REVIEW: The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary
Dear Beth O’Leary,
I read your debut contemporary two weeks ago, a book I think many DA readers would like. It’s an epistolary romance called The Flatshare.
Tiffy Moore needs to move out of her cheating ex-boyfriend’s apartment, but can’t afford the rent in London. So when she stumbles on an ad seeking a flatmate for a one-bedroom apartment, at the very affordable rent of only 350 pounds, she’s encouraged. But there’s a catch: the flat has only one bedroom. Tiffy will have the apartment from evening to morning, while L. Twomey, the person advertising, works a night job. Twomey will have the flat during the day, when Tiffy is at work. Tiffy and her flatmate will have to share a bed without ever sleeping in it at the same time.
L. Twomey turns out to be Leon Twomey, a palliative care nurse who has taken the night shifts for the extra pay. Leon needs the money to fund his effort to overturn his younger brother Richie’s unjust conviction of armed robbery. Leon’s girlfriend, Kay, is unhappy about the flats-sharing arrangement but agrees that she can’t continue to loan Leon money to pay the lawyer who’s working on his brother’s appeal. Still, she insists on vetting Tiffy. When she does, she’s relieved to assess her as no threat. But to be on the safe side, Kay insists that Leon and Tiffy never meet.
But despite adhering to this rule, Leon and Tiffy become aware of each other through their shared use of the same apartment. At first Leon is annoyed at the number of clothes Tiffy has brought with her and Tiffy decides to do something about Leon’s boring decor. But they quickly become aware of other things, too. Tiffy notices that Leon is distracted when he forgets to put his coffee mug away. When Tiffy bakes a lot and leaves him baked goods to eat, Leon realizes that she’s down about something (her ex, Justin, was emotionally abusive and though it takes Tiffy much of the book to realize the extent of it, she is vulnerable long before that and feels a bit fragile).
The small notes they leave each other slowly become more than just informative. They begin by sharing only pertinent information, then share food, and later more important things. When Tiffy picks up the phone and it turns out to be Richie calling, their letters become more personal.
The novel is leavened by humor and by a charming subplot that involves Leon’s efforts to track down the World-War-II-era lover of one of his patients. We also see Tiffy’s work at a publishing house that puts out DIY books, the jokes she shares with Rachel, her a co-worker and friend, and the way she gets roped into modeling crochet sweaters for an author of books on crocheting.
Both protagonists are committed to their jobs. I appreciated that we actually got to see them perform those roles in their work environments and to meet a few of the people they work with. Tiffy and Leon feel like real people; there’s no billionaire, pack alpha or duke in this book. It doesn’t need one. And in fact, the only wealthy character is Tiffy’s abusive ex.
We encounter Tiffy’s supportive-through-thick-and-thin friends, Mo and Gerty, as well, and they too add rays of light. Even Richie, though trapped in prison, knows how to crack a joke and flirt.
Spoiler: Show
Tiffy is quirky and accepting; for example, she’s tall but open to dating someone shorter (Leon is tall too, though) and nice to the crochet lady. And she is gabby and social and warm.
Leon is a quieter, more introverted person and likes to make decisions slowly, in a thoughtful manner. He doesn’t have Tiffy’s impulsivity or her social nature, but he’s terrific with his patients and later, supportive and understanding of Tiffy.
The book is narrated in first person present tense and the viewpoint alternates between Leon and Tiffy by chapter. Leon’s narration style is different from Tiffy’s and takes a little getting used to. He thinks in pared-down lists and when we are in his POV, the dialogue shifts to something like playwriting format: character name, colon, their dialogue, next character name, colon, their dialogue. It took a couple of short chapters to get comfortable with.
The tone of the novel starts out frothy and light but the storyline becomes more substantial as the books continues. The concept of leaving one another notes without meeting was a wonderful vehicle for a great meet-cute. Better yet, it allowed the characters to get to know each other as people as well as have sexytimes.
Leon has light brown skin and it’s clear that Richie’s false conviction had to do with skin color, but we’re never given their specific background. I was fine with this but maybe other readers won’t be? Hard to say.
Because I’m not that familiar with contemporary British vernacular and don’t read many books set in contemporary England, at first I felt a little at a remove from the story and characters, but they were so endearing that I got over it relatively quickly.
Another point:
Spoiler: Show
There’s only one love scene and it’s fade to black, but the book still has a fair amount of romantic tension and some sexual tension as well. The build-up to the romance is slow but all the more rewarding for the wait. Tiffy and Leon complement each other well; it’s easy to envision a happy future for them, even if the epilogue was a touch too sweet.
The Flatshare is page-turning. Chapters are short and something is always happening, but it feels organic, not forced. Prose-wise, the metaphors are witty and startling, but the writing isn’t overly ornate. The foreshadowing wasn’t too heavy. Two or three times I guessed what would happen, but not much ahead of time.
