I'm so in love with this incredibly cute story. The writing is superb. The Flatshare follows a woman who finds herself nursing a broken heart, and no roof over her head. From there, she finds an advert online for a flat-share. Except it's also a bed-share with a man named Leon. They won't be there at the same times, for he takes the night shifts, so she goes for it and finds she gets a lot more than she bargained for...

This book makes me want to dish superlatives and speak in exclamation marks, exclusively! Best romance I've read in some time: uplifting, funny and super-empowering (in a casual, almost understated way.) Has those cute laugh-out-loud moments, close-the-book-and-squeal moments, and plenty of learning moments. It was interesting how the relationships in the book were contrasted: one that is caring and easy and the other, messy and painful. I was also pleasantly surprised by the thoughtful and honest conversations within the book: there's a lot to gain from it.

I stayed up late reading this one and woke up earlier (basically I didn't sleep). It was worth it! A truly delightful debut- I can't believe it's a debut novel at all!

General thoughts:

-Love-notes: I couldn't get over the idea!
-Made me wish this book didn't come with an ending. Or that there was a full-blown series I just didn't know about.
-Reminded me that the perfect romance does exist. (At least in someone's head.)
-Perfect for fans of the debut novel Our Stop, by Laura Jane Williams.

I received this book for review consideration through Netgalley. All opinions are mine and completely honest.

Really enjoyable, easy to read book. It's about 2 strangers who share a flat - and you are rooting from them from the start. Each brings their own issues and problems but get to know each other through writing notes.
The ending is beautiful and it did not disappoint!

It's been impossible to escape the hype surrounding The Flatshare, and I couldn't believe it when I was granted a review copy. Yay! Thank you, lovely publisher! I dived straight into Leon and Tiff's story with incredibly high expectations aaaand... I was disappointed. Let me explain.

Tiff needs a bed. Leon needs money. Tiff works through the day, Leon works through the night. Can they solve both of their problems by sharing a bed?

First off, I loved the idea behind The Flatshare. Sharing a bed is such an intimate part of a relationship, so imagine never meeting the person you share a bed with. Getting to know them by the coffee mugs they leave by the sink, or the post it notes on the fridge..... my romantic heart can't take it. However, when it came to the actual story, I found it rather dull, and at times a bit too slow for my liking. Weirdly enough I actually didn't want Tiff and Leon to meet. I wanted more romantic tension which personally, I don't feel like I got. On a positive note, there were moments of hilarity and witty dialogue that I really enjoyed reading.

All in all, The Flatshare was a good debut and I would read more from Beth O'Leary in the future. Perhaps there is a lesson for me to learn in not letting my expectations climb too high...

There's just something fundamentally try-hard about tulle."
I liked this, an ARC I picked up to read after a nudge from a rave review on Litsy. Modern romance with a darker side: Tiffy is getting over a rather strange ex, Leon has a brother inside. Desperate to survive London's crazy rent prices, they come up with a novel solution. (Except it's not really novel, but I'm going to pretend it is here because otherwise I'm that boring history person who just goes on all the time about how Everything has Happened Before). So they're sharing the house as she works 9-5 and he works nights, and start up an endearing conversation via post it note. Leon's voice reminded of Bridget Jones (not a criticism) - made me laugh out loud in places.
"She has started signing really quite loudly and doing some sort of castle dance (which is quite hip shaky), and though we have ascertained that there are no senior members of staff in the kitchen, you never know when they'll show up. It's like that thing people say about rates - there's always one six feet away from you at all times."

This book is good, it is an easy read with plenty of lovable characters and a couple of bad eggs thrown in for good measure. The story sets itself apart from other books as the theme is unique. Who would ever share a flat with someone they have a. never met and b, unlikely to ever see.
It is a great story with plenty of laughs along the way, it is a bit corny and cheesy at times but this just adds to its charm.
Perfect beach read and total escapism.
Would recommend as a easy and joyful read.

Absolutely loved this. Such a clever concept and loved the different points of view from Tiffy and Leon. Loved how their relationship blossomed through the notes and their chemistry just jumped off the page. Can’t wait to read more from this author. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and Quercus for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. Definitely one I’ll be sharing with my book group!

