The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary
Tiffy and Leon share a flatTiffy and Leon share a bedTiffy and Leon have never met…Tiffy Moore needs a cheap flat, and fast. Leon Twomey works nights and needs cash. 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, demanding clients at work, wrongly imprisoned brothers and, of course, the fact that they still haven’t met yet, they’re about to discover that if you want the perfect home you need to throw the rulebook out the window…
Two people share a living space (bed and all). One person lives there during the day, and the other at night. They never plan to meet.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
1 / 5 steam levelFor all of you looking for LGBT character in books- this book did feature a supporting character subplot with an LGBT romance.Trigger Warning: Emotional Abuse.
Have you noticed yet that I don't love "women's fiction" books yet? (I don't know why they're usually called that and not just fiction, btw). I get kind of depressed when I read them, because the adults lives are so humdrum. But guess what? I read a fiction book that I loved!!! Oh... you knew that? You already saw the part where I rated it 5 stars? Fair enough.While this book wasn't all sunshine and roses (trigger warnings in this book for emotional abuse), I did find myself smile-reading quite a bit throughout it.This book was for sure British but while that can be a hindrance in understanding the flow or tone in some books (I'm looking at you When Polly Met Olly) , it was great in this book! (More like Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine). So many words came to mind when I was thinking of this book... funny, stressful, cute. It was all of these things!There were some amazing pop culture references in this. I LOVE a good pop culture reference so everytime I read one I would get a little giddy.Guess what else this book had? An Epilogue!!! I can't help it, I am a sucker for a good epilogue! I love the wrap up in a book!I adored the main couple in this book. Tiffy and Leon. First of all, let me shout out to them being an interracial couple. Secondly they were so freaking likable! I am totally fictional friends with them.Here's a little snippet from my main man Leon:Tiffy: You're an introvert.Make a face. I'm not a fan of those Myers Briggs - type things that tell you your personality type, like horoscopes for business people.Me: Guess so.If you didn't know this about me- I HATE personality tests. I know, you want to tell me my enneagram number. I'm happy for you and your number, and I don't want to take the test! (Did that just giveaway my number? Crap.)Need a little pallet teaser for Tiffy? I didn't leave you hanging!Leon looks at me with amusement."What a hat," he says."What a day," I counter, spreading my arms out wide. "No other headwear would do it justice."Need I say more? Tiffy and I are soul sisters?! If you don't follow me on instagram (you should be ashamed of yourself!) then you don't know about my hat obsession. In fact I regularly post to my Instagram story with #beretoftheday. That's right, berets are awesome and there's nothing you can do to talk me out of it! Do you see why Tiffy and I are besties?Also, if it wasn't clear from those excerpts, the chapters are told from alternating POVs. So you hear from Tiffy and you hear from Leon's perspective and they're both perfect!I loved this book- if you're looking for your next great fiction read then look no further than The Flatshare!
Do: bake something to share with your neighbors!Listen to: Manhattan by Sara Bareilles and Sun-Drenched World by Joshua Radin