The Flat Share by Beth O'Leary

I had read and enjoyed The Switch by Beth O'Leary so when I noticed another of her novels available, I decided to try this one too.

The Blurb

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...

The Review

The concept of this book is really quirky and made me smile. Tiffy needs a cheap place to stay and Leon needs money to pay for his brother's lawyer, so they end up sharing a one bedroomed flat, and the bed!

Tiffy is extrovert, fun and troubled by a former boyfriend. Leon is serious, loyal and in a habitual relationship. Tiffy works during the day and Leon is a nurse working constant night shifts, so they communicate through post-it notes and cooking.

This is a nicely constructed story where the ancillary characters play a vital role. I enjoyed Gerty and Mo's different attitudes to life and how protective they were of Tiffy. Richie and Leon's protectiveness towards their mother was well portrayed too, as was Leon's care of Mr Prior. And some scenes had me laughing out loud.

All in all, this is a fun novel that is easy to read and enjoy and well worth your time. I highly recommend it.

The Author

Beth O'Leary is a Sunday Times bestselling author whose novels have been translated into more than thirty languages. Her debut, THE FLATSHARE, sold over half a million copies and changed her life completely. Her second novel, THE SWITCH, has been optioned for film by Amblin Partners, Steven Spielberg's production company. Beth writes her books in the Hampshire countryside with a very badly behaved golden retriever for company. If she's not at her desk, you'll usually find her curled up somewhere with a book, a cup of tea and several woolly jumpers (whatever the weather).