Review – The Flat Share by 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…
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Publisher – Quercus
Date Published – 18th April 2019
Pages – 400
Format – Hardback
Category – Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Source – Purchased
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Please note Tales Of Yesterday Reviews are written as spoiler free as possible
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I may be way late to the party on this one, but oh my days The Flat Share has now become one of my favourite books.
With magnificent buzz and reviews already and with the recent release of The Flat Share on paperback the hardback copy I purchased many moons ago has been sitting on my TBR for far too long and I was excited to pick it up. I am so glad that I did. The Flat Share has absolutely stolen my heart.
Brilliant characters and a rom-com feel good story which simply radiates British humour The Flat Share will just lift you up in its caring arms and give you a tight hug. Perfect for sitting in the spring air or sunshine to whisk you away blissfully, smile uncontrollably and laugh whole-heartedly.
The Flat Share tells the story of Tiffy and Leon who have never met, but live in the same flat at different times of the day (sounds like it shouldn’t work right? But it so does!). Tiffy works days and Leon works nights. And what starts with a simple post-it note to ask for the toilet seat to be left down develops into the exchanging of post-it notes around the flat and gradually their relationship starts to develop.
Whilst there are elements of fluffy and cute, there’s also a quirkiness and cleverness about the plot and the story telling with a real gritty underlying story line that will have you hooked and routing for the characters.
The story is told in alternate points of view from Tiffy and Leon which works so well developing the story and it’s characters. At first I was a little unsure about Leon’s voice as it was a very different in style with short sentences and it took me a couple of chapters to get into, but once it clicked I was completely sold and basically head over heels in love him (don’t tell the hubby).
As characters go Tiffy is strong and complex and Leon (where do I even start…..I think I fell a little in love with him…okay maybe a lot….I may have texted my friend to say as much…moving on quickly) is goofy and caring Not gonna lie….still swooning now writing this ?. There were secondary characters also that I adored. Tiffys friends, Mo, Gerty and Rachel and Leon’s Mr Prior spring to mind. Even the man in Flat 5 made me chuckle. You honestly just feel like you’ve known the characters longer than the few chapters that you have read and that is a credit to Beth’s writing and storytelling.
I have so many favourite scenes and it’s so hard to pick one that won’t spoil the book (don’t worry no spoilers here), but I can share one scene in particular that made me laugh out loud. After Tiffy had moved into the flat and had made herself at home with all her stuff Leon comes home after his night shift ….. “Is Essex woman holding a large jumble sale in our flat?”……I had the biggest chuckle and smile on my face. There were many times throughout the book where O’Leary slides in jokes like this that are sometimes so subtle and understated but yet so typically British and funny.
Many reviews have drawn comparisons to The Flat Share being the new JoJo Moyes, I would draw comparisons to Sophie Kinsella and Helen Fielding. In fact I haven’t loved a rom-com book as much of this since I read Bridget Jones many years ago (showing my age there). Love romantic comedies in the vein of Richard Curtis then this is the book for you.
Beth O’Leary really creates a story so full of heart and warmth whilst also touching upon subjects like controlling relationships, stalking, gas-lighting, wrongful convictions, but all written in a way that you are fully absorbed and care for what is going on. I was so fully invested in these characters and everything that they were going through that I basically just want to be friend them all immediately (with the exception of some of course…I’m looking at you Justin.
The Flat Share has become one of my favourite books in a very long time and I will definitely be re-reading this at some point in the future whilst hoping for the possibility of a sequel where we can revisit these characters again.
I highly recommend The Flat Share…. it’s an absolute ray of sunshine that shines its brightness on you until the very last page. I will not forget about these characters for a very long time to come…. especially Leon *swoon*
I award this book 5 out of 5 Tales Of Yesterday books!
You can buy a copy of The Flat Share here
About Beth O’Leary
Beth studied English at university before going into children’s publishing. She lives as close to the countryside as she can get while still being in reach of London, and wrote her first novel, The Flatshare, on her train journey to and from work.
She is now writing novels full time, and if she’s not at her desk, you’ll usually find her curled up somewhere with a book, a cup of tea, and several woolly jumpers (whatever the weather).
Happy Reading!
