Thoroughly enjoyed this book. I can’t believe this is a debut novel. The characters are wonderfully written and totally believable. The alternating chapters work excellently and are written is so different styles that you feel you are with Tiffy and Leon all the way through the book. Even the supporting characters are written to a depth that you feel you know them. and the ending was great too. Can’t recommend enough and will be looking out for Beth O’Learys next book.

I enjoyed this book so much! Just the wording on the book cover had me hooked on finding out the detail of why these people share a bed, yet have never met.

It's a hugely romantic book with plenty of depth to keep you interested. The characters are well rounded and likeable...well, most of them are! I loved the way they communicate in Post-Its and by leaving meals and baked goods out for each other.

The chapters are written from either Tiffy's point of view, or Leon's and I've never come across a book that the style of writing from each perspective is so clear. Such a brilliant debut from Beth. I'm certain this will be a huge hit and I look forward to seeing what she writes next.

This was a charming love story about two people strapped for cash in London, navigating the demands of a job, rent and relationships, who meet under the most unusual of arrangements. The Flatshare includes likeable characters, publishing industry jokes, and a touching exploration of the impact of emotionally abusive relationships. O’Leary’s writing was so charismatic and readable that I risked a car nearly knocking me over when attempting the art of reading-while-walking. It was worth it.

"Tiffy & Leon share a flat. Tiffy & Leon share a bed. Tiffy & Leon have never met.”

This premise! It shouldn’t work, yet it works so well. The story unfolds over duelling-narrative chapters and for the first few months of their living arrangement, Tiffy and Leon communicate via Post-It notes that they leave around the flat. Sticky notes left besides left-over mushroom stroganoff or a batch of stress-baked flapjacks, they begin to pick up on each other’s moods and quirks solely through the cues they leave around the flat: the unwashed dish left on the counter, the half-drunk cup of tea.

Besides the quirky setup, the protagonists are overcoming their own personal obstacles. Tiffy is trying to move on from her recently disintegrated long-term relationship and is coming to realise how emotionally abusive her ex, Justin, truly was. Leon, on the other hand, is campaigning for the appeal of his wrongly convicted younger brother while simultaneously working night-shifts as a palliative nurse. These anxieties and life-events slowly reveal themselves in the Post-It notes and I too was falling for each of them as the notes excessively piled up. After months of their notes ping-ponging back and forth, the anticipation of them finally meeting was excruciating. And oh, the moment they finally do is golden. I was grinning like an idiot.

This is a quirky romantic novel that illustrates the importance of solid friendships, owning your flaws, finding true love and has a poignant moral behind it all. Despite the hurdles each of them must conquer, love and trust come to the forefront and makes for a feel-good novel that I can’t wait to re-read in the near future. O’Leary has created the perfect British rom-com which was such a joy to read! I couldn’t recommend this more and can’t wait for this to be out in the world.

Thank you to Quercus for providing me with an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I adored it! It could have so easily been irritating but it just wasn't. The characters absolutely charmed me, to the point where I could blissfully ignore the holes in Leon's plan from the start. Also, I've never read a dual narrative book where the characters were so distinct and individual in their voices—even without the chapter headings you'd automatically know exactly who was speaking. Brilliant.

An easy read with an original plot that told the old familiar love story. Not much substance but some pleasant characters as well as the ex from hell.

I really don’t read these kind of novels often enough, I forgot how much fun they are! The Flatshare is a perfect novel to lift your mood and I couldn’t think of a better timing.

The main characters are Leon, Leon’s brother Richie and Tiffy. Leon is an introvert and might come across a bit awkward at first. At least I had to get a little used to him and his use of stocky sentences but I either got used to it or he changed gradually while I wasn’t aware because that all fell away at some point and I can’t even pinpoint where it happened exactly. As for Tiffy, she’s the opposite really of Leon, extraverted, full of energy, sociable and she has a bit of a special taste in clothes and furniture. Her idea of decorating a place is a lava lamp and a bean bag :-).

Their agreement to live together without ever being in the apartment at the same time was original and I was impressed how well it was organised, it really works and they never meet. How to get them to interact then? Well the author opened up their communication with a single little post-it note. Soon enough I was reading their exchanges like they were sparring in a game of ping-pong and the further along the more they share with each other and the more personal it gets. I loved how they were their true selves in the notes, how they open up to each other. They are attentive and interested, they get to know each other really well and so was I, falling for both characters a little more as I went along. What I really wanted then was for them to finally meet and then preferably to fall deeply in love at first sight. The anticipation of that moment of meeting one another was excruciating! It was bound to happen but how and when? Well I won’t say much about it but the moment was golden! Oh my lord, their moment made me grin from ear to ear.

I felt it was all quite romantic even if the messages didn’t even contain romance, I just quite enjoyed the old-fashioned way of writing to each other and I felt their connection. Leon and Tiffy were also both very likeable characters that I enjoyed reading about. I’m not going to talk about the one person who made my toes curl or the hurdles they also faced in the novel, because overall it’s a feel-good novel that will put a smile on your face.

