Reviews with content warning for Forced institutionalization - The Flatshare

A really nice romance book which deals with trauma in a very nuanced manner, instead of treating it like a plot device. I loved the empathy that it showed, and the detail with which the author had researched stuff and developed characters. Truly a delight.

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thefatpaperback's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

4.5

Cute read! While I love Tiffy and Leon, I feel like Richie stole the show. Ms. O’Leary I want to officially request a Richie novel please.

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cozylifewithabby's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful medium-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? No

3.0

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pining's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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valeriabee's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

You know I expected something completely different with this book.
I am glad nonetheless that I've read it.
I wasnt sure how to feel about it, if I really liked it. However, I couldn't put it down and when I wasn't reading it I was thinking of the characters and their goings-on.
Is it a romance? Yes, but it's a lot more of the long twists and turns of falling in love.
It is also about healing from an emotionally abusive relationship. My colleague is conveniently teaching about abusive relationships and I couldnt help but think how some excerpts from this book would serve to help our students see and understand how emotional abuse works. The emotional abuse was brought up throughout the whole book, but given that the book only spans 8-9 months and Tiffy was abused/manipulated for years, it makes all the sense that it would come up frequently.
This book handled the reality of abusive relationships and how they affect the people around you so well.
I especially love that Leon did not save her from the abuse and he did not magically heal her. We see Tiffy do the work of remembering the manipulations she endured and attempting to heal from them. We see her give herself permission to love again. Leon and Tiffy are unexpectedly perfect for each other, especially because they gave each other the kind of love and support they needed to rather than that which they wanted -- that doesnt make sense. They did not act on their own selfish wants, but loved each other in a way that was best for the other.
I loved that Tiffy and Leon had their distinct narration styles. Too often we see similar styles of internal monologue. Everyone thinks and communicates differently, it only makes sense that it would come across in their narratives.
Also can we talk about how they leave each other little notes around the flat. Im a bitch that loves post its and it made me want someone to leave notes to with all my postits.
There is so much to love about this book and I am so glad I've come around to reading it.
It makes me feel warm and fuzzy at Tiffy and Leon's love. It also makes me painfully aware of how lonely I am.

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renwah's review

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emotional funny 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? Yes

4.5

I really really loved this book and its incredibly bonkers premise. It's another one of those books where I would really recommend the audiobook--I see other reviews that found reading Leon's parts hard to get through because of how he writes (which, while probably charming on a post it note, might be hard to get through pages of), and I found listening to his cramped sentences kind of charming. Also, love a book that is way too obsessed with the Online Fiber Arts Community, lmao.

One small thing that this book (really, the cover) showed me is that people in Britain apparently liked Me Before You????? insane. Honestly kind of shocked me since I thought that the darker themes in this book were handled very well, so the comparison seems extremely odd.

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the_escapist's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Fun characters with a very nice dynamic between them and a unique premise. Characters learn lots of things about themselves along the way and grow and develop in very healthy ways. There are lots of specific details that make it seem real and I like what the author did with the characters being able to learn so much about each other while will never having met.

The ending was a tad too much for me though (I have a very low tolerance for fluff/anything overly romantic though).

I’ve never been a fan of proposals or big romantic gestures, even if, as was the case in this book, it fit the characters well (I’m glad it wasn’t a proposal in public with witnesses though, that was a very nice touch if the story had to go down this route).

, but I still enjoyed it overall.

I was a bit surprised about one thing though - Tiffy has something about her past delved into and explored that she learned a lot from, but

Leon doesn’t get the same treatment. Don’t get me wrong, he didn’t seem to be emotionally abused anywhere near the extent that Tiffy was, but he still was in a relationship with someone who tried to control him in so many ways and guilt trip him for not spending more time with her. Also his ex did seem to expect him to choose her over his brother, which... yikes. It was strange that Tiffy learning her previous relationship was emotional abuse was a big part of the story, but the toxic element never really gets brought up with Leon and his previous relationship.

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