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3.18 AVERAGE
3.18 AVERAGE
James Bailey's debut is the awkward rom-com 2020 needs. The Flip Side opens with our intrepid hero, Josh, proposing to his long-term girlfriend Jade while attempting to celebrate NYE on the London Eye. Unfortunately for Josh, Jade's planning on breaking up with him and leaving him for the older guy she's having an affair with. Rather than finding himself fianced by the end of the night, Josh winds up losing his job, his flat, and his girlfriend.
He moves back in with his parents and decides he's been so bad at making decisions that he will leave all-decision making up to fate for the year by tossing a coin every time he has to make a decision.
This book is laugh-out-loud funny throughout. The dialogue is catchy, and Josh is just hilarious. The side characters really shine in this one, too – particularly Jessie, Pap, Nan, and Josh's mum. I confess it caught me off guard a bit because it doesn't completely follow the romance formula I was expecting, which certainly isn't a bad thing – but it did surprise me. It's more of a contemporary in that it follows Josh's personal journey for the first half, and isn't as all about romance as I was expecting.
With solid writing and pacing, this is a very enjoyable read that needs to be made into a movie. The Flip Side releases in November, and it's sure to be a hit.
Thank you to NetGalley & William Morrow for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
He moves back in with his parents and decides he's been so bad at making decisions that he will leave all-decision making up to fate for the year by tossing a coin every time he has to make a decision.
This book is laugh-out-loud funny throughout. The dialogue is catchy, and Josh is just hilarious. The side characters really shine in this one, too – particularly Jessie, Pap, Nan, and Josh's mum. I confess it caught me off guard a bit because it doesn't completely follow the romance formula I was expecting, which certainly isn't a bad thing – but it did surprise me. It's more of a contemporary in that it follows Josh's personal journey for the first half, and isn't as all about romance as I was expecting.
With solid writing and pacing, this is a very enjoyable read that needs to be made into a movie. The Flip Side releases in November, and it's sure to be a hit.
Thank you to NetGalley & William Morrow for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
2.5. This is...fine, I guess? Romance novels written from the POV of a cis dude (without the dual M/F POV) are rare (not that they need any more exposure...), so I was looking forward to seeing what Bailey did with that.
Overall, it's pretty formulaic, but it's a pleasant read. There are some predictable conflicts, and some events that are glossed over more than necessary, which was disappointing. I enjoyed Josh's relationships with his friends; in fact, I was even more interested in the lives of his friends than I was in his life.
If you're looking for something cozy with no surprises--for better or worse--give this one a try.
2.5. This is...fine, I guess? Romance novels written from the POV of a cis dude (without the dual M/F POV) are rare (not that they need any more exposure...), so I was looking forward to seeing what Bailey did with that.
Overall, it's pretty formulaic, but it's a pleasant read. There are some predictable conflicts, and some events that are glossed over more than necessary, which was disappointing. I enjoyed Josh's relationships with his friends; in fact, I was even more interested in the lives of his friends than I was in his life.
If you're looking for something cozy with no surprises--for better or worse--give this one a try.
After a marriage proposal that couldn't have gone any worse, protagonist Josh decides to leave all decisions over the following year to chance by flipping a coin. We follow Josh's life over the year as he navigates his friendships, family relationships and healing heart.
I enjoyed reading a romcom from a man's point of view, which feels like a rarity. I was also pleased to read a British book that wasn't set entirely in London. The bits of the book that worked best for me were the little silly moments that felt relatable, like when Josh smashes his knees on the underside of a table while standing up to greet a woman who turns out to not be his blind date.
Unfortunately, as a whole, the book did not work for me. I don't think the protagonist Josh had a strong enough voice to carry the novel, and the conflict that threatened to tear apart the developing relationship was too flimsy for me.
There was also a lot of repetition in terms of the quips made and the internal sardonic musings. And a lack of an internal monologue to guide readers through the story and what Josh was thinking and feeling. Often it was hard to know whether the author was setting things up to have a pay-off later or if it was just a one-off moment to show how awkward and British the protagonist is.
An example being when Josh spilled red sauce on his shirt before going on TV, which resulted in... nothing. Also, there was no internal narration explaining Josh's reason for trying to hide the stain and not changing into one of the other shirts he brought. It could have easily been explained away had the narration included something like, 'The death glare I got from the wardrobe woman earlier makes me question whether I'd rather get caught in a shirt with a stain or in a shirt she didn't pick.' (I can't see any production allowing anything other than water in the wardrobe department anyway.)
There was quite a bit of clumsy writing that made me wonder why an editor didn't pick up on it, though perhaps I didn't read the final draft and am being overly harsh.
Some examples:
1.
There's one scene at a fancy dress party where everyone's come as London Tube stops. Josh is talking to someone and says:
'Yes, that's not too hard when that guy's carrying a can of beer and has got a dildo on his head, dressed as Cockfosters.'
This is weird and unrealistic dialogue and is clearly included only for the joke. But if it had been written this way, it could have done more:
'Yes, that's not too hard when you're competing with Cockfosters,' I say, nodding at a guy with a dildo on his head and carrying a can of beer.
2.
One part in the book went:
Yes, I think I saw. Congratulations,' I say, falling asleep listening to her.
That is a weird way to phrase it. Instead it could have been something like:
Yes, I think I saw,' I manage to wake myself up enough to say. 'Congratulations.'
And lastly, this isn't necessarily bad, but I wondered why the protagonist's mum didn't support her son's coin flipping. She was into horoscopes and other woo-woo stuff, and I'd have expected her to support her son following fate? Her support would have added extra conflict within the protagonist because he would then have to grapple with the fact that he was going along with something his mum believed in.
