REVIEW: The Flip Side by James Bailey

The Flip Side by James Bailey: Heartbreak on the London Eye on New Years Eve, followed by a tail between legs style return to his parent’s house is reminiscent of every comically tragic opening and how we meet Josh, a seemingly ordinary character in a relatively ordinary situation, albeit smothered in a nasty breakup and squished with an added dollop of cheating.

Returning home to his very working class parents in a small village in Bristol, with nothing other than a found coin, a pet rabbit and an engraved engagement ring, Josh finds himself literally at rock bottom – fianceless, jobless and homeless.

Figuring his decision making thus far in life has landed him precisely nowhere, Josh commits to a year of flipping his found coin – the determiner of all of his choices and thankfull, this quirk along with his loyal and jovial friends help him piece himself together again.

This cute take on fate and chaos fits the perfect RomCom bill. And in true British fashion, the bulk of the characters are earthy, genuine and ultimately idiosyncratic, particularly in the relationships they share with one another and their Mickey-taking discourses.

Interestingly enough, whilst the narrative voice was clear and certainly the plot creative and succinct, Josh was just a little too unremarkable to truly adore. The inherent cultural whining and underlying theme of ‘nice guys finish last’ became mildly irksome and it wasn’t until Josh takes a key life changing gamble, courtesy of his coin flip that the pacing and tension develop.

On the flip side however, it was refreshing to engage in a romance that wasn’t oozing alpha-male and in many ways the aforementioned elements also became the largest endearing factors. Glib-humoured, self-deprecating and terribly witty in places, this romantic adventure will outline all the things not to do when you think you have found the one. And with a bit of luck, everyone will survive mostly unscathed ,if not a little out of pocket, for the opportunity to throw caution to the wind and be led to whatever awaits on the face of a coin.

Book Info:

Publication: 17th November 2020 | William Morrow Paperbacks |

o coin a phrase, Josh is suffering a quarter-life crisis. He just broke up with his long-term girlfriend, lost his job, and moved back home with his parents (shudder). Welcome to rock bottom in Bristol. As Josh starts questioning all his life choices, he has a mad thought: Maybe he would just be better flipping a coin. After all, careful planning has landed him homeless, jobless, and single.

What starts as a joke soon becomes serious and Josh decides to start putting his faith in the capriciousness of currency. He doesn’t have anything to lose.

But when the chance of a lifetime and the girl of his dreams are on the line, will the coin guide him to a rich love life or leave him flat broke?