Beth O'Leary

The Flatshare is the debut rom-com by English author Beth O’Leary. Main characters are the quirky Tiffy Moore and palliative care nurse Leon Twomey who share a flat-and a bed-but never at the same time. With the challenges of finding a flat in London pressing upon her, Tiffy responds to an advert seeking a flatmate for a one room apartment. She works in the day and uses the flat at night and the weekends, and Leon works nights and sleeps in the flat during the day. A friendship evolves as the two exchange post-it notes about day to day things, then gradually involving the challenges of their lives: a brother in prison, an entitled ex-boyfriend and a demanding girlfriend.

This was a light, easy read but I preferred it to most contemporary romances as there was less than the usual amount of drooling and constant references to his biceps. The difficulties with Tiffy’s ex were also something many female readers would relate to.… (meer)

The Switch is a chick-lit fiction by English author Beth O’Leary. It stars Leena Cotton and her grandmother Eileen who decide to swap lives for a break. Leena moves out of her London flat after being sent on stress leave from work and into the tiny Yorkshire village of Hamleigh-in-Harksdale. 79-year-old Eileen has recently decided to start dating several years after her husband left her for the dance instructor only to find there are fairly slim pickings in her village. She embarks on life in London with gusto while Leena takes on her responsibilities with the Neighbourhood Watch group, and planning for the May Fair event. Leena meets a quirky group of neighbours, including the crusty old Arnold Macintyre and his handsome stepson Jackson. Leena finds her dynamic grandmother has left her big shoes to fill, and also struggles to repair her damaged relationship with her mother and to process her grief over the loss of her sister.

This was a light, fun read. Eileen was a very engaging character and made the story enjoyable.… (meer)

I finally understand all the hype and praise that The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary was given. As two roommates who never meet face-to-face fall in love through notes, the reader can’t help but join them. As romantic comedy novels go, this one was top-notch.

Tiffy who works as a publisher of DIY books, and is going through a difficult break-up from her nasty ex-boyfriend, discovers a flat that is within her budget. Leon, a palliative care nurse, works nights so the arrangement is easy, Tiffy has the use of the bed at night, while Leon sleeps in the day. But as they exchange notes on day-to-day things their lives start to entwine and slowly they discover what the reader already senses, these roommates could soulmates. Of course there are a number of things to sort through before these two can live happily ever after and it’s a fun ride with these two lovable characters.

The Flatshare is a clever, slightly quirky story. The two main characters are fun to follow and the author gives us some interesting secondary characters who help move the story along. I liked how the characters developed a friendship before getting romantic and that they both had issues to deal with. I was surprised that this is the author’s debut novel but happy that I can now search out more of her stories.… (meer)

A combination of things I love in a story, young and elderly people interracting in a found family sort of way, a sprinkling of romance but the heroine has other stuff going on, too, like figuring out her career, family, and healing emotionally. If you’ve read and enjoyed The Christmas Dress by Courtney Cole, you’ll probably like this one, too, the stories differ, but I felt like there’s a similar vibe.

Sometimes with dual POV’s, you’ll favor one much more than the other, happily, I found both of these women very easy to like, and there’s also such an entertaining sense of community established on both sides of their home swap, the supporting characters are just as engaging as Leena and her grandmother.

As mentioned, there is romance in this book, but not enough that I’d qualify it as a romance novel, so if that’s what you’re craving this might disappoint. There are hints of romance building throughout and I did like the two resulting couples, however, if I had one minor complaint, it’s that I would have preferred that their other romantic relationships were out of the way a bit earlier so that getting together could have felt slightly less rushed in the end.

While this does have some serious stuff going on, adultery, an abusive marriage, grief, and some good dramatic conflict between Leena and her mom, this book is most often humorous and uplifting.… (meer)