Book Review | The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary

My favourite Romance of the year so far, why did I take so long to get to this book!? It certainly gave me all the feels and a book hangover.

The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary
Published by Quercus on March 10, 2020
Genres: Romance
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An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.
Tiffy Moore and Leon Twomey each have a problem and need a quick fix.
Tiffy’s been dumped by her cheating boyfriend and urgently needs a new flat. But earning minimum wage at a quirky publishing house means that her choices are limited in London.
Leon, a palliative care nurse, is more concerned with other people’s welfare than his own. Along with working night shifts looking after the terminally ill, his sole focus is on raising money to fight his brother’s unfair imprisonment.
Leon has a flat that he only uses 9 to 5. Tiffy works 9 to 5 and needs a place to sleep. The solution to their problems? To share a bed of course...
As Leon and Tiffy’s unusual arrangement becomes a reality, they start to connect through Post-It notes left for each other around the flat.
Can true love blossom even in the unlikeliest of situations?Can true love blossom even if you never see one another?Or does true love blossom when you are least expecting it?

MY REVIEW

So I guess it wouldn’t come as a huge surprise to a lot of people that I loved this book. I wasn’t oblivious to the book, I mean it was all over social media and at the time it didn’t float my boat, which would probably shock a lot of people. Until it came out in paperback a month or so ago and it was on offer in Tesco. I can’t resit a bargain and now I know what the fuss was all about.

Tiffy has just spilt up with her very possessive boyfriend and she needs a new place fast and within her budget. It’s either a very dirty looking flat, or sharing a bed with a total stranger but never actually seeing her flat mate. It was a no brainer. Tiffy will have the flat in the evening, whilst Leon, the flat owner works night shifts in a nursing home, so he has it in the day. They will never meet, until they strike up a conversation through note-taking. They get to know each, help each other with ex-boyfriends and wrongly accused brothers. It’s just that little bit more complicated but sometimes you need to just break the rules to make that much more exciting.

Okay so when I started reading this, I was very put out by the way it was written. You have Tiffy’s perspective in normal first person and then Leon, is, I want to say scripted and it certainly put my mind in a bit of a spin. I wasn’t sure if I liked it, but at the same time I was very intrigued. I think I was very pleasantly surprised by this book, I didn’t really know what to expect.

The Flatshare reminded me of the classic romcoms like Nothing Hill, the guy, is always so genuine and down to earth and that Leon to a tea. I never liked his first girlfriend in the book, she always spoke for him and totally underestimated him as well. It’s all about her, didn’t support him. Actually writing this is making me annoyed by how she treated him. I was glad when that broke up. I think he found solace and a need of friendship and understanding and that was Tiffy. Tiffy isn’t afraid to be who she is, how affectionate and bright, its almost contagious and catching and I think that’s what really developed through numerous amounts of note-taking. I love anything a romance like letter-writing or emails. So Post-It notes around the flat, just made you go all fuzzy inside.

With a cracking set of characters that will make you laugh, and cry and or cuddle them. A writing style so unique and a storyline that is utterly heart-warming, addictive and will definitely leave you with a book hangover. I can’t wait to read more from Beth, I already have a Netgalley of The Switch (out in April) ready to go! Read if you haven’t, I wish I never waited this long!