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angelofthetardis's review
- 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
3.5
Picked this book up after seeing the recent TV adaptation advertised (still haven't managed to actually watch ot though!) and liking the premise. It certainly delivered upon my expectations; I was pleasantly surprised that the set up didn't feel contrived, but instead made perfect sense in the circumstances! Similarly, the exchange of messages via post-it note works really well; they have phones and know how to use them, but somehow again there was no questioning why they didn't just message or WhatsApp eachother, even when their notes become longer.
On the surface, this is a very cute story, but there are darker themes running throughout. Normally, the only thing that gets me to close the book and take a breath before continuing is second-hand embarrassment, but in this case there were a couple of occasions where I needed a moment to allow my more visceral reactions towards certain characters and actions to subside. Tiffy does go on something of a healing journey throughout the book, and so I also found myself having to revise my opinion on some of her thoughts and actions, and recognise them as almost a 'conditioned response' to a girl who can't quite let go of a guy who is clearly not good for her. I give the author kudos for illustrating the development and recovery process in such a way.
The book is very well rounded, with a number of great little sub-plots and other details that serve the main plot very well and flesh out both the main and secondary characters, making them particularly lovable (or hateable as the case may be). There's a little bit of social commentary on the state of the justice system, a story of long-lost love, and an admiration of crochet that absolutely tips this towards the 'cosy' end of the spectrum in places!
The one thing I didn't get to grips with was the way Leon's chapters were structured. The chapters alternate between Tiffy and Leon's PoVs, but while Tiffy's are written in fairly standard prose, Leon's are a bit all over the place. Parts are written in abridged sentences, almost like he's filling in a patient's chart as part of his job. Speech isn't set out in speech marks, but rather prefixed with the name of the speaker, giving the impression of text messages or even a script. And other elements of the text feel more like a continuation of the post-it notes. There isn't a specific reason given for this quirky style and, while it is still 100% readable, it felt like energy needlessly wasted when it could have been set out in the same way as Tiffy's and been just as effective while being easier to digest.
I was initially torn about whether I'd keep this book or not, but the more I think about adding it to the charity pile, the stronger the feeling I get that I'll want to read it again at some point. So, for now at least, it earns a place on my bookshelf.
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Gaslighting
Moderate: Terminal illness, Violence, Stalking, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Alcohol, War, Racism, and Sexual content
annieb26's review
- 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
Graphic: Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Violence, and Stalking
Moderate: Body shaming and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Alcohol and Medical content
samcanuel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Medical content, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Violence, Sexual violence, and Terminal illness
Minor: Fatphobia, Body shaming, Alcohol, and Sexual content
nineinchnails's review against another edition
- 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
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 Leukaemiaaseel_reads's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Gaslighting and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Body shaming, Stalking, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, and Panic attacks/disorders
futureofmydays's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Alcohol, Bullying, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Medical content, and Violence
Minor: Blood, Chronic illness, War, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Body shaming, Cancer, Fatphobia, and Grief
wonderfulwaytooweird's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, and Stalking
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Forced institutionalization, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, and Sexual violence
Minor: Medical content, Terminal illness, and Fatphobia
nottooscarythanks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Terminal illness, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Death, and Stalking
Moderate: Body shaming, Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, and Gaslighting
atamano's review against another edition
- 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
2.75
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Violence, Sexual content, Alcohol, Body shaming, Cancer, Abandonment, Confinement, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Stalking, and Terminal illness
Minor: Homophobia, Racism, and Vomit
r3ader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I had no idea what deep subjects are in this book, but I was positively surprised.
In the beginning I was kinda annoyed by Tiffy, but learning with her about her past and her changing makes you look on the beginning differently.
Over all, while I am not a total fan of the writing in Leon's parts, I really enjoyed this book and finished it quickly, because you can hardly stop reading!
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Stalking, Toxic relationship, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Sexual content
Minor: Confinement, Fatphobia, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Violence, Homophobia, Alcohol, Body shaming, and Physical abuse