When you look at a book and know you will love it, and that then also comes true, it's a very rare moment. I experienced that with The Flip Side though. I absolutely adored every single page in this book. Every line is perfect, every word chosen with precision, and yet it feels easy and light and flowed nicely. I loved Josh’s quirky, funny family that offered one laugh-out-loud moment after the other.
Josh’s whole family, but also his friends are awesome and great secondary characters. I loved their shocked faces (well, reading of them at least) when Josh told them that from now on, he would flip a coin for every decision in his life. While other people decide to lose weight or stop smoking in the New Year, this is Josh’s resolution. After all, his decisions so far seemed to have been terrible, so why not let a coin decide his fate?
This is one of those rare books that I want to have on my shelf. It’s not just a one time read – I know that I will want to reread this funny, quirky, deep and yet quick and easy book again and again, so I will get myself a copy even though I have the ebook. If you are looking for a romantic, funny, uplifting book that deals with heartbreak, friendship, family, love, and a journey to self-discovery, I highly recommend The Flip Side to you!

Enjoyed this book. A nice light-hearted journey with a simple hook - making decisions on the basis of a coin toss for a year - to keep things ticking along nicely.
It's difficult to be ground-breaking in this genre and this doesn't pretend to be, yet with the unique hook it's given a different flavour and certainly keeps it interesting.
Also, Bristol, which is close to me, Amsterdam and Munich being the main locations - these are all cities close to my heart which further made it interesting to me personally.
The characters were likeable and the humour between Josh and his friends was great.
There's nothing to complain about from me with this book!
Solid 4 stars and recommended.

Mmm, if I flip a coin how many stars will I give this book - 1 for heads, 2 for tails... tails wins.

I so struggled with this book, its the kind of one that I should have enjoyed reading but I just didn't. Seemed to take me ages to read too as I just wanted to avoid reading it as I wasn't enjoying it at all.

I really loved this book; it was funny, exciting and adventurous. The humour between Josh and his friends literally made me laugh out loud at times. One of those moments in particular was the fancy dress scene, when everyone was dressed as London underground stations.

I liked how the coin flipping idea went through some trial and error before Josh settled on an idea on how to use it. It made for some particularly amusing moments, too.

Josh and Lucy's relationship was a little too-good-to-be-true but having said that, I 100% wanted them to be together throughout the book.

I highly recommend this book, it's really funny and heartwarming, with a romance that you want to succeed throughout the book.

I thought the plot for this book was really different and interesting. Josh is rejected by his long-term girlfriend after proposing on the London Eye on New Year’s Eve. In the process he loses his home in Bristol, which was owned by the girlfriend and his job, working for his girlfriend’s father. All this leaves him broke, unemployed and having to move back in with his parents in Cadbury, a small village a few miles from Bristol and uncertain what to do next. Josh has good friends and belongs to a quiz team mainly competing against the Quizlamic Extremists and usually coming second. One of these friends, Jessie, is running the London Marathon and Josh travels with another friend, Josh, to London to support her. While he is in London, he meets a girl and instantly falls in love. Unfortunately, they get separated and although they have spent some time together, he hasn’t even asked her what her name is. The rest of the book is his quest to find this girl and knowing she lives abroad has to travel to a number of cities to try and find her. The title of the book refers to the fact that after his girlfriend’s rejection Josh decides to make all his future decisions based on the toss of a coin. At first, he uses this method for all his decisions but realises this is totally impractical so then only uses it for important decisions such as whether he should pursue the girl who is referred to as ‘Sunflower Girl’ due to the fact that he meets her when she is studying Van Gogh’s painting. I really enjoyed this book partly because of the idea that someone would try and find someone based on the flimsiest of information about them, which I thought was quite original. The portrayal of Josh is inspired. He comes across as a really decent young man who is very family orientated and loyal to his friends. There is plenty of laugh out loud humour and also some bits that are quite sad. A very creditable first novel from James Bailey and a lovely summer read. Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me an ARC of this book.

I found this novel hard to engage with, although I respect the author for his attempt to create multi dimensional characters. Fans of typical romantic comedies may find something beautiful and different in this book.