There’s a subtlety to the characterization and a light touch to the novel but there’s also some emotional heft. Things get more serious as the book unfolds, but all of it is handled delicately and thoughtfully.
This novel is a great example of the friends-to-lovers trope. I stayed up until two in the morning while reading because the book was sweet, absorbing and enjoyable. A-.
Sincerely,
Janine
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This sounds wonderful. I wish I bought it when it was a Kindle Daily Deal! Hindsight, always 20/20.
I loved this book. The story unfolds as it goes along and you gradually realize there’s a lot more going on than it seemed at first. I wasn’t all that impressed initially because at the beginning Tiffy seems kind of shallow and flighty. I continued reading because I loved Leon’s POV. He’s an introvert who doesn’t talk a lot and his POV is full of staccato, abbreviated sentences. (They remind me of medical charting which makes sense given his profession.) This may be the first book I’ve read where I identify more with the hero than the heroine.
Here’s a very Leon quote. He’s just seen how much stuff Tiffy has moved into the flat.
“Consider ringing her and Putting Foot Down for approximately three seconds before reaching inevitable conclusion that that would be awkward and, in a few days, I will have stopped caring. Probably stopped noticing, actually.”
I feel I should point out that the book description and one version of the cover say the author is the “new JoJo Moyes.” Just ignore that.
@Elyssa: I read a library copy when it was first released, but Janine’s review also makes me sorry I didn’t snap it up when it was $2.99. Great concept and more depth than I was expecting. The set up was the best part; when Tiffy and Leon finally met it was a bit of a let down because their in-person interactions couldn’t possibly live up to the charming notes that they left for each other. And I wish the author had let up a little on the horrible ex-boyfriend plot, which had become repetitive by the end. But overall delightful and one of my favorite books of 2019.
I adored this book. I was so curious as to how the author would get the concept to work, but by golly she did it. It was so darned charming.
I listened to it on audio and it took me a bit to really get into the rhytmn of Leon’s speech patterns. BTW, the audio narrators are excellent.
Between Richie’s subplot and Tiffy’s ex, I like that we got some plot ballast, so to speak. I like that the book dipped its toe in some serious waters even while managing to still be a fairly light-hearted romance. I became really invested in Richie’s fate and also thought it was a nice bit of storytelling as the book slowly peeled back the layers of what was going on with Tiffy’s ex.
And finally, I love how Tif and Leon simply could not let go of talking thru post it notes even after they meet face to face. It was their *thing* and enjoyed that they kept it.
I enjoyed the book very much. It took on heavy topics with a deft touch. It had the right amount of humor and plot for me. I didn’t notice the present tense after a while. (Not my favorite style.)
@Elyssa: From what I know of your tastes, I think you would really like it.
@MaryK: Oh, I adored Tiffy. I loved her quirky sense f style and how much she loved her job and how good she was at it. I loved her openness and the way it was contrasted with Leon’s personality. I loved her kindness to him and to Richie. And her fragility with regard to Justin resonated with me. Not that i didn’t love Leon too—he was great.
That Jo Jo Moyes comparison couldn’t be more misleading. I’ve never read Moyes but my impression is that she writes tearjerkers. This book as not that. There’s a central love story with a happy ending and emotional justice so its a romance no matter how the publisher is pitching it.
@SusanS: LOL. I read a library copy too and then bought it when it went on that one-day sale on Cyber Monday.
I didn’t feel at all let down when they met in person, though. if anything it got even better for me at that point. I think Justin needed to be a big part of the story because understanding that relationship was Tiffy’s arc.
@Tina: “Darned charming” is a great description. And yes on the ballast. The book struck a delicate balance between the tone and the subject matter. I loved Richie. I could read a whole book about him.
@RebeccaA: Deft, yes. I wish I’d though of that word when I was writing the review. It’s an impressive debut. I can’t wait to read her next book.
@Janine: I liked Tiffy once the story got going. It was just in that first part that falls within the Kindle sample that I was skeptical.
@RebeccaA: I usually don’t like present tense AT ALL. Some authors can make it work though.
I didn’t care why Leon’s skin wasn’t white. His Irish upbringing is more important than his parents’ genetic makeup. In this regard the audiobook narrator is a perfect match for the character on the page.
@oceanjasper: It didn’t bother me either, but I have a friend who feels (not in regard to this book specifically, but in regard to books generally) that this kind of thing is a copout to avoid having to do research and become familiar with another culture. So I thought it was worth mentioning in the review, in case others might feel that way.
I liked this one, too. It may be time for a reread! Thanks for the review, Janine.
Truly, such an enjoyable read. Terrible, wonderful suspense. And it made me laugh with delight.
@Angie: Yes. It’s an impressive debut.
I listened to the audiobook of this one and it made my Top 5 audios of the year. I think I would have appreciated Leon’s narration style less in print but I found it easy to go along with on audio.
@Kaetrin: It’s good to know that the audiobook is also excellent.