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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
suzquinn97's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, and Stalking
ascasc's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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
mugsandmanuscripts's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
5.0
TL;DR: This is only the third romance ever that I've given 5 stars to.
This romance was a rare (and welcome) mix of sweet but not cheesy, lighthearted but not vacuous. Add in some laugh-out-loud banter, three-dimensional FMC AND MMC, and some thoughtful portrayal of some difficult topics, and you get a well-rounded book.
A summary: Tiffy needs to get out of her ex-boyfriend's apartment and finds herself with an impossibly small budget for rent in London. Leon, a night shift hospice nurse, needs a little extra money to help pay the legal fees of his wrongly imprisoned brother. They come up with an agreement to share the same apartment (and same bed) BUT to only be in the apartment separately, never together.
Neither are looking for a romantic partner, but this is a romance, so you know what happens. They get to know each other through post-its they leave for each other. Both characters carry some baggage from past relationships.
Tiffy has to face the PTSD caused by her manipulative and emotionally abusive ex, who continues to try to manipulate her throughout the novel (side note: Beth O'Leary has done an excellent job at not trivializing the abuse or making light of it even though it isn't necessarily the main focus of the story). Leon has to work through being the son of a mother who was in a revolving door of relationships with these same kinds of men. One of the things I appreciated about this book is that both of these women (Tiffy and Leon's mom) both spend time in therapy. I'd love to see more books destigmatizing seeking help for one's mental health.
Ultimately, this is a story with lots of heart. I loved it!
This romance was a rare (and welcome) mix of sweet but not cheesy, lighthearted but not vacuous. Add in some laugh-out-loud banter, three-dimensional FMC AND MMC, and some thoughtful portrayal of some difficult topics, and you get a well-rounded book.
A summary: Tiffy needs to get out of her ex-boyfriend's apartment and finds herself with an impossibly small budget for rent in London. Leon, a night shift hospice nurse, needs a little extra money to help pay the legal fees of his wrongly imprisoned brother. They come up with an agreement to share the same apartment (and same bed) BUT to only be in the apartment separately, never together.
Neither are looking for a romantic partner, but this is a romance, so you know what happens. They get to know each other through post-its they leave for each other. Both characters carry some baggage from past relationships.
Tiffy has to face the PTSD caused by her manipulative and emotionally abusive ex, who continues to try to manipulate her throughout the novel (side note: Beth O'Leary has done an excellent job at not trivializing the abuse or making light of it even though it isn't necessarily the main focus of the story). Leon has to work through being the son of a mother who was in a revolving door of relationships with these same kinds of men. One of the things I appreciated about this book is that both of these women (Tiffy and Leon's mom) both spend time in therapy. I'd love to see more books destigmatizing seeking help for one's mental health.
Ultimately, this is a story with lots of heart. I loved it!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Stalking and Gaslighting
rosceyred's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Gaslighting
sarahmirk's review against another edition
4.0
I had really high expectations for this book and I wasn't much disappointed. I really enjoyed it! It's the kind of romance that makes you want to keep reading. My favorite part about it is that it reminded me very much of Bridget Jones' Diary and I loved that! The characters were both well developed and certainly very likable.
There was more dimension to the story than just the romance - at least two significant ongoing struggles in each main character's life that made them feel three dimensional.
If you like steamy romance books then you will like this one. There are NO explicit sex scenes (only implied), which I appreciated. The sexual tension is very steamy though.
I do have a couple of other content warnings to mention, if these are things you like to avoid:
- Swearing (fair bit, pretty much runs the gamut)
- Abusive/Gaslighting relationships
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Gaslighting and Emotional abuse
nineinchnails's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
----
15/02/2024
on a reread i found the writing style in leon's chapters insufferable it felt like he constantly missed the first few words of every sentence. the premise sounds a bit ridiculous at first but honestly with rent prices in london i really don't think it's that crazy of a circumstance - the craziest thing about it is that leon is a normal guy and not some creepy 50 year old. i love the characters though and the story in general and even tiffy's 'quirkiness' is super charming in this book. i love romances where the main characters have their own shit going on tho (am i delusional or is this way more common in british romances?) so im biased. this was one of the books that got me back into reading a few years ago and i think i'll always love reading it. also if i don't start a new book in the next couple days it's because i'm (finally) watching the flatshare miniseries.
----
first read: 01/01/2021
loved it but tiffy was a little too quirky girl for me to fully immerse myself in the novel
15/02/2024
on a reread i found the writing style in leon's chapters insufferable it felt like he constantly missed the first few words of every sentence. the premise sounds a bit ridiculous at first but honestly with rent prices in london i really don't think it's that crazy of a circumstance - the craziest thing about it is that leon is a normal guy and not some creepy 50 year old. i love the characters though and the story in general and even tiffy's 'quirkiness' is super charming in this book. i love romances where the main characters have their own shit going on tho (am i delusional or is this way more common in british romances?) so im biased. this was one of the books that got me back into reading a few years ago and i think i'll always love reading it. also if i don't start a new book in the next couple days it's because i'm (finally) watching the flatshare miniseries.
----
first read: 01/01/2021
loved it but tiffy was a little too quirky girl for me to fully immerse myself in the novel
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Stalking, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Medical content, Body shaming, Terminal illness, and Cancer
Minor: Homophobia and Fatphobia
Post traumatic stress disorder and Leukaemianiquee3317's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, and Emotional abuse
itsbumley's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, and Emotional abuse
maggieparedesauthor's review against another edition
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Stalking, and Violence