Cori, Maz, and Sam used to be inseparable. But after Sam went missing, everything changed for Cori and Maz. It's now 1992, and Sam returns claiming he's been stuck in a pinball machine for the past 5 years. Cori has mourned her friend and moved on with her life, grown up and isn't ready to believe Sam's story. Maz however is ready to pick up where they left off, excited to have his best friend back and believes every part of his story.
This felt like a rough draft of a great story. All of the beats are there, the story is interesting and the plot exciting. But the writing/narration feels flat and dry. Even being a shorter book it still felt like it was going on for ages.

What a ride this was! Dead Flip is a fun bit of 80s nostalgia, with a totally unique premise. Basically, it’s about a haunted pinball machine. It’s also about friendship, which I love, and it’s definitely a love letter to the late 80s and early 90s. All Stranger Things comparisons make perfect sense. The tone is perfect, and the horror aspect kind of did remind of the last season of ST. Also, this book had likable main characters. There’s a sweet sapphic romance, and a Persian-American boy who is trying to figure out where he fits. There’s also a very funny 12 year old. So yeah, lots of good stuff here.

That being said, I had some issues with this. It seemed like it was more about tone than plot, and the ending felt a little rushed. I wish the author spent more time exploring some of the new friendships that were formed in this, as they were really the heart of the story. I like the haunted pinball machine concept a lot, but I do wish the author expanded on it more. I think that’s just how I felt about a lot of this book-I need more.

Still, I know younger teen readers will love this. Stranger Things and My Best Friend’s Exorcism fans will eat this up. I will definitely read more from this author, especially if all her books are as unique as this one. 3.5/5 stars.

I obviously had to read Dead Flip based on the Stranger Things-like font on the cover alone, but it's also a great Stranger Things Read-alike so it was nostalgic and a lot of fun!

The story is told over alternating timelines, it follows three friends in 1987, and two of those friends in their present-day time, 1992, dealing with the sudden and shocking disappearance of the third friend. Dead Flip was a very fun adventure and the writing is a lot of fun! Such a fun spooky and nostalgic read!

This book is for you if,you love the 1980s or nostalgia. Kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time, and I vowed never to use a pinball machine again.Read this practically entirely in one sitting. It required minor editing in a couple spots, but since it was an arc and overall so compelling and readable, I'll overlook it.
The narrative is primarily about friendships and the extent people would go to for friends.

**4.5-stars**

When they were kids, Cori, Maz and Sam were best friends; three peas in a pod. The trio were always together, bopping around, getting into childhood mischief. As they grew older though, things began to change. One fateful Halloween night cracks appeared, the three had a bit of a spat and Sam took off on his own. That was the night Sam disappeared without a trace.

In 1992, five years have passed since Sam disappeared, but the aftershocks of that tragedy are still felt every day by Maz and Cori. They have never forgotten him. After Sam vanished, Maz and Cori's friendship dissolved. Maz and his family moved to a nearby town, so the two didn't even go to the same school anymore. They went their separate ways; tried to move on.

Now it's their Senior year and Maz is a track star at his school, with a penchant for partying. That's all surface level though, what he's really doing is hiding from his past. Cori is the queen bee at her high school. A pretty, popular girl, a shoe-in for Homecoming Queen, who secretly pines for another girl, Janet, loves Horror movies more than anything and feels like she needs to hide who she truly is. Cori is adept at plastering on a smile and pretending all is well, when really she is just passing time until things might be different.

The old friends lives are turned upside down when Sam suddenly reappears. While this would be an exciting and jaw-dropping turn of events, the most shocking thing is, he still appears to be 12-years old, the age he was when he disappeared. They cannot explain it, but they believe it has something to do with a pinball machine they used to play at a local store. A haunted pinball machine?

They need to keep Sam hidden until they get this figured out. Luckily, Cori's parents are out of town, so that at least provides a safe haven. But as the trio begins to spend time together again, it's clear not all is well with Sam. He didn't return quite the same. As increasingly disturbing events begin to plague Maz and Cori, the race is on to solve this mystery, before anyone else gets hurt.

I absolutely adored every moment I spent with this story. It's told through alternating timelines. The first is 1987, when the trio are kids. You get to know them, the dynamics of their friendship group, as well as the events leading up to and the aftermath of, Sam's disappearance. A young boy going missing, in such a small town, was a huge deal. It was felt by the whole community and Farizan did a great job of examining that.

The other is in 1992, leading up to and following Sam's return. Through this format you get a lovely coming-of-age feel to this quirky YA Horror tale.

I really enjoyed the format and all of the characters. I found Farizan's writing to be extremely engaging. I was loving every moment. Granted, I am right around the same age as these characters, so getting the alteranting 1987 and 1992 timelines was so nostalgic for me.

