The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary #BethOLeary @CarrieHFletcher #KawkuFortune @MacmillanAudio

the setup…
Tiffany (Tiffy) Moore, a craft book editor, desperately needs a cheap place to stay. She and her boyfriend Justin have broken things off and he’s forcing her to leave his apartment. Leon Twomey, a hospice nurse, needs some extra cash flow and places an ad for a flatshare at an attractive rate. There’s one small catch…they’ll be sharing the same bed. But, since he works nights, they’ll never occupy it at the same time. Tiffy answers the ad and arranges things through Leon’s girlfriend, never meeting him. Oddly, it all seems to work with Tiffy and Leon communicating via post-it notes for months, never coming face to face.

the heart of the story…
Tiffy is described as a quirky character and she not only lives up to that but owns it. I adored her personality and strange sense of style as it made her unique. Leon, on the other hand, is a really nice man who is more sensitive and introverted. But, he shares more of himself to Tiffy through those post-it notes than he does with anyone else in his life. I loved their communications as they were unknowingly creating a relationship through them. Tiffy’s ex-boyfriend was a bad guy who was emotionally abusive and it took some time for her to not only recover from that but acknowledge it to herself. She’s also surrounded and supported by a wonderful network of friends who add additional life to the story. And, the anticipation of when and how Tiffy and Leon would finally meet was always in the background, building throughout the course of the book.

the narration…
I’m glad two narrators were used because Tiffy and Leon have distinct voices in the story that needed to be “heard” in the audio editions. Both performances were wonderful as I felt like they embraced the natures of these two beautifully as well as those of the secondary characters who were equally important.

the bottom line…
While this was a delightful romance with many light moments, it was also one with serious and dark themes as Tiffy’s abusive ex doesn’t go away quietly. It’s an important element as it shapes her growth and evolution. Leon also has issues going on in his life, including his being in a relationship that isn’t working and serious family demands that are the source for him needing extra cash. It just all makes for a much more compelling and fascinating story that kept me riveted. I kept putting this off and it was well worth the wait. I’m also glad I opted to listen to the story as the performances made this the best reading experience.

Book Info

• Release Date: May 28, 2019
• Narrators: Carrie Hope Fletcher & Kwaku Fortune
• Audio Length: 9 hours, 58 minutes
• Publisher: Macmillan Audio

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