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A review by librarianinperiwinkle
The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary
4.0
It feels strange to categorize a book about escaping the mental clutches of an emotionally abusive relationship as humorous, but the characters in The Flatshare are so quirky and real, there is a great deal of humor amongst the PTSD. Much of the humor stems from the notes written by the two protagonists--roommates in an apartment in London who've never met each other. Tiffy, an underpaid assistant editor for a niche publishing house, works days and has the apartment ("flat" in British English) on nights and weekends. Leon, a hospice nurse, works nights and sleeps in the apartment during the day, spending weekends at his girlfriend's place.
The arrangement works beautifully until one day when Tiffy oversleeps and accidentally sees Leon in the shower (and he sees her in her underwear), upsetting the faceless best pal dynamic they had going. Toss in a stalker ex boyfriend, a breakup with Leon's girlfriend, a quest to track down the One True Love of a dying elderly man, a high-maintenance author & irritating PR rep, supportive best friends, and a brother imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit, and the result is a romantic adventure full of mishaps and heart.
For readers' advisors: character doorway is primary, language (humor) is secondary. There is a fair amount of swearing, sexual references and sex scenes interrupted by PTSD/the psycho ex, and the threat of violence, although in the end only the door takes any physical damage. I really appreciated that the new relationship didn't magically "fix" the trauma caused by the ex, and that there is such a positive depiction of counseling/counselors. Leon is described as having brown skin and hair & an accent that is "part London, part County Cork" (i.e. Irish).
The arrangement works beautifully until one day when Tiffy oversleeps and accidentally sees Leon in the shower (and he sees her in her underwear), upsetting the faceless best pal dynamic they had going. Toss in a stalker ex boyfriend, a breakup with Leon's girlfriend, a quest to track down the One True Love of a dying elderly man, a high-maintenance author & irritating PR rep, supportive best friends, and a brother imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit, and the result is a romantic adventure full of mishaps and heart.
For readers' advisors: character doorway is primary, language (humor) is secondary. There is a fair amount of swearing, sexual references and sex scenes interrupted by PTSD/the psycho ex, and the threat of violence, although in the end only the door takes any physical damage. I really appreciated that the new relationship didn't magically "fix" the trauma caused by the ex, and that there is such a positive depiction of counseling/counselors. Leon is described as having brown skin and hair & an accent that is "part London, part County Cork" (i.e. Irish).