I really loved this book! Not enough to give it 5 stars, but close. It wasn’t anything different, of course the plot was original but it was a typical romance book. And I loved it. It was a quick read, it got me out of a reading slump pretty easily and I can see myself reading this again. 

I have to say I actually didn’t like the first half of the book due to the slow pace of progress and the very unique writing of Leon’s perspective… apart from that I loved the second half of the book when the plot went on faster and you could see Tiffy and Leon interact and fall in love more and more♡♡♡ I also really like Tiffy’s personal mental progress regarding her past toxic relationship and the way you could see her transform and find back to herself ♡

The Flatshare was a sweet, romantic book that wrapped around me like a much-needed hug. Tiffy feels like coming back home after a vacation and finding your bed is as soft and warm as you remember it. Leon is, well, as perfect as realistic characters can get. He gave me butterflies - in my heart, because I really ached for him to be real.

This novel is far from perfect - the whole Johnny White treasure hunt felt a little out of place even though it led to important plot developments. 

The writing style O'Leary adopted for Leon, while unique, was hard to get used to. I can see why it was an issue for many readers. It was very formal and unemotional. Though I kind of feel like that was the point; Leon struggled with emotional intelligence and vulnerability. It improves with the story and I do think his chapters become more 'normal' re: style of writing though they still remain detached. 

I loved how the romance took its time. I really liked reading about Leon and Tiffy's friendship. Their notes and rituals were precious and I will definitely hold this book close to my heart. Most of the times, a friends-to-lovers (which I'm still not convinced this is not) in the friends stage is very irritating to me. It seems performative almost. But not here. It was done wonderfully. 

Most of all though, I really liked how Tiffy's recovery was portrayed. Emotionally abusive relationships are so hard to leave, much less overcome. My favourite part was how Tiffy definitely has not overcome her ex - and this sounds very wrong but allow me to explain. Many other novels I've read will rush to make it clear that Tiffy has 'recovered' from years of gaslighting and manipulation. Most will say it is because of a new romance that Tiffy recovered. But O'Leary takes a step away from that and makes it abundantly clear that it takes intensive therapy, a solid friend group (emotional support), and quite some time for Tiffy to get better. That is rare and amazing of O'Leary to do.

So, would I recommend this book? Yes! Wholeheartedly. 


CW/TW:
--> Emotional abuse (from intimate parter); detailed, flashbacks, on-page
--> Emotional manipulation; on-page
--> Stalking; on-page
--> Sexual content; slight, fade-to-black
--> Side character in prison 
       >Falsely accused of crime
--> Character almost drowns
--> Hospice scenes (character is a palliative care nurse)
--> Child minor character with cancer; on-page, discussion of illness.

One of my top 3 reads is 2021! Cutest story, lovable cast of characters, and Tiffy and Leon's story is just heart-warming. Have been raving about this non-stop and is now my go-to book to give as gift since I finished it :) 

Nice fluffy romance with a bit of realistic drama and a dash of spice. I'm happy I went with the audio version because having dual POV, read by actors I could actual picture as their characters was lovely. 

Miscommunication trope, but is resolved fairly quickly. 

I've rated it a 3.5 rather than a 4, only because I had some trouble getting into it. Nothing against it at all, it just didn't hook me for some reason. 

This was a throughly enjoyable this book, the writing was amazing, I loved the characters and how complex they were. 
The sub-plots were really interesting, and while it is definitely necessary to check for content warnings, I think this book handled delicate topics really well. 

Liked this much better as an audiobook. It made the MMC’s parts feel more natural than when traditionally reading them. 

Original reason for DNFing: The MMC's point of view chapters were written very strangely (sentence fragments, weird grammar, clunky). The FMC's chapters were totally normal rom-com chapters. The juxtaposition was bizarre and I couldn't get into it.