The Flatshare
Ratings285
Average rating4
Read a 2nd time! This was a fun book to read. The romance and the plot is simple and cute. I liked main characters and how they interacted, however all this “flatsharing” idea is kinda weird and a little unrealistic! BUT it was still a fun read.
1st read
Dnf at 45%
In almost half of the book, nothing has happened. I don't like the main characters and don't understand their interactions. Unfortunately not for me...
There is so much that I hated about this book that tbh I don't even know where to begin
Great light summer read! RomCom at its best. I think everyone should have a Leon in their lives!
The main character was veeeeery quirky and I couldn't really deal tbh.
I had such high hopes for this book. I would say it only got sort of good the last 60 pages or so. I found myself just trying to finish this so I could move on to another book, not because I couldn't put it down.
I want to start by talking about Leon. When I first started the book, I was very confused when I got to Leon's chapter. I had never read anything like it. That's because Leon doesn't narrate in full cohesive sentences. He mixed past and present tense and dropped pronouns. Some exam
This book was really quirky and cute. It definitely started out really slow. The couple didn't even meet until pretty far into the book. But the friendships were interesting and the examination of emotional abuse was well written and insightful. The ending was incredibly endearing and heartfelt. However, it wasn't nearly as steamy as I was anticipating. Cute, fun read!
CW: Emotional Abuse, Stalking
Adored this!
Absolutely loved this, the personal developments, the notes, the scarves, everything. I'm immediately going to get more of Beth's books to read.
First contemporary romance in a very long while where all the characters – besides antagonists, of course – were lovely and likeable. Quite heartwarming, and deals with some complex issues in a sensitive way that felt right to me (I've experienced similar things as the main character and reading this book was a trip down memory lane that made me feel uneasy but it also made me feel seen). The story had the right balance of sweetness, light, and seriousness, all wrapped up in a calm, warm hug. I will be checking out Beth O'Leary's other books.
I'm glad I didn't set this aside when it didn't grab me in the first few chapters - this was a sweet, slow-start romance with great character development (for the leads, Tiffy and Leon, and their cast of friends - Mo, Gerty, Rachel, Richie) that also featured tough subjects like the failures of the justice system and extricating safely from an emotionally abusive relationship when the ex is being a gaslighting stalker. Hero is also a palliative care nurse, hooray for representation of men in all types of job roles!
Plezant!
In begin was het wel even wennen aan de schrijfstijl. We volgen twee hoofdpersonages en zitten hierbij letterlijk in hun hoofd, waardoor volzinnen het soms laten afweten. Maar eenmaal ik hieraan gewend was en de twee verschillende stemmen herkende, vloog ik door het boek.
Luchtig met serieuzere ondertonen, de mix met de kattenbelletjes en hoe de opgelegde strikte scheiding stilletjes aan vervaagde, echt heel tof gedaan.
Enige minpuntje vond ik dat het te snel eindigde. Ik had gehoopt nog iets meer van de twee samen te zien, voor we aan de epiloog kwamen.
“Often think it must be very tiring, being Tiffy. Even in note form, she seems to expend so much energy.”
This was cute. Based on the first half, I would have given it 4 stars. But after that, I lost steam with it and no longer cared very much. The heroine is bubbly and quirky in a bearable way and the hero is kind of stiff but opens up towards the end. They get to know each other slowly, through notes which I find adorable, it's a favorite trope of mine. The part with her ex was done very well, great addition.
However, apart from Leon's brother and the search for Johnny, I didn't care for any of the side characters or events, especially anything related to her work. I'm not into crochet at all, working at a publishing house that focuses on DIY books seems like one of the most boring things in the world to me.
Oh my god, this was such a fun book and reading it made me so happy. It's more of a rom-com than a straight-up romance, though I need to qualify that with some content notes that are possible spoilers, so Tiffy's prior relationship was at least emotionally abusive, and her ex shows up several times, occasionally violently (though she's not assaulted). Her recovery/processing of all that is a pretty major plot point, and she has occasional flashbacks. So the book doesn't entirely avoid heavy topics, but there's a general tone of optimism that makes especially Tiffy's chapters really enjoyable to read. The chapters are alternating first-person POV and Leon's style is very different from Tiffy's - short sentences, very few pronouns, no quotation marks. It's a little bit of an adjustment but I didn't find it too hard to get used to after the first couple of chapters. Everything came together in this book in such a satisfying way and I can't recommend it highly enough.
(2020 summer romance bingo: “there was only one bed,” could also work for “I'm on a boat” or “set on island,” defining both of those generously. Would also work for healthcare professional, debut novel, and “protagonist smells uniquely like themselves.”)
I bought the hardcover copy and Audible version, but when I saw the Kindle copy for less than $5, and that Whispersync for voice was available, I went for it. The story was good and I liked the main characters, plus there were some good lessons, too. I just had issues with the way Leon's part was written so I struggled with rating it higher.
I loved this so much!
I listened to it on audiobook and was so excited to hear Carrie Hope Fletcher's voice when I started it!
I loved both characters in this, which is rare for me in 2 point of view books. Usually I find myself groaning my way through one point of view trying to get the one I enjoy, but with this book I just enjoyed the ride.
Leon was sweet and funny and so good and patient with Tiffy. I also loved his unwavering faith and loyalty to his brother Richie.
Tiffy( Sp? -Audiobook-) was wonderful. Super quirky and fun. I loved her sense of humor. And her love story was one I really related to. The way after her breakup she really came to remember and realize so much about how toxic the relationship was is something I'm sadly able to relate to. (Like Tiffy I also got my happy ending with a great guy!)
