Unlike, The Ballad of Emery Brooks trilogy, On the Flip Side isn’t about a music-loving protagonist. Even so, I couldn’t help but compile a massive playlist for this book based off its themes, as I’ve come across so many songs that relate to what the Oliver twins go through!

So, please sit back and enjoy all the moody tunes from my upcoming release!

Please note that the songs do not necessarily have to be played in this order. It is recommended to listen to them in the order you prefer based on my descriptions!

Track 1: “Crashed” by Daughtry

Because this book covers darker topics, a lot of the songs on this playlist stray away from my usual preference of country music and have taken on a moodier tone. “Crashed” is the perfect example of this. This song is about someone who was lost and didn’t know what they were looking for when they stumbled into a chance at love that, at first glance seems golden, but is actually, “like a runaway train, [that] will consume me”. This perfectly encapsulates Kennedy meeting Harris in a flashback scene featured early on in On the Flip Side.

Track 2: “Used To” by Daughtry

Heads up: You’ll see a lot of Daughtry on this playlist. I was on a Daughtry kick in my early twenties, which is when I first got the idea for this novel.

“Used To” reminisces how the singer used to share memories with and lean on someone that was important to them, but now they no longer associate with one another. Though I guess that this song is originally intended to be about a romantic relationship, in the context of this novel, it reminds me of Katie remembering all the good times she shared with her twin sister, Kennedy, before circumstances drove them apart.

Track 3: “On the Ride” by Aly & AJ

This song has a happier beat to it, and I’ve always thought it is the perfect song to describe the joyful moments of sisterhood. I imagine this song playing when the Sista Friends Scrapbooks are mentioned. ❤

Track 4: “Gotta Let it Go” by MercyMe

Though I originally added this song to the playlist with one of the twins in mind, now that I’m reading the song’s lyrics as I write this post, I can see how both Kennedy and Katie relate to its overall message. “Gotta Let it Go” reminds listeners that we are made brand new in Christ and that we need to let go of the binding chains of our past sins.

Track 5: “The One About Indifference” by He is We

If you’ve been here for past playlists before, you know that I love some He is We.

“The One About Indifference” is an honest depiction of what it feels like to become spiritually numb, when you’ve been praying and waiting on God to move for a while but nothing seems to be getting better. Katie experiences this the most in On the Flip Side as she watches her sister endure narcissistic abuse and is unable to stop it herself.

Track 6: “Breakdown” by Daughtry

What did I tell you? Here’s another one. 🙂

Though it appears that the songwriter’s intentions for “Breakdown” was to describe dealing with a critical significant other, when I first decided to put it on On the Flip Side‘s playlist, the lyrics immediately made me think of how Kennedy might consider Katie’s constant invitations to church, as well as Kennedy’s reaction to Katie’s skepticism of Harris.

Track 7: “Pretty” by Lauren Alaina

Written about the singer’s own struggles with body image, “Pretty” is a beautiful reminder that our beauty comes from within. In On the Flip Side, Kennedy struggles not just with body image, but with pretending to be someone she’s not for the sake of keeping everyone around her happy.

Track 8: “Stillness (Speak to Me)” by Aaron Shust

In hopes of not spoiling anything, let’s just say this song reminds me of a pivotal moment in Kennedy’s POV when she cries out to God for help. ❤

Track 9: “Try” by Colbie Caillat

I had never heard this song before Spotify recommended it as a track for this playlist a few years ago when the playlist only had a couple songs on it. Upon that first listen, I immediately started crying and said, “this is Kennedy’s song!”. In the same vein as “Pretty” and other tracks that will be mentioned soon, “Try” perfectly encapsulates the struggle so many young women go through as they compare themselves to their peers, celebrities, or others on social media and try to achieve whatever today’s standard of “perfection” is. This is the perfect song to play around the inciting incident of On the Flip Side.

Track 10: “Stupid Boy” by Keith Urban

A random fact you may not know about me is that I went through a random Keith Urban era when I was a sophomore in high school. XD

Anyway, “Stupid Boy” describes the actions of a man who believed he was superior to the woman he was with and how he “stole her every dream and… crushed her plans”. To me, this song perfectly depicts how a narcissist can ravage a relationship, which is a major plot point in On the Flip Side.

Track 11: “Break the Spell” by Daughtry

Like “Stupid Boy”, “Break the Spell” also addresses being caught up in a toxic relationship. This song expresses how the singer feels like they have “poison running through my veins” when they’re around their significant other and how they are “addicted to the pain” of being with them. In On the Flip Side, Kennedy heavily relates to feelings like this, as she struggles to see how her significant other is negatively affecting her wellbeing while preferring the “high” she gets when he’s around.

