Sometimes, you need a good book with endearing characters and few crazy and some heartwarming situations to make your day. The story has to come together in just the right way to make you tear up/laugh. This book does a large chunk of that job. 

Tiffy is at her wits end when the story begins. She talks herself into an arrangement to share a flat with a person who she never actually meets but works as a palliative nurse. A man with a job like that cannot be too bad is something of a subtext in this situation. We are then introduced to the extended supporting cast., the friends, the co-workers and the ex. Each of the good smaller characters make their presence felt in the tale itself as well as the soothing effect they have in the daily life of our principal characters. I read an advance e-copy but I hope the final print copy has all the notes (that constitute Tiffy and Leon's primary mode of communication) as actual sticky notes and not blurred with the text for maximum effect.

The entire thing is straightforward with a few surprises but for the most part you know what to expect but enjoy it all the same. Leon does not understand Tiffy with her job as Asst. Editor at a publisher who only publish DIY books (something that I have a personal vested interest in!) or her verbose oversharing. I like the way he sometimes finds her communication tiring but in a 'good way'. Leon's communications are more abrupt but he grows on the reader as does Tiffy's rebuilding of her own confidence. I highly recommend this book to people loving for a reasonably fast paced, good-hearted tale and people who like this genre. I am sure most people will like getting to know these people as much as I did.

This is a delightful story with romance, friendship, family, love - and a great exploration of what relationships look like when they're really good and when they're really bad.

I really enjoyed this from start to finish, particularly the "will they, won't they?" between Leon and Tiffy. A really refreshing romance with lovely characters.

Despite the story being predictable I really enjoyed it. I liked how it was written from Tilly then Leon’s side and I did struggle to put it down as wanted to carry on reading

Oh I loved this book -great characters very likeable and a really enjoyable realistic love story.
Unusual concept and would thoroughly recommend - great light hearted book, ideal for a holiday read.

Fantastic debut book. This is a really entertaining read, great human (not perfect) characters, funny, sometimes emotional. It’s very different from the usual light read, but a great story and so lovely.
Keeps you hooked and you don’t want to put it down

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

The flat share was a crazy concept, not a flat share in the conventional sense but using the flat at different times. Leon, a hospice nurse works nights. He owns the flat but needs extra money to pay for his wrongly convicted brothers legal fees. Tiffy works days as a book editor but needs somewhere to live, escaping a manipulative relationship.
Communication is via post it notes, as they have never met. Leon’s girlfriend arranging the flat share.
As the relationship grows , the post it notes increase! Eventually the two meet as Tiffy, hungover oversleeps in embarrassing circumstances.
The story twists and turns around the two main characters, their friends and families.
This was a nice romantic comedy which also had drama, depth and meaning. Great debut novel Beth!
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher Quercus and the author Beth O ‘ Leary for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review

A man and woman sharing a flat but never actually meeting? Night shift worker and palliative care nurse Leon needs extra money and so invites colourful craft-lover Tiffy to share his flat space. What he didn't bargain on was the amount of scented candles and vintage clothing she'd bring with her, and that somehow he'd be drawn to her just by reading her Post-It notes about leftovers in the fridge. Can you really fall for someone you've never met?

When I first read the concept I did think it felt a little bit forced but Beth O'Leary makes it work perfectly and the characters are so engaging and loveable that I raced through it. This is such romantic fun I recommend it for anyone who wants a slice of joy in their life.

Another version of this review will appear in Sunday Express S magazine on 31 March.

If you’re looking for a book that features a quirky story that is brilliantly written and gives you all the feels, I have just the thing for you.
With two wonderfully real and loveable main characters, a fantastic supporting cast and a story that is just silly enough to be true, Beth O’Leary has crafted a debut that is fresh and funny, heartbreaking and hopeful, modern and, oh, I can’t think of another fitting M word but let’s just say it’s a cracker.
The Flatshare is destined for big things (and surely the big screen?).
In short, this is the book I wish I could write.
The only thing that bugged me were their names. While individually, Tiffy, Mo and Gerty probably wouldn’t even rate a comment, seeing them together on the first page actually made me wince – although maybe that says more about me than them?
I find names so important in books and I completely judged the characters. Or rather misjudged in this case. I’m sure there’s a lesson for me there.
Tiffy is lovely, I’d welcome her as a friend. The relationship with her ex seems all too real and horrible (and all too frustrating for Mo and Gerty).
Leon is complicated but charming in his own understated way.
Tiffy and Leon take turns to narrate so you get a good understanding of both of them and the story. I liked the way Leon’s voice is gruffer than Tiffy’s, it's cleverly done.
I also loved the way their relationship developed. There are so many genuine moments that made me laugh and cry.
There's just the right mix of everything in this book. It feels like an epic debut and I can’t wait to read more from Beth.