I have seen this compared a lot to Stranger Things and I do sort of get that, but it's also very much it's own thing. I was definitely picking up that vibe, but you know what else I was picking up? You know the movie Big, the whole pinball element of this reminded me of the fortune-teller machine, Zoltar, except in this, Sam returns smaller than his friends, not bigger.

I loved the mystery behind what happened to Sam. It was so interesting. Watching Cori and Maz come together to try to help Sam, while also trying to solve the mystery was a ton of fun. I always love some amateur sleuthing and I was captivated by the whole process. This was just pure fun, all the way, exactly what I needed for the chaotic end of summer. I was absolutely surprised by this one. It swept me away.

My slight critique would be that I felt like some of the events at the conclusion were too quick, up-in-the-air and not necessarily explained to my liking. Regardless, that's simply personal taste. It was close to perfection for me.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Algonquin Young Readers, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I cannot wait to pick up more from this author!

DEAD FLIP offers a good deal of on-target 1980's nostalgia for Gen X parents and a poignant story of friendship for teen readers. It is a resonant pinball-riff on the Polybius urban legend, skillfully told through flashbacks and flashforwards. Full review up here: http://www.jbspins.com/2022/08/dead-flip-1980s-horror-for-teen-readers.html

The first line of the description for Dead Flip claims it is perfect for fans of Stranger Things. And I can definitely see why they’d make that claim. The story centers around a trio of friends (Cori, Sam, and Maz, with the chapters hopping back and forth between two time periods, the mid 80’s and the early 90’s. The chapters set in the 80’s revolve around the three friends before and just after Sam goes missing. He disappears on Halloween while they are out trick or treating. The chapters set in the 90’s are about what happens when Sam returns…still the same 12 year old boy he was when he first disappeared. I think some of the best horror is coming of age horror—such as Stephen King’s It or Robert McCammon’s Boy’s Life—so I’ll admit I was immediately sucked into this one. And while their writing styles are nothing alike, I actually got a sort of King vibe from this one. That is to say I could totally see King writing this kind of tale, partially centered around a ‘cursed’ object of sorts. However, also like some of King’s work, Sara Farizan doesn’t quite stick the landing…and while I don’t want to spoil things, let’s just say the ‘final confrontation’ was a bit anti-climatic. That being said, I still enjoyed the heck out of this one. I liked the characters, always enjoy stuff loaded with 80’s references, and the story totally sucked me in, not just the aspects of Sam’s disappearance but the struggles of Maz and Cori growing up and facing the challenges of growing into the responsibilities of adulthood and becoming the people they want to be. If the ending had packed a bit more of a punch I’d have give this 5 stars, but as is I still think it’s a solid 4 out of 5. And I’ll definitely keep my eyes out for future work from Farizan. Thanks so much to Algonquin Young Readers and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Dead Flip.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R20Q1LBB4JDGD8/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

I finally got my hands on Dead Flip, a YA horror book which I have been not so patiently waiting for!
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This was another one on my nostalgic, Stranger Things read-alike TBR and probably my favorite so far.
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It follows the story of Cori, Maz and Sam, middle-school besties, and jumps between their present-day (1993) and the fall of 1987, when Sam mysteriously disappeared. We really get to know the characters building up to the disappearance and get a real sense of how Cori and Maz faired after the trauma of losing their best friend. Things aren’t what they seem though and we find out what really happened when Sam suddenly returns. His reappearance brings more questions than answers and the friends must team up again to figure out why Sam is back and if he’s really the same Sam they knew.
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I really enjoyed this one. In a way, the book itself was a little bit like middle-school: a little awkward and unsure at first but ultimately a very endearing, fun adventure. The first few chapters are a bit jarring because the chapters jump back and forth between character perspectives AND time periods. The pop culture and nostalgia felt too heavy handed as well. But the book does find a good grove and I was able to sink into the page-turning story. The author really captured the essence of that time and middle-school friendships and culture when she stopped trying so hard. Don’t expect anything graphic or super scary as this is YA horror. Lots of spoopy fun though.
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Thanks to @netgalley and @algonquinyr for the ARC. This one is perfect for fall reading!
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Releases TODAY, August 29th, 2022.

Scheduled to post 9/6/22.

I requested DEAD FLIP because the cover is awesome and it gives me very Stranger Things vibes, which I'm sure is totally intentional. Plus, it's (WHY???) historical fiction set in the 80s and early 90s so there's a definite nostalgia factor going for me here. All of these things I appreciate.

What I didn't appreciate was the absolute lack of formatting in the eARC I got. There's no reason for that. I can handle no chapter breaks, but there was no or erratic paragraph, dialogue, and other formatting issues that made the book really hard to read. I'm pretty sure there was supposed to be a fair amount of italics in here too that wasn't here. Not the author's fault, of course. It's the publisher's, and it has an impact on how the story is consumed. I feel like right out of the gate the book's in the negative because my copy was hard to read. Thankfully, I was able to get through it, but it took way more effort than it should have because of the zero formatting.