I usually avoid hyped books as I usually end up feeling disappointed with them. But I kept seeing a copy in the window of my local independent book shop on my lunch break and eventually caved in and got a copy. What a treat it was and I don't want to give anything away but an unlikely sounding scenario drew me in and I kept reading. What a treat. Odd curveballs thrown in along the way to keep us entertained. I would love a follow up book.

The Flatshare is a heartwarming romantic comedy. A young book editor enters into a flatshare arrangement after a relationship breakdown but never meets the other tenant. Communicating only by notes an attraction develops. This was a lovely, lighthearted read.

Tiffy, an assistant editor for a publisher, desperately needs a place to stay which is cheap. Leon, a palliative care nurse, needs some extra cash to help his brother out. When Leon advertises a flat share, Tiffy can’t believe her luck as it’s just perfect, apart from the fact that it’s only a one bedroom flat. But…Tiffy works during the day and Leon works nights and stays at his girlfriends over weekends, so whilst they’ll be sharing a bed they’ll never have to see each other. Weird? Yep, that’s what Tiffy’s best friends and Leon’s girlfriend thinks, but after Tiffy moves in, it actually begins to work. They only have one rule – they won’t ever meet, but when they begin to leave notes around the flat for each other it feels like they’ve known each other for years. Sometimes rules are there to be broken…..

I’ve wanted to read this book for ages! I’ve actually had it for ages on my TBR pile, but other books keep pushing their way in front of it! Whilst in the library where I work, I saw this book which had been reserved for a borrower and it jogged my memory that I hadn’t read it yet. It looked so lovely sat there, that I just knew as soon as I got home that day I would be starting it! The idea of sharing a flat with someone is obviously not a new one. Sharing not just a flat, but a bed, but never having met the other person on the other hand is! “Tiffy and Leon share a bed…..Tiffy and Leon have never met….” – going on this tagline, I knew I was going to enjoy this book!

Both characters instantly drew me in. I had pictures in my mind of both of them – Tiffy, bright and colourful with striking red hair and mismatched clothes and Leon, dark skinned and moody, keeping himself to himself. I loved both characters from the moment I met them and became wrapped up in this little cocoon of flat-sharing loveliness, unable to tear myself away. Told from both Tiffy and Leon’s perspectives, you can immediately tell their personalities from how each chapter is written and you begin to learn so much about them. I love how when Tiffy first walked into the flat, her reaction was ‘has she made a big mistake?’ and ‘are the sheets clean?’!! Similarly, when Leon walks in on the first morning after Tiffy’s moved in and is faced with rainbow coloured blankets and dresses hung up everywhere, he also wonders if he has made a mistake! A few introductory notes stuck on doors and leftover food saved for the next morning, and you could see exactly where this book was going!

It was such a funny book and whilst it had me laughing out loud for a lot of the time, it also had a serious tone running through it. With Leon’s work at the hospice and his brother in trouble, and Tiffy fleeing from an abusive relationship, it not only has you crying with laughter, but with a few sad tears thrown in for good measure. I loved though how this book just made me feel all soft and warm inside (sounds silly right, but it really did!!). It also made me feel really jealous because I really wanted to be Tiffy!! I’m trying my best to not give away any spoilers here, but I think you can imagine how the book is going to end. It does have a lovely storyline though where the course of true love never runs smoothly, so don’t think it’s all moonlight and roses right from the beginning!

I honestly think this was the best book that I have read this year – and I’ve read lots of fantastic books! I don’t even think there are any words which I can use to describe how I felt when I finished Tiffy’s and Leon’s story, less than 24 hours after I’d started it. It left me with a mad smile on my face and the need to tell everybody how fabulous this book really is! Some people have likened it to the new ‘Bridget Jones’ or the next ‘Me Before You’…..!! I completely disagree though! This book is in a league of its own, way out there in front of everyone else!! In fact, it’s so far ahead, I can’t even see it!! If you are going to read one book this year, make it this one…….

** spoiler alert ** 3.5

I was given a free copy via Netgalley.

The writing style for Leon was a lot to adjust to at the beginning, and the story itself was a bit slow going until about 25% of the way through.

The storyline very briefly talks about racism, and by the end, abusive relationships, so please be aware of this if you are triggered by these issues.

