Reviews with content warning for Chronic illness - The Flatshare

I loved this book

I loved all the characters and their different personalities (Rachel cracked me up and i’d love to have Tiffys friends)

This book moves SO SLOW in the beginning or at least the romance does (obviously they’re only speaking throught notes)

I knew it was creepy when Justin kept showing up randomly everywhere she went and i just figured he was like hacking into her stuff (is Marvin completely dense)

Okay the actual romance LEON IS A LITTLE SWEET HEART (not in bed ig though 😏 not even joking when he was being you know all dirty and stuff my jaw DROPPED i was shocked)

Id love to see Tiffys wardrobe and her outfits because i had such a hard time visualizing it.

Richie made me giggle (was rooting for either gerty and richie or rachel and richie ngl)

Gerty being with Mo was SUPER OBVIOUS if you just look at all the hints but i was not focused on them AT ALL especially not Mo (sorry) love a supportive friend and all and you need that like angel on Tiffys shoulder but Gertys just bluntness also made me giggle

I was reading this book in between my classes (having no friends and also having 1/2 hour to 1 1/2 hour long breaks between classes sucks ass) and i’m SO GLAD i didn’t read the last like 5 chapters while there because I COULD NOT BE QUIET I GASPED WHEN JUSTIN PROPOSED and practically cried when leon was all sad and tiffy was struggling.

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jadawhooreads's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I loved this book! I really enjoyed Beth O’Leary’s casual and fun writing style; especially reading the differences in how Leon and Tiffy think with their split POVs. I thought it was very well paced and I didn’t want to put it down for long. Tiffy and Leon as characters were well fleshed out and I enjoyed their dynamic with each other and their slow burn attraction. I squealed a good amount of times while reading, I felt like I was reading fan fiction it was so wholesome at times! Even with Tiffy and Leon aside, I was interested in other characters and I didn’t find myself ‘skim reading’ over them (which is rare for some books I can’t lie). I would definitely read a sequel of Gerty and Mo and Richie and see how they’re getting on; I loved their different energies and they felt real, not just there to serve Tiffy and Leon. ALSO, can I just say I ADORE how Tiffy was clearly written as a plus sized woman and YET it wasn’t her only character trait and it didn’t affect how people were attracted to her, or how people treated her. I ALSO ADORE how Leon (and Richie) was both Black and Irish and yet again, it wasn’t his defining trait, and it wasn’t the defining reason why Tiffy was attracted to him. Sometimes when I read heterosexual romances it can be a bit bland or problematic, but this was full of life and making them both inclusive and yet not having Tiffy’s body or Leon’s race be the only thing they talk about was so refreshing; massive props!

I literally don’t have any criticisms of the book, perfect sized, well paced goodness! 🥰

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noelpans's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Absolutely loved this, read it in one sitting. The beginning felt a lot more drawn out compared to the third act, where it felt very fast-paced. The plot was definitely convenient but I don't really mind cause I enjoyed what it was, a cheesy, feel-good romance.

Spoiler

handles dealing with someone who has been emotionally abused really well. really admire how O'Leary wrote Leon to be so understanding of Tiffy's PTSD and panic disorder

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lawsam's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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chalkletters's review against another edition

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funny inspiring lighthearted tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

For professional reasons, I’ve read a lot of self-published romance novels, but they’re not usually something I pick up for fun. Despite enjoying romantic comedies, I’ve just never particularly gravitated towards them. I took The Flatshare home from an office book sale because it had a unique premise in two characters who share space, but don’t actually know one another. I then didn’t get around to reading it for ages, because two book clubs makes it tricky to fit other new reads into my schedule. When a space opened up, The Flatshare got picked partly because I’d seen posters for the new Paramount adaptation, and partly because it’s one of the thickest books on my tottering vertical pile…

The Flatshare is very unlike those instalove romance novels where the characters are immediately and overwhelmingly attracted to one another and can’t stop thinking about getting intimate. Tiffy and Leon’s only understanding of the other’s appearance comes from Facebook photos, descriptions and context clues. Needless to say, their attraction builds slowly, and is based on personality rather than physical chemistry.

The epistolary elements came as a very pleasant surprise. While Tiffy and Leon’s notes aren’t as amusingly eccentric as Jaclyn Moriarty’s use of post-it notes, they are full of character. Beth O’Leary distinguishes between her two characters’ voices excellently, though the switch between Tiffy’s effusiveness and Leon’s spare use of words can be a little jarring.

As is probably necessary in a story where the two leads can’t meet face-to-face, both Tiffy and Leon have a number of things going on in their lives outside their interest in one another. While Tiffy’s life as an assistant editor is rather more glamorous (and involves rather less actual work) than is realistic, Leon’s relationship with his brother is a foundational element of the novel. All the threads of plot and subplot are woven together expertly, with Tiffy having a place in Leon’s stories, as well as he in hers.

The climatic misunderstanding, necessary in all romance novels, involves a huge heaping of dramatic irony. It’s certainly tense enough to keep readers on the edge of their seat, though whether that’s pleasurable or painful might depend on individual tastes. The ending is predictable, of course, but effective and very sweet.

This was a fun change of pace for me, and I appreciated how easy to read it was at a time of year which can be pretty hectic.

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