Flip by Rebecca Fraser

Title: Flip

Author: Rebecca Fraser

Genre: Contemporary

Publisher: Wombat Books

Published: 3^rd September 2025

Format: Paperback

Pages: 128

Price: $14.99

Synopsis: Denim Davies wishes he could flip his life, just like the vintage items he sells online. He and his dad have spent a year moving from town to town and Denim feels like he’s drifting through life without an anchor.

When they arrive in the small town of Driftwood Heights, Denim doesn’t see the point of getting close to anyone when they’re just going to move again. Then he befriends Mina, and his new home starts to look a little brighter. But a vintage find goes horribly wrong and Denim has a tough decision to make—one that could ruin his friendship forever.

An earlier version of this review appeared in Good Reading Magazine in October 2025.

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When Denim Davies arrives in Driftwood Heights, he’s over constantly moving and living in temporary homes, going to temporary schools, and seeing Dad in temporary jobs. He wishes he could change things and flip his life around – just like he flips the vintage items he sells online in the hopes of pulling enough money together to get a permanent home somewhere. Preferably back in Melbourne. But he’s stuck in Driftwood Heights in year ten with a bully who thinks his name is funny. And Denim is determined that he won’t make friends – after all, it won’t be long before he and Dad are on the move again, so making friends with someone in class or trying to understand Tyler wouldn’t be worth it.

Ever since the cancer took mum, Denim and his Dad haven’t been able to settle, so Denim has been buying vintage items from op shops and flipping them. He buys them cheaply, and sets up a bid for them on a website to earn money to start a permanent life. Things change when he meets Mina. She’s the first person he has been able to talk to about mum and what is going on. That is, until he stumbles across a garage sale and buys something that could put everything he’s worked for in jeopardy.

Flip is part of a new series from Wombat Rhiza called Rhiza Shorts, which is teen fiction aimed at teen readers and reluctant readers, focusing on issues and topics that interest teens today. Things like the loss of a parent and the desire for a permanent home, as Denim’s story explores. And in today’s world, so many people are affected and are going to be affected by temporary or precarious housing through no fault of their own. Grief and family are also at the heart of the novel as Denim and his father do their best to become part of the Driftwood Heights community, and make friends – like Mina, who helps Denim grapple with his grief and what it is like to tell the truth and have someone understand you.

This brilliant young adult novella captures the realities of life and grief in a fast-paced story that grabs the reader’s attention from the first page. It is placed well in the high interest series from Wombat Rhiza, which describes this series as having minimal words and a maximum impact. Flip is Denim’s story navigating a new life and new friends, where he learns that everyone is going through something tough in their lives, and dealing with grief in its various forms. It’s a special book that acknowledges everyone, regardless of age, has different reactions to grief, tragedy, and struggles in life. And everyone’s reaction is valid in some way. It’s about learning to let people in and take an interest in people, about not isolating yourself and working to find solutions to things that are beyond your control. And, also learning that sometimes, we need to let go and let things happen. Because that new life could be what you least expect.

Flip, like the other Rhiza Shorts, has an easy-to-follow, stand-alone story for busy teens or reluctant readers. Each one is based on the topics, struggles and interests teens face today. There’s so much going on these days, and so many things competing for our attention, so these novellas are tailored to help focus busy minds and also support readers and keep them engaged in what they are reading. Flip will definitely fit the bill for teens wanting to read about grief, friends and starting a new life. What makes this work for the series is the extra spacing and shorter length, so readers will turn the pages faster. It will keep readers engaged in the story, and whilst it was a quick read for me, it is great that there are books like Flip out there for readers who need a shorter book but might want to take their time with it too.

The best part is that this series is accessible. It can be found in print, ebook or audiobook to ensure each reader can access it as they need it. Books and stories should be accessible to everyone, and books like Flip show how it can be done as this will sit alongside other books in the bookstore in the YA section. And it means every reader will be able to find the book that works for them.