P.S. I Like You: The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary
The very idea of this book is what first caught my eye: Two strangers sharing an apartment, splitting the day down the middle. It feels illogical (and honestly Tiffy absolutely get the better end of the deal) in the beginning, but Tiffy and Leon soon find home in each other, not just their shared apartment.
I loved this book. Plain and simple. It’s a bit more British than most books I read, and I know that sounds weird, but I absolutely found myself developing an accent after long periods of reading, thinking of each character’s voice as I read their words. The chapters are short, as is the exposition, getting to know our characters and premise fairly quickly, but the attraction itself was fairly slow and drawn out. I personally like that for a book, having long stretches of comfortable reading. No surprises. Just getting to know the characters and their lives. For those who do not, this might not be the book for you. In fact, it was the sudden climax and live proposal disaster with Tiffy’s toxic ex that throws a wrench in the read for me. It was so uncomfortable, stressful, and chaotic that it was unpleasant to read, even though I know that’s the point. It ruined the whole vibe and I never really recovered.
We first meet Tiffy after a breakup with her cheating ex. She’s heartbroken, barely making it through the day, and to make things worse, she can’t afford rent. Good thing Leon works nights, needs some money for his brother’s prison appeal, and has a frankly terrible girlfriend he can stay with on weekends. Shortly after moving in, Tiffy begins exchanging notes with Leon. Put the toilet seat down. I left some cookies for you. Your brother called. But their post-its soon become emails and way more personal. With a toxic ex that’s conditioned Tiffy to think she’s unlovable, Leon changes the way Tiiffy not only thinks about men but herself. Working hospice all night and saving for his brother’s appeal, Leon has a hard time thinking of himself, until Tiffy’s notes make him laugh and rediscover the joy in life.
“Often think it must be very tiring, being Tiffy,” he says. “Even in note-form, she seems to expend so much energy.”
One thing I really enjoyed about this book was its “slow-burn” nature. There was a fair amount of sexual tension once Leon and Tiffy’s notes relationship picked up. We got an accidental shower bump-in, a semi-naked run-in with Tiffy’s psychotic ex, and a fade-to-black. Pretty tame. But this was all thrown off by her ex Justin’s surprise televised proposal at her work event. It took this book from 0 to 100 real fast. Everyone upset. Everyone crying and confused. And it stayed high-stakes until the end.
In the words of Tiffy: “Life is often simple, but you don’t notice how simple it was until it gets incredibly complicated, like how you never feel grateful for being well until you’re ill, or how you never appreciate your tights drawer until you rip a pair and have no spares.”
While I feel this works in some books, it felt like it belonged somewhere else.
Another thing, Leon’s girlfriend is absolutely horrible. Leon doesn’t even like her by the time we meet them. She’s one of those girls that picks projects instead of looking for what she actually wants in a relationship, wanting more affection and commitment from Leon, wanting more money or things in common, wanting a different family and connection for him. And we know from the beginning (not just because this is a romance novel) that’s not going to happen.
The book overall feels like an overarching lesson for life. How to deal with trauma and grow from it, not allowing it to control your life but still assigning those trauma-response feelings value. How to pick people you like instead of people you could. How to value yourself. How to do what you love and fight for what’s important.
4.5 stars
I would love to read Beth O’Leary again. Might just need some time to re-adjust to my actual accent again.
