Reviews with content warning for Sexual violence - The Flatshare

Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

The Flatshare, by Beth O'Leary

8 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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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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nav26's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful sad 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? Yes

4.25

I LOVED this. I have been trying to get it from the library for a while but the hold kept coming in at an inconvenient time and then I'd have to wait weeks again. Ended up getting a physical copy from the library at the right time and wow. I sped through it. It's a mostly light read, but there are some aspects of trauma that I feel were well addressed. I think Tiffy is absolutely hilarious and wonderful, and Leon is quiet but sweet - they're a perfect match in the most adorable way. It was a slow, sweet build to their romance that made me appreciate it all the more.

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rawrsoobin's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

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fayereadsbooks's review

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

I started reading again for the first time since childhood in April 2019, so to mark my 2-year-readiversay I decided to reread the Flatshare, one of my most favourite books from when I started to read again. I found that I had forgotten quite a lot of things that happened it in so it almost didn't feel like a reread

I adore this book so much!!! I love the book itself but I also loved it because it was almost sentimental to me, being one of the first books that I loved once restarted my reading journey.

This book included more depth than a typical contemporary book. It deals with some particularly dark topics but I feel as though it handles them really well. Especially the storyline of Justin, Tiffy's toxic and emotionally ex- I loved seeing Tiffy's development from being almost dependant on Justin and thinking his toxic behaviours were okqy to reaching out for help and knowing her own worth and strength. This is such an important thing for people to read about.

I loved so many characters, particularly Tiffy, Leon and Richie. Both and Tiffy and Leon have their own personalities and have differences too, but I feel like they have the same souls, like who they truly are inside and what makes them them just makes them the perfect match for each other

Normally in my reviews I tend to include favourite moments and quotes from the book but I used up an entire pack of sticky note tabs marking my favourite moments, quotes and anything else I wanted to remember, there are just so many special moments in this book!

Beth O'Leary is a wonderful author, the way she crafts stories is just perfect. I enjoyed having the two different perspectives, of Tiffy and Leon.

To conclude, this is one of my favourite books and I would totally whole-heartedly recommend

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writtenontheflyleaves's review

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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? Yes

4.0

The Flatshare 🛋
🌟🌟🌟🌟
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I finished this last night after a breathless 24 hours of not wanting to put it down! So glad I decided to pick this one up, it was a real right-time-right-book situation.
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🏠 The plot: Tiffy and Leon are both in tight spots in their lives - with money, with romance - which pushes them into an unconventional living situation. Living on opposite schedules, they share a flat, and a bed, never meeting but conversing through notes. It’s the perfect solution, until it gets complicated...
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Ok guys let’s not beat around the bush: this book is FUN. It’s funny, it’s light-hearted, it’s optimistic - all against a backdrop of abusive relationships, soaring London rent prices, and the UK’s shitty criminal justice system. Leon’s a palliative care nurse so it even has my favourite thing in romance: a healthy awareness of mortality! If I had to be picky it is a tiiiiiny bit heavy handed in parts but I don’t even care!! I can’t wait until holidays are a thing again and I can reread this sitting on a towel on a beach somewhere. I have so much affection for this love story.
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💘 Read it if you want a book you’ll fly through and with characters who feel like individuals. Rom com characters can sometimes seem a little cookie-cutter, but particularly Tiffy is a bit of an oddball, and that makes for a very loveable romance!
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🚫 Avoid it if you’re not good at suspending disbelief - despite the proportions of Tiffy and Leon’s flat this is a larger than life story, and you need to let yourself be swept along! - or if you’re avoiding stories that recount panic attacks, emotional abuse, or incarceration.

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snowhitereads's review against another edition

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lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I read The Flatshare over Christmas.

Right off the bat, I wanna say that romance books are very hit or miss with me. Especially if it falls more into chick-lit territory, it’s really not my cup of tea.

But this book had a lot of hype and the premise of it seemed really fun and lighthearted so I decided to give this one a go.

I should have known from the blurb on the front cover saying “The new Jojo Moyes” (it’s the ableism for me) and the reference of her work in the story that this book was not gonna be my thing.

I personally don’t think this book lived up to the hype.

Overall, it’s a quick but forgettable read. It just fell flat for me.

The plot didn’t have anything special or unique about it, it was super predictable from the get go. I didn’t like the writing style and I found the main characters annoying.

I did like the fact that it’s a romance that tiptoes around some hard hitting subjects.

However, everything else didn't really work for me.

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mayflowers's review against another edition

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emotional funny relaxing medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A fun yet emotional read with loveable characters and an important message.

Some thoughts I had whilst reading:

Spoiler
Enjoyed the different POV's and seeing a flat through different eyes. Found it quite amusing to see someone's mess being someone else's comfort and joy. Although, I almost stopped reading the book early on because of Leon's writing style, but glad I kept going.
Spoiler
'Girl who doesn't know she's attractive' trope? *rolls eyes* Actually, turned out to be from trauma and abuse so that is less trope-y. It is forgiven.
Spoiler
Leon's ethnicity was never explicitly mentioned though it seems to be important to his character, particularly as he has a brother who is falsely imprisoned. Why not bring it up?

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