With life in lockdown being what it is I am ALL about the uplit and heartwarming contemporary romance at the moment. Because who doesn’t need a feel good happy ever after right now, amiright??

The Flip Side by James Bailey is a sweet and funny story centring around Josh, who proposes to his girlfriend on the London Eye on New Years Eve… and she says no! Feeling as though he can no longer trust his own judgement he vows to spend a whole year making decisions according to the flip of a 50p coin. But with his life choices riding on the edge of a heads or a tails, will he end up heading in the right or, in fact, the very wrong direction?

Before picking this up I was maybe a little concerned that the concept would feel a bit gimmicky. But actually, the coin flipping element of the story isn’t at all overdone and comes very much secondary to Josh’s personal and emotional journeys.

Josh is a lovely character that I could really get behind. He has a touching relationship with his grandfather, and a tight/knit group of supportive friends.

After reading a run of books set in London and the Home Counties, I found the Bristol setting really refreshing, and I think Bailey’s fondness for his home city really shines through. The travel element of the plot is a nice touch but made me yearn even more for a holiday!

I laughed out loud on several occasions while reading this, and definitely spent a lot of the time reading it with a smile on my face. At times I felt that the humour was a bit forced or misjudged even, but it didn’t affect my enjoyment of the book overall.

A great book to buy to read at New Year as it starts and ends on NYE, the paperback is released on Thursday and the e-book is out now! With thanks to Michael Joseph for gifting me a digital copy of the book for review.

A funny, read in one sitting, look at life and the choices we make. The thought of using the flip of a coin to make all of those difficult choices is a strange storyline for a book - however it works. Josh and his friends are great characters and you end up willing him to succeed in love and life generally. There are some real laugh out loud moments here like the birthday pizza, but also some sad times, reflecting real life as we move through the choices we make.

This was a fun, easy, light going read. The characters were interesting and charming and it didn't feel really predictable like some other books in this genre. I read it quite quickly and I felt myself scanning the page towards the end but overall I found it engaging and enjoyable!

A happy-go-lucky, apart from one sad interlude, funny look at letting a coin make the decisions, both big and small, when you just don't trust your own judgement anymore.
Very easy to read, a wonderful opening on the London Eye and lots of great characters supporting Josh in his endeavours to get on with life by way of flipping his 50 pence coin.
The All-Jays are a local pub quiz team, but they are also Josh's friends, Jessie and Jake and Jake's boyfriend Jake. They mostly never win but they do come together frequently to support one another in life, love, careers and all those big moments we all experience in life where we just need another perspective
Will Josh recover from an emotional slump? Will he discover what he wants to do in the future? Will he and the fellow All-Jays ever beat the Quizlamist Extremists? And will Josh find the Sunflower Girl in Germany, Amsterdam, Philadelphia, Tokyo or France? Or maybe not at all?
I loved the date scene in the pizza parlour with the birthday offer which was very funny and mostly found Josh's adventures an enjoyable and light-hearted escape from less humorous and more tedious real life days.
Follow Josh and enjoy his mishaps by choosing to read this book rather than flipping a coin. It will bring some sunshine into these dark and dreary November days.

Witty funny brilliance.

Josh’s life is falling apart so he decides that for every descicion he needs to make he will flip a coin. Follow Josh on his adventure through Europe to find a girl. A thoroughly enjoyable book.

My first book by this author. This is a delightful and tender story of Josh, who when jilted in a pod on the London Eye, decides to lay the fate of every future decision made on the flip of a coin. This was an original idea which I’ve not seen in a book of this genre, and I loved how it was a male lead character, completely different to other romantic type fiction! The storyline was new, refreshing and fun!

I have to admit though, I did think this book would be page to page laughs, and was pleasantly surprised when it wasn’t and contained a lot more tender and heart-warming moments in between the humour. Josh is a great character and you can’t help but feel sorry for him when he loses his girlfriend, job and home all in one go! I love the idea of flipping a coin to decide your every choice (although not sure if I would be brave enough to do it myself!), and some of the outcome of those decisions are so funny! Josh has a great group of friends who support him, and even sometimes hinder him!! I’ve seriously laughed my way through some of Josh’s dates – cue the birthday discount meal (how I cringed!) and the look on his date’s face being driven home by his dad (how I giggled!!). His mum and dad have to be the best fictional parents I’ve met in a long time!!

It’s not all about coin tossing though, this book takes us on a journey across Europe, behind the scenes on a quiz show and sharing some wonderful emotional moments between family and friends. When I wasn’t laughing, I was revelling in a heart-warming glow coming from the pages! If you’re on the lookout for a book with that feel-good factor, then look no further! Josh’s story will definitely be one that will fit the bill perfectly! Would definitely recommend!!

I do love a romantic comedy and this one was no exception.