There's nothing necessarily wrong with DEAD FLIP, but I don't think it quite delivered either. The story's pacing was a bit wonky and there's no real tension in the story. For a horror novel, I wasn't scared at all, nor could I really see where there should be any real creepy moments (because I don't scare easily). The moments that were supposed to be scary fell flat because there's no real surrounding tension, or lingering tension, to make them truly scary. DEAD FLIP, I think, is supposed to be a horror comedy, but it's really just a teen drama with some tense moments in it.

This book is also indicative of YA novels now not actually being for the teen readers they're supposed to be for. The incessant name dropping of nostalgic things, like Sam Goody and whatever other brands popped up, are not meant for teens. They would have no idea what any of these are. This is meant for adult readers who know what the author is talking about. I don't have an issue with this kind of nostalgia in books. It just becomes glaringly apparent that this book isn't really meant for the market it's supposed to be targeted to. I think it works differently for books than it does for a TV show like Stranger Things because the nostalgia in something visual can just hang out in the background while the story unfolds. In writing, it has to be described so it's actually in scene, taking up space within the narrative and forcing it to the forefront. I think there are ways to balance it (see: OUR CROOKED HEARTS) so that you get it dribbled throughout it being overwhelming, but in DEAD FLIP it's overwhelming.

I liked Maz and Cori, but I didn't like Sam as a character. I get why he acts the way he does, but I find his personality grating and I honestly was a-okay with him disappearing for a chunk of the book. There's a chapter or two from his POV that I'm not sure were actually needed. Especially with the formatting issues, him talking to the voice in his head was hard to parse out who was supposed to be talking and when and it really just muddied the waters. A person like Sam is not someone I have the patience for in real life, so he was really off-putting reading it.

The ending was rather lackluster. Like the rest of the supposedly tense moments, there was just not a whole lot going on in the end and everything resolved rather quickly and neatly. I can see where the cheesy 80s horror should be coming in, and I appreciated that. But the story itself went out with a whimper.

Like I said, it's not necessarily a bad story. There's just not a whole lot going for it that's all that engaging. I didn't dislike it, but I didn't so much like it either.

3

Thank you to netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Dead Flip is a YA horror novel that perfectly captures the cheesy nature of 80s and 90s teen horror movies. Dead Flip is told from multiple POVs and told over the course of many years, both before and after Sam goes missing in 1987. The horror is certainly a part of this story, but I think the main focus is on the friendship of the three main characters and how they fell apart and how they can learn to come together again.

This book was enjoyable to be and I did not find it truly scary or terrifying. This is not a bad thing, it is just something to note. I did truly enjoy the wlw relationship between Janet and Cori and Cori's exploration of herself and her struggles to "fit in" at school with her popular and straight classmates, particularly her thoughts and feelings on compulsory heterosexuality and her relationship with Nick.

This book was enjoyable for fans of the somewhat cheesy horror, teen angst, and heartwarming friendship stories. It was a quick read and would be particularly nice for a Fall or October read.

This book is perfect for stranger things fans and so heartwarmingly good that everyone should read it. I received a complimentary copy from Algonquin Young Readers and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

The book tells the story of Cori, Maz, and Sam who were inseparable best friends as kids who seemingly grow apart when Sam goes missing. Cori and Maz have different theories on what happened so they naturally grow apart. But when Sam returns five years later not having aged at all it forces Cori and Maz to come together to find out what happened. It's a perfect blend of mystery, friendship and arcade games. Love it! Highly recommend

I was excited about the premise of this book but it just didn't "hit" for me. I found the introduction to characters and storylines to be very confusing and fragmented. I didn't finish it.

I enjoyed this book a lot. Perfect for a stranger things fan! My only issue was that it was bit boring at times but overall a fun book that was enjoyable.

Dead Flip was a quirky teen drama with a supernatural vibe which via Stranger Things tries to tap into the nostalgia of the eighties and nineties through its two storylines which are told around five years apart (1987 and 1992). I would not necessarily call it a straight horror novel as it leaned heavily of teen drama, friendships and had an LGBTQIA+ storyline in the 1992 narrative. The plot jumps backwards and forwards a fair bit and shows how kids can grow apart from being best friends at twelve, to blanking the former best friend in the school corridor five years down the line. Having completed the book I thought the teen and friendship drama was nicely handled, whilst the supernatural angle was downplayed and at the end seemed undercooked, even if things did finish open ended.

