Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary

13 reviews

hjb_128's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Stalking, Cancer, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Medical content, Emotional abuse, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Sexual violence and Sexual assault

samcanuel's review

emotional funny fast-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? No

4.25

This book got me out of a major reading slump. I really enjoyed how the narrators each had a distinct voice. This story dealt with heavy topics with grace and entwined a sweet love story. 

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Content Warnings

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

wonderfulwaytooweird's review

funny hopeful 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

4.5

LOVED this book. I finished it in a day. Just what I needed as a break between series reading. Engaging, funny, sweet, emotional, and just absolutely lovely. All of the characters were all so human and well-written, they all really shined in O'Leary's writing. Also I ADORED Leon. He was absolutely perfect in every way and I loveeeeed him. I really enjoyed Tiffy too but I just want to emphasize that I absolutely thoroughly enjoyed reading from Leon's pov. Many times I feel like, a man's perspective or character is too boring, or uninteresting, or just not realistic. But Leon was just absolutely perfect. I loved reading this, it was SO much fun. would definitely read again 

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Content Warnings

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

sissiemilia's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Mietin tässä, että raskinko antaa tälle 5 tähteä, mutta en keksi yhtäkään syytä antaa matalampaa arvosanaa. Ihan mahtava, tunteellinen ja kaunis kertomus. Kaikki muutkin O’Learyn kirjoista menee saman tien lukulistalle. Lukekaa ihmeessä!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Stalking, Gaslighting, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Racism and Alcohol

r3ader's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad tense medium-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

4.75

To be honest it took me some time to get used to the way Leon's chapters were written, but after some time and understanding why it was written like that, I got used to it. 

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!

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Content Warnings

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

theirgracegrace's review

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Medical content, Confinement, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Cursing, Sexual content, Alcohol, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Bullying, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Racism, Body shaming, Cancer, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Xenophobia, Physical abuse, Police brutality, and Violence

Minor: Death, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, Sexism, Child death, and Dementia

jadawhooreads's review against another edition

emotional 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

5.0

I loved this book! I really enjoyed Beth O’Leary’s casual and fun writing style; especially reading the differences in how Leon and Tiffy think with their split POVs. I thought it was very well paced and I didn’t want to put it down for long. Tiffy and Leon as characters were well fleshed out and I enjoyed their dynamic with each other and their slow burn attraction. I squealed a good amount of times while reading, I felt like I was reading fan fiction it was so wholesome at times! Even with Tiffy and Leon aside, I was interested in other characters and I didn’t find myself ‘skim reading’ over them (which is rare for some books I can’t lie). I would definitely read a sequel of Gerty and Mo and Richie and see how they’re getting on; I loved their different energies and they felt real, not just there to serve Tiffy and Leon. ALSO, can I just say I ADORE how Tiffy was clearly written as a plus sized woman and YET it wasn’t her only character trait and it didn’t affect how people were attracted to her, or how people treated her. I ALSO ADORE how Leon (and Richie) was both Black and Irish and yet again, it wasn’t his defining trait, and it wasn’t the defining reason why Tiffy was attracted to him. Sometimes when I read heterosexual romances it can be a bit bland or problematic, but this was full of life and making them both inclusive and yet not having Tiffy’s body or Leon’s race be the only thing they talk about was so refreshing; massive props!

I literally don’t have any criticisms of the book, perfect sized, well paced goodness! 🥰

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Rape, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Chronic illness

Minor: Body shaming and Fatphobia

nav26's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful sad 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

4.25

I LOVED this. I have been trying to get it from the library for a while but the hold kept coming in at an inconvenient time and then I'd have to wait weeks again. Ended up getting a physical copy from the library at the right time and wow. I sped through it. It's a mostly light read, but there are some aspects of trauma that I feel were well addressed. I think Tiffy is absolutely hilarious and wonderful, and Leon is quiet but sweet - they're a perfect match in the most adorable way. It was a slow, sweet build to their romance that made me appreciate it all the more. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Medical content, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Sexual violence

rawrsoobin's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting

Minor: Stalking, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

fayereadsbooks's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

I started reading again for the first time since childhood in April 2019, so to mark my 2-year-readiversay I decided to reread the Flatshare, one of my most favourite books from when I started to read again. I found that I had forgotten quite a lot of things that happened it in so it almost didn't feel like a reread

I adore this book so much!!! I love the book itself but I also loved it because it was almost sentimental to me, being one of the first books that I loved once restarted my reading journey.

This book included more depth than a typical contemporary book. It deals with some particularly dark topics but I feel as though it handles them really well. Especially the storyline of Justin, Tiffy's toxic and emotionally ex- I loved seeing Tiffy's development from being almost dependant on Justin and thinking his toxic behaviours were okqy to reaching out for help and knowing her own worth and strength. This is such an important thing for people to read about.

I loved so many characters, particularly Tiffy, Leon and Richie. Both and Tiffy and Leon have their own personalities and have differences too, but I feel like they have the same souls, like who they truly are inside and what makes them them just makes them the perfect match for each other

 Normally in my reviews I tend to include  favourite moments and quotes from the book but I used up an entire pack of sticky note tabs marking my favourite moments, quotes and anything else I wanted to remember, there are just so many special moments in this book!

Beth O'Leary is a wonderful author, the way she crafts stories is just perfect. I enjoyed having the two different perspectives, of Tiffy and Leon. 

To conclude, this is one of my favourite books and I would totally whole-heartedly recommend 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Medical content, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Stalking

Minor: Cancer and Terminal illness

hospital, leukaemia, wrongly imprisoned