The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary Tiffy needs to get out of her rubbish ex's place but she's got a shoestring budget. Enter Leon, who needs the extra income of a flatmate. But there's only one bed! Not that Tiffy and Leon will ever share it, or be home at the same time, or ever actually meet. They start leaving notes for each other... then their lives begin to slowly mesh, until it's inevitable that they'll finally come face to face.
I've had to read O'Leary's books out of publication order, as I'm at the mercy of the local library's availability. The last two I read were sooo not for me and I was anxious about reading her first one. Well, I'm confused because this feels like an entirely different author. The Flatshare is awesome! The concept is wonderful, the characters are incredibly loveable (even the side randoms), and I'd happily share my bed with this book forever (alas, I must return it to the library). Tiffy's trauma is handled sensitively and so well... makes me wonder why similar themes fell so flat for me in The No-Show and The Road Trip. I suspect it's the execution. Whew. That was a relief. Now I should go pick up The Switch, which is currently waiting for me on the hold shelf. Wish me luck with that one! xD Content warning: gaslighting, emotional abuse, stalking
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The Road Trip by Beth O'Leary Addie has set off early on a road trip, with her sister Deb, and intends to get to her friend's wedding on time. Except she gets rear-ended by Dylan, her ex, and Marcus, the walking turd he calls a friend. Now they need a lift - and being stuck together inside a car for hours (along with another peculiar wedding guest) is going to be awkward. It'll be a miracle if they get to the wedding on time.
I have made a horrible mistake in using up my reservation slots on Beth O'Leary's books at the local library. I'd cancel the next one if it wasn't already in transit between libraries, destined for the nearest hold shelf. I'd thought that The No-Show was a one off, but it turns out O'Leary is NOT for me. This is yet another book that reads like Reddit drama. The characters are young enough that said drama is exhausting and annoying for someone past that stage. The thing is, O'Leary is a fantastic writer and her prose is so easy to breeze through. You don't want to put the book down, even when you're not enjoying it. Her writing is the best part of The Road Trip - and Marcus is the worst part, hands down. Those of us who have known Marcuses in real life also know they never change or redeem themselves. Sorry. It's not believable. And now I will anxiously check my library app and wonder if it's bad form to cancel a hold mid-transit. Someone please reassure me that The Flatshare is at least palatable?? Content warning: stalking, sexual assault |
AboutAlyce Caswell, when she isn't drinking her way through a giant pot of tea, can be found dabbling in multiple genres and writing forms. She has self-published several titles in her space opera family saga, which is divided into two series: The Galactic Pantheon and The Pantheon War. Her most recent book is The Shadow of the Gods. 
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