Reviews with content warning for Gaslighting - The Flatshare

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.

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hjb_128's review against another edition

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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

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manola's review against another edition

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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 :)

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