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cupofbooksreviews's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I have given The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary five out of five stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Mad at myself for not picking up one of Beth O’Leary’s books sooner, but I somehow knew that her writing would be my cup of tea. I absolutely adored The Flatshare and honestly, I could read about Leon and Tiffy for hours and hours. Not only our main characters though, I thoroughly enjoyed learning about Mo, Gerty, Rachel and Richie too. Can only hope we get to learn more and re-visit these characters in O’Leary’s future work.
The plot was everything I needed and the Post-It note communication between Tiffy and Leon had me smiling and giggling. On a different note, my heart was palpitating whenever Justin scenes happened, a very unlikeable character who had what was coming to him!
I cannot wait to read the rest of O’Leary’s novels and her future books too.
Mad at myself for not picking up one of Beth O’Leary’s books sooner, but I somehow knew that her writing would be my cup of tea. I absolutely adored The Flatshare and honestly, I could read about Leon and Tiffy for hours and hours. Not only our main characters though, I thoroughly enjoyed learning about Mo, Gerty, Rachel and Richie too. Can only hope we get to learn more and re-visit these characters in O’Leary’s future work.
The plot was everything I needed and the Post-It note communication between Tiffy and Leon had me smiling and giggling. On a different note, my heart was palpitating whenever Justin scenes happened, a very unlikeable character who had what was coming to him!
I cannot wait to read the rest of O’Leary’s novels and her future books too.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Stalking, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
hjb_128's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Stalking, Cancer, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Medical content, Emotional abuse, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Sexual violence and Sexual assault
manola's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Really enjoyable read. From the synopsis, I was afraid the story might become long-winded in the waiting of both protagonists getting together (especially since they weren't seeing each other or ever meeting in person), but thankfully the story unfolded and became so much more than what I expected it to be.
Tiffy is incredible as a protagonist. She does have an air of this stereotypical movie-quirkiness recurrent in romance stories (mismatched clothing, being 'awkward' in social situations, etc.), but she manages to come across as such a lovely human being you're just glad to listen her talk about her life. Sometimes I did find the work-related shenanigans a bit slower to get through, but the author usually managed to pull something in at the last minute to turn the situation around and throw more conflict into the story.
Leon I also really liked. At first, his POV chapters felt odd and choppy because of his writing style (pretty robot-like, almost), becoming a bit annoying at times. But I eventually warmed up to him and it's interesting to see his writing style evolve as he changes as a character as well.
The rest of the cast was also enjoyable. Tiffy's best friends are a solid presence in the story and don't feel like background stuffing to give more depth to her personal life. Some characters did feel a bit too cartoonish (thinking of Martin here, specifically), and others slipped out of the plot without much reason to (a sort of fling Tiffy has that felt like a device for her development, and an old man-JW-who's suddenly out of the picture at the half-way point without explanation).
But overall, the characters do reel you into the story and push you into becoming invested. Both protagonists have their own personal drama to manage throughout, and some heavier themes are discussed (check trigger warnings here). The story manages to balance a sweet slow-burn romance with issues that carry a darker tinge. The characters feel real because they deal with shitty things that are uncomfortable to think about and more uncomfortable to read about, and they deal with them with a messiness that simply feels... human.
Truly recommend :)
Tiffy is incredible as a protagonist. She does have an air of this stereotypical movie-quirkiness recurrent in romance stories (mismatched clothing, being 'awkward' in social situations, etc.), but she manages to come across as such a lovely human being you're just glad to listen her talk about her life. Sometimes I did find the work-related shenanigans a bit slower to get through, but the author usually managed to pull something in at the last minute to turn the situation around and throw more conflict into the story.
Leon I also really liked. At first, his POV chapters felt odd and choppy because of his writing style (pretty robot-like, almost), becoming a bit annoying at times. But I eventually warmed up to him and it's interesting to see his writing style evolve as he changes as a character as well.
The rest of the cast was also enjoyable. Tiffy's best friends are a solid presence in the story and don't feel like background stuffing to give more depth to her personal life. Some characters did feel a bit too cartoonish (thinking of Martin here, specifically), and others slipped out of the plot without much reason to (a sort of fling Tiffy has that felt like a device for her development, and an old man-JW-who's suddenly out of the picture at the half-way point without explanation).
But overall, the characters do reel you into the story and push you into becoming invested. Both protagonists have their own personal drama to manage throughout, and some heavier themes are discussed (check trigger warnings here). The story manages to balance a sweet slow-burn romance with issues that carry a darker tinge. The characters feel real because they deal with shitty things that are uncomfortable to think about and more uncomfortable to read about, and they deal with them with a messiness that simply feels... human.
Truly recommend :)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Stalking, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Chronic illness
evie_lake's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Stalking, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
nancy163's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Stalking
Minor: Alcohol
datskira's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Stalking, and Sexual content
Minor: Medical content and Injury/Injury detail
andig's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Stalking, and Gaslighting
Wrongful conviction / imprisonment of innocent personalexiconic's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
really, this book did so much right. i loved the (side) characters and their relationship with our main characters, and the ways in which they brought color to the book and illuminated the main characters’ best attributes and flaws.
the story built up our main characters with great delicacy and care. the book gave us so much slow buildup - and it worked.
and then came the mid-to-end part where everything was suddenly fast-paced. that conflict just hadn’t received the same careful buildup as the rest of the narrative. and it could really have been so much better if it had.
the story built up our main characters with great delicacy and care. the book gave us so much slow buildup - and it worked.
and then came the mid-to-end part where everything was suddenly fast-paced. that conflict just hadn’t received the same careful buildup as the rest of the narrative. and it could really have been so much better if it had.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Domestic abuse, Stalking, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, and Violence
sarahbeaman's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
a lighthearted and easy read that kept my interest and appealed to my inner romantic! full of very loveable characters that are hard not to root for
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Stalking, and Emotional abuse