BOOK REVIEW: The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary

BOOK SYNOPSIS

Tiffy and Leon share a flat.
Tiffy and Leon share a bed.
Tiffy and Leon have never met.

Tiffy Moore needs a cheap flat, and fast. Leon Twomey works nights and needs cash. Their friends think they’re crazy, but it’s the perfect solution: Leon occupies the one-bed flat while Tiffy’s at work in the day, and she has the run of the place the rest of the time.

But with obsessive ex-boyfriends, demanding clients at work, wrongly imprisoned brothers and, of course, the fact that they still haven’t met yet, they’re about to discover that if you want the perfect home you need to throw the rulebook out the window.

MY SYNOPSIS

When Tiffy (short for Tiffany) breaks up with her boyfriend, he understandably wants her to find another place to live but her choices are limited.

Tiffy earns diddlysquat at her job working for a craft and hobby magazine. On top of that, she owes her ex-bf a bit of back pay on rent. She loves her job and doesn't want to quit, but neither can she afford to pay for a London flat by herself. Enter Leon's advert.

Leon is as a palliative care nurse at a hospice facility, but he needs extra income to take care of a family matter. Because it isn't really feasible for Leon to obtain a second job, as he works the higher paid overnight shift, he decides the best option is to procure a flat mate. This solution seems easy enough, as he'll occupy the flat when his roommate is working and he stays with his girlfriend on the weekend anyway. 

"I have a feeling Tiffy becomes 'our girl' easily -- she's the sort of person distant relatives and absent neighbors still like to claim credit for."

Leon's new flat mate is friendly, loquacious, goofy, and tons of FUN. Tiffy's bubbly personality, tall stature (six feet!), and funky outfits grab the attention of everyone around her. Leon, on the other hand, is kind, stoic, and likes to keep to himself. He's not a man of many words, and he often settles for the status quo to avoid change. In other words, Tiffy and Leon are polar opposites!

When Tiffy moves into the flat, they find creative ways to communicate and soon realize they've found an unexpected ally in each other.

MY TAKE

"There's more emotion here than at an airport arrivals lounge.
Love Actually was missing a trick."

Leon and Tiffy are utterly charming, adorable, and unique. In fact, unique is the perfect word to describe this book.

The plot is unique.

The characters are unique.

The writing format is unique.

Even their jobs are unique.

And, that's what really tipped the scales and made it a real winner for me. It's always refreshing to find a book with a unique storyline, especially when it comes to romance novels. 

MY RATING

OVERALL: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 👥👥👥👥👥

STORYLINE: 📚📚📚📚📚

BLOG TOUR REVIEW: Handle with Care by Helena Hunting

SYNOPSIS

New York Times bestselling author of SHACKING UP and I FLIPPING LOVE YOU by Helena Hunting mixes humor and heart in this scandal-filled romantic comedy. 

HE WANTS TO LOSE CONTROL.

Between his parents' messed up marriage and his narcissistic younger brother, Lincoln Moorehead has spent the majority of his life avoiding his family. After the death of his father, Lincoln finds himself in the middle of the drama. To top it all off, he's been named CEO of Moorehead Media, much to his brother's chagrin. But Lincoln's bad attitude softens when he meets the no-nonsense, gorgeous woman who has been given the task of transforming him from the gruff, wilderness guy to a suave businessman. 

SHE'S TRYING TO HOLD IT TOGETHER.

Wren Sterling has been working double time to keep the indiscretions at Moorehead Media at bay, so when she's presented with a new contract, with new responsibilities and additional incentives, she agrees. Working with the reclusive oldest son of a ridiculously entitled family is worth the hassle if it means she's that much closer to pursuing her own dreams. What Wren doesn't expect is to find herself attracted to him, or for it to be mutual. And she certainly doesn't expect to fall for Lincoln. But when a shocking new Moorehead scandal comes to light, she's forced to choose between her own family and the broody, cynical CEO.

MY REVIEW

Loaded with witty dialogue and the type of quality writing I've come to expect from Helena Hunting, HANDLE WITH CARE is the perfect combination of romance, comedy, and suspense. 

Wren is an independent PR consultant and has just done the impossible -- reshaped the horrendous reputation of Armstrong Moorehead. 

