The Flatshare - Beth O'Leary

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…

Blurb taken from Goodreads.

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I have seen so many rave reviews about The Flatshare on instagram, and knew before reading it that it was a hugely popular book. So when I saw it on offer whilst out shopping, I knew I had to give it a go. 

Well, I absolutely loved it. It was cute and fluffy and just so delightfully warm-hearted! I loved the depth that the author managed to put into the story, and I can see why it's such a popular piece of fiction. Not perfect, but just what I needed when I was having a tough time.

Rating: ✫✫✫✫✫

 The Story

I thought this was such an original idea for a story, and one that had the potential for some really fun scenes. I loved the way the characters communicated by post-its, and the way I laughed out loud when I read about their first meeting! The tone of the story was so light and cosy, and so gentle that it gave me such comfort to read. But what really impressed me was the sheer amount of depth and detail in the story. I think romance novels often focus too much on the main couple, but the surrounding sub-plots in The Flatshare were absolutely spot-on! I really felt that the supporting characters were fantastically fleshed out into really believable characters, and the sheer effort that must have gone into all the different details made me so happy. I loved learning about the different elements of life for these characters, even if it fell outside the centre story. All the fun scenes really boosted the book as a whole.

That being said, I thought Tiffy and Leon, our two central characters in the novel, were also incredibly well written. They absolutely leapt off the page! I was left feeling like I could see exactly what they would be like if I met them in real life. It was a real pleasure to read about their blossoming relationship. They both have very defined personalities, but are written in a way that makes it believable for the reader that they would connect and become close. 

I also have to say, I think the additional plot lines about their past relationships were very important in their own way. Without giving too much away, the book deals with some quite serious plot undertones, and I thought they were handled with care and consideration. It's nice to see some honest and raw elements to such a light-hearted plot. It balanced the book well and really rounded it off to make it feel so very real.

The Verdict

Do I think this book was perfection?

Not necessarily. Although I've sung its praises here, it isn't a work of art. 

However, there is absolutely nothing wrong with a book that exists just to make you smile, and to make you feel good. That's especially true in 2020, and The Flatshare was perfect for me at the time I read it. So it's a big fat five stars from me.