Review: The Flat Share by Beth O’Leary

Synopsis

“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, wrongly imprisoned brothers, and of course, the fact that they still haven’t met yet, it seems this flatshare is more complicated than expected”.

Review

In need of a good light-hearted romance, I reached for this book from my bookshelves and I was not disappointed. I loved the whole premise of the story, and although to some it would sound a little far-fetched, it actually worked really well. Tiffy is an editor for a small publishing company in London and is struggled to find a flat to rent within her budget. She finds Leon’s advertisement for a flat share and jumps at the chance. Leon is a palliative care nurse and works night shifts, which means he is never in when Tiffy is around. They ‘share’ a bed but are never in it at the same time. They communicate solely by leaving Post-it notes around the flat and grow to know and like each other as time goes on. They never meet until that fateful day when Tiffy oversleeps….

Tiffy is a fun and quirky character who dresses in a unconventional style. She is slowly building up her self-confidence after a emotionally abusive relationship, this is skilfully and sensitively dealt with by the author. Leon on the other hand, is much softer, he is very sweet and adorable and shy at first. He has his own problems and is campaigning for the release of his wrongly convicted brother from prison. There is a wonderful mix of delightful side characters; Rachel, Gerry, Mo and Richie are all integral part of the story. And two other side stories are beautifully woven into the main storyline.

I initially struggled with the slightly choppy writing style in some parts of the book, this hindered the flow a little, but once I adjusted to this, it was fine and I couldn’t put this book down. The pacing is perfect, I loved the slow coming together of Tiffy’s and Leon’s relationship, the build up is really well done and is extremely imaginative. There are some absolutely wonderful little heart-warming moments between them.

This book will warm your heart, it is a charming and humorous, completely captivating and a sheer delight to read.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Thank you so much for reading my review, I hope you enjoyed it. Happy reading.

Karen ~