The Flip Side is the story of the slightly annoying and aimless Josh, dumped on New Year's Eve by his girlfriend when he proposes to her, leaving him single, homeless and jobless.

He decides that - as his decision-making so far hasn't been leading him to happiness - he will allow the flip of a coin to make his decisions for him for a whole year.

Right away I'm thinking, ok, so kinda like Yes Man by Danny Wallace. I've read that before (a few times actually, it's great!) but still, it's a slightly different take on the concept, as long as it's funny, what does it matter?

The problem is though, i just didn't find this funny. I'm so sorry. i hate to leave a negative review, but it just wasn't for me. I could tell some lines were meant to raise a chuckle but for me they were kind of well-trodden lines. Obvious lines. I wanted to be laughing out loud as promised by the reviews i had already read; but that's not what happened to me. Maybe i'm dead inside. (But seriously though, Yes Man... that did have me laughing out loud in public places and everything.)

Anyway, I kept going. Even when it really stopped trying to hide the Yes Man-nish-ness and brought out the same conundrum that Danny faces when he's going to have to sleep with someone that he doesn't really want to and has to break his pact. I had to sigh at that point.

Some of the characters were quite nice - i liked Josh's friends. but Josh was just a bit wet and immature. and Lucy - LUCY. I mean, her character was all over the shop!

She's quirky and individual! but she's just (yes, just recently!) discovered and become a fan of the multi-million record-selling and most well-known and bland musical artist in the entire world, Ed bloomin Sheerin! Come on, please tell me that was a place-holder that the author forgot to come back to. *note - look up names of obscure and cool bands before sending back to editor* *ah crap, nevermind*.

And then she says she's never read the end of a book before. ok, fine, a bit annoying (and potentially lifted from Anna Kendrick in Pitch Perfect's oh so quirky Becca who never watches the ends of films?), but then she reveals she did a freakin English degree! ok maybe she means English language. benefit of the doubt. Nope she mentions a literary work she studied during her degree. Definitely literature.

OK so right, she's got through (successfully) a GCSE, A Level AND degree in English literature without reading the ends of any books.

I have done all 3 of these things and can say that is an impossibility. At school we read every single line of every set text in the classroom, together, with the proverbial fine-toothed comb. absolutely no chance of keeping those things unspoiled. Degree level, i mean possibly, if you avoided going to seminars where the books were discussed (but surely would result in being asked to leave the course). I can't imagine the quality of essays would be that great if you couldn't comment on the entire story of anything you're writing about though. Not to mention the entitled downright annoyingnance of having someone on your course that would probably end up with a better degree classification than you despite never finishing a whole book. That person would be getting tripped up at graduation.

By the end i really just wanted to hurry through it when Lucy started to really bug me. But then Jake and Jessie were pretty good characters.

Josh's new year doesn't get off to the best of starts. Turned down by his girlfriend when he proposes on the London Eye on New Year's Eve, he loses his relationship, his job and his flat in less time than it take for the wheel to rotate (cue one very awkward private capsule). Deciding that he can't be trusted to make decisions anymore, Josh decides to leave this year to chance - making every decision with the flip of a coin. Can fate help him find a new job, a home that isn't with his parents, and a relationship that isn't ruined by missing wallets or unwanted dinner guests? More importantly, can it help him #FindSunflowerGirl?

The Flip Side is a fun, heartwarming read with a cute romance and a great hook.

There are more awkward, laugh-out-loud moments than I could possibly count, making this an entertaining read from beginning to end. There's also romance, heartbreak and trips to European bookshops, as well as plenty of appearances from Van Gough's Sunflowers (which I now kind of want to see all five public versions of... I think this book may prove more expensive than its RRP!)

I loved Josh's friends, Jake and Jessie, their quiz nights (this novel is also full of a lot of interesting facts), and Josh's wonderful (and incredibly embarrassing) family.

The Flip Side is a reminder that life is short, and that sometimes you have to trust your instincts and take a plunge into the unknown - even if that does mean spending all of your money searching across Europe for a girl you don't even know the name of!

I was provided with an advanced copy of The Flip Side to review.

