I completely adored The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the hardest book reviews to write are for the books you love the most. There’s just so much you want to say! And it seems impossible to find the right words to express how much the story means to you.
That’s how I feel about The Flatshare. And, I’m completely surprised by this.
What’s The Flatshare about?
I went into The Flatshare with low expectations. Very low, to be honest. I’d seen the book circulating around Instagram when it published in 2019, but I put off reading it because, well, the premise just didn’t seem that gripping: it’s about two strangers who share an apartment but never see each other due to conflicting work schedules, and who only communicate with each other through notes left in their apartment. And, somehow, they form a friendship…and more.
While the roommates-to-lovers trope may seem like rom-com gold, this interpretation seemed rather implausible to me. I mean, how can you form a bond with someone you haven’t actually met? (sneers the former Queen of Online Dating and current avid watcher of 90 Day Fiancé.)
Well, I was wrong. The Flatshare ticked every box for me as a reader, and O’Leary blew me away with her sweet, poignant story and surprisingly believable romance.
Why I loved The Flatshare
The premise of The Flatshare works. I completely bought it. You’ll buy it. O’Leary develops the tentative friendship between loveably outrageous Tiffy and humorously taciturn Leon with realistic scenarios, emotions, and interactions, resulting in a deliciously mounting anticipation that eventually has you convinced Tiffy and Leon should be together. In addition to the romance, there are two touching side stories that further the blossoming relationship between the main characters.
I would say that The Flatshare is not your typical rom-com – it contains more depth, more feeling, and more credibility than so many others I’ve read. Despite my earlier reservations about this novel, I now completely understand how two people could fall in love the way Tiffy and Leon do.
On a side note: Tiffy works in the world of publishing, and I was thrilled to see my industry so aptly portrayed. You can tell O’Leary worked in the trenches. Special shout-out to my fellow international rights managers – yes, my editors hate meeting with me, too; I ask too many questions that they can’t (or, more likely, don’t want to) answer about their books.
Should you read The Flatshare?
Umm, YES, you should read The Flatshare. Particularly if you love women’s fiction and rom-coms. Don’t wait as long as I did to read this one because you’re doing yourself a great disservice.
2024 update: Apparently there’s a TV series based on The Flatshare that I need to watch! Bonus: it stars Jessica Brown Findlay (Lady Sybil from Downton Abbey) as Tiffy, which is going to be good. I must not be the only person who thought this book would be great on screen!
What’s the book-inspired recipe for The Flatshare?
And, be sure to check back in for my first book-inspired recipe of 2021: Millionaire Shortbread!
Thanks for this review! I too have been back and forth on this one and you have given me the tip I needed to go for it. In fact I am going to recommend to my book club based on your review!
Hi, Katie! I’m so glad I’ve convinced you to give this one a try. And it would be a perfect book club read, actually. I should add this post to my Pinterest book club board, haha. Thanks for that idea. 😉 I hope you and your book club enjoy the story!
I love this review. I don’t read rom-coms in general, because I find I just don’t love the fluffy, girly reads. I need a book to have more…substance. More realness. But this sounds like it could actually be a rom-com I’d enjoy!
Thanks, Joli! You’ll definitely find more substance in The Flatshare than you will most rom-coms; I’ve read a lot, and I know what you mean. I hope you like this one! Also, here’s a list of other unconventional “rom-coms” that you might enjoy: http://www.wellreadtart.com/2020/02/14/quick-look-books-modern-love-stories/
I think you’d like these as well!