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The Flatshare

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'The Flatshare' by Beth O'Leary follows the story of Tiffy and Leon, who share a flat without ever meeting in person, communicating only through post-it notes left for each other. The book explores their unique living arrangement, their individual struggles, and the development of their relationship in a quirky and heartwarming way. The writing style is engaging, with alternating first-person narratives that capture the intimacy of their communication and the distinct personalities of the lead characters.

The plot of 'The Flatshare' delves into themes of emotional abuse, relationships, personal growth, and friendship, all while maintaining a light and charming tone. The book is praised for its depth, character development, and the way it handles serious topics like abuse and gaslighting with sensitivity and respect, making it a feel-good and compelling read.

Characters:

The characters are well-developed, with Tiffy being vibrant and quirky while Leon is kind-hearted and introspective. Their supportive friendships and personal growth experiences enrich the narrative.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style alternates between Tiffy's and Leon's perspectives, allowing for distinct voices. Leon's narrative is fragmented and lacks traditional structure, while Tiffy's is more lively and humorous, adding depth to their evolving relationship.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot features two main characters, Tiffy and Leon, who share a flat but never meet due to opposite schedules. Tiffy is recovering from an emotionally abusive relationship while Leon is supporting his brother's wrongful conviction appeal. Their relationship develops through sticky notes, leading to a slow-burn romance.

Setting:

Set in contemporary London, the novel's unique flat-sharing arrangement adds a refreshing layer to the narrative, allowing the characters' distinct personalities to shine through their shared living space.

Pacing:

The pacing is a slow build that allows for gradual character development and romance. It maintains a steady rhythm through alternating chapters while strategically unveiling comedic and heartfelt moments.
I really can see some positives in this flat. The technicolour mould on the kitchen wall will scrub off, at least in the short term. The filthy mattress can be replaced fairly cheaply. And you could d...

Notes:

The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary is a romantic comedy that features two characters who share a flat but never meet due to their opposite schedules.
Tiffy is recovering from an emotionally abusive relationship with her ex-boyfriend, Justin, who is also a central figure in the story.
Leon, the male protagonist, is a palliative care nurse working night shifts while his brother is in prison, contributing to the emotional depth of the narrative.
The book explores serious themes including emotional abuse, the criminal justice system, and self-discovery, alongside its romantic elements.
Communication between Tiffy and Leon primarily takes place through post-it notes, which adds a unique and charming aspect to their growing friendship.
The author's writing effectively contrasts Tiffy's lively, outgoing personality with Leon's shy, reserved nature, creating enjoyable dynamics in their relationship.
The book has received positive feedback for its humor, relatable characters, and the balance it strikes between lightheartedness and more serious subjects.
Many readers appreciate the slow-burn romance that develops as the characters get to know each other without seeing each other for a significant part of the story.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

The story includes content warnings for emotional abuse, gaslighting, and stalking involving the main character's ex-boyfriend.

Has Romance?

The book is rich in romantic development, focusing on the slow building relationship between Tiffy and Leon.

From The Publisher:

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 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.

Ratings (173)

Incredible (19)
Loved It (72)
Liked It (46)
It Was OK (26)
Did Not Like (7)
Hated It (3)

Reader Stats (351):

Read It (172)
Currently Reading (2)
Want To Read (129)
Did Not Finish (6)
Not Interested (42)

4 comment(s)

Incredible
1 month

I love this book! I read from 10 pm to 2 am and then more as soon as I got up.

In some ways, it's a tropey rom-com. She works days, he works nights. She needs a new place after a breakup; he needs some extra income. So they start splitting his flat on a time basis -- they're never there at the same time, and in fact have not met face to face. They start communicating via notes and become closer over time. Other tropes come into play as well, including multiple instances of Only One Bed.

But there's also more going on. There are layers and echoes, there is some true to life personal and relationship psychology, there are struggles in their lives. It's not just fluff, is what I'm saying. There's depth, texture, and structure.

Also a happy ending.

Highly recommended.

But -- if you have issues from past relationships and might get triggered, do a web search for "the flatshare content warnings". I'm not going to go into more detail because I want to avoid spoilers -- there are things that only become clear over time that I think are done well and I don't want to undercut that. But on the other hand, there's stuff that I know would be upsetting for some people to read.

 
Loved It
2 years

What a delightfully offbeat and quirky story, with just the right amount of weighty depth to keep it from being too light. For two complete strangers who live together for months without ever meeting and exchanging anything more than post-it notes.

 
Loved It
2 years

This was such a great modern story. Each and every one of the characters was endearing.

 
Loved It
2 years

A beautiful and heartwarming story.

Tiffy and Leon were each wonderful, I really adored them together.

 

About the Author:

Beth O'Leary worked in children's publishing before becoming a full time author. The Flatshare is her debut novel. The idea for The Flatshare came to Beth when her doctor boyfriend was doing long night shifts as part of his training and they could go weeks without seeing each other, but she could track his life by how many cups of coffee were left on the counter, by how much he'd eaten and whether the bookmark in his novel had changed locations. It made her wonder - what could you learn about someone if you lived together but never overlapped?

 
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