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A review by cassie7e
The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Utterly charming! Lighthearted without being fluffy or saccharine, and handles serious subjects without making the book dark or heavy.
Found myself smiling and smirking throughout. The characters and world felt solid and real, and the problem resolutions felt empowering. Less like a self-insert romance and more like watching your best friend fall in love, waiting for them to admit it, and getting swept up in the ride.
Love the side plots - the Johnny Whites, the printed out twitter screenshots, etc. Appreciate a story with main characters my age or older instead of teens or young adults, since Im starting to age out of that bracket! The audio narrators are lovely, and I love how the editing made phone calls sound tinny!
More personally, Leon's clipped sentences dropping articles and subjects, like "I"s and "the"s, are just how I speak in my head and end up editing for people, so I found the full commitment to them in-text delightful! His adherence to routine, and time needed to process feelings are also relatable, as is Tiffy's comment that not wearing colorful clothes "drains the life out" of her. Tiffy's ebullient rambling thoughts and conversation remind my of my younger, more energetic self.
Found myself smiling and smirking throughout. The characters and world felt solid and real, and the problem resolutions felt empowering. Less like a self-insert romance and more like watching your best friend fall in love, waiting for them to admit it, and getting swept up in the ride.
Love the side plots - the Johnny Whites, the printed out twitter screenshots, etc. Appreciate a story with main characters my age or older instead of teens or young adults, since Im starting to age out of that bracket! The audio narrators are lovely, and I love how the editing made phone calls sound tinny!
More personally, Leon's clipped sentences dropping articles and subjects, like "I"s and "the"s, are just how I speak in my head and end up editing for people, so I found the full commitment to them in-text delightful! His adherence to routine, and time needed to process feelings are also relatable, as is Tiffy's comment that not wearing colorful clothes "drains the life out" of her. Tiffy's ebullient rambling thoughts and conversation remind my of my younger, more energetic self.