Nancy Shew Bolton’s book The Flip Side of Love explores some of the uncertainty of 1972.

Ruth’s sole focus in college is her music. Paul has a stormy personality that he struggles to control as he navigates a career in teaching music. When working with Ruth, however, common sense goes out the window causing confusion and emotional turmoil.

Ruth also finds herself confused by Paul’s emotional signals, hot and cold. She struggles to be a friend in spite of that.

Paul has tough decisions to make. He can’t love Ruth and remain her teacher. Somehow they need to find a way to each other to navigate the challenges ahead.

This book touches into the real but taboo subject of teacher/student romance without falling into the sin. The characters are both of faith and strive to do what is right in honoring those in authority and staying pure in their relationship. It is an interesting foray into a time period and a topic that is seldom touched in Christian fiction. Because of the slightly awkward taboo nature of the subject, I’m giving it four bones, because I’m a dog and I don’t have thumbs.

Spatzle Baganz, book reviewer for the silygoos blog because that’s how we roll.