade reads that deal with this that way. The story is populated with interesting, diverse, and fleshed-out characters. The connections with the MC's family were authentic and relatable. I felt like I was reading a real story about real people, and I think this will be a great addition to any MG library! Looking for more from this author!

An very good YA book during with high school, spots, and bullying, and what to do when a teenage book won't leave you alone. We need more books like this.