I finally caved and read the book that everyone has been talking about this year. A quick prewarning, this book deals with emotional abuse within relationships and the different forms that this might come in.
Tiffy Moore is in need of cheap accommodation in Central London. With limited options within her budget, Tiffy opts for a flat share where she will not see her flat mate at all - but she will have to share a bed with a complete stranger. Tiffy is fresh out of her relationship with on-again-off-again boyfriend Justin, but it's only a matter of time until he'll want her back, she thinks. So, she opts for the bedshare.
Leon lives for his work as a palliative care nurse who doesn't have much spare time, or money, on his hands between juggling work, his very demanding girlfriend Kay and trying to free his wrongly imprisoned younger brother. Leon is forced to take on a room-mate to help his financial situation.
After a few helpful pushes from several individuals, as well as an endless stream of notes - follow Tiffy and Leon as they not only find themselves, but also each other.
Following on from The Beekeeper of Aleppo (review here), I wanted to throw myself into a light-hearted read - and I wasn't disappointed as I really struggled to put this one down. The pacing was incredible, the switching between Leon and Tiffy's point-of-view each chapter kept the story quick-moving and allows the reader to get to know each character on a personal level. The note passing element between the two main characters was ingenious as it allowed the romance element of the story to develop quickly but avoided the dreaded 'insta-love' - which I'm personally not a fan of. You would think it difficult for an author to get two characters to get to know each other without them meeting, yet O'Leary pulls it off with ease.
Leon and Tiffy are both lovable, charming and relatable characters in their own right. Which, considering, the opposing traits of each of them is quite a feat. Through Tiffy we learn the importance of friendship and knowing ones worth, Tiffy is such a bright and open character with endless personality quirks you wish her to be your friend in real life. While Leon is more introverted, yet shows endless compassion at work as a palliative care nurse where we see him bond with specific patients as the book progresses. Although shyer than Tiffy, Leon often stands up for what is right and defends the ones he loves endlessly.
Through the relationship between Tiffy and Justin as well as Leon's relationship with Kay, the light-hearted atmosphere of the book introduces the serious topic of emotional abuse within relationships. Through both of these relationships, O'Leary tackles a whole host of forms of emotional abuse such as gaslighting and controlling behaviour examples. This subject matter is definitely under discussed in general and is rarely seen as a subject matter within books, I applaud O'Leary for not only choosing to tackle this within her story but also commend her on her easy-to-read writing style that will allow The Flatshare to be consumed by people from various age groups - allowing for a greater span of awareness.
Of course, we also have the secondary characters from the book - Gerty, Mo, Rachel, Katherin. I love each and every single one of them, the importance of friendship and having a strong support system is an underlying theme throughout the whole book and the varying personalities between each of them provide Tiffy with excellent characters for her to bounce off which creates many moments of humour that had me laughing along as I read. If I was being nit-picky, I would say I was missing Rachel towards the end of the book, because she does kind of disappear towards the very end?
The sub-plot of The Flatshare, surrounds the younger brother of Leon - Richie, who we meet as he is trying to prove his innocence, claiming to have been wrongly imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit. Richie, as a character, is yet another lovable individual (I mean could I swoon over this book more?) he has humorous and heart-breaking moments within a single paragraph. His relationship with Leon, shows the strength and love between family members and the bond that creates. I don't wish to dive too much into Richie's story arc because I wouldn't want to ruin the book.
With the various plot elements to the story, the tension as the book progresses steadily increases and I felt completely on edge towards the end. The addition of the epilogue really tied the story up very well, I literally don't have anything bad to say about this book, it was just amazing.
Have you read The Flatshare? What did you think?
Thanks for reading, Rhi x.
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