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The Flatshare

The bestselling romantic comedy, now a major TV series

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The Flatshare

By: Beth O'Leary
Narrated by: Carrie Hope Fletcher, Kwaku Fortune
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'The new Jojo Moyes ... This has all the ingredients of Me Before You' COSMOPOLITAN

'Funny and winning ... a Richard Curtis rom-com that also has its feet firmly planted in real life. A real treat' Stylist

Tiffy and Leon share a flat
Tiffy and Leon share a bed
Tiffy 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...

'In the league of Bridget Jones and Marian Keyes' Walsh sister books...' Claire Allan

(P)2019 Quercus Editions Limited©2019 Beth O'Leary Ltd Family Life Genre Fiction Movie, TV & Video Game Tie-Ins Romance Romantic Comedy Women's Fiction Women's Voices Comedy Funny Feel-Good Heartfelt Witty
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Critic reviews

Deliciously funny and truly uplifting, this is a heartwarming story of friendship, love and starting over
Utterly charming... a Richard Curtis rom-com that also has its feet firmly planted in real life... above all else, it's funny and winning
It's funny and charming but there are moments of real poignancy, too. Guaranteed to leave you with a smile on your face
The Flatshare is a huge, heartwarming triumph
Set to become the romcom of the year with its loveable characters, comic situations and deeply satisfying love story - a Sleepless In Seattle for the 21st century
I loved the way various strands of Tiffy and Leon's lives were crocheted together ... A warm, colourful, unique story and a thoroughly enjoyable read
Funny, emotional and uplifting ... you'll devour this well-written debut
A quirky, feelgood read, bursting with character and warmth
Whip-smart and joyful, an original, delightful and thoroughly engaging love story
Touching, funny and skilful, a delightful read
Charming
In the league of Bridget Jones and Marian Keyes' Walsh sister books... Fresh, funny and feel-good... the perfect antidote to any bad day
A beautiful, hope-filled, joyful triumph of a book
Incredibly uplifting and joyous. I spent the last few hours with a massive smile on my face. I have fallen head over heels in love with Tiffy and Leon, and indeed with this book
A fresh, funny, quirky feelgood read with real heart
This will be THE heart-warming summer read of 2019
Breaks your heart AND puts it back together
An utterly magical read!
A gorgeously written, highly original love story
A sweet, funny, beautifully written romance
The Flatshare is original, charming, warm and properly funny. I loved it
This wee smasher is up-lit/romcom at its best
Uproariously funny with characters you fall for from the first page
The last book to completely emotionally absorb me in this way was Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, and I think fans of that will adore this. . . addictively readable
Each novel is like if Richard Curtis and Nora Ephron made a story baby
An inspired premise... Much Up Lit, often characterised by infantilising whimsy and pat resolutions, raises this reviewer's hackles. The zesty Flatshare, however, proves a tonic
There's no denying the sparky charm of this rather quirky love story
Funny and uplifting... a heart-warming story of friendship and love. The smart, original writing makes for a compelling, emotionally intelligent and thoughtful book about love. It's fiction to make you feel good - endlessly enjoyable and brilliant fun
All stars
Most relevant
Tiffy needs somewhere cheap to stay. She sees an advertisement for a flat bed share. Leon works night shifts and needs extra money to pay for his brother's lawyer fees. They come up with an arrangement: Tiffy has the flat during the evenings, weekends and nights, Leon during the day. The number one rule of the bed-sharing: don't meet your roommate.

Leon was the sweetest character. He was reserved, almost shy, and only comfortable around a few people he was close to. He works night shifts as a hospice nurse. When we first meet Leon, he is in a relationship with Kay, who subtly seems to put him down, hates Leon talking about his brother (who is in prison for a crime he did not commit) and thinks he's wasting his time trying to track down one of his patients' long-lost love. Needless to say, Leon needs a more supportive, caring girlfriend...

Enter Tiffy! Tiffy works for a DIY craft publisher, a job which pays her poorly yet she absolutely loves. Her love for bright, unusual clothing continues into her own wardrobe and - to Leon's horror at the beginning - their flat. Tiffy was "quirky" without it being over the top; both characters seemed like real, whole, actual people.

Tiffy is also reeling from a recent break up with her ex, who has left her for another woman. The author tackles emotional abuse in relationships so well with Tiffy and Justin's past relationship. How someone can be gaslighted and manipulated and not even realise this is what is happening to them. How the impact of such a relationship can be carried forward in your life long after it has ended. Tiffy's experience is something that sadly happens and the author broached this topic in a sensitive yet empowering way.

In the first half of the book, our main characters don't actually meet. This is something that would usually put me off, yet the tension kept me hooked. Instead, Tiffy and Leon communicate through the use of post-it notes they leave around the flat. This was so cute! Tiffy and Leon's post-it note conversations were endearing and funny.

I have never wanted two characters to end up together so much. They were the perfect balance for each other and - especially after their past relationships - both deserved a kind, loving partner. The build-up of their relationship was tension-heavy and had an amazing pay-off. I honestly don't know how anyone couldn't love these two.

And I also loved the supporting characters! Mo and Gerty, Tiffy's friends from uni, were great. Gerty appeared cold and blunt but was also incredibly loyal. Mo was just a sweetheart. I also loved Richie, Leon's brother, and the side-plot of his wronged imprisonment was engaging; tragic yet hopeful.

Carrie Hope Fletcher and Kwaku Fortune did a wonderful portrayal of these characters and their narration added an extra sparkle to the already wonderful story. At the end of the audiobook Carrie also interviews the author which was really interesting.

A new favourite romance

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I really enjoyed this book. It is such a nice concept for a book with the way the characters don't meet for the first half. The narrators were wonderful too, which is quite rare. I looked forward to listening to it whenever I could!

Really great!

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A truly lovely story. Funny and heart warming with just enough grit to keep you hooked. The characters are interesting and likeable, without being too predictable. A great book with excellent narrators!

Excellent

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Read the physical book first then read the audiobook. It's so good and the narrators are fantastic

Amazing

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Really loved this audiobook! Should have listened to it sooner!
Wish the two narriters could have read the parts of their character within each others chapters.

Love love love!

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