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helenaim's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? No
5.0
librarianinperiwinkle's review against another edition
4.0
It feels strange to categorize a book about escaping the mental clutches of an emotionally abusive relationship as humorous, but the characters in The Flatshare are so quirky and real, there is a great deal of humor amongst the PTSD. Much of the humor stems from the notes written by the two protagonists--roommates in an apartment in London who've never met each other. Tiffy, an underpaid assistant editor for a niche publishing house, works days and has the apartment ("flat" in British English) on nights and weekends. Leon, a hospice nurse, works nights and sleeps in the apartment during the day, spending weekends at his girlfriend's place.
The arrangement works beautifully until one day when Tiffy oversleeps and accidentally sees Leon in the shower (and he sees her in her underwear), upsetting the faceless best pal dynamic they had going. Toss in a stalker ex boyfriend, a breakup with Leon's girlfriend, a quest to track down the One True Love of a dying elderly man, a high-maintenance author & irritating PR rep, supportive best friends, and a brother imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit, and the result is a romantic adventure full of mishaps and heart.
For readers' advisors: character doorway is primary, language (humor) is secondary. There is a fair amount of swearing, sexual references and sex scenes interrupted by PTSD/the psycho ex, and the threat of violence, although in the end only the door takes any physical damage. I really appreciated that the new relationship didn't magically "fix" the trauma caused by the ex, and that there is such a positive depiction of counseling/counselors. Leon is described as having brown skin and hair & an accent that is "part London, part County Cork" (i.e. Irish).
The arrangement works beautifully until one day when Tiffy oversleeps and accidentally sees Leon in the shower (and he sees her in her underwear), upsetting the faceless best pal dynamic they had going. Toss in a stalker ex boyfriend, a breakup with Leon's girlfriend, a quest to track down the One True Love of a dying elderly man, a high-maintenance author & irritating PR rep, supportive best friends, and a brother imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit, and the result is a romantic adventure full of mishaps and heart.
For readers' advisors: character doorway is primary, language (humor) is secondary. There is a fair amount of swearing, sexual references and sex scenes interrupted by PTSD/the psycho ex, and the threat of violence, although in the end only the door takes any physical damage. I really appreciated that the new relationship didn't magically "fix" the trauma caused by the ex, and that there is such a positive depiction of counseling/counselors. Leon is described as having brown skin and hair & an accent that is "part London, part County Cork" (i.e. Irish).
jwolflink3's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
theodoralang's review against another edition
3.75
was it a little too long? yes. was it a little goofy? also yes. did I still enjoy it/was it v fun? also yes.
smizock's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
rebels's review against another edition
5.0
An instant favourite!!! The story was funny and cute. The characters quirky and complex!!! Just the best!!!
jeslikethat's review against another edition
5.0
ADORABLE (/▽＼*)｡o○♡
This book owns that adjective. For forever. It's the kind of book that I just like so easily and effortlessly, so obviously Imma give it 5 stars. The buildup, the storyline, the scenes, the banter, the family-ness, the way every chapter ended, the suspense in Tiffy & Leon's relationship--AAK I love it!
The scenes had that classic British (or English?) humor; it's awkward and unapologetically funny (disclaimer: my benchmark is Adele & Fleabag). The Johnny White search bit was a great way to expand Leon's character and background. The Twomey family is a hopeless romantic by nature indeed. For Tiffy's background aka the trauma--taking the form of a jerk I might say--was also just well done. It's subtle and not forced, because most toxic relationships aren't that loud. Most end up in buried feelings and delayed realization in how bad it all really was. What was portrayed for Tiffy was in just the right portion for her to still experience a triumph to grow as a person and character. Love it.
Quick shoutout to how the fact that not ALL her friends are made to be perfect; not all of them are always in accord so it made the whole story more relatable and realistic. Yay!
This book owns that adjective. For forever. It's the kind of book that I just like so easily and effortlessly, so obviously Imma give it 5 stars. The buildup, the storyline, the scenes, the banter, the family-ness, the way every chapter ended, the suspense in Tiffy & Leon's relationship--AAK I love it!
The scenes had that classic British (or English?) humor; it's awkward and unapologetically funny (disclaimer: my benchmark is Adele & Fleabag). The Johnny White search bit was a great way to expand Leon's character and background. The Twomey family is a hopeless romantic by nature indeed. For Tiffy's background aka the trauma--taking the form of a jerk I might say--was also just well done. It's subtle and not forced, because most toxic relationships aren't that loud. Most end up in buried feelings and delayed realization in how bad it all really was. What was portrayed for Tiffy was in just the right portion for her to still experience a triumph to grow as a person and character. Love it.
Quick shoutout to how the fact that not ALL her friends are made to be perfect; not all of them are always in accord so it made the whole story more relatable and realistic. Yay!
calliehk's review against another edition
2.0
Kinda in between 2 and 3 stars - cute at times but felt pretty immature with probably every romance cliche to exist…. Took a while to get into also, first half was quite boring.
amandalorianxo's review against another edition
3.0
This wasn’t terrible but I think I wasn’t fully convinced by the chemistry between Tiff and Leon. I’ll have to watch the show / mini tv movie but this was just okay for me. The side characters were more amusing / captivating compared to the main characters.
fatima4reads's review against another edition
1.0
started out fine, then turned cheesy and annoying very quickly