This was a pleasant surprise - a competent, intensely charming, often actually funny commercial romance coupled with an unexpectedly unflinching look at emotional abuse and wrongful imprisonment. Leon is an unusual-ish and very charming male lead, and the switching points of view - something I'm usually allergic to - are well-handled and endearing. A fun, sweet read.

"The art of letter-writing. A profoundly ... intimate thing, a letter, isn't it?"

Beth O'Leary's book The Flatshare is an absolute delight to read. What drew me to this book initially was the outrageous and funny situation of Tiffy and Leon living in the same flat, but each occupying it at different times of the day (working opposite shifts), so that they never meet each other. What made me fall in love with this book is that the relationship between Tiffy and Leon develops through handwritten notes back and forth between these two characters. It starts as a quick note about leftovers in the fridge or dishes in the sink, and evolves into full-page descriptions of how her day was or how his brother is holding up against a tough situation.

Oh, the art and power and beauty of words!

"There's so much here. Jokes, secrets, stories, the slow unfolding of two people whose lives have been changing in parallel."

Following the lives of Tiffy and Leon, the story is so much more than just a developing relationship between these two characters. It touches on heavier topics like emotional abuse and manipulation, stalking and physical abuse, a palliative care patient finding his lost love, and being brave enough to love ourselves and reveal ourselves to others; and it deals with these gently and respectfully.

"You've made it to here. There's just the doors, now."

This book is on my favorites list for sure. I hope it warms your heart the way it did mine.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

this book was such an good read and one that really surprised me in so many different in so may ways such as before going into this book I was expecting it to be just like most romance books about them sharing a flat but not seeing each other then falling in love but it definitely more deeper than that as you read this book.

from the two main characters going through quite a few struggles such as tIffy trying to find a place to stay, and Leon struggling with money problems and trying to figure everything out. so here comes an arrangement that happens where they both decide why don't they just share the flat but not only that share the same bed but they would not see each other because Leon would have the flat for the day then go to work at his hospital shift at nights and so Tiffy will have the flat throughout the night.

in this odd arrangement we start to see the two characters interact with each other in the form of letters telling each other to do this or that but then slowly forms into a blossoming friendship.

for me this was such a good and interesting book and its definitely felt original and something I have never read about before. I loved the contrasting character chapters so we saw from both perspectives which I love so much in books because I like to know what the other person thins aswell.

overall this gets a 4/5 read such an enjoyable book and one to recommend to all.

If I had to describe THE FLATSHARE in three words, I would call it addictive, superb, a must-read. I adored the plot and the characters and the author’s beautiful and clear writing style made it very difficult to put it down.

THE FLATSHARE is the beautiful and thought-provoking story of Tiffy and Leon. They have never met, but they share a house and the same bed. For months they communicate through entertaining and funny notes that they leave for each other, but with him working during the night and her working during the day, they manage to never set eyes on each other and yet grow a close friendship.

Many, many people know that flat-hunting around London is quite an exhausting and frustrating experience. As someone who spent years looking for a place in London that could be both affordable and cosy, or at least clean, I definitely related to Tiffy. Personally, I would never have chosen to share a bed with a stranger, even if I would never meet him, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

I loved the characters of this novel. Tiffy and Leon are adorable and likable, but completely different characters. She is full of life, quirky, easy going, and warm, while Leon is more introvert and quiet, always worried about his family, but they fit very well together. Their stories, their problems, a troubled past made these characters more realistic and down-to-earth. Tiffy and Leon are not the only characters of the story that I fell in love with. There is Ritchie, Leon’s brother, who is fun and engaging; there are Gerty and Rachel who are badass, fierce, and also a bit scary; then there is Mo, quiet and always right; and I loved when sweet Mr. Pryor and young smart Holly, two patients at the hospital where Leon works as a nurse, made their appearance. I also liked Katherine who always made me laugh.

The author craftily manages to blend fun, heart-warming, and humorous moments with more serious and dark tones that create a few emotional scenes. THE FLATSHARE is memorable and captivating and it goes at the top of my list of books I definitely recommend everyone should read!

