Published in 2019 by Quercus.
"It's not just sharing a flat Tiff, it's sharing a bed. Sharing a bed is odd"
Blurb: Their friends think they're crazy, but it's the perfect solution: Leon occupies the one-bed flat while Tiffy's at work in the day, and she has the run of the place the rest of the time. But with obsessive ex-boyfriends, wrongly imprisoned brothers and, of course, the fact that they still haven't met yet, it seems this flat share is more complicated than expected...
My thoughts:
Tiffy needs a cheap place to stay in London, Leon needs the extra cash, but with one bed they occupy it at different times and stay completely anonymous to each other...for a while at least. Fate seems to work its magic.
When I first read the blurb to The Flat Share I knew I was going to like it. It was exactly what I needed after reading predominantly fantasy and magical realism novels for months on end. There's some about the relatable romance and the heartwarming plot that made me finish this in a couple of days. Before the characters meet, they communicate through post-it notes around the flat and slowly but surely they get to know each other through the small things. How Leon takes his coffee, Tiffy's extravagant style etc. The book was filled with the beautifully simplistic things we tend to overlook in people.
Now, I must admit, I expected this to be a predictable fluffy kinda romance novel, but it really wasn't. This stressed me, but I loved it (???). There were a lot of effective obstacles in this book that made me want to tear my hair out, I found myself getting irritated that they just couldn't be together ASAP! This is how I knew I loved O'Leary's storytelling, she put me on an emotional rollercoaster.
The Flat Share addresses emotional abuse such as gaslighting, narcissism and healing from trauma, it made Tiffy and Leon's journey to each other realistic and an insight into the effects past relationships can have on new ones. The character development was done in a way that wasn't too complex but not simple either, they all appeared to be realistic and individually unique. Even though at times I found the novel fairly predictable, it was still enjoyable. Tiffy being typically 'Quirky' and Leon being shy and awkward. I liked how it was Tiffy who was confident, many romances I've read in the past it's resulted in the man being the confident one.
Overall, if you're looking for a good 21st century romance then this is definitely it. It isn't a book that is necessarily going to shock you or introduce you to a new idea. But nevertheless, The Flat Share heartwarming and adorable (with a side of suffering).
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