After Josh proposed to his girlfriend on the London Eye...and she said no! He decides he’s going to make all his choice for the following year by tossing a coin. What could go wrong?

A fun book which wasn’t all predictable as a lot of romantic comedy’s can be.

Easy to read and enjoyable. Will definitely read books from James Bailey again.

Having been turned down by his girlfriend when he decided to propose on the London Eye on New Year's Eve, Josh has decided that he's maybe not the best decision maker. He decides to leave all decisions up to the flip of a coin. From what to wear to career choices and potential dates he leaves everything up to a 50p piece. I thought this book was quite predictable but a pleasant enough read. I got through it pretty quickly and while I wouldn't rush to recommend it I wouldn't dissuade anyone from reading.

In the The Flip Side we spend a year in the life of Josh; a year which starts badly and gets worse. The set backs Josh experiences undermine his self confidence and unable to trust his decision making skills he decides to abdicate responsibility to the flip of a coin. His friends are initially sceptical but ultimately embrace the concept and start asking ‘what does the coin say?’. As the year unfolds Josh’s life improves from the low point of moving back to live with his parents (which introduces a funny cast of characters) and he has adventures in London and some other cities (no spoilers!). I found Josh to be a sympathetic character and I was rooting for life to go Josh’s way. I really enjoyed the descriptions of Bristol, London and further afield as well as some art. This is an enjoyable funny read, and would make a great film.

This book has been in my “To be read” list for a while now. Having finished it in quick time for me, I’m just sorry that I didn’t read it sooner.
A light hearted romance that tells the story of Josh, dumped on New Year’s Eve and his search to find his Sunflower girl.
Thank to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this, in exchange for an honest review.

With a simple plot, I wasn't expecting to love this story as much as I did. Full of humour that made me literally laugh out loud with a pinch of light romance, I just couldn't put this down! A light and easy read was exactly what I needed and would definitely recommend it to anyone wanting a book that will put a smile on your face.

The Flip Side by James Bailey.
I really wanted to love this, and at times I did. At other times however it just irritated me as it was so frustratingly far-fetched and the lovely Josh somewhat pathetic. Ok so the book tracks his development into a more sensible adult and I love a happy ending- or at least the potential of one. Overall, a decent read (& I loved Jessica and how she was so supportive. I sort of liked Jake too, although he is one of those annoying friends who think it’s hilarious to out every faux pas you make! Overall then good character development and a nice wee entertaining, if a little predictable, read. Three stars for this one

Heart-warming, witty, emotional!

This book has it all.

I immediately warmed to the character of Josh as his life fell apart on the London Eye. Despite everything he did not fall apart but, with the help of some friends and advice from his grandfather, and of course his 50p coin, Josh faces the new year head on.

The story is full of heart breaking moments swiftly followed by hilarious antics.

I loved the Jeremy the rabbit, and the character of Pap who took avoiding social situations to a whole new level!

A real feel good read.

I found this book mildly episodic, formulaic and while not terrible, not exactly engaging past a certian point. I know the term is seen as slightly degoratory, and I don't mean it that way, but I'd rate this book as an 'airport read'. You can pick it up and put it down, it's not too difficult to keep track of and if you need to concentrate on other stuff for a bit, it's not hard to lose your place.
Solid and funny in places, in others, waaaay unbelievable.

I initially struggled to love this book but within 50 pages I had warmed to Josh and loved the uniqueness of the story. I think this was due to having not read a romance book with a male lead, so no-fault of the book! I love the refreshing nature of the story being told from a male perspective and will be seeking out more. A lovely story, I was completely rooting for Josh and devoured the last half in no time, desperate to read more.

Totally different book. Really enjoyed it. How to come back from rejection and make decisions in a unique way. Laugh and cheer Josh on as his story unfolds in unexpected ways.

Many thanks to netgalley for an arc of this book which I really enjoyed! It makes a change to read a romance type story from the boy’s point of view so this book is refreshing! No bad language or sexual content, just good old fashioned romance which had lots of laughs and one I would definitely recommend!

I absolutely loved this book and the light hearted humour it provided! It was lovely to read a romance from a male point of view, who is actually a nice guy! I absolutely loved Josh and sunflower girl!

The Flip Side by James Bailey had what seemed like an interesting premise and I enjoyed it to a point. The interaction between Josh, Jake and Jessie was fun and Josh's family were hilarious in a slightly unbelievable way. the book's problem for me was that it felt too episodic and the author didn't quite seem to know where he wanted to go with it.

You can’t go wrong with this book, if only I had the tenacity to flip a coin and decide what I’m going to do with my life. A fun filled joy of a read, my other half kept asking why I was laughing! There’s nothing to dislike, the story, the characters, everything and of course there’s romance! A book for a rainy day. Enjoy.