This book is incredible! The Flatshare is a breath of fresh air for the romance and contemporary genre's! I adored the way in which the two main characters have insanely realistic traits, both positive and negative and how they together were completely different people but complimented each other extremely well.

Not to mention that the book has one of my all time favourite tropes, two people pushed together in a uncomfortable situation and forced to make the best of it. But this one has the twist of the characters not actually interacting face to face to begin with and it was interesting to see their relationship develop through post it notes. If you haven't read the synopsis, I would recommend going in to this as blind and possible. All you really need to know is that the two protagonists decide to take advantage of a Flatshare arrangement. Only one bedroom between them, but that obviously not being much of a problem since one works at night and one in the morning. Then things get more interesting from there.

I would like to mention the writing style a little as one perspective was slightly jarring to begin with. The male protagonists perspective is written almost like a script. I didn't love the idea of this when I started his character's first chapter and was a little annoyed by it to be honest but I kept going and quickly became accustomed to it. And I quite like how it made a clear difference between perspectives. I never had a moment where I forgot whose perspective I was reading from as I often find is the case with some multi-perspective novels.

The whole book is so adorable and I found the set up and plot very unique. I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of the characters arc and the situations they go through. This book isn't just a light hearted read with no backbone, it really is a well developed very impactful read that broaches a lot of important topics. If you're looking for a uplifting, funny read with some hidden depth, this is perfect for you! I would highly recommend it!.

Great premise and a wonderful book! So touching and beautifully written, the story of Tiffy and Leon will stay with you long after you finish. Can't wait for Beth's next book!

Tiffy needs a flat after breaking up with her horrid ex-boyfriend. Leon needs cash and quick. Tiffy works days, Leon works night and so begins the quirky arrangement of their "bed share".

I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!

You know that I don't give five stars lightly but I simply couldn't put this one down. Anybody who thinks this is just pure chick lit then think again. The book deals with real and dark issues and not in a quiet way they are in your face and its brilliant.

Leon's brother is wrongly in prison whilst Tiffy is escaping her abusive boyfriend who to be honest you just want to slap, knock out and then scrape off the floor to smack him again. It deals with the raw emotion that each character feels and it is done in such a way that you feel it right along with them. This is very rare I find these days and should be praised.

The book itself is told from both perspectives in short, sharp chapters, each with their distinctive voice which gives the characters their own moulds and you really feel as though they are speaking to you directly, like they are telling the story.

I also love the interwoven plots, the exchanges between Leon and his patients at the hospice where he works and I have to give a big shout out to Tiffy's loyal if somewhat unique friendship group.

This is such a refreshing read and I would highly recommend it to anyone.

Thank you NetGally, Beth O' Leary and Quercus Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I instantly liked Tiffy, even though I couldn't understand why she was still living with her ex-boyfriend months after he left her for another. But I felt for her desperation, indecisiveness and hope that things will just magically get better. I love that she wasn't this shy, small, blond, simply dressed in a way that boys like, a girl next door, that romance novels tend to idealize and make the heroines. Tiffy is *larger than life*, meaning she is tall and probably strongly build, it's not said that's she's fat but she is a big girl because of her posture. She dresses like no other, she loves scarfs, colours and patterns, she doesn't shy away from wearing DIY projects. She is confident, she loves her clothes, she adores DIY and this positivity and passion radiate from her, and make a lot of people around her instantly happy and drown to her personality. Myself included.

I struggled with Leon's chapters. In order to portray his introverted character, the author writes his chapters in a completely different style than Tiffy's chapters. Example from his chapter:

"Wrack brains to remember what Kay actually told me about this woman she's a... Book editor? sounds like profession of reasonable person with taste? feel fairly certain that Kay made no mention of Essex woman being a bizzare-object collector."

I finally got used to it, but it took me some time. Leon is not the person that you instantly just adore, he was nice, but he wasn't over dramatic or emotional like Tiffy, so it wasn't so that much fun to spend time with him. Leon has a lot of stuff on his head, he is working night in hospice, and he needs cash to help his brother. That's why he ends with Tiffy as his flatmate, or even a bedmate, as they share the same bad but at different times of the day. A very strange set-up, but hey… it works.

