James Bailey

Penny wise or pound foolish? A heartbroken young Brit decides to turn his love life over to the flip of a coin--in this delightfully British rom-com in the vein of Jenny Colgan, Rosie Curtis, Nick Hornby, and David Nicholls. To coin a phrase, Josh is suffering a quarter-life crisis. He just broke up with his long-term girlfriend, lost his job, and moved back home with his parents (shudder). Welcome to rock bottom in Bristol. As Josh starts questioning all his life choices, he has a mad thought: Maybe he would just be better flipping a coin. After all, careful planning has landed him homeless, jobless, and single. What starts as a joke soon becomes serious and Josh decides to start putting his faith in the capriciousness of currency. He doesn't have anything to lose. But when the chance of a lifetime and the girl of his dreams are on the line, will the coin guide him to a rich love life or leave him flat broke?

A Novel

The Flip Side

Crystal L

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. 

5/5 Stars! 

What if you could flip a coin and decide all of life's most challenging questions; or what if you had to? It's New Year's Eve and Josh plans to pop the question to his girlfriend (Jade) of four years in the most romantic way possible - in a private glass capsule of the London Eye. But it turns out Jade had another plans, plans with a married man she met while working at a job she and Josh share. Devastated after losing his job, girlfriend, and home, Josh moves back in with his parents and tries to figure out how to get his life together. He decides that he won't decide at all; he'll let a coin do the job. 

The Flip Side follows Josh over the course of a year as he grieves his relationship, the loss of a family member, the loss of a possible true love, through first dates and reunions, and through pub quiz nights with his friends. Every flip of the coin leads Josh on a new adventure toward finding out who he really is and what he really wants out of life. 

Bailey's characters are diverse, funny, and full of heart. I can't wait to read more from this author!

Dakota B.

DIVE IN TO THE FEEL-GOOD ROM-COM OF THE YEAR! Josh has done everything right. It's New Year's Eve and he and girlfriend Jade have their own pod on the London Eye. He's got the champagne and the truffles. The ring and the romance. And he's just popped the question. Unfortunately, he gets it wrong. So horribly wrong that by the time he's back on ground he's single, jobless and homeless. Realising he can't trust his own judgement, Josh decides to put his faith in fate. From now on every choice will be decided by the flip of a coin. It's reckless, scary, liberating and insanely wrong. But Josh has tried the right way and look where he ended up. And maybe the girl of his dreams really is one flip of a coin away?

A great story, but it was a little boring.

Stephanie Vischer

** 2.75 stars **

I was really looking forward to reading this book, as the plot and premise seemed so interesting and promising. Unfortunately, there were just too many things that made it not work for me.

The first thing that was a bit annoying was the main character itself which is a shame, really because I think I could have liked him. Maybe it’s because I as a reader was in his head so much and therefore perceived him as quite whiny and resigned.
Yes, he was just broken up with (not to mention on the day he was proposing of all days) and cheated on but it was very exhausting reading how he felt like everything was against him if I’m being honest. It sounded a lot like a teenager rather than a man in his late twenties. Which, again, might have been due to the POV of the first person singular and me as a reader being in Josh’s head all of the time. Maybe if it was written in the third person it would have been a different experience.

Also, the plot took quite some time to evolve. I feel like the pacing was a bit odd, as the amount of time we had in the beginning with nothing really happening could have been used to develop the relationship a bit further before the 'big blow'. Now it’s just a veeery slow start and then everything happening very fast all of a sudden.

And lastly, I’m not sure if RomCom’s just not my thing but for my taste this was a bit too quirky, and it felt a bit too try-hard to be funny and relatable at some points. But this might just be because I’m generally not the most dramatic person.
Either way, it just felt off for me most of the time. 

Ultimately, although I would change quite a few things I’m not the author and I can see why someone would like it but it just wasn’t for me.

Jawahir M

I would to thank Edelweiss and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts expressed are my personal opinion.

Description Summary:A delightful funny romance story about a lost twenty something year old looking to learn more about himself and the tangled webs of love in cross country escapade.

Score: 3.5/5

This book was a cute read! It did remind me of your classic rom com movies of Hugh Grant, there had been some laugh out loud moments and the occasional awwww when it comes to the loved up romance. It was fun and easy, and I think the book delivered its premise and promise.

Josh was heartwarming to say the least, not the strongest or most memorable character however. And that extends to the side characters, his friends mainly, again there was a lack of strength and vividness that would have pushed this book further up in rating.

I do have to commend the author because for a debut novel this is actually pretty good. I really didn't have any problems with the writing, it was a breeze to go through.

Do I recommend? I wouldn't put it on the top of the list but if you love rom com novels than give this one a go.

Amy Arthun Lorton 

It was interesting to have a romance told entirely from a man’s perspective. If I was in a better mood maybe I would have given it a 4? I don’t know. It was fine.

Beta Febrianita

"If Russian roulette is dangerous, tossing a coin to decide who to match with on Tinder is deadly. I'm only one flip of the coin away from being tied up in someone's basement and used as a sex slave/"

What is your craziest resolution for a new year? How about flipping a coin for every single decision for a year?

Josh's proposal was rejected by his girlfriend, he burned almost all of his saving to plan the proposal, he lost his job and his apartment. He's so fed up with all his wrong decisions, and he decided to flip a coin for every single decision he made in a year. 

Reading The Flip Side is hilarious, and I literally gritting my teeth over each disastrous decisions made by the coin. A cute rom-com and a light read, a very enjoyable read for me.

Sandy

3.5 stars - because it had some original streaks that I liked better than in similar books of this genre. For example starting the book with a proposal going horribly wrong, it's working against the usual standards of perfection in love stories, and also the London-Underground-themed fancy dress party (the costumes described genuinely made me laugh), or that Germany is actually part of a setting for once (even if it's Munich during Oktoberfest...).

Unfortunately, my affection for Josh (was that even the MC's name?) dwindled the more the book went on. He turned out to be the typical guy who wants everything handed to him, feels very sorry for himself, is incredibly immature (how is he in his late 20s and has literally no savings) and ignorant (who goes to countries they have never been to, nor speak the language, with ZERO preparation?!), and frankly I don't know what our female MC sees in him at all. I'm not sure the author knows, either. His friends and family deserve a medal for putting up with him.

The descriptions of 'Sunflower Girl' became a bit eerie at some point - is she me, or am I just really basic? Anyway, I enjoyed this book, but wasn't too excited by it.

The Flip Side A Novel

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