Track 12: “Everything You Ever Wanted” by Hawk Nelson

I feel like there are far more songs that represent Kennedy on this playlist, but “Everything You Ever Wanted” encompasses Katie’s experiences with her parents to a T.

This song describes how it feels to be the child of an absentee parent, or a parent who doesn’t see their child’s worth. In On the Flip Side, because the twins’ parents own and operate an elite housing development/golf course, they are rarely home. Since Kennedy is often out and about with her friends and boyfriend, Katie spends a lot of time home alone. She is talked down to by her parents, constantly criticized, and can easily see that Kennedy is favored over her. All the while, Katie just wants her family to find Jesus and love her like a family should.

Track 13: “Narcissist” by Avery Anna

This is my absolute favorite song from On the Flip Side‘s playlist!

I had never heard of Avery Anna until last year, when she opened up for Scotty McCreery at a concert I attended. I instantly fell in love with her music, and as you’ll see, a lot of her songs are featured on the book’s playlist!

The first time I heard “Narcissist”, my first thought was that it was written just for Kennedy. The song’s title is pretty self-explanatory, but it describes how it feels to be in a relationship with someone who constantly gaslights, lies, and emotionally abuses you.

Track 14: “Cry Pretty” by Carrie Underwood

Another Kennedy song. 😛

“Cry Pretty” is a song that explains how we can paste on smiles or lie to hide our emotions, but that the truth of how we’re feeling will always come out in our tears. Throughout the book, Kennedy struggles with people-pleasing and often goes along with what everyone else wants rather than taking her own path. I think it would be best to listen to this song around the midpoint of the book for maximum impact as Kennedy’s character develops.

Track 15: “What Are Friends For?” by Avery Anna

Finally, another song both twins relate to!

“What Are Friends For?” is a song about toxic friendships. In On the Flip Side, after she became a Christian, Katie decided to distance herself from her former friend group upon realizing that being around them is not compatible with her Christian walk because of the things they say and do. Kennedy, on the other hand, remains in the thick of it at the beginning of the novel, but begins to see for herself why Katie decided to cut them off.

Track 16: “Mr. Predictable” by Avery Anna

I told you I love this girl’s music! 🙂 I have zero relationship problems whatsoever, but I constantly blast “Narcissist” and this song on my commutes to and from work because they’re so catchy!

“Mr. Predictable” chronicles a girl’s realization that she has been blinded by her boyfriend’s deception despite knowing he would turn out to do this to her from the beginning of their relationship. The thing is, she’s talked herself out of believing her gut instincts because of his manipulation.

Again, this song relates to Kennedy rather than Katie. I’ve just found there are so many good songs that relate to what she goes through in the novel and haven’t been able to find as many that remind me of Katie’s experiences.

Track 17: “Skinny” by Avery Anna

Like “Pretty” by Lauren Alaina, “Skinny” describes the struggles of body image issues and how we often compare ourselves to others and try to be like them, only to find that we’re only harming ourselves in the process. Again, this is a Kennedy song.

Track 18: “Carry Me” by Anne Wilson

All the while I thought this was also more of a Kennedy song, but now that I’m reading the lyrics, I think Katie’s POV carries these same emotions at times. “Carry Me” is a powerful song by Christian artist Anne Wilson about self-examination, asking oneself where the kid they used to be is because you can no longer see them in yourself now that you’ve taken on the weight of the world. Both twins reflect on this throughout the novel, as their current relationship as seniors in high school doesn’t resemble their relationship with one another during their childhood at all. Because of this, Katie leans on Jesus, but Kennedy puts her faith in other things, which causes her to struggle to cope in a healthy way.

Track 19: “My Savior, My God” by Aaron Shust

Lastly, we’re ending the playlist with a Katie song!

During a scene in On the Flip Side, Katie is driving somewhere and blasts “an older song by Aaron Shust”. This is the song I imagine she listens to in her car. This song mentions how even though we don’t know what God’s plans for our lives are, that Jesus is still our Savior and that He is always here for us. Because of the never-ending concern Katie endures for her sister’s wellbeing, I think she would heavily lean on this song when she’s feeling anxiety over something Kennedy is going through.

Talk to Me, Arrowheads!

What’s your favorite song from this playlist? If you’ve read an early copy of On the Flip Side, what other songs would you recommend for the book’s playlist? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Aim high, stay strong, and always hit your mark.

-Allyson 😀