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The Flip Side, the début novel by James Bailey, had me flipping back and forth while thinking about this review. There are many great moments in the story, but there are also things that made me crazy. In the end though, I think most readers who enjoy light British rom-coms will enjoy The Flip Side.
It’s New Year’s Eve and Josh has purchased the Proposal Package on the London Eye. But things quickly so south for Josh when his girlfriend responds: “Marriage, Josh? Really? I said I wanted you to take me on the London Eye, not for you to propose to me on it.” Sadly for Josh, this girlfriend owns the flat they’ve been living in and her father owns the hotel he works in, so Josh is now homeless, jobless, and girlfriend-less.
As an extra insult, Josh’s parents had already planned a big engagement party for the next day. Instead of cancelling the party, they sharpie over “Engagement” making it read “Happy Homecoming” instead. Poor Josh gets to open ‘How to Plan a Wedding’ books with notes tucked inside reading “Better luck next time!”. Josh sneaks off to watch a movie with his grandfather and when they decide to toss a coin to choose the movie, Josh comes up with an idea – why not toss a coin to make the decisions in his life?
Josh’s friends think he’s crazy to put his life into the hands of chance, but Josh feels like the coin might actually do a better job at making these choices than he’s been doing. So, whenever a choice presents itself, Josh tosses the coin and follows its guidance. This works fairly well for the small things, but when Josh meets a girl and is trying to decide if he should pursue her, potentially all over the world, will the coin offer the direction he needs, or will he leave the coin behind and stand by his own decisions?
The premise of The Flip Side is really fun and there are some hilarious scenes with Josh’s parents and friends. His mom is a new-age hippie and his dad is an extreme tightwad (he bought new furniture for the Engagement-turned-Homecoming party that he’ll return the next day). The banter with Josh’s friends is clever and there are some truly hilarious scenes when he is trying to get to Paris to find his new girl.
But there are also some cringe-worthy scenes – like Josh taking another girl on a date when he only has enough money for one meal. It was painful to watch him make his date order only water, pretend it’s his birthday to get a discount, ask the waitress to skip dessert and still have to borrow money from his date. Josh is not eighteen or even twenty-four…he’s twenty-eight. And this was a problem for me – his character comes off way younger than twenty-eight so some of his actions and decisions seem too immature. I found myself thinking ‘come on Josh!’ a few too many times. But this may be because I am a parent to multiple twenty-somethings!
The Flip Side has a cute romance but there isn’t a lot of it. It takes quite a while for Josh and his new girl to find each other again after a serendipitous meeting at the National Gallery in London, where they were separated before they could exchange names or numbers. I think I would have enjoyed the book more if we could have got to the chase, so to speak, earlier. This is mainly a story of Josh figuring out that maybe happiness comes from taking more chances in life. And when shown in that light, Josh becomes a more loveable character. The Flip Side didn’t hit it out of the ballpark for me but I think it will find its audience. It’s a book that will appeal to readers who like light, funny, situational comedies and who can forgive a hero for being a little immature at times.
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Grade: B
Book Type: Contemporary Romance
Sensuality: Kisses
Review Date: 18/11/20
Publication Date: 11/2020
Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.
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I don’t think struggling or money issues is limited to age. How is that immature to not have money??
I read that it is immature to go on a date when you cannot afford to pay for the meal. And not be open about it – i.e. propose sharing the bill, or doing another activity (walk in the park with picnic or anything)
I have not read the book, I am only commenting on my different understanding of the review.
Hi Cathy. It’s not the money that’s my issue – money issues can happen at any age. It’s his decision to take a woman on a date to a restaurant when he doesn’t have the cash to do it. A 28-year-old would have done the math and chosen a free or cheap activity. Josh was a fine character – he just read much younger. Thanks for the comment!
I agree with you, Evelyn. My first husband and I married as students without the proverbial six pence with which to bless ourselves and I married my second husband and his debts. But both time all eyes were wide open, plans were in place to sort out the situation and hard work and a grip on reality meant we could sort it out. To me, that’s maturity; ignoring the issue or relying on the flip of a coin might seem cute but to me it’s totally off-putting and I would run a mile from that kind of man.
Agreed. After reading the review, I felt sorry for the woman he dated. Imagine going to a restaurant with a guy you’re dating, and being told you can only drink water, and there’ll be no dessert, and by the way, can he borrow some money to help cover the bill?
It’s not the lack of money that’s a sign of immaturity. It’s how you react to the lack of money, and how you treat other people as a result.
I’ve been looking forward to this one! Glad it’s good.
An immature hero. Does he ever grow up? Or is he looking for a Mummy to fix his life and lead him by the nose to serendipity? Maybe more YA than CR? Good review, I enjoyed reading it but am not drawn to the book.