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The Flatshare
Beth O'Leary
325 pages | Published by Flatiron Books
After a bad breakup, Tiffy needs an apartment as soon as possible and as cheap as possible, and agrees to split a one bedroom with Leon - who works nights, will be away on weekends, and who needs the extra cash to help pay for his brother's lawyer. The two get to know each other through post-it notes and begin to realize that their relationship is much more than two people who happen to live in the same apartment, and incredibly strong considering they have never actually met.
This was too cute and it needs to be a movie - classic rom-com material and I will be first in line to see in the theaters (or among the first to stream it on Netflix). The story of Tiffy & Leon was pretty predictable but honestly - who cares? It brought me joy and that's what counts here.
Tiffy is working through some serious emotional trauma caused by her ex, Justin, and I thought that O'Leary handled this plot point with extreme care. As Tiffy works through her trauma, it's clear that Leon is not magically solving all of her problems just by being present. Tiffy seeks counseling, learns to recognize warning signs, and builds a quality support system. Leon is a part of that support system just as much as her best friends and co-workers are.
Speaking of Tiffy's support system - I'm obsessed with all of the minor characters in this one. Gerty, Mo, and Rachel were an amazing blend of personalities, all with their own strengths and weaknesses. It was easy to why Tiffy would be so fond of each of them. On Leon's side of things, I loved his brother Richie and his patients Holly and Mr. Prior. You could tell that they each were happy to call Leon out for being too reserved at times.
The one thing I wasn't crazy about in The Flatshare was the writing style during Leon's POV chapters. I think it was supposed to get across that he's introverted and analytical in comparison to Tiffy's outgoing quirky nature, but it felt a bit awkward and took some getting used to.
Like I said, my fingers are crossed for a film adaptation of this. And seeing as how this is O'Leary's debut novel, I can't wait to see what she does next!
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