This is a fabulous rom-com from debut author James Bailey. The star of the story is Josh, who I am sure everyone will either fall in love with or see parts of themselves in him. He is an ordinary guy, sweet, caring and confident that this is the right time to propose to his live-in girlfriend but he couldn’t have got it more wrong. With his self-esteem totally shattered he decides to really leave any life choices up to fate using the toss of a coin to guide him through the next year, including any romantic choices.
Josh has amazing friends who at first take the Mickey out of it all, tossing a coin for every choice isn’t the most practical so with a little tweaking ground rules are laid. The story follows Josh and his ever-supportive besties, his family, who are at times the weirdest people with heats of gold and a mystery girl.
I loved the suspense, yes there is plenty of that especially with his track record as far as the ladies’ go, the humour which just flows so natural from the pages and the new friends he makes on his quest to ‘find the one’. This is a light-hearted read with a character who I cheered on. There are little side stories around Josh as normal life continues but influenced now by a 50p flip of the coin.
This is a lovely book to settle down with, be it on a beach or in a favourite chair, it is uplifting, different and very entertaining.
I wish to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

Whilst I read this quickly, I found the pace a little slow, but it did have its charming and chuckle-enduring moments as Josh navigates his failed marriage proposal to living his life by the flip of a coin. An easy read that has a few tender moments in it, but I would have enjoyed it more if they’d packed that emotional punch. Bailey is an author I’ll be keeping an eye out for.

This is a lovely feel good book about a young and quite adorable broken hearted man named Josh and what happens when you leave fate to guide you.
We meet Josh proposing to his girlfriend on the London Eye but when she says no and he loses his girlfriend, job and home in one stroke, Josh makes an unusual new year's resolution - leaving all his decisions to the flip of a 50p coin.
This story is funny, touching and just made me smile repeatedly. I also loved that it was set in Bristol, somewhere I've lived myself and remember fondly. I would recommend it wholeheartedly.

This was a slow burner for me. I couldn’t get into it but after halfway I just ‘clicked’ with the characters.. A simple plot with laugh out loud moments and heart warming sections.
Would you make your life altering decisions with the flip of a coin....thats just what Josh began doing. Predictable in places but a great first book.
Very refreshing to read from the point of the male character. An easy rom-com by this debut author.

When Josh gets dumped on New Year’s Eve after proposing to his girlfriend on the London Eye, he thinks his life is over and when subsequently this means he has to move back in with his parents, he realises something has to change. Despite some initial mocking from his two best mates, Josh decides that with nothing else left to lose, he will flip a 50p coin to make any decisions for the next 12 months and the events that follow may just change his life forever.

I absolutely loved The Flip Side, it was a contemporary romance with heartfelt honesty and hilarious moments. As a 25 year old I found the characters were so relatable and Josh’s constant companions Jake and Jessie were the best sidekicks and their friendship was just so normal and entertaining.

The storyline was a real page turner, because I always wanted to know where Josh’s coin flipping would take him and I really like the fact this character left everything down to fate, it actually had me thinking about the aspect of fate for ages after I finished this book. I’d love to be able to revisit these characters in another book, they just seem to have so much more to give and I’d love to read more from Bailey, as I really liked his writing style.

For those looking for an enjoyable easy read which will make you laugh out loud, with relatable and likeable characters then this is for you. Go and read it, I’d highly recommend!

Thanks so much to @michaeljbooks for the gifted digital copy of this book and also including me on the blog tour.

I really enjoyed this book. I really enjoyed following along on Josh’s journey using the flip of his coin to pave the way for his future decisions.

When Josh meets THE ONE in a museum only to later lose her in a crowd having not even got her name he sets out on a mission to find his true love again only leaving all of the decision making to the flip of his coin.

An endearing story, with a lot of fate and aligned stars thrown in.

The story of Josh. He proposes to his girlfriend on new years eve, but not only does she turn him down she also tells him she has met someone else.
Soon after he finds a coin in the street and comes up with a plan that as his decisions can't be trusted he should flip a coin to decide what to do.
This eventually leads him to meet Sunflower Girl, who he decides is perfect, but loses her before he finds out her name. Encouraged by his friends he sets out to find her.

