Review: The Flatshare 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…

I'd heard stirrings of hype surrounding this book, and so I jumped at the chance to read an early copy. I'm SO glad I did! Every once in a while a book comes along with characters that you instantly love, and romance that leaves you smiling like a loon. The Flatshare is one of those books. I adored it!

Tiffy and Leon share a one bedroom flat. She works days, he works nights. She sleeps on the left, he sleeps on the right. They are passing ships who share the rent and never meet face to face. At least that's the plan, but it's surprising how much you can connect with someone simply by being in the same space as them. As Tiffy and Leon begin to bond through post-it notes left for each other around the flat it soon becomes clear that this far from conventional arrangement might just be the start of their relationship.

The initial flat share/bed share concept is a bonkers one that surely wouldn't work in real life, but it is somehow entirely plausible - I could actually see it happening in London. Tiffy is a lovely character. She's quirky and fun, but struggling to come to terms with the end of a toxic relationship. Then there's Leon. Heart eyes emoji. He's adorkable and I loved him instantly. He's so genuine and caring and unapologetically himself. The fact that he's a palliative care nurse only makes him even more endearing. Although they are perhaps not the most likely of pairings Tiffy and Leon have chemistry in spades and balance each other out perfectly. .

Another thing I loved about this book was that there were so many memorable characters besides the main protagonists; among many others there's Tiffy's hilariously inappropriate work colleague Rachel, Gerty the formidable and forthright barrister, and Richie, Leon's brother, in prison for a crime he didn't commit. That's not to mention the inspiring patients Leon looks after in the hospice.

I've realised that I'm a sucker for correspondence in fiction; be it letters, texts, emails or in this case post-it notes. Back-and-forth, banter and conversation done right in this format really works, and Leon and Tiffy's messages to one another I really loved. You could literally see their relationship develop on the page as the notes became more frequent and personal. The narrative itself also alternates perspective between Tiffy and Leon (I'm so glad we got Leon's point of view too), and their styles are so different you'd almost believe it had been written by two authors. It's very cleverly done.

I couldn't read this book fast enough, and yet I really didn't want it to end because I was enjoying it so much. It's quirky, charming, warm and witty - and I'm already looking forward to reading more from Beth O'Leary! The Flatshare is going straight onto the favourites shelf - someone send a copy to Richard Curtis for a film adaptation asap!

*Thanks to Quercus Books and Readers First for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for a review!*