Weekend Writing: Reviewing Beth O'Leary's "The Flatshare"

"Remind myself that there is no saving of people -- people can only save themselves. The best you can do is help when they're ready." - Beth O'Leary, "The Flatshare" 

Would you be able to share an apartment with someone you have never met? You're sharing the same living space but you have never met the person face-to-face. Could you do that? 

In Beth O'Leary's 2019 novel, The Flatshare, the main characters, Tiffy Moore and Leon Twomey, decide to share the same flat. Because the book is set in London, it's known as a flat as opposed to an apartment for my fellow American readers. Tiffy and Leon would never have to see each other. Leon is a palliative care nurse, and he works the overnight shift at the hospice center. Tiffy works at a publishing company. 

With this in mind, Leon would stay at the flat during the daytime hours when Tiffy is at work, and Tiffy would have the flat to herself in the evening and night when Leon is at work. It seems like the perfect living arrangement, especially for Tiffy, who was desperate to find a new place to live after a painful breakup with her toxic ex-boyfriend, Justin. 

Beth O'Leary's 2019 novel, The Flatshare.

Tiffy and Leon are polar opposites of each other. She's quirky, cute, passionate about her hobbies (including wearing exotic clothing), and heartbroken. She tries to stay positive, but she's struggling to move on from her toxic relationship with Justin. She can't move on from the past. It's suffocating her. 

Leon, on the other hand, is more reserved and serious. He doesn't like to step outside his comfort zone. Partly because he's a nurse, he's compassionate, sensitive, and kind. He cares about the few constant, reliable people in his life, and he would do anything for them. This is particularly true about his younger brother, Richie, who was wrongly accused of assault and is currently in prison. Leon wants to help his brother, and this subplot is a major part of his storyline. 

Tiffy and Leon tackle their living situation without any problems. Eventually, they begin leaving Post-it notes for each other. It starts out with important notes about the flat, especially if Tiffy had leftover food for Leon, but it quickly turned into personal exchanges and conversations with the notes. They learn more about each other. 

"As I peel the Post-its and taped scraps of paper off cupboard doors, tables, walls, and (in one case) the bin lid, I find myself grinning. It was a weird way to get to know Leon, writing all these notes over the last few months, and it sort of happened without me noticing--one minute I was scribbling him a quick note about leftovers, the next I was in a full-on, day-to-day correspondence." 

As you can imagine, it's only inevitable for Tiffy and Leon to meet in person. Of course, this happens in the most awkward way: Bumping into each other in the shower when Tiffy overslept one morning and Leon arrived home from his night shift, expecting the flat to be empty. They met and they realized their Post-it notes had a more heartfelt connection than they originally thought. They have undeniable chemistry and this continues to grow as they become friends. 

O'Leary captured Tiffy and Leon's separate personalities, told through their alternating first-person narratives. Readers can identify the differences between the two characters. Tiffy is bubbly and quirky while Leon is shy and reserved. The conversational, relaxed writing and dialogue showcases their differing personalities. 

On the surface, O'Leary's novel seems like a fun, romantic story about two people who share a flat, and they were never supposed to meet. Of course, they become friends and this leads to a romance (it's a romance story, of course), but the novel has many subplots. Tiffy's ex-boyfriend won't let her go, leading to toxic, mental abuse. Tiffy can't let go of the past, even though she desperately wants to move on and have a future, perhaps one that includes Leon.

Leon wants to help his brother, and Tiffy has a friend who can help prove Richie's innocence. Leon and Tiffy grow closer due to their separate subplots, which is interesting to the overall storyline of the novel. However, every subplot had a different tone, and they didn't tie together completely. There were too many subplots in the story, which made it confusing as a cohesive novel. 

Beth O'Leary (photo/Bustle)

I was intrigued by the main plot of Tiffy and Leon sharing a flat. That's what hooked me from the beginning. With this in mind, I wish O'Leary elaborated on the flatshare experience, exchanging Post-it notes, and prolonging when Tiffy and Leon meet. I cared more about their interaction than their subplots, so I wish more time and consideration was spent on their chemistry. 

Overall, I still enjoyed this book. It was a charming romance with a heartwarming characterization. I could identify Tiffy and Leon's separate characters and their personalities. O'Leary even had different writing styles for the characters (even though I wasn't a huge fan of Leon's casual, dialogue-style writing), so it was easy to follow their separate stories. 

The book had a fun premise with a few minor flaws. Am I going to reread the book? Probably not. But do I recommend it to other readers? If you like fun, quirky romance books, I still recommend reading the book as a casual escape from reality. Focus on Tiffy and Leon's budding romance and their chemistry. That is the main plot of the story. That is what you want to read, not the subplots. Focus on Tiffy and Leon. They're the stars of the book.

Read on.

-KJL-