What if your roommate is your soul mate? A joyful, quirky romantic comedy, Beth O’Leary’s The Flatshare is a feel-good novel about finding love in the most unexpected of ways.Tiffy and Leon share an apartment. Tiffy and Leon have never met.After a bad breakup, Tiffy Moore needs a place to live. Fast. And cheap. But the apartments in her budget have her wondering if astonishingly colored mold on … her wondering if astonishingly colored mold on the walls counts as art.
Desperation makes her open minded, so she answers an ad for a flatshare. Leon, a night shift worker, will take the apartment during the day, and Tiffy can have it nights and weekends. He’ll only ever be there when she’s at the office. In fact, they’ll never even have to meet.
Tiffy and Leon start writing each other notes – first about what day is garbage day, and politely establishing what leftovers are up for grabs, and the evergreen question of whether the toilet seat should stay up or down. Even though they are opposites, they soon become friends. And then maybe more.
But falling in love with your roommate is probably a terrible idea…especially if you’ve never met.
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A charming rom com that begins as a slow burn, then picks up the pace after the first 75 pages and keeps readers hooked until the very end! This is a great chic-lit title with the story based in London, which as an American was a nice change of scenery. The banter between fellow flatshare occupants Leon and Tiffy was witty, relatable and pivotal towards how this story evolved. For those looking for a light spring/summer read, make sure you get your hands on The Flatshare!
I wasn’t sure what to expect from Beth O’Leary’s “The Flatshare,” but it turned out to be an excellent read that I highly recommend. This book is so much more than just a romance; it also tackles a number of weighty issues including emotional abuse, the importance of self-care, the bonds of friendship, and tricky family dynamics, among others.
When I first started reading, I thought the female main character, Tiffy, would turn out to be nothing more than a sweet, lovable goofball. In some ways she was those things, but as I got to know her character better over the course of the story, I came to realize that she was far more complex than that. She did a good job of hiding it even from herself, but she had quite a bit of emotional trauma to overcome thanks to her ex-boyfriend, Justin. I really appreciated the fact that Tiffy recognized she needed help (even if it took some prodding from her friend Mo) and actually took the time to work on herself before jumping into another relationship. If she hadn’t, I don’t think she would have been able to make any new relationship work, even if it was with a guy as great as Leon. And after everything Tiffy went through with Justin, she really deserved to find someone like Leon who would support her instead of tearing her down.
Leon, the male lead character, was also a really interesting, complex character with several issues of his own to overcome. The situation with his brother Richie, in particular, was tragic, and I really felt for both of them as they struggled through it. I loved that Leon continued to stand up for his brother no matter what. As for Richie, he was a great secondary character and I wouldn’t mind seeing him get a story of his own in the future. It would be interesting to see what happens to him now that his circumstances have changed so dramatically.
*ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
4.5*
The Flatshare is a really cute, fun, and sweet read. It was heavier and more emotional at times than I expected, but it all worked so well together.
I thought this was such a neat premise, with the 2 people sharing a flat, but never meeting. Although I’m not sure I would have been comfortable with moving in before actually meeting the person, Tiffy was much braver than me in that respect!
I loved how Tiffy and Leon got to really know each other through their notes. They were able to open up to each other much more than if they were talking in person. And it was an enjoyable way for us to get to know them, as well.
Tiffy is such a charming and quirky character. She went through a lot of growth and change during the course of the story and it was awesome to see her come out stronger in the end.
Leon is a doll! He’s got such a huge and caring heart, I adored him. He’s carrying a pretty heavy weight on his shoulders and I so wished I could have helped lessen his burden. Leon’s one of the good guys and you just want everything to be okay for him.
I really enjoyed The Flatshare. Not only are Tiffy and Leon wonderful, the side characters really brought a lot to the story as well. I wouldn’t mind if a couple of them got their own stories!
This book is definitely a winner.
Such a delightful, cozy read! And what a unique premise for a book! Highly recommend for fans of Jojo Moyes.
4.5 stars
What a wonderful debut novel! The Flatshare was such a sweet and emotional story that surprised me in the best way. I absolutely fell in love with the idea behind this book and was instantly intrigued by the tagline “What if your roommate was your soul mate?”
Tiffy and Leon were such interesting characters and complemented each other so well, even though they seem to be opposites in every way. Tiffy is eccentric and has a tendency to overshare, while Leon is quieter and much more reticent. Their meet cute and intimate living situation are atypical, but all the awkwardness only endeared me more to the characters. I loved how a simple note exchange set in motion such huge changes for both of them. It had me asking myself if you really can get to know someone through the traces they leave behind? The author allowed Tiffy and Leon’s friendship and relationship to develop naturally and I loved the slow burn between them.
