Review: The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary @OLearyBeth @QuercusBooks @CWIPPrize #CWIPShadowPanel #TheFlatShare

After reading a huge amount of thrillers and horrors, it’s always refreshing to read a witty light book. I was lucky enough to be approved to read The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary courtesy of Netgalley and Quercus publishing house, it published on the 10th! Happy publication to Beth!. To get straight to the point, I bloody loved it! This is going to be one of the top reads of spring & summer 2019, I can feel it in my bones and you really don’t want to miss out when everyone is talking about it.

A little bit about the author Beth O’Leary; she worked within children’s publishing before deciding that the authors life was for her. The concept of The Flatshare (which is a debut novel, I couldn’t quite believe it either!) was developed using true events, apart from the stranger bit? Beth’s doctor boyfriend would work night shifts while she worked sociable hours. They would go weeks without seeing one another but Beth would keep up to date with her boyfriends life by small tell – tale details; such as how much he’d eaten from the fridge and the moving bookmark within his current reading material. With this, Beth has stumbled across an amazing idea for a giggle out loud novel.

“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…”

I can’t quite believe that The Flatshare is a debut novel, it’s storyline and characters are flawlessly planned. Beth O’Leary has written a brilliantly uplifting rom-com that will have you smiling until your cheeks ache and possibly spraying coffee out of your nose all over your kindle / paperback due to all the hilarious and cringy situations both Leon and Tiffy get themselves into. You know what it’s like, a few days after Christmas and you’re feeling too full of turkey and maybe hungover? This is the exact read that you need to lighten your mood! Obviously it’s not out until next April but turkey and rum isn’t only drank at Christmas right?

I devoured this book in a day, could not (didn’t want to) put it down, that’s obviously the first sign that it’s a good book. The second indication that the author has written a readable book is when you fall in love with the characters, and hate all the ones you’re meant to. That is what the characters created by Beth did, made me fall in love with them to the point I wished they were my real friends (sorry real friends!). Tiffy is an outgoing and friendly woman with a questionably unique sense of humour, whereas Leon is a bit more of a closed door with his life and emotions. They’re perfect flat-share mates!

The storyline is flawless and obviously well planned out, no plot holes and beautifully written, I just loved it plain and simple. It’s five stars from the girl with the coffee drenched kindle! Everyone will be talking about this superb rom – com come next summer so make sure that you’re not left out and read it!

Whatever you’re reading this holiday,