Reviews with content warning for Cancer - The Flatshare

Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

beccamay99's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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theirgracegrace's review

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emotional funny inspiring slow-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

4.25

The Flatshare was my book club's first book of 2023 and I will say that I was not initially thrilled with the idea of a romance novel. That was shattered when I actually started reading it! The characters are loveable and real in a very millennial way, the "arrangement" in the heart of the plot is a bit on the nose, and the subplots are where a lot of the most interesting action happens. The "side" plot of Tiffy's

gaslighting and abuse by Justin

caught me off guard, as it reasonably would, and became the most emotionally charged part of the book for me. All in all, an incredible work and one I will love to reread!

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laheath'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? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Enjoyable romance and more, told from alternating POV's. After leaving an emotionally-abusive relationship, Tiffy needs an inexpensive place to live and the only option within her budget is sharing an apartment with Leon, a palliative care nurse. More specifically, with one working days and the other working nights, they have set hours to occupy the apartment, meaning they may never meet though they sleep in the same bed. They begin leaving friendly notes to each other, then finally meet under embarrassing circumstances and sparks fly. As they learn more about the struggles the other is facing, they're able to see beyond themselves to help the other.

Initially, the living arrangement seemed bizarre, but not only did they make it work, it made sense for them. There were a few secondary characters causing some tense scenes, as the book addresses serious issues such as emotional abuse, gaslighting, a loved one in prison, and hospice, but also several laugh out loud moments thanks to the supportive, and sometimes quirky, family and friends of the MC's.

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infjkiki's review

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emotional hopeful tense 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? Yes

5.0

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nikki6489's review

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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

5.0

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aj_langley's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful medium-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

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dorset_daisy's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

A fun read, that moved fast! I liked the characters, and Tiffy's slow realisation of how much of a dick Justin is. I really liked the ending.

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chalkletters's review against another edition

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funny inspiring lighthearted tense 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? No

3.5

For professional reasons, I’ve read a lot of self-published romance novels, but they’re not usually something I pick up for fun. Despite enjoying romantic comedies, I’ve just never particularly gravitated towards them. I took The Flatshare home from an office book sale because it had a unique premise in two characters who share space, but don’t actually know one another. I then didn’t get around to reading it for ages, because two book clubs makes it tricky to fit other new reads into my schedule. When a space opened up, The Flatshare got picked partly because I’d seen posters for the new Paramount adaptation, and partly because it’s one of the thickest books on my tottering vertical pile…

The Flatshare is very unlike those instalove romance novels where the characters are immediately and overwhelmingly attracted to one another and can’t stop thinking about getting intimate. Tiffy and Leon’s only understanding of the other’s appearance comes from Facebook photos, descriptions and context clues. Needless to say, their attraction builds slowly, and is based on personality rather than physical chemistry.

The epistolary elements came as a very pleasant surprise. While Tiffy and Leon’s notes aren’t as amusingly eccentric as Jaclyn Moriarty’s use of post-it notes, they are full of character. Beth O’Leary distinguishes between her two characters’ voices excellently, though the switch between Tiffy’s effusiveness and Leon’s spare use of words can be a little jarring.

As is probably necessary in a story where the two leads can’t meet face-to-face, both Tiffy and Leon have a number of things going on in their lives outside their interest in one another. While Tiffy’s life as an assistant editor is rather more glamorous (and involves rather less actual work) than is realistic, Leon’s relationship with his brother is a foundational element of the novel. All the threads of plot and subplot are woven together expertly, with Tiffy having a place in Leon’s stories, as well as he in hers.

The climatic misunderstanding, necessary in all romance novels, involves a huge heaping of dramatic irony. It’s certainly tense enough to keep readers on the edge of their seat, though whether that’s pleasurable or painful might depend on individual tastes. The ending is predictable, of course, but effective and very sweet.

This was a fun change of pace for me, and I appreciated how easy to read it was at a time of year which can be pretty hectic.

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