All in all, I would recommend this book to those who are avid romcom readers. If you dip in and out of the genre like I do, I'd say give this one a miss.
I enjoyed reading a romcom from a man's point of view, which feels like a rarity. I was also pleased to read a British book that wasn't set entirely in London. The bits of the book that worked best for me were the little silly moments that felt relatable, like when Josh smashes his knees on the underside of a table while standing up to greet a woman who turns out to not be his blind date.
Unfortunately, as a whole, the book did not work for me. I don't think the protagonist Josh had a strong enough voice to carry the novel, and the conflict that threatened to tear apart the developing relationship was too flimsy for me.
There was also a lot of repetition in terms of the quips made and the internal sardonic musings. And a lack of an internal monologue to guide readers through the story and what Josh was thinking and feeling. Often it was hard to know whether the author was setting things up to have a pay-off later or if it was just a one-off moment to show how awkward and British the protagonist is.
An example being when Josh spilled red sauce on his shirt before going on TV, which resulted in... nothing. Also, there was no internal narration explaining Josh's reason for trying to hide the stain and not changing into one of the other shirts he brought. It could have easily been explained away had the narration included something like, 'The death glare I got from the wardrobe woman earlier makes me question whether I'd rather get caught in a shirt with a stain or in a shirt she didn't pick.' (I can't see any production allowing anything other than water in the wardrobe department anyway.)
There was quite a bit of clumsy writing that made me wonder why an editor didn't pick up on it, though perhaps I didn't read the final draft and am being overly harsh.
Some examples:
1.
There's one scene at a fancy dress party where everyone's come as London Tube stops. Josh is talking to someone and says:
'Yes, that's not too hard when that guy's carrying a can of beer and has got a dildo on his head, dressed as Cockfosters.'
This is weird and unrealistic dialogue and is clearly included only for the joke. But if it had been written this way, it could have done more:
'Yes, that's not too hard when you're competing with Cockfosters,' I say, nodding at a guy with a dildo on his head and carrying a can of beer.
2.
One part in the book went:
Yes, I think I saw. Congratulations,' I say, falling asleep listening to her.
That is a weird way to phrase it. Instead it could have been something like:
Yes, I think I saw,' I manage to wake myself up enough to say. 'Congratulations.'
And lastly, this isn't necessarily bad, but I wondered why the protagonist's mum didn't support her son's coin flipping. She was into horoscopes and other woo-woo stuff, and I'd have expected her to support her son following fate? Her support would have added extra conflict within the protagonist because he would then have to grapple with the fact that he was going along with something his mum believed in.
All in all, I would recommend this book to those who are avid romcom readers. If you dip in and out of the genre like I do, I'd say give this one a miss.
I wanted to like The Flip Side but got 43% through and realized I really disliked the main character. He's whiny, unmotivated, and not very smart. I'm not even sure I care if he finds his Happily Ever After, to be honest.
The book is well-written and has some funny moments, and includes GLBTQ characters (I liked them better than the main character), so it gets 2 stars instead of one. Life is too short to read books you don't like.
The book is well-written and has some funny moments, and includes GLBTQ characters (I liked them better than the main character), so it gets 2 stars instead of one. Life is too short to read books you don't like.
2.5 stars
Josh's life has crashed to a halt. His girlfriend refused his proposal, he's lost his job and he's had to move back in with his parents at the age of 25. He feels completely unable to make a competent decision for himself so instead of improving himself, he decides to leave all his decision making to a coin. Using the flip of a coin to decide how to live his life definitely lets Josh take a bit of a mental break but it turns out, it doesn't actually solve anything. And when he happens to meet a girl - that might be THE girl - will the coin help him finally find happiness?
Meh. I had a hard time investing in Josh. He never felt super fleshed out (except for his self absorption) and the coin flipping thing just didn't ever zing for me. The pet rabbit, the quiz show, sometimes I just felt like I was reading STUFF instead of a story with a real plot. Funny enough, I did really like the ending. I liked how his love story played out. It just took too long to get there for me say I enjoyed the whole thing.
content: some uncomfortable graphic conversations and some cursing
Josh's life has crashed to a halt. His girlfriend refused his proposal, he's lost his job and he's had to move back in with his parents at the age of 25. He feels completely unable to make a competent decision for himself so instead of improving himself, he decides to leave all his decision making to a coin. Using the flip of a coin to decide how to live his life definitely lets Josh take a bit of a mental break but it turns out, it doesn't actually solve anything. And when he happens to meet a girl - that might be THE girl - will the coin help him finally find happiness?
Meh. I had a hard time investing in Josh. He never felt super fleshed out (except for his self absorption) and the coin flipping thing just didn't ever zing for me. The pet rabbit, the quiz show, sometimes I just felt like I was reading STUFF instead of a story with a real plot. Funny enough, I did really like the ending. I liked how his love story played out. It just took too long to get there for me say I enjoyed the whole thing.
content: some uncomfortable graphic conversations and some cursing
DNF - I couldn't get into it at first so I put it down for a book with a more likeable protagonist, and now I dread going back to it.
Life is short. I'd rather read a book about a man (or woman), not a man child.
Life is short. I'd rather read a book about a man (or woman), not a man child.
Maudlin. I listened to over an hour of this and we still haven't met the love interest. All the book managed to do for me was depress me thoroughly. I even skipped to the near end and Josh was STILL sad and complaining. DNF.
Does anyone have some Prozac?
Does anyone have some Prozac?
felt like watching a hallmark movie. Trying too hard to put the ‘com’ in rom-com but it’s not working. The romance part came in late. Not for me