That was a very pleasant surprise! I thought The Flatshare would be your typical chick-lit/romcom but instead I got a funny, cute book that deals with the aftermath of an abusive relationship in a way that was quite realistic and moving. When I started the book I was worried that the note-sharing would drag for too long, but their exchanges were so adorable that I found myself wishing that the author would have postponed Tiffy and Leon’s meeting for a bit longer. Tiffy was very relatable, her friends were a good balance of hilarious/sweet/outrageous characters and Leon made it straight to my favourite bbfs list. Charlie’s story was maybe a bit too much - it felt more like a plot device to bring the characters together rather than the reason shaping Leon’s character, and the ending (the epilogue in particular) was borderline cheesy, too neat and perfect in my opinion, but I’d still recommend this book to pretty much anyone looking for an easy and cute read.

Leon Twomey needs to find a flatmate as he's saving as much cash as possible to help his brother get out of jail after he was wrongly convicted. As he works the nightshift as a pallative care nurse he doesn't need to be in his one-bed flat during nighttime hours.

He advertises for a Flatshare with a difference - they'll be sharing his bed (just not at the same time). Tiffy has been dumped by her lousy ex Justin again and is needing somewhere to live. She works in publishing and is low paid. Staying with Leon seems like the idea solution...

They converse via notes on post-it notes and soon the flat is covered in them. One morning Tiffy oversleeps and meets Leon for the very first time in the bathroom.....

An absolutely brilliant story, full of laugh out loud moments, love, sadness and friendship. I just loved it!

After breaking up with her controlling boyfriend Tiffy must find a flat, unfortunately there is no way she can afford one on her salary in London. Then seeing an advert she takes up the offer of a flat share in a one bedroom flat Leon a hospice nurse works nights so only uses the flat 9-5 and spends the weekends at his girlfriends, he needs the extra income as his brother is in jail and legal fees are too much for him to cover. Therefore Tiffy can have the flat 5pm -9 am.
Leon’s girlfriend handles all the arrangements so they don’t actually meet for quite a while.
They start communicating by leaving notes for his other which start off brief but become more humorous and have more depth to them. We see a relationship developing beautifully through these notes.
With a great cast of secondary characters which add humour, angst and real depth to this story this is an absolute must read, engrossing, entertaining and a great ending, a real page turner.
My thanks to net galley and publisher for the opportunity to review this book honestly.

I definitely enjoyed this one way more than anticipated, initially I was on the lookout for something light-hearted and fun and whilst this book has those qualities it's so much more than that.

Leon is a Pallative Care nurse who works nightshifts and needs some spare cash to help fight his brothers wrongful imprisonment and Tiffy is an editor at a quirky publishers who needs to get away from an uncomfortable living situation with her ex, sounds like they discovered the perfect living arrangement - sharing a flat and a bed but never actually crossing paths!

With a great cast of characters from Leon's charming prison bird brother to Tiffy's controlling ex and a range of real life subjects covered from a look into an unseen side of Pallative Care to gaslighting(a term I was not familiar with until now) this book was such a joy to read it's hard to believe it's only a debut novel!

A lovely light original read. Tiffy needs to find a home fast to remove herself from an abusive situation she doesn’t realise she’s in. Leon needs the extra cash to fund his legal fees to fight his little brothers freedom Desperate she agrees to bed share with Leon, he works nights in a hospice and Tiffy days, and Leon stays with his girlfriend at the weekends, it’s bound to be fine isn’t it? Getting over initial space stealing, strange belongings & other annoying objects they settle into their normal routine never actually meeting due to busy schedules so start communicating by post it notes. (and emotional baking) The chapters are seen through both characters perspective and once you become accustomed to their different styles the story unfolds at a lovely pace. Cleverly written with great side characters and comical situations. Dealing with emotional abuse sensitively & really route for Tiffy when she awakens to the reality of her past. Loved the relationships between the two brothers, Gerty,Mo&Tiff plus a few eccentric old characters too. Story grew well and kept me interested, would highly recommend.

Thanks to netgally for sending the copy for an honest review.

Really enjoyed this book. Had some grrat characters and a great story line. Who in the real world would share a bed with someone for months they had never met.

Wow and wow again. This was a very refreshing and original read that I couldn't put down. The characters of Tiffy and Leon were so real that you felt all their emotions and could picture them in every scene. I enjoyed this more than some other books I've recently read and it made a wonderful change from the multitude of copycat psychological thrillers being published at the moment. I only wish that Tiffy and Leon were real people, as they were both so lovable. The character of Justin didn't come across so well and seemed a bit unreal and thin, his presence in some scenes was reduced to turning up at all the wrong moments. I felt that Kay could have been involved more, maybe coming back because she was jealous of Tiffy and wanted Leon back and the Welsh castle scene didn't add anything to the story line. But having said all that, I truly loved this book and would highly recommend it. I shall be looking out for Beth's next novel.

The Flatshare is a lovely easy read, that made me laugh and cringe within pages. The story is credible and possibly has already happened in this expensive renting world. The characters are those from our lives. It is about a couple who share a flat, and a bed in London, but have never met, Tiffy and Leon leave post-it notes to each other, and communicate.

