‘On the Flip Side’ is a book that’ll make you sing

In life, there are so many reasons to sing.

You lift your voice to God at church, or to your teacher at school. With your friends, you can harmonize or improvise pretty much anywhere, singing along with your favorite music, adding words or background. Maybe you've figured out how to play the song on guitar or piano.

So many songs and not enough time to sing them, right?

For Sunday Tolliver, music wasn't just fun, it was a way to make a living. Sunday was Epsilon Records' newest sensation, but in the new novel "On the Flip Side" by Nikki Carter, too much drama made Sunday sing the blues.

Throughout her whole life, there were two things Sunday set her eyes on: becoming a singer and becoming an entertainment lawyer.

The first one was easy. As soon as the fabulous Mystique heard Sunday's voice, she took Sunday under her wing and nurtured her career. As a mentor, Mystique was the best, which is why she signed Sunday on at Epsilon Records.

The second goal, well, Sunday was working on that one. She was just starting her freshman year at Spelman College in Atlanta, and it was going to be great. Her roommate Gia was funny and they'd met other dorm-mates who seemed nice. For real, there was gonna be some sisterhood there.

The only bad thing about it all was that Sunday's boyfriend, Sam, was in New York City. He'd been her producer on her No. 1 record and Epsilon needed him to do his magic on other tracks in the Big Apple.

Long-distance relationships were hard and Sunday missed Sam terribly.

Still, there were a lot of distractions to keep Sunday from thinking about her boyfriend too much. She was working on a video and the dancer she performed with was a hottie. Studies took up time, and bonding with her sisterfriends was important. Then there was the drama with her cousin Dreya, and that wasn't disappearing any time soon.

Going to college was supposed to mark the end of silly drama for Sunday. But when Epsilon was taken over, when Dreya was haterating, when Sam was caught cheating and when Mystique got all mysterious, Sunday realized that the drama had only just begun.

Think all your troubles will end when you're rich and famous? Not so much, as you'll see in the latest in this teen series.

Carter doesn't just sprinkle drama in "On the Flip Side." No, it's slathered there like peanut butter on bread and it's just as tasty. Aside from the story --which is easy to get into and easy to stick with -- I liked that the characters talk and act like real teens. You won't find profanity here, either, which is refreshing.

Though this story is mostly set at college, I think anyone 13 or older will enjoy spending time with Sunday and her crew. If that's you and you're looking for something decent to read, then "On the Flip Side" is a book that'll make you sing.