You guys... I loved Tiffy and Leon. LOVED! The way they get to know each other by writing notes back and forth in the beginning was so fun and cute. I've never wanted two characters to end up together more. But it's deeper than that. There's some emotional and scary moments that happen that made this book more grounded. The story was perfectly paced from beginning to end. I just couldn't get enough.⁣⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I listened to the audiobook of this one using #Sudio and it was a treat! Leon's sexy Irish accent made me fall in love with him. Tiffy was read so well also. I couldn't stop listening to it.⠀⁣⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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If you're like me and didn't read this when it came out, let me tell you now that IT IS TIME. It's time to read it. ⠀⁣⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝟱/𝟱

Absolutely lovely love story. I adored these two characters and while the ex’s situations were maddening, it added to intrigue of what would happen.

It's Valentine's Week so I'm going to pretend I have my $hit together and attempt to review some romance books. Here we go.

Every once in awhile a gimmick is used that brings a story to the next level for me. The Flatshare is the perfect example of a contemporary romance author who truly rolled the dice on a device that could have failed spectacularly. You see, Leon works the nightshift but makes kind of zero dollars. Tiffy works a dayshift but needs a new place to stay pronto. Thus becomes the “flatshare.” He will be the resident from 9-6 Mondays through Fridays – she will get it the remainder of the time. They will have to share the bed, so to speak, which nearly everyone feels is AWKWARD. But due to their schedules, all communication will done pretty much via the form of post-it notes.

That’s the aforementioned gimmick. If you don’t like epistolary novels, stay away. If you don’t like a quirky boho decorating sort of chatty type of female combined with a man-of-few-words male who presents stilted types of post-it for his delivery (to me they were very reminiscent of the style used in Bridget Jones’ diary entries), stay away double. But if you enjoy authors who take a chance and throw in some very realistic, real life issues into the mix before all of us readers get what we were hoping for and the two discover they are each other's lobster, you might be like me and find this one simply delightful. Sorry it took six months for me to review your book, Beth O’Leary. The good news is, during the time of my procrastination the cover got A LOT better than the one I requested/read.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!

This book was like comfort food. I escaped into the story and into the world of Tiffy and Leon. I loved that the characters were fresh and original but still had the comforting predictability of a romcom. Very cute, would be a great book for anyone looking for a fun, quirky book. Good for someone who's just gone through a breakup and needs something fun and hopeful.

Well, THAT was adorable and much more substantial than I expected it to be! Highly recommend this one to anyone who loves rom coms - THE FLATSHARE is unique and fresh and such a fun read!

This is a clever and fun read, full of endearing characters and situations. I loved Tiffy and Leon and all of the supporting characters, and will look forward to future work from this author.

A unique and sweet story of two very different people coming to care for each other despite circumstances that are less than ideal. The odd writing style of the male protagonist put me off at first, but I got used to it and started to really love the character.

I loved this book! The premise of Leo and TIffy's flatshare arrangement would have been strange in a less-capable writer's hands, but O'Leary makes it work. I loved the slow build of their relationship, and the way that the fallout from Tiffy's past, abusive relationship was handled. I'll definitely look for more from O'Leary in the future!

This was a genuinely adorable story with more heart than I was expecting. I thought it would be just another romance but it was more complex and that made it far more interesting than expected.

After two people decide to share a flat in a weird arrangement they get to know each other through sticky notes and text messages. As they grow closer the difficult parts of their lives start to show through.

If I could go back in time and kick myself for not picking up this book immediately after I downloaded the digital ARC, I would. Not go back in time and do cool stuff, but go back in time and tell myself to read this book. It was adorable. Next level adorable. I fully plan on reading it again and have been recommending it to everyone in my library--staff and patrons alike.

I wanted so badly to love this one because it sounded like the perfect storyline for me, but sadly something was missing. The characters were just so bland and boring and I never really connected with them or their romance. There were a few cute moments that made me smile, but overall it was just okay.

The Flatshare was a fun and super cute read. I was eager to dive into it and after reading great reviews about it, I had high expectations that were actually met.
The story is light, very easy to read and easy to enjoy. However, despite being light it also dealt with important and complex topics.
I liked the characters a lot, Tiffy was unique and Leon was so sweet. The friends, Richie and even Mr. Prior and Holly were a good addition to the story, providing a variety of characters.
The way the book is written is awesome; I found it very funny and entertaining and I quickly got to the final part because it was gripping. I just needed to keep on reading to know what was happening and to enjoy more about the dialogues and thoughts of Tiffy and Leon.
I definitely want to read more of the author’s work and Tiffy and Leon will become some of my favorite characters.

Tiffy is absolutely crushed by the breakup with her boyfriend, Justin. She had been living with him and is desperate to find a new place to live. Her options are limited because her salary at the small publishing house is barely a living wage. Her friends, Mo and Gerty, are helping Tiffy with her search, trying to keep her from sinking too low over the recent developments.

Leon is desperate to make some extra money. He loves his job as a hospice nurse, but he needs to just an extra 350/month to make his life work. So he decides to offer his one-bedroom flat up for a flatshare. He works overnights, so he thinks that if he can find a flatmate with a normal working schedule they can share the flat and never have to see each other. His girlfriend, Kay, was the one to show Tiffy the flat and laid down the ground rules. She has the flat from 6:00 PM to 8:00 AM during the week and over the weekend. And she has to sleep on the left side of the bed.