In 1987 the three best friends do everything together, Cori, Maz and Sam, however, when they are twelve and out Halloween trick or treating Sam accuses Cori of spending time with ‘cooler’ kids and feels she is drifting away from the trio. After an argument Sam stomps off and disappears and although there are searches he is never seen again. In 1992 Cori and Maz are no longer friends, but Maz had never got over the loss of his buddy until something truly out of the world happens, concerning the five years gone Sam. It is so bizarre Maz calls on his old friend Cori, who has her own problems having hidden her true sexual identity. What follows is a blend of mystery, teen angst, friendship stuff, a taste of horror and a supernatural pinball machine! AGE RANGE 12+

Dead Flip is multiple perspective and plays around with timelines. Those are two elements guaranteed to intrigue me. Multiple POV novels are so good at telling different angles of a situation of a world. And Dead Flip is no exception especially as it forces readers to question the reliability and biases of our narrators. Additionally, flipping to the past 80s vibes gives readers first hand insight into what happened with Sam. Why the town seemingly has given up on him - except Maz.

Dead Flip is unraveling what is happening now by juxtaposing it with the past. With the ways in which our memories and regrets catch up to us. I loved the 80s and 90s nostalgia which I guess makes this a historical fiction fantasy?? But even more so, the tension and suspense in Dead Flip is fantastic.

I'd like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me a chance at reading this book.

I had grabbed the book hoping for something akin to Stranger Things. However, I think this book was trying too hard to cash in on the Stranger Things vibe instead of making a plot that flowed naturally. I had a hard time trying to follow what was happening in this and it made my reading a poor one.

I found the plot teased out within different characters focuses and I think that killed any sort of flow to the story. It should have relied on one narrator - either be one of the kids or the author going for a third person narrative. I also didn't really care for Sam. Sorry, Sam.

EN: This book was send to me through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Dead Flip was okay. Don't get me wrong, this is a good book, but it could have been better.

The first 15%-20% of the book was slow and really not that interesting, but when things started to unveil, it became fascinating.

Although this book was advertise as horror I strongly disagree. There wasn't anything spooky about it.

The characters were lovable and I really love their narrations (specially past Maz ones). They were great to read about and I find myself wanting to know more about their story after finishing the book.

ES: Este libro me fue enviado a través de NetGalley a cambio de una reseña honesta.

Dead Flip estuvo bien. No me malinterpreten, este fue un buen libro, pero podría haber sido mejor. La premisa me dejo sintiendo que podría haber dado más.

El primer 15%-20% del libro fue lento y no tan interesante, pero cuando las cosas comenzaron a revelarse, se volvió fascinante.

Aunque este libro se anunciaba como de terror, estoy totalmente en desacuerdo. No había nada espeluznante en él.

Los personajes estaban hechos para que te encariñaras con ellos y me encantan sus narraciones (especialmente las de Maz). Fue genial leer sobre ellos y me encontré con ganas de saber más sobre su historia después de terminar el libro.

Thank you to NetGalley and Algonquin Young Readers for the opportunity to read this book early for an honest review.
When I heard that Stranger Thing inspired this book, I knew I needed to get my hands on it immediately.
The story follows three childhood best friends, Cori, Maz, and Sam, who are on the eve of becoming teenagers. After a disagreement, Sam goes missing, which destroys Cori and Maz, running their friendship in the process. Then five years later, Sam reappears, but instead of being seventeen like Cori and Maz, he is still twelve years old. The exact age that he went missing five years ago. Sam coming back together brings back the two best friends, who must figure out what happened to their best friend. Meanwhile, Sam isn’t exactly who or what they remember.
As soon as I started this book, I was sucked into it, from the different pop culture references to the friendship to even the scary aspects. I felt like this was a mixture of Stranger Things and Goosebumps in which it was spooky but not too outright stay up late at night fearful.
As much as there is creepy vibes in this story, I feel like this is the perfect coming-of-age story—three childhood best friends who are growing up and even growing apart. One of the friends so desperately wants everything to stay the same, but the thing with growing up is that things can’t stay the same. You have to grow up even if you try your hardest not to.
The only negative thing I have to say about this book is I felt like the build-up to Sam missed a bit of time. I understand the need to add in the background of the friends for you to understand the loss the two best friends go through. But I just felt like it dragged just a bit.
Overall, I enjoyed this book, and I would recommend this book to anyone who loves spooky vibes, stranger things, and pinball machines.

Finishing up the latest season of Stranger Things put me in the exact right mood for Dead Flip! 90s nostalgia, best friends, Halloween, and strange mysteries to solve. Perfect amount of terror with humor mixed in to not make you *too* scared, and I LOVED these characters.

This book definitely has Sara Farizan’s usual great writing and interesting characters, complete with a message of friendship. One thing that especially stood out to me was the fact that the conflict was largely caused by an adult who tried to make a better living by doing something he knew wasn’t right, and that when he tries to get the main characters to empathize with him, they don’t. It shows that as adults a lot of people lose touch with what’s the right thing to do but as kids and teens they still have a sense of morals and it’s important not to lose that.