The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary

          What an emotional wringer this book puts you through.  There is an enormous amount of joy in this book, despite covering some quite emotive subjects the writing itself is warm and full of a soft, dry wit.  The reading experience was one where I actually felt cosseted by the book and I just know this will be a go to pick me up book.  Really this is quite odd as it deals with some quite difficult subjects - relationship breakdown, emotional abuse, life threatening illness, miscarriage of justice and just the general slog of trying to make ends meet.  It isn't one of those books that shies away from things going wrong for the characters, veracity is paramount throughout.  Maybe that is why I enjoyed it as much as I did and seeing as I read 300+ pages in one sitting it is safe to say I REALLY enjoyed it.

Tiffy has a great job - Assistant Editor at a Publishing House.  Unfortunately, they publish rather niche DIY jobs so it has little in the way of glamour, prestige or anything like a living wage.  She has also found herself needing to rent somewhere in London for £400 a month - an exceptionally tall order.
Leon has a tough job - night shift Palliative Care Nurse at a local hospice.  He is not much of a one for talking and has an issue with using personal pronouns but does seem to be genuinely good at his job.  Somehow he needs to scrape together an extra £350 for Sal and he can't keep asking his girlfriend, Kay, for the money.
So, the meet cute is set up for Tiffy and Leon.  Except they don't meet.  They share a flat, they share a bed, they write notes but they have never met.

Very odd set up but somehow by the time you get 150 pages in, it all seems perfectly normal.  To be honest, I think if you are in a similar situation this could actually work and is a clever work around - then again I work night shifts so I never know what day of the week it is, let alone figure out anything more complicated.  As their separate tales unfold you realise that they are both carrying around quite a lot of excess baggage of varying types but their struggles are related so matter of factly that the character's voice is allowed to come through.

With a varied supporting cast, including the glorious crocheting Katherin, you get a glimpse of real lives that reflect many of our own experiences.  The real star of the story though is the humble Post It Note (other brands of sticky note are available); without it there really isn't a story.  I could happily sit here and discuss the plot scene by scene or speculate on certain character's behaviour at certain times but then why would you need to read this book?

Trust me if you like no nonsense characters, if you like a little romance and you like a lot of friendship then this would be a wonderful read for you.  If you like Trisha Ashley, Katie Fforde or Jilly Cooper (and I love all 3) then I am pretty sure you will inhale this book in great big chunks of enjoyment.

THIS IS AN HONEST REVIEW OF A FREE COPY OF THE BOOK RECEIVED FROM READERS FIRST.