Review: Flip - Martyn Bedford

One morning 14-year-old Alex wakes up to find himself in the wrong bedroom, in an unfamiliar house, in a different part of the country. Six months have disappeared overnight. The family at the breakfast table are total strangers.

And when he looks in the mirror, another boy’s face stares back. A boy named Flip.

With no idea what has happened, or how to switch back again, or who “he” is anymore, Alex finds himself in a deadly race against time to save himself from being trapped forever in the wrong life.

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Review:
When Alex wakes up one morning in a strange bed in a strange house with people he's never met before he is understandably confused.  He's sure there has been some kind of mix up that will be quickly resolved but that changes when he gets his first look in a mirror and doesn't recognise the person he sees.  How did he end up in someone else's body?  Can he get anyone to believe that he isn't who they think he is and more importantly can he find a way to get back to his own body?

I've watched quite a few body swap films over the years but I've never read a book about it so I was quite excited to read Flip and found the story really interesting.  Most of the body swap films I've seen have involved people swapping bodies with someone that they know so it was really intriguing that Alex found himself in the body of someone he had never met before and surrounded by people he doesn't know.  Alex's reactions were so realistic and the author has obviously put a great deal of thought into the issues that he would face which made for fascinating reading. 

Alex is a great character and I enjoyed his interactions with Flip's family and friends.  The characters were all well fleshed out and a particular favorite of mine was Rob but I can't say too much about him without giving spoilers.  The story is fast paced and the reasons for the swap were great, it was done in a different way to any I've seen before but again I'm not going to give any hints so you'll have to read the book to find out more.  I'd definitely recommend Flip if you're looking for something a bit different and I'm looking forward to seeing what Martyn Bedford comes up with in the future.

Source: Received from Walker in exchange for an honest review

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