For months their arrangement worked perfectly. Their paths never crossed and they only communicated via post-it notes that could be found in the most creative places. But even though their only means of communication is through post-its Leon and Tiffy get to know each other. Tiffy learns that Leon's brother, Richie, is incarcerated for a crime he did not commit. Leon learns that Tiffy's ex-boyfriend is a bit unhinged. Eventually, they end up meeting face to face and the chemistry is undeniable. Will their unique living situation lead to a unique relationship?

The Flatshare was a fun and fast read. And even a little bit predictable. Tiffy and Leon are both good people. Tiffy is kind and loving and has a five-star personality. Leon is a bit more reserved, but anybody who chooses hospice as a career is golden in my book. It is fun to see the two of them get to know each other via post-it notes. It was a unique form of communication. There were a lot of cliches at play with the exes. Tiffy's ex ended up being a narcissistic kind of guy whose common method of abuse was gaslighting. Leon's ex was the controlling and jealous type. I was glad to see them both be rid of them, but one of them took longer to go away than the other. The author wrapped the story up nicely and it was a "feel good" kind of ending. A "feel good" kind of story. A perfect book to throw in the beach bag.

Bottom Line - The Flatshare is a fun and fresh look at a co-ed roommate situation. The book has been getting a lot of buzz and with good reason. The Flatshare releases tomorrow, just in time for beach season!

Details:
The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary
On Instagram
Pages: 336
Publisher: Flatiron
Publication Date: 5/28/19
Buy it Here!
Thank you to Netgalley for the book in exchange for a review.

I did not download this one in time, but I did purchase it from Audible and listened to it. This is a review only of the Audible version.
Unfortunately I did not enjoy the audio version. The female narrator was fine (in fact very good), but I did not like the voice for Leon's character, and the phone conversations with either character were not well done.
Most of my issues are likely from changing the unusual format of the book into an audio style. Perhaps the unusual style it was written in just doesn't translate well into an audio form.

I was excited to read the book, and I did enjoy it for a bit. I also really liked the theme of Tiffy's abuse, a type which isn't shown often in books. That subject matter made me more interested toward the end, but most of the book was a chore to trudge through, sadly. Again, this is only a review for the audio version. I did not post this review on my website as I didn't think it was fair. It's an unusual written format, and I don't want to scare anyone off from reading it.

Thank you so much, NetGalley, for offering me the ARC. I've been working hard to keep up with my reviews in a more timely manner so this problem doesn't happen again.

I loved this book. I loved that Tiffy's abusive ex-boyfriend wasn't sugar coated. Her issues coming to terms with this were depicted in such a real and honest way. I was brought to tears by all that she went through. Leon's issues with his incarcerated brother were also so emotional for me. Yay to books who depict men who cry! The way their friendship developed into a romance was super romantic. I was rooting for them from page 1. My only complaint would be the Leon chapters. The writing format took a little bit of getting used to but I guess this was done to depict his quiet personality. This was definitely one of my favorite books of the year and this author's writing reminds me of some of my favorite Marian Keyes books.

Loved, loved, loved this one. I read some and listened to some of the audiobook for this one, which made for the perfect reading experience. Such a great romcom premise, I'd love to see it adapted.

What a delightful book! Every once in a while it's so nice to read something light and funny with a predictably happy ending. I've been reading so much dark non-fiction lately that it was just the change of pace I needed.
I would highly recommend this book for lovers of British chic-lit.
I loved the characters and the storyline and can see this making a great movie.

I really enjoyed this storyline... thr slow burn, the refreshing characters, the dialogue, all of it. Such a sweet romance with lush writing and a fresh plot.

What I loved about this book was the refreshing story. Roommates turned friends turned lovers is not a new trope, but bedsharing is and it was fun witnessing Leon and Tiffy's relationship blossom via post-its and food sharing. I initially expected their big face-to-face meeting to happen near the end of the book, but it worked well that they met sooner and had more time to let their romance sizzle.

What I also appreciated about this book was the sensitive subject centering around Tiffy's relationship with her ex and the effects it had not only on her, but on the relationship she built with Leon. And it was lovely to see Leon's patience with her, though I did wonder if he would have been the same if he had his experience witnessing his mother's relationships. He wasn't the best boyfriend to his ex, but through his growing friendship with Tiffy you can see how she brought out the best of him.

Leon and Tiffy's individual chapters were each written with a distinct style and it really helped with their characterization; Leon's chapters short with quick sentences and Tiffy's were flourished with detail, just as you would listen to them speak in real life.

This was a wonderful debut and O'Leary did a great job bringing these characters and their story to life.

It’s time for Tiffy to find a new apartment. She’s broken up with her ex-boyfriend, again, and since he’s moved in a new girlfriend she has to leave but the problem is her meager salary doesn’t allow her to be very choosy so when she sees an ad to share a flat and a bed, not at the same time, she thinks that must be the perfect solution.

Leon didn’t want a flat mate but his brother needs his help and if it means sharing his bed then that’s ok. It shouldn’t be too hard to manage as he works the night shift at the long term care home and he can spend his weekends with his girlfriend.

Neither Tiffy’s friends nor Leon’s girlfriend think this arrangement is going to work but Tiffy moves in and the pair are having an easy time communicating via post-its. Leon thinks it’s funny that he’s having a lot of conversations via the little notes and is actually growing used to them and looks forward to Tiffy’s notes about the flat, the neighbors, books she’s reading and everything else in between. Funny how much you can learn about a person.

Eventually Tiffy needs a bit of help getting away from her emotionally abusive ex-boyfriend and this may mean the Tiffy and Leon will finally meet.

I really enjoyed reading about the development of Tiffy and Leon’s relationship. The story is told from both POVs so I thought that was a perfect way to show each of their personalities and quirks.