This book is so much more than it seems! It is a story about real people who you will miss when the book ends - and not just the main characters. The plot has twists and turns, and great narrative voices which justify the dual narrator format. This is a story about people with lives and friends and careers and hopes and dreams and problems which aren't as simple as they first seem. It's crying out for a film or even a TV adaptation to be made - so relatable and if you haven't been there, you'll know someone who has. A great summer read, or even one for a weekend away. Of course the happy ending is a little bit predictable, but it's the journey to get there that matters! One for fans of 'One Day in December' (Josie Silver).

Brilliant debut, loved the original story and the warm characters. Really enjoyed the author’s writing style and will definitely be looking out for her next book.

A fun read from start to finish with larger than life characters, plenty of quirk and a great premise. The Flatshare is all that but is also intelligently written and doesn’t shy away from tough issues such as emotional abuse.

Ms O’Leary is inspiring, she has delivered a rom-com which on the surface is all froth and fizz but because her characters have such warmth and depth has provided an end product with heart, sensitivity and a real backbone. Quite the achievement, can’t wait to see what you come up with next.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. I can’t believe this is a debut novel. The characters are wonderfully written and totally believable. The alternating chapters work excellently and are written is so different styles that you feel you are with Tiffy and Leon all the way through the book. Even the supporting characters are written to a depth that you feel you know them. and the ending was great too. Can’t recommend enough and will be looking out for Beth O’Learys next book.

I enjoyed this book so much! Just the wording on the book cover had me hooked on finding out the detail of why these people share a bed, yet have never met.

It's a hugely romantic book with plenty of depth to keep you interested. The characters are well rounded and likeable...well, most of them are! I loved the way they communicate in Post-Its and by leaving meals and baked goods out for each other.

The chapters are written from either Tiffy's point of view, or Leon's and I've never come across a book that the style of writing from each perspective is so clear. Such a brilliant debut from Beth. I'm certain this will be a huge hit and I look forward to seeing what she writes next.

This was a charming love story about two people strapped for cash in London, navigating the demands of a job, rent and relationships, who meet under the most unusual of arrangements. The Flatshare includes likeable characters, publishing industry jokes, and a touching exploration of the impact of emotionally abusive relationships. O’Leary’s writing was so charismatic and readable that I risked a car nearly knocking me over when attempting the art of reading-while-walking. It was worth it.

"Tiffy & Leon share a flat. Tiffy & Leon share a bed. Tiffy & Leon have never met.”

This premise! It shouldn’t work, yet it works so well. The story unfolds over duelling-narrative chapters and for the first few months of their living arrangement, Tiffy and Leon communicate via Post-It notes that they leave around the flat. Sticky notes left besides left-over mushroom stroganoff or a batch of stress-baked flapjacks, they begin to pick up on each other’s moods and quirks solely through the cues they leave around the flat: the unwashed dish left on the counter, the half-drunk cup of tea.

Besides the quirky setup, the protagonists are overcoming their own personal obstacles. Tiffy is trying to move on from her recently disintegrated long-term relationship and is coming to realise how emotionally abusive her ex, Justin, truly was. Leon, on the other hand, is campaigning for the appeal of his wrongly convicted younger brother while simultaneously working night-shifts as a palliative nurse. These anxieties and life-events slowly reveal themselves in the Post-It notes and I too was falling for each of them as the notes excessively piled up. After months of their notes ping-ponging back and forth, the anticipation of them finally meeting was excruciating. And oh, the moment they finally do is golden. I was grinning like an idiot.

This is a quirky romantic novel that illustrates the importance of solid friendships, owning your flaws, finding true love and has a poignant moral behind it all. Despite the hurdles each of them must conquer, love and trust come to the forefront and makes for a feel-good novel that I can’t wait to re-read in the near future. O’Leary has created the perfect British rom-com which was such a joy to read! I couldn’t recommend this more and can’t wait for this to be out in the world.