A really good, funny nice romantic comedy with a little bit of trouble and drama thrown in. A book which is a good read and one I would recommend.

A story of love, love lost, hotbunking, and love found. Totally unrealistic in how Tiffy and Leon end up hotbunking - who does that?? But otherwise, it is a quite a good read. Somewhat predictable ending, but it also manages to tackle coercive and controlling behaviour in a relationship tactfully.

THE FLATSHARE ❤️
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This book was wonderful and I'm so grateful to get an early copy from @quercusbooks via Natgalley. The story is original, charming and so feel good told through a dual narrative following two main characters, Tiffy and Leon. See the story below and then make sure you secure a space on your April #tbr for this - it's worthy of a spot and guaranteed to make you smile.
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From the cover: Tiffy needs a cheap flat, and fast. Leon 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. 
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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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This has confirmed the spot as my favourite read of 2019!

I tried to get into this book a couple of times but each time I tried, I just couldn’t get into it more than 20% for some reason. I know I’m in the minority’ for this one as everyone else loves it but not for me

Oh, this was a glorious book! A wonderful tale of how 2 people are not going to meet, even though they share the same bed.

Tiffy is trying to move on from her ex, whose apartment she is still staying in, and Leon is trying to get more money together to help his brother. Neither of them really want to do this, and Leon's girlfriend, Kay, really isn't pleased. But, it's not as if they'll ever meet. Leon works nights, and is to spend the weekends at Kay's.

This isn't always a light book (see below for the warning!) but it is a very enjoyable one, and sweeps you along in the action. Tiffy and Leon have very different voices, which drives home how different they are, and saves you from getting confused which one you are reading!

Be warned, some might find the emotional abuse described upsetting, and one of the characters has PTSD. This is the first book that I've reviewed on my blog that I've felt needs a warning, but that's just because it's being described as uplifting, joyous and so on, which it is, but not always.

With that warning given, this is a book I'm going to be recommending to every one to read, and is one that is going to do well! So what are you waiting for? Go and pre-order it from your favourite bookshop, or pre-order it to your device!

The Flat Share is out on 18th April this year, and is available on Amazon to preorder, and everywhere else you can find books!

I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Quercus (the publishers) for this book.

Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!

Oh my goodness, this book was incredible!!! The whole idea of it. The drama, the notes, the characters, the story. Just incredible!!!!

Let’s start with Tiffy. I think she’s a spectacular character. I loved her quirkiness, her attitude towards things, and her dress sense. What I didn’t like? How she was treated by her ex. But. She grows, she overcomes it, she becomes this confident woman again. Her chemistry with her friends is wonderful, and the chemistry with Leon? Off the charts.

Leon. I loved how Leon was written in the book. It was straight to the point, no extra words needed. He obviously cared very much for the people he works with, and it’s obvious he cares immensely for his family. I really like Leon as a character. He’s not portrayed as this hunk of a man, all dark, mysterious, sexy. He comes across as a normal bloke who wants to get on with his life. He comes across as abrupt but I like that about him.

I liked all of the other characters in the book. Gerty, Mo, Rachel, Richie. I’d love to read more about Richie. He came across as a character with depth, humour, and lots of love.

Tiffy’s story with her ex is awful. The bits of information on how she treated her and made her feel is terrible. The way it was written really made me feel for Tiffy. Leon’s story with finding Johnny White was amazing. I would read a book just about that. It was romantic, funny in places and sad in others.

The writing style of the book works really well. The Tiffy sections are noisy, out there sections. They’re full of life, extra words and are busy. The Leon sections are straight to the point, no need for words what aren’t needed.

The thing I loved most about this book is the notes. You get more of a feel for each of the characters, and how they feel about the living arrangements. I also loved that idea, the idea of sharing a bed (not at the same time) with someone you’ve never actually met. Sharing a flat with them, essentially sharing a parallel life with this person. Until it all collides. In either a embarrassing situation like Tiffy and Leon, or just in a normal situation.

I cannot wait for the book to be out on the world. It’s such a special book. I will definitely looking out for more by this author.

"I’m afraid I was unable to write this note in a way that didn’t sound passive-aggressive– seriously, it’s something about the note form, you pick up a pen and a Post-it and you immediately become a bitch– so I’m just styling it out. I might put some smiley faces to really hammer the thing home."

This book was a cute and fun read about Tiffy and Leon, two strangers who, for various economic and personal resons, need to share a flat that only counts one bed. Their schedules allow them both not to be at home at the same time. Tiffy and Leon don't meet for several months but get to know one another via messages left on post-its, each other's belongings and the traces left behind by the person who lived in the house while the other was away. I found Tiffy and Leon's interactions cute and believable, they're both funny and interesting in their own way and I liked how both had a personal and rich life outside the bubble that is their flat. Tiffy has a quirky personality, is the archetype of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl but is also a complex character who's given a far better male counterpart than the usual Manic Pixie Dream Girls is usually given, a man who grows fond of her, who cares for her and not only because of her quirks.

Story strongly recommended for a relaxing, quick and amusing story!