This was cuuute. I love how individualistic Tiffy is! She's not of average appearance, but she doesn't it affect what she can wear and act like. She's not the definition of "conventionally" attractive, as Leon's girlfriend so viciously remarks upon, but Leon is absolutely enraptured by her looks & beauty. I love it!

It's also solid epistolary literature. The way the chapters transition from one of their notes/letters to a relevant scene is awesome. It feels so natural.

I appreciate that the book covers more than just their romance, too. I like the prison subplot, how it shows what people might be like when justice fails and truth is suppressed. And the look into publishing, and hospice even moreso, is interesting.

I didn't give a full 5 because I prefer having an up-close-and-personal look into characters, but this felt a bit bird's-eye at times.

I give both Carrie Hope Fletcher and Kwaku Fortune 4.5/5⭐️'s. And the only reason they're not higher is probably (unfortunately) not thier fault. The production left in a lot of mouth sounds. The tracks should have been edited better.

I never thought I'd find a romance book that I would actually fall in love with. In general, I'm not a fan of the genre. But this felt less like reading a romance and more like reading two people's lives that happened to fall into place with each other. Tiffi and Leon felt so real and the world they shared together felt extremely lived in. I loved that the conflict didn't stem from their relationship, but rather how external factors affected their relationship. 

On top of that, it was genuinely romantic, which is more than I can say for most of the romance genre. 

It's not without it's flaws but I would recommend it to anyone in a heartbeat.

After being ditched for another woman, Tiffy is desperate to find a new place to live. Leon has a flat sitting empty at night while he's out working and is in need of extra cash. Seems like the ideal arrangement; they live together and yet have the place to themselves. It's just the rest of their lives that make things more complicated...

Picked this book up after seeing the recent TV adaptation advertised (still haven't managed to actually watch ot though!) and liking the premise. It certainly delivered upon my expectations; I was pleasantly surprised that the set up didn't feel contrived, but instead made perfect sense in the circumstances! Similarly, the exchange of messages via post-it note works really well; they have phones and know how to use them, but somehow again there was no questioning why they didn't just message or WhatsApp eachother, even when their notes become longer. 

On the surface, this is a very cute story, but there are darker themes running throughout. Normally, the only thing that gets me to close the book and take a breath before continuing is second-hand embarrassment, but in this case there were a couple of occasions where I needed a moment to allow my more visceral reactions towards certain characters and actions to subside. Tiffy does go on something of a healing journey throughout the book, and so I also found myself having to revise my opinion on some of her thoughts and actions, and recognise them as almost a 'conditioned response' to a girl who can't quite let go of a guy who is clearly not good for her. I give the author kudos for illustrating the development and recovery process in such a way. 

The book is very well rounded, with a number of great little sub-plots and other details that serve the main plot very well and flesh out both the main and secondary characters, making them particularly lovable (or hateable as the case may be). There's a little bit of social commentary on the state of the justice system, a story of long-lost love, and an admiration of crochet that absolutely tips this towards the 'cosy' end of the spectrum in places! 

The one thing I didn't get to grips with was the way Leon's chapters were structured. The chapters alternate between Tiffy and Leon's PoVs, but while Tiffy's are written in fairly standard prose, Leon's are a bit all over the place. Parts are written in abridged sentences, almost like he's filling in a patient's chart as part of his job. Speech isn't set out in speech marks, but rather prefixed with the name of the speaker, giving the impression of text messages or even a script. And other elements of the text feel more like a continuation of the post-it notes. There isn't a specific reason given for this quirky style and, while it is still 100% readable, it felt like energy needlessly wasted when it could have been set out in the same way as Tiffy's and been just as effective while being easier to digest.

I was initially torn about whether I'd keep this book or not, but the more I think about adding it to the charity pile, the stronger the feeling I get that I'll want to read it again at some point. So, for now at least, it earns a place on my bookshelf.

Mietin tässä, että raskinko antaa tälle 5 tähteä, mutta en keksi yhtäkään syytä antaa matalampaa arvosanaa. Ihan mahtava, tunteellinen ja kaunis kertomus. Kaikki muutkin O’Learyn kirjoista menee saman tien lukulistalle. Lukekaa ihmeessä!