That's all well and good, but Wren's ultimate dream is to start up her own charitable organization. It's the reason she agreed to be Armstrong's handler in the first place. His mother sits on the foundation committee of nearly every charitable foundation in the city and has promised Wren a glowing recommendation upon the fulfillment of her contract at Moorehead Media.

As the end of Wren's six-month contract comes to a close, the CEO of Moorehead Media suddenly dies and she reluctantly agrees to stay on for another six months to help Armstrong's older brother transition into the vacant position.

Lincoln is nothing like his brother. He's altruistic and focused on his job overseeing the construction of homes in developing countries. When his dad dies, he's in the middle of a project in Guatemala. He's been away from civilized society for years and he hates New York. Taking over as CEO of Moorehead Media is the last thing Lincoln wants, so Wren has her work cut out for her. 

Aside from a rough start, the chemistry between Wren and Lincoln is undeniable. When they stop fighting the inevitable, an intimate relationship starts to form. The thing I loved about HANDLE WITH CARE is that it's not a story of instalove; it's about two people forming a strong bond, organically, over time.

Despite the confidence and loyalty Lincoln and Wren have found in each other, one question still remains. Can their newfound relationship survive the fallout of a buried secret once it's unearthed and the ugly truth is revealed?

MY TAKE

I wholeheartedly enjoyed HANDLE WITH CARE. In fact, I loved it so much that I read the entire thing from start to finish in one sitting. Also, I love when authors throw in character cameos from previously written novels, and Helena Hunting is a master at this.

(If you loved the SHAKING UP series, you'll love this standalone.)

HANDLE WITH CARE is a must read for romcom and "feel good" lovers everywhere!

OVERALL: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 👩👩👩👩👩

STORY LINE: 📚📚📚📚📚

HUMOR: 😂😂😂😂😂

STEAM FACTOR: 🧯🧯

ANGST: 😒😒😒

BUY BOOK >>> HERE

*A HUGE thank you to Kelly Klein at St. Martin's Press for allowing me to be a part of this book tour and for providing me with an advanced reader's copy of this book. It's such an honor and I was so thrilled to be asked. 

AUTHOR BIO

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of PUCKED, Helena Hunting lives on the outskirts of Toronto with her incredibly tolerant family and two moderately intolerant cats. She writes contemporary romance ranging from new adult angst to romantic sports comedy.

BOOK REVIEW: Listen to Your Heart by Kasie West

Listen to Your Heart by Kasie West
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm not the least bit ashamed to admit that I have a serious affinity for super cute YA novels. And, in the young adult world, West is king! I absolutely loved The Fill-in Boyfriend, but LISTEN TO YOUR HEART might be my new favorite.

It's just the adorable kind of read that makes ya feel good! Yes, it's somewhat predictable. Some might even say it's too cheesy at times. Well, I don't care. I really and truly loved it! (Not in spite of those things, but because of them.)

Side note: Queen's "Under Pressure" was playing on a loop in my brain as the background score music for the last few chapters. Which can only mean ONE thing: it would make a fabulous coming-of-age movie!

PSS. I don't know why my brain finds the need to create a soundtrack for books, but I kind of love it.

View all my reviews

BOOK REVIEW: I Flipping Love You by Helena Hunting

I FLIPPING LOVE YOU by Helena Hunting is a cute story about flipping houses in the Hamptons, moving on from past hurts, and being brave enough to take a chance on love. 

Initially, Rian (pronounced Ryan) and Pierce seem like an unlikely couple on the surface, but sparks fly when an case of mistaken identity leads to a chance encounter at a grocery store.

Despite the obvious chemistry, Rian hesitates to get involved with men who aren't safe bets and Pierce is anything but safe. However, Rian quickly discovers that her reluctance is no match against Pierce's good looks and charming personality, and the two find themselves swept up in a whirlwind romance. 

I FLIPPING LOVE YOU is a feel good love story that is guaranteed to make you laugh and the perfect beach read. It's also the third novel in the SHACKING UP series but may easily be read as a standalone. In fact, I didn't initially realize this book belonged to a series. This fact ended up being an unexpected, but a welcome bonus for me, as I loved both SHACKING UP and HOOKING UP!

RATING: ❤️❤️❤️❤️

*A big thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. The thoughts expressed in this review are my own personal opinions and have been written in my own words.