An entertaining read.

I completely understand why this is getting compared to The Flatshare as it definitely had a similar vibe to it which I am always here for! I adored the writing style in this book, it was so easy to read which I know isn't easy to write. I flew through the book and read it completely within a few hours. This is pitched as a rom-com and it definitely is that but the romance for me wasn't the forefront of the book. One of the things I really liked about this book and that drew me in from the first couple of chapters is that it's all from our main males perspective which is rare in rom-coms.

There were so many things I loved about this book but I want to keep it all spoiler-free for you. But I will say, I loved the bunny rabbit! There is one very awkward yet hilarious first date and each coin flip brings a decision and many funny and witty moments. I loved the journey we follow our characters on. Josh's friend group bring a lot to the story and I wouldn't mind more books about this group.

The journey Josh goes on, over a period of a year, to find the girl of his dreams isn't easy but it was very enjoyable to read and follow along with and I have to say, the ending was perfection. And at a few points in the book, I didn't actually know how it was going to end.

This book is an extremely impressive debut and I can't wait to read whatever James writes next!

Josh has had a dreadful end to the year with his girlfriend refusing his proposal. No longer trusting his own decisions, he starts flipping a coin for every decision going forward believing that it can be no worse.
There were highs, lows and laughs all the way through.
I loved the tender moments between Josh and Pap, when they just took a few minutes away from everything.

Josh is dumped by his girlfriend just as he proposes to her. Then it’s boy meets girl, complications arise, boy finds girl again. I’m afraid this novel didn’t grab me in any way, a fairly standard romantic story.

Firstly a big thank you to the publishers for my copy on netgalley and having me on the tour.

I gobbled this up from cover to cover .what a fantastic debut .

I loved the fact its by a male author and as a woman its always insightful to get into a mans mind especially when it comes to all things love and romance.

Its smart,witty and romantic. Its a love story for the modern times .

Its about life not quite going to plan and giving you a wake up call… and leaving you with a choice how to move on.

I really enjoyed this and highly recommend. I wish him every success and look forward to reading more!

Published 20th August and do check out the other blogs taking part in the tour.

I loved the premise of the book as soon as I read the blurb. It was also put forward as the new Flatshare of 2020 this got me really excited as I ADORED the Flatshare so I had high hopes.

The book is focused on Josh. He hasn’t had the best of luck I mean the book opens on him proposing to his girlfriend of three years on the London Eye at Christmas. I mean what could go wrong. Everything apparently. Josh’s now ex-girlfriend said no, so now not only is he single, he’s lost his job and his home as no surprise there they were his ex-girlfriends parents. The only good news? He got custody of the pet rabbit.

The book opened with a bit of sadness however it was portrayed in such a way that I was humorous, I mean it’s sad that Josh was dumped but the book opened with a bit of a bang. Josh is now down on his luck he’s had to move home with his parents AND they are hosting him an engagement party that’s turned into a party. The embarrassment is real let me tell you.

The writing style was really easy to read and I love how the dynamic of the characters worked well together. James Bailey definitely brought something special to the book with this as I love how the characters interacted with each other.

So let’s talk Characters shall we Josh is down on his luck. He’s had to move home but he has a plan, he has a 50 pence piece that is going to change his life. He is going to flip the coin to help him make decisions, I mean they are helping him decide what he wants to eat and wear. Will the tossing of the coin help his love life?

The secondary characters in the form of Josh’s friends Jack and Jessie are great and I really liked them. They added a little thing extra to the book and the interactions between them all definitely brought a smile to my face when reading.

Josh goes on a journey of discovery throughout this book with a few hilarious trips along the way. It wasn’t all plain sailing on the way to love or sorting his life out but it was fun to go on the adventure with him!

This was a really enjoyable and fun contemporary read for me. It got me out of a slump and I really do think that James Bailey has done something special. The book held my attention throughout and found all the characters engaging. Some of the events that happened you could feel yourself cringe at as you know you have also done this before (fancy dress). Highly recommend this cute and fun read.