The way her coping and her issues with nightmares, and flashbacks was portrayed came through as really realistic with me and my experience.
I loved this book through and through and will definitely read it again.
My first read of 2020 and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Leon and Tiffy are flatmates and share a bed but don't meet until half way through the book.
Tiffy is the stand out character in the book. Love her quirky, individuality.
A light, fun read.
This book is such a fun read. The characters are just adorable and lovable, and you can't help but root for them. Tiffy and Leon are flatmates that share a bed but never cross paths. It is such an interesting concept for a story. Their correspondence through notes and texts is quirky and cute. I just really enjoyed reading their love story.
Most of the secondary characters are charming and entertaining. I especially enjoyed the relationship of Leon and his brother Richie. I think the portrayal of the ex-boyfriend is a bit overdone, but it serves it's purpose. It was necessary to bring in the commentary on abusive relationships.
Overall, I give this book 4.5 stars. I can't wait to see what Beth O'Leary writes next.
Tiffy is a delight of a character...funny...silly...zany clothes. She's is breaking up with her not-very-nice boyfriend and she has got nowhere to live and no money, so she resorts to sharing a flat with a stranger—he's in the flat during the day and she is there at night. A fun little meet-cute.
I am finicky about romance, and I can say with confidence that The Flatshare is stupid cute.Tiffy and Leon are both short on cash. Tiffy works a regular 9-5. Leon works nights. Because they have opposite schedules, they split a one-bedroom flat. He gets days, she gets nights. Though they technically live together, they've never met. They leave each other notes and leftovers. They get to know each other via Post-It scribbles. This premise lets O'Leary sidestep a common pitfall of the genre: instalove. Tiffy and Leon get to know each other incrementally yet intimately. They make each other food. They make each other laugh. They complain to each other. They support each other. They know each other well before they meet face-to-face.And, luckily for a reader like me who can only take so much, there's more than fluff. Tiffy and Leon are both dealing with heavy stuff. In that sense, The Flatshare calls to mind [b:Queenie 36586697 Queenie Candice Carty-Williams https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1539882662l/36586697.SY75.jpg 58334513] and [b:Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine 31434883 Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine Gail Honeyman https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1564647507l/31434883.SY75.jpg 47327681]. But it also manages the levity of something like [b:Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating 40189670 Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating Christina Lauren https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1526941489l/40189670.SY75.jpg 60023585]. It's sweet and funny, yet explores issues like emotional abuse, PTSD, and the failings of the criminal justice system. What a book.
I picked this up from the library after seeing it recommended online, and I'm glad I did. I wanted a lighter read after finishing up the last book, and this seemed to fit the bill. Quirky love story, a ‘meet-cute' and a blurb calling this author the new Jojo Moyes all made me want to pick it up. It delivered on all of that and more. There are a few additional storylines running through the book that had a more serious note, but they were handled well and added to the depth of the characters. I particularly loved how friendships were used to prop up and help someone heal on their own time, on their own terms, and by doing that the person healing got stronger.
In the past few years, I've read only a handful of contemporary romance novels. Instead, I've focused upon Fantasy and Thriller books thinking that I'd lost my vibe with the contemporary romance offering on the bookshelves. When I heard about Beth O'Leary's debut novel, The Flatshare, something just spoke to me about the storyline and I decided I'd give it a try.
The Flatshare is the story of Tiffy and Leon, two twenty-somethings who share a flat. The catch is they've never met. Tiffy has the flat at nights and weekends whilst Leon is at work and Leon uses it during the 9-6 weekday whilst Tiffy is at work. It's an arrangement that suits them both. Slowly but surely though they begin to build a relationship via the little notes they leave each other around the flat and that relationship blossoms into friendship and the hint of something more.
Yes, this book is exactly what you would expect, it's a contemporary romance after all. We know we are all meant to be rooting for Tiffy and Leon to get together and we have all the normal trappings of hiccups along the way and well-meaning friends trying to give them advice and it should be quite a run of the mill story but somehow I fell head over heels in love with the characters in this book and gave it what has become a very rare rating of 5 stars.
Firstly I loved how well rounded our characters of Tiffy and Leon are, I liked how Leon had such a complex job in a palliative care home, helping those with a terminal illness, this lent some lovely side characters and stories that gave some really touching emotional moments in this book. Also loved how O'Leary wound in the story of Leon's brother Richie, incarcerated for a crime he swears he didn't commit.
Also, this book was great at looking at the long-lasting impact and dangers of an emotionally abusive relationship and the behaviours of gaslighting and coercive control. It gives a really thought-provoking side to what could have been a light fluffy throwaway romance. It was great to follow Tiffy through her journey and see her growth as a character.
For a debut novel, I thought this was really well written, hugely emotional and really gripping. I couldn't stop reading. It's full of short-snappy chapters flicking between Tiffy and Leon's perspectives and makes it really easy to lose a few hours to this novel without realising it and if you aren't careful you could find yourself reading it all in one sitting. A great summer read and a fantastic first novel from O'Leary.
I love roommates-to-lovers and this book is unusual in that while Tiffy and Leon live in the same flat, they never occupy it at the same time. I was expecting a quick, fun read but instead this book surprised me and ended up being a little deeper than what the description suggests.
Overall I did like the story but the way it was written made it hard to stay focused. There is a big difference in writing styles between Tiffy's POV and Leon's POV and the two styles just didn't work here. 3.5 stars.