The Flatshare is a often funny and always cute romance about broke and
fresh-out-of-a-breakup Tiffy and her new roommate, night-shift nurse and total sweetheart Leon.
They work out an arrangement that satisfies their budgeting needs as well as Leon’s jealous
girlfriend: Tiffy gets the room the nights and weekends, and Leon gets the day. And to ensure
that they never meet, Leon’s girlfriend forbids him from ever seeing Tiffy. But they have to
communicate somehow, and soon their apartment is covered in Post-Its of them telling each
other about their days or giving advice, growing closer with each note. Unfortunately, they have
to remember the first rule of flatsharing: never get into a relationship with your flatmate,
especially not with jealous exes, a prison case, and a surprise shower encounter in the picture.
This book is really sweet and addresses serious topics alongside the romance. The
characterization of the two love interests is great, and I really enjoyed reading from the
perspectives of both of them, especially when it came to their little side-plots of Tiffy’s publishing
job and Leon’s search for the long-lost love of one of his patients. O’Leary did an amazing job of
weaving together all the storylines and communicating the depth of psychological damage that
Tiffy’s old relationship left her with. I was slightly put off by her descriptions of Tiffy from time to
time, and I also wished there had been a more satisfying conclusion to the story of the patient’s
lost love, but overall it was a really amazing and engaging read that I would recommend to any
older teens or young adults that love romance books