The Flatshare

The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary is an adult romantic comedy published in 2019. It sold over one million copies and has been adapted for television by Paramount+. It is O’Leary’s first novel, and she was nominated for a Comedy Women in Print prize upon its release. The novel centers on the story of Leon and Tiffy, who share an apartment—and a bed—but at different times of day, so it is months before they actually meet. When they do, they both learn to take risks and step out of their comfort zones in order to be together. The novel explores themes of recovering from emotional abuse, building intimacy through unconventional means, and the rewards of taking risks.

O’Leary has written four other novels, all romantic comedies. Her second novel, The Switch, is being adapted for film. O’Leary is English, and all of her novels are set in the UK. 

This study guide refers to the 2021 First Flatiron Books Trade Paperback edition of the novel. 

Content Warning: The source text and this guide include discussion of emotional abuse and manipulative behavior in relationships. 

Plot Summary

Tiffany “Tiffy” Moore is searching for a place to live after her ex-boyfriend, Justin, told her to move out. She tours several places that are both cheap and available immediately, but they are extremely unpleasant. Tiffy sees an ad for a flatmate with an unusual twist: The person who placed the ad—Leon Twomey—works nights and sleeps during the day and is looking for a flatmate who can have the flat to themselves at night and on weekends. The arrangement is perfect for Tiffy, but her best friends, Mo and Gerty, are skeptical. 

Tiffy views the flat and meets Leon’s girlