Thank you to Netgalley, Penguin and James Bailey for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Flip Side focuses on the main character Josh, and his life in the year following his rejected proposal to his ex girlfriend. After the rejection, he decided to flip a coin for the major decisions in his life, and to trust in the coin's decisions more than his own. I really loved this concept, although at points it felt very unrealistic and I was going 'do you really need to flip for that?' at times.

I started off loving this book, the first chapter had me laughing and cringing and I enjoyed it, but following on the book made me laugh less and less and at points it made me cringe from second hand embarrassment so badly that I genuinely wanted to DNF it. I found a lot of the situations that Josh got himself into unrealistic and at times his own fault, and it made me really uncomfortable at times (and here I'm thinking of his two dates, and if you've read it you'll know which ones I'm talking about). At times he was just so awkward and unrealistic that it bordered on painful to read, and the more hateable his character became. This wasn't just in relation to dating either, but also in relation to his friends, family and himself. I found him to be incredibly frustrating and started to not care about the plot because of it.

However, I did enjoy a few things about the book, for example I thought the idea of going into a museum and getting postcards from the giftshop to do a treasure hunt of the art on them is a great idea, and something I want to do in the future when I can next get to a museum. I found the hearse getting towed outside the church genuinely funny, and bar the first chapter it was one of the only moments in the book that made me laugh. I also actually enjoyed the last chapter, I really enjoyed the symbolism and I thought that it was a fitting ending, especially considering the foreshadowing throughout the book. I loved Lucy's character but I did find that she verged on the manic pixie dream girl stereotype which was a little frustrating. I also loved the descriptions of the different bookshops across Europe, and found that those were the best bits of the book (even if creepy) as they felt so realistic and made me want to visit them.

Overall the book is an easy and short read, perfect to switch off with. I think I just had issues with the characters, it felt like it lacked some depth to me. There were also issues I had about the portrayal of Lucy and the language used around anxiety and disability within the book. I think it would probably work better as a rom-com on screen where you could potentially flesh the characters out better.

I think the best way to sum up the book however, Bailey already did when he wrote Josh saying to his ex "I've been a wanker the whole year since you left me". Truly nothing sums up Josh better than that.

**Witty and Engaging**

A fun and witty story about a guy called Josh and his year making choices based on the flip of a coin.

I thought the characters were really likeable and enjoyed this story greatly. We were taken on a funny, and oftentimes hilarious journey, as Josh navigates the dating scene, moving back home to his parents, and his lovely friendship group. This is a modern story about fate and chance and grabbing opportunities when they arise.

I thought this was an excellent, enjoyable and engaging read, and would recommend to readers who are looking for something lighter and entertaining.

This was a lovely escapism, a hot cup of tea on a cold day!

Despite sometimes thinking that the main character was a bit of a drip at times, I wanted to know more of what happened next and enjoyed the warmth from the characters included.

A reminder to remain hopeful and to sometimes let chance decide the way!

Would definitely read more of this author.

I Ordered this book in error, I think my finger slipped on the list of books available, so have not read.it. Therefore I cannot gove a review.

This was a cute read and nice to escape from the real world. I liked the premise and yes the coin flipping got a bit tiresome towards the end however made the story much more adventurous.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

I loved this romance from a male POV. Josh is a bit of a mess after a marriage proposal was turned down and he ends up, aged almost 30, living at home with his parents and without a job. The main thrust of the story is his search for a girl he met fleetingly on London Marathon day and with whom he exchanged no contact details. A great story, some great characters and lots of humour. I don't usually get on with books that set out to be funny but this one made me smile and laugh several times. James Bailey is an entertaining writer. With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review and e-ARC of this title.

This was a great rom com book- I finished it in 2 days! A very easy, feel good read I was invested in Josh’s character from the beginning. A good 4 stars.

After a disastrous, unsuccessful marriage proposal which leads to him becoming jobless and homeless Josh decided to spend the next year making decisions based on the toss of a coin.
For me the story started very slowly, but I hate to give up on a book so carried on reading. Things definitely looked up when Josh met the Sunflowers girl in an art gallery in London, they strike up a friendship but become separated in crowds. He then searches for her, a literal needle in a haystack, with the help of his long - suffering friends . This opened up the story and it did come to life. Not hilarious in my opinion, but then again most books don't live up to that description, but it does have its amusing moments and you could feel Josh's frustrations as the search continued. It is more around how we make choices and the consequences of these, against using a coin to give a random outcome. Overall this first novel by the author was worth reading and I look forward to reading his next novel.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review.

Oh my goodness, what a much needed tonic The Flip Side by James Bailey turned out to be! It tells the story of unlucky in love Josh who, after a disastrous wedding proposal, decides that from now on he will make every decision through the flip of a coin. As you can imagine, what follows is an often hilarious, sometimes moving, always heartwarming tale that sees Josh try everything from going on a a blind date to searching for the girl of his dreams.

The Flip Side is a light and easy read that really lifted my mood. Filled with warm and memorable characters I couldn’t help but like, it’s a story that kept me thoroughly entertained from beginning to end. There’s never a dull moment to be had as the action moves along at a cracking pace, with Josh himself being a character it’s impossible not to like as he stumbles his way through the many ups and downs of life.

James Bailey has written a gloriously uplifting book that’s as heartwarming as it is hilarious. The perfect book to relax and unwind with, especially at the moment in these uncertain times we find ourselves living in, The Flip Side is a book I would recommend to anyone who wants to be left with a big smile on their face as they turn the final page.

Simply wonderful!

I really enjoyed reading this book and following the life changing decisions made on the flip on the coin!
A real page turner full of interesting and relatable characters.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review on Netgalley.

I loved the premise of this book and immediately requested it when I came across it. The male P.O.V was refreshing for a romance book, all to often I find myself reading novels with female leads, so this was a nice change in pace.

Unfortunately, I just couldn't get fully into this book, despite the well written quality and good humour. I believe it will be something I will come back to and question why I never fully appreciated it the first time round. Because of this, I do think it will be well received by the majority of readers, and will be a thoroughly enjoyable book.

Definitely a nice little read, but just not for me... yet!

I loved this story by the author, I read in a day and will recommend it to everyone

This book tells the story of Josh who proposed to his girlfriend on New Years Eve, she turned him down and rejected him, Josh has to find a new place to live and job as he was living with his ex girlfriend and working for her family Business , Since Josh is now without a Job or a place to live he decides to flip a 50p to see what his fate will be on what the 50p lands on without giving away too many spoilers what happened next for Josh is some unique situations .

I would give this book 5 out of 5, With thanks to Netgalley & Penguin Micheal Joseph for the arc of this book in exchange for this honest review.

As Pandora/Dolly would say ‘I gobbled this up’! This was such a great book for me, and I read it at a time when I really needed to be reading this kind of genre. If you like David Nichols books, I recommend this. The same kind of characters: funny, friendly, adventurous. I thought that the relationships between all the characters were really different for something in this genre, particularly between Josh and his parents/grandparents.

A great adventure/travelling story! Another book that made me yearn for pre-pandemic life though! Remember when we could all just jump on a plane the next day and visit countries? It felt very modern in a good way, and the perfect read to escape the world for a little while. I’ll definitely be checking out more of James Bailey’s novels in the future. Thanks to NetGalley for an e-arc copy of this book.

DNF at 43%, I should have realised when it was described as the laugh out loud comedy of the year.

Josh thinks he is living his best life, living and working with his girlfriend. Then he proposes and she says no. Suddenly his world falls apart, he's out of work and back living with his parents. Disappointed with his life choices Josh decides to live his life on the flip of a coin (like the Diceman).

I think this sort of novel works better in a bigger, American setting, or maybe with a more likeable MC, generally Josh's decisions are things like should he go on a blind date set up by his mum, or should he go to the pub quiz, or to his ten year school reunion - nothing earth-shattering or, frankly, interesting. He's jobless, clueless and more like a 13 year old than a 28 year old man. He meets a girl randomly in the National Gallery, fails to find out anything about her and lets down his friends. I just didn't like him and didn't care whether he turned his life around. I didn't find it funny, I think it's like Marmite or Father Ted, you either love it or loath it.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. It was wonderfully sweet and entertaining once we got into the romance.

Really liked Josh and found his situation realistic and relevant. Many men lose their homes after relationship breakups.

Loved his journey in search of the one

I was drawn to this book as the blurb was intriguing and I was interested to read a romantic comedy from a male perspective.

The story was slow paced to start but was still entertaining and was keeping my interest. I enjoyed the humour and some of the characters were fantastic. We all have relatives like some of Josh's family so it made his circumstances totally relatable.

It didn’t do it for me. I struggled to connect or even relate to the main characters which meant I didn’t enjoy it all that much really

Absolutely loved this book. Great little plot and good character👍 would reccomend this book as a holiday read.

Josh get dumped by his girlfriend after proposing to her on the London Eye. Feeling shaken in his ability to make good decisions he decides to base everything on the toss of a coin. Honestly I DNF this book which is really rare for me and I'm struggling to find something good to say about it. I found the plot quite predictable (it's a rom-com, that's sort of a given but half the fun is getting there and this journey is signposted in neon lights). Also Lucy, the love interest is just too Manic Pixie Dream Girl for my tastes. One for diehard romantics only.

This is an enjoyable read which is told from the male perspective and has a light, easy tone. Having witnessed Josh's attempts at romance crash and burn in the opening scene, you are rooting for him from the start and he keeps your sympathies throughout. His friends and family are a varied bunch and his observations about his life made me smile.

Josh's decision to let a flip of a coin direct his actions for a year is a clever device which makes what happens to him in the course of the year credible. I was actually surprised by the outcome as I had decided that a different fate awaited Josh. I suppose I fell for a red herring which the author planted there! This is a great holiday read and one which I could imagine as the subject of a film. There are some great locations and striking visual images.

In short: Heads or tails?
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the book