alicjawrites 's review for:

The Flip Side by James Bailey
3.0

Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my e-copy of The Flip Side.

In The Flip Side James Bailey narrates Josh’s story as he tries to figure out his life following a failed proposal (and a subsequent break up with his long-term girlfriend) and the loose of his stagnant job in the hotel industry. Left with a broken heart, a rabbit, and back in his childhood bedroom, Josh’s life is a mess. A pretty terrible situation in life for everyone.

I found The Flip Side very relatable, from dealing with breakups, complicated relationships with friends and family, and mostly troubles with finding a new graduate job. With Josh setting in the job in the hotel following finishing a degree at King’s College London (it made me smile as it was where I was studying), which was meant to be just temporary but ended up lasting far longer. With the job market being as it is, the months after break up with Jade and losing his job, are understandably for Josh. It also makes for a good and relatable story, with his struggle to find both a new job and a new love. Incredibly awkward tales of dates that go wrong both because of the lack of money and living with the parents.

Flipping a coin as a means to make any decisions, especially important ones, has been an interesting idea, making Josh’s life both simpler and more complicated as a result. In many ways, it took away the responsibility from making any serious decisions on your own, which is particularly hard when you’re feeling so lost, like Josh is. Josh has been a relatable character, and I have enjoyed seeing the narrative unfolding. With the cast of funny and varied supporting characters, ‘The Flip Side’ has been a nice weekend read after a long week. I have particularly liked containing the whole story within a year, from the moment Josh decides to base all of his decisions basing on flipping the coin, to when that’s no longer needed.