I appreciate how Tiffy's relationship with her ex-boyfriend was handled, how supportive her friends were. I believe it was a great example of how to support people in questionable relationships, and how to present abuse in books. Not as something that is romanticized, but as something harmful, that others recognize and help you to get out of. A great example of how to help your friends, and how you as a victim can reach for professional or friendly help.

I think fondly of the time I spend with this book, it was all great. I'd love to see this made to a movie.

One of the biggest strengths of the novel was the narrative form which was purposely and perfectly suited to the story it was telling. Told through two points of view, The Flatshare immediately situates its readers and introduces its two protagonists, Tiffy and Leon, simply by the difference in how they tell their story through this first person perspective. Tiffy is very chatty, open, and bubbly, with an easy humour that makes her character easy to quickly warm to; Leon, meanwhile, is more reserved and quieter, a man of few words, and even less hobbies, who throws himself into his work as a palliative care nurse and tells his story through truncated sentences lacking the personal ‘I’ pronoun. Through such relatively simple differences in the way their perspectives are written, Beth O’Leary explores the characters of Tiffy and Leon before they’ve even done much in the book.

Elements of Tiffy’s life very much made me smile. As someone who works in publishing (albeit academic rather than trade) the sections when Tiffy was at work and dealing with editing niche manuscripts about woodworking and crocheting made me laugh in recognition, especially when a book unexpected to have mass appeal suddenly starts to generate buzz and she finds herself floundering to get the author to agree to do more publicity for its publication than anyone could have imagined. A lot of professional conversations she has felt so very relatable to me, as well as some of her work anxieties! Meanwhile Leon’s profession and whole life, in fact, is very different but, oddly, something I could find myself relating to too. He works in as a nurse in a hospice and cares for very ill patients, from an elderly man who’s in search of his long lost love from the war to a young girl whose condition doesn’t dampen her spirit one bit. Each of these characters, minor though they were in the grand scheme of things, felt so very fleshed out and I think that’s the sign of a contemporary/romance novel that is going the extra mile to feel grounded in reality and ensuring it paints its protagonists lives fully, rather than just focusing on cutesy scenes when they’re together, which Tiffy and Leon aren’t for a large portion of the narrative since they live/work to literally opposite shifts.

One of the elements of The Flatshare that I appreciated most was the careful and respectful way that the author explored the subject of emotional abuse by a spouse. At first, when Tiffy talks of her ex boyfriend, the reader (as we’re seeing/hearing matters through Tiffy’s point of view) might reasonably presume him to be kind of annoying and needy at times but otherwise a typical ex. However, as the story progresses and Tiffy starts to come to terms with just how manipulative her ex was, the reader too realises the long-lasting effect his behaviour has had on his girlfriend and the real truth of his personality comes to light to readers almost at the same time as it does to Tiffy. I didn’t expect a novel that had such an adorable premise would deal very seriously with gaslighting but I was all the more thankful that it did tackle such real world issues. Similarly, Leon’s younger brother Ritchie finds himself in prison for a crime he decidedly did not commit, it’s an indictment of the state of the prison and justice system that it takes so long to overcome his solicitor’s ambivalence about the case in order to fight for an appeal to be heard in court – in fact, it’s only when Tiffy comes onto the scene that hope springs from an unexpected faction and Leon can once again dare to dream that he might be able to see his brother outside of prison walls again.

From what initially seemed like a plot based around a well-trod (but nonetheless compelling) trope, Beth O’Leary wove a convincing and cute story of two very different characters whose journey to get to know one another through post-it notes, leftovers gifted to the other, and signs of their mutual inhabitance of the same flat (and the same bed) turned into something much more emotional and uplifting than I ever realised it could be. By weaving hilarious dialogue and situations with all too realistic social issues, O’Leary’s novel is a fun and touching debut that will stay with me for longer than comparative books in the genre would otherwise.

The premise of sharing a bed with a stranger may sound bonkers, but this is what happens when Tiffy has to find somewhere to live within her budget. While Leon works night shift Tiffy sleeps in the bed, then while she goes to work it is Leon’s. Because of this, they never meet and instead start leaving one another notes.

Tiffy and Leon are great characters and I loved the way they slowly got to know one another through their notes. The side story involving Leon’s brother is also interesting.