Book Review #65: The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary

Hey Guys x

I'm sure that you've probably heard of this book. Or at least, you've seen other people talking about it on various social networking sites. This was actually how I came across it. I saw it in a bookstore once, thought the premise was original, but had no intention of actually buying it (I have way too many books to get through!), but after hearing about it one too many times on twitter, I decided that I needed to buy it, just to see what all the fuss was about.

As the tagline says, Tiffy and Leon share a bed (and a flat) even though they've never met. But when you're sharing a living space with someone, it's impossible for their life not to bleed into yours. And suddenly, Tiffy and Leon find themselves sharing more of themselves than they thought possible. But can you really connect with someone that you've never met in person?

I loved this book!

In terms of the plot, it starts off as exactly what it says on the tin - Tiffy and Leon are in a situation where they're living together but have never met. And that in itself is an interesting enough plot.
However, both of these characters go on to have much darker backstories than you expect. I can't give too much away, but these darker backstories are what really pulled me into the story.

Let's talk about the characters. A story like this only works if the characters can hold themselves up without the plot, and they both definitely can.

Tiffy is such a unique character, and she's presented this way from the very start. She has fiery red hair, she's extremely tall, she has a dress sense that makes other people stop and stare... she's not a character that tries to hide in the shadows. She's loud and proud, and reading about the most intimate details of her life doesn't feel like an intrusion because reading from her point of view feels exactly the same as gossiping with a friend. She's that kind of person, and that comes across so well in the writing of her.

Now Leon is, in a sense, the complete opposite. He likes to hide in the shadows. He doesn't speak unless he has to, he's more used to interacting with people in the middle of the night than the middle of the day, and he doesn't open up to people unless he really likes them.

This is what makes these two people so interesting to read about.

The book is written from both of their points of view, one after the other, and this works really well for the story because you do want to hear from both of them in equal measure. When you're done hearing about Tiffy's day, you want to know how Leon's compared. In a way, they come as a package.

I also have to talk about the secondary characters, who were all amazing and made the story even better. My favourites have to be Richie and Mo, but Gerty, Rachel and everyone else, whether good or bad, were also brilliant in the way that they were used to move the plot forward. All of them had a unique purpose.

Another great thing about this book is the way that it was written.Or more specifically, how easy it was to differentiate between the characters. Tiffy and Leon speak in completely different ways, and this is shown in the way that their separate parts were written.

What was good?
Is there anything else to say? Another thing I liked was the fact that, while these two are living together, we as the reader are getting an insight into every single aspect of their lives. As they learn more about each other, we learn more about them at almost the same time.

What was bad?
This won't be a problem if you're here for the chick-lit aspect of a book like this, but considering the darkness of some of the story-lines, everything was resolved a bit too easily to make way for the customary happy ending. And of course, there was the cliche rom-com misunderstanding to give the characters a tiny blip before they end happily.

Overall
If you're a fan of romance, or want something light, fluffy and interesting to read, definitely pick up a copy of this book.

I'm also now putting ratings at the end of my book reviews, the same way I do for movies, but out of 5 instead of 10. I'll also add some to past reviews, if you want a concrete rating for some of the other books I've reviewed.

4/5 Stars!

Lou