The story is told in dual POV, and I will admit that Leon’s chapters took a bit of getting used to. I ended up loving his abbreviated speaking/writing style, however, and I really feel like it fit his character perfectly. Some of the Britishisms went over my head, but the author’s sense of humor and witty banter had me gasping for air because I was laughing so hard. With all the laughs, there are some serious issues as well, and I felt that they were addressed very honestly. For example, Tiffy struggles for a large portion of the book with her past relationship. I appreciated that the author didn’t rush through her healing or downplay the effect that emotional abuse can have on an individual as well as their friends and loved ones. I really loved how patient and supportive Leon and all of Tiffy’s friends were. They stood by her and lifted her when she needed them, but what I loved best, is that ultimately, it was Tiffy who had (and did) save herself.
The secondary characters really were amazing (please tell me a Richie book is in the works!) and added some wonderful comic relief at just the right moments. I was smiling ear to ear as I turned the last page, and Leon and Tiffy’s story couldn’t have ended in a cuter way. Definitely recommend this one and can’t wait for more from Beth O’Leary.
*I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this book*
The highlight of any book for me, is when I finish reading it and all I want to do is start reading it all over again. “The Flatshare” by Beth O’Leary was one of the those books. I fell head over heels in love with the characters Tiffy and Leon and found their story truly adorable.
“Tiffy and Leon share a flat. Tiffy and Leon share a bed. Tiffy and Leon have never met……. Tiffy Moore needs a cheap flat, and fast. Leon Twomey works nights and needs cash. Their friends think they’re crazy, but it’s the perfect solution: Leon occupies the one-bed flat while Tiffy’s at work in the day, and she has the run of the place the rest of the time.
But with obsessive ex-boyfriends, demanding clients at work, wrongly imprisoned brothers and, of course, the fact that they still haven’t met yet, they’re about to discover that if you want the perfect home, you need to throw the rulebook out the window….”
The author has written a really funny, realistic yet utterly bonkers premise that had me entertained from the very first page. I was so addicted to it, I found it very hard to put down and completely devoured it in less than two days.
I’m not normally a ‘chick lit’ or romance fan but this grabbed my attention as soon as I saw the bonny cover and upon reading an initial first impression of the book, I knew I was going to find it immensely entertaining.
Such a feel good and uplifting story you instantly feel like you are friends with all the characters. I did have a particular soft spot for Leon’s brother Richie, who I was rooting for all the way through the story that he’d get his appeal. His lawyer, Gerty (who is Tiffy’s friend) is just brilliant and together with her ‘are they, aren’t they’ flatmate Mo, they make a fabulous pairing too.
I loved the ending and found it so appropriate considering Tiffy and Leon’s relationship being based on messages written on post it notes left all over the flat. You cannot help but be left with a big smile on your face and all I wanted to do once I finished the book was jump straight back into the story and read all about it once again!
Would I recommend? Most definitely!! A truly delightful read, perfect for anyone looking for a nice, easy uplifting read, you won’t disappointed and I hope to read more by this exceedingly talented author in the future.
Five stars and then some!
The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary a five-star read that you won’t want to share. I don’t know where to start with this review as the first time I tried picking this read up I put it down after a couple of chapters, but then someone was raving about it and I though eughh I will give it a go, I hate not finishing anything. What can I say other than I’m so glad I did, I loved it. There was something so heart-warming about this one, I adored Leon and his passion for his patients. The descriptions and secondary characters were great and the story from Tiffy and her struggle she has a job she loves but doesn’t pay her enough and an ex that she just can’t or won’t quit. The main think I adored about this story though were the post-It notes just the simple way of communicating was sweet and dramatic at the same time. This will definitely be one of those reads that will stay with you for a long time, if like me you don’t get sucked in, in the first couple of chapters keep going as I promise you, you won’t be disappointed.
This is an amazing book if you can get past the lack of pronouns.
ARC received from Hachette Australia for an honest review
I absolutely freaking adored The Flatshare!
I have read plenty of room mates to more stories in the past, but none of them were anything like The Flatshare.
This is a quirky, funny, uplifting romcom/dramedy that kept me up way past my bedtime to get it finished.
Tiffy and Leon are both relatable, likable and just plain enjoyable. I liked the way their -ship starts – it is hard to really describe things without giving anything away. It is on the unusual side, but is not so far out there that it is unbelievable. I really liked it, and couldn’t wait for things to progress.
This was a completely fresh and fun story. It does have its darker moments as well, but they are dealt with wonderfully.
There are some amazing secondary characters that made Tiffy and Leon’s stories will rounded and complete. They made me laugh out loud at times.
The Flatshare is one of my favourite books of 2019, and a great palette cleanser for the rom-com genre, which can (and has lately) gotten very stale and similar.
Wonderfully paced, delightfully written, if you read only one rom com this year, make it The Flatshare.