Thank you to Quercus for providing me with an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I adored it! It could have so easily been irritating but it just wasn't. The characters absolutely charmed me, to the point where I could blissfully ignore the holes in Leon's plan from the start. Also, I've never read a dual narrative book where the characters were so distinct and individual in their voices—even without the chapter headings you'd automatically know exactly who was speaking. Brilliant.

An easy read with an original plot that told the old familiar love story. Not much substance but some pleasant characters as well as the ex from hell.

I really don’t read these kind of novels often enough, I forgot how much fun they are! The Flatshare is a perfect novel to lift your mood and I couldn’t think of a better timing.

The main characters are Leon, Leon’s brother Richie and Tiffy. Leon is an introvert and might come across a bit awkward at first. At least I had to get a little used to him and his use of stocky sentences but I either got used to it or he changed gradually while I wasn’t aware because that all fell away at some point and I can’t even pinpoint where it happened exactly. As for Tiffy, she’s the opposite really of Leon, extraverted, full of energy, sociable and she has a bit of a special taste in clothes and furniture. Her idea of decorating a place is a lava lamp and a bean bag :-).

Their agreement to live together without ever being in the apartment at the same time was original and I was impressed how well it was organised, it really works and they never meet. How to get them to interact then? Well the author opened up their communication with a single little post-it note. Soon enough I was reading their exchanges like they were sparring in a game of ping-pong and the further along the more they share with each other and the more personal it gets. I loved how they were their true selves in the notes, how they open up to each other. They are attentive and interested, they get to know each other really well and so was I, falling for both characters a little more as I went along. What I really wanted then was for them to finally meet and then preferably to fall deeply in love at first sight. The anticipation of that moment of meeting one another was excruciating! It was bound to happen but how and when? Well I won’t say much about it but the moment was golden! Oh my lord, their moment made me grin from ear to ear.

I felt it was all quite romantic even if the messages didn’t even contain romance, I just quite enjoyed the old-fashioned way of writing to each other and I felt their connection. Leon and Tiffy were also both very likeable characters that I enjoyed reading about. I’m not going to talk about the one person who made my toes curl or the hurdles they also faced in the novel, because overall it’s a feel-good novel that will put a smile on your face.

That was a very pleasant surprise! I thought The Flatshare would be your typical chick-lit/romcom but instead I got a funny, cute book that deals with the aftermath of an abusive relationship in a way that was quite realistic and moving. When I started the book I was worried that the note-sharing would drag for too long, but their exchanges were so adorable that I found myself wishing that the author would have postponed Tiffy and Leon’s meeting for a bit longer. Tiffy was very relatable, her friends were a good balance of hilarious/sweet/outrageous characters and Leon made it straight to my favourite bbfs list. Charlie’s story was maybe a bit too much - it felt more like a plot device to bring the characters together rather than the reason shaping Leon’s character, and the ending (the epilogue in particular) was borderline cheesy, too neat and perfect in my opinion, but I’d still recommend this book to pretty much anyone looking for an easy and cute read.

Leon Twomey needs to find a flatmate as he's saving as much cash as possible to help his brother get out of jail after he was wrongly convicted. As he works the nightshift as a pallative care nurse he doesn't need to be in his one-bed flat during nighttime hours.

He advertises for a Flatshare with a difference - they'll be sharing his bed (just not at the same time). Tiffy has been dumped by her lousy ex Justin again and is needing somewhere to live. She works in publishing and is low paid. Staying with Leon seems like the idea solution...

They converse via notes on post-it notes and soon the flat is covered in them. One morning Tiffy oversleeps and meets Leon for the very first time in the bathroom.....

An absolutely brilliant story, full of laugh out loud moments, love, sadness and friendship. I just loved it!

After breaking up with her controlling boyfriend Tiffy must find a flat, unfortunately there is no way she can afford one on her salary in London. Then seeing an advert she takes up the offer of a flat share in a one bedroom flat Leon a hospice nurse works nights so only uses the flat 9-5 and spends the weekends at his girlfriends, he needs the extra income as his brother is in jail and legal fees are too much for him to cover. Therefore Tiffy can have the flat 5pm -9 am.
Leon’s girlfriend handles all the arrangements so they don’t actually meet for quite a while.
They start communicating by leaving notes for his other which start off brief but become more humorous and have more depth to them. We see a relationship developing beautifully through these notes.
With a great cast of secondary characters which add humour, angst and real depth to this story this is an absolute must read, engrossing, entertaining and a great ending, a real page turner.
My thanks to net galley and publisher for the opportunity to review this book honestly.