Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

The Flatshare, by Beth O'Leary

18 reviews

theirgracegrace's review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

The Flatshare was my book club's first book of 2023 and I will say that I was not initially thrilled with the idea of a romance novel. That was shattered when I actually started reading it! The characters are loveable and real in a very millennial way, the "arrangement" in the heart of the plot is a bit on the nose, and the subplots are where a lot of the most interesting action happens. The "side" plot of Tiffy's

Spoiler

gaslighting and abuse by Justin

caught me off guard, as it reasonably would, and became the most emotionally charged part of the book for me. All in all, an incredible work and one I will love to reread!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Medical content, Confinement, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Cursing, Sexual content, Alcohol, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Bullying, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Racism, Body shaming, Cancer, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Xenophobia, Physical abuse, Police brutality, and Violence

Minor: Death, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, Sexism, Child death, and Dementia

sixthspring's review against another edition

medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Stalking, Emotional abuse, and Mental illness

laurajordensharris's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Gaslighting, Stalking, Body shaming, Bullying, Sexual content, Infertility, Terminal illness, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Grief, Toxic relationship, and Mental illness

jennylarue's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.0

I don’t usually like dual perspective but this book did it SO well. It took me a minute but I really enjoyed the difference in writing styles. I read this book as a nice breath of rom com ness and it delivered just that. Main couple was compelling and developed  so naturally!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Stalking, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Terminal illness, Medical content, and Mental illness

internationalreads's review against another edition

dark emotional funny inspiring tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Alcohol, Gaslighting, Injury/injury detail, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Stalking, Grief, Vomit, Sexual content, and Mental illness

ruby_the_gem's review against another edition

The toxic ex-boyfriend and the abusing relationship Tiffy had with him was too much for me to handle right now. How much he, his relationship with Tiffy, and the mental health problems he caused Tiffy come up is deceptively often for a book that is a romcom. Anyways, be forewarned that if obsessive, toxic ex-boyfriends and relationship trauma are triggering for you or make it difficult to consume a piece of media, this book is not for you.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship and Mental illness

Moderate: Emotional abuse and Stalking

Minor: Cancer

capybooks's review

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-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

I really enjoyed this book. It wasn’t perfect, but I think it is definitely worth a read if you enjoy the forced proximity and friends to lovers tropes. I like that the chapters were shorter, and I absolutely adore how Tiffy and Leon communicate via post-it notes. I didn’t expect Leon’s brother’s storyline, but it was a nice surprise that gave the novel more depth. This book had a lovely ending. I hated how Leon’s chapters were written, even though I can appreciate it reflects how he is as a person. My least favourite characters were Kay and most definitely Justin. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, Mental illness, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Blood, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, and Alcohol

valeriabee's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

You know I expected something completely different with this book. 
I am glad nonetheless that I've read it. 
I wasnt sure how to feel about it, if I really liked it. However, I couldn't put it down and when I wasn't reading it I was thinking of the characters and their goings-on. 
Is it a romance? Yes, but it's a lot more of the long twists and turns of falling in love. 
It is also about healing from an emotionally abusive relationship. My colleague is conveniently teaching about abusive relationships and I couldnt help but think how some excerpts from this book would serve to help our students see and understand how emotional abuse works. The emotional abuse was brought up throughout the whole book, but given that the book only spans 8-9 months and Tiffy was abused/manipulated for years, it makes all the sense that it would come up frequently. 
This book handled the reality of abusive relationships and how they affect the people around you so well. 
I especially love that Leon did not save her from the abuse and he did not magically heal her. We see Tiffy do the work of remembering the manipulations she endured and attempting to heal from them. We see her give herself permission to love again. Leon and Tiffy are unexpectedly perfect for each other, especially because they gave each other the kind of love and support they needed to rather than that which they wanted -- that doesnt make sense. They did not act on their own selfish wants, but loved each other in a way that was best for the other.
I loved that Tiffy and Leon had their distinct narration styles. Too often we see similar styles of internal monologue. Everyone thinks and communicates differently, it only makes sense that it would come across in their narratives. 
Also can we talk about how they leave each other little notes around the flat. Im a bitch that loves post its and it made me want someone to leave notes to with all my postits. 
There is so much to love about this book and I am so glad I've come around to reading it. 
It makes me feel warm and fuzzy at Tiffy and Leon's love. It also makes me painfully aware of how lonely I am.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Sexual content and Terminal illness

There is a character who is wrongfully convicted of a criminal offense. Parts of the book discuss how terrible prisons are and how messed up the criminal justice system is.

laurawoods13's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.75

It’s a bit of a slow start and the way the author writes Leon is horrible - fragments and leaving out words all over the place. It takes a very long time to get used to and it was completely unnecessary. All that aside, the story definitely picks up about halfway through and the ending is pretty solid, but you have to work a little to get there. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Stalking, and Mental illness

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Terminal illness

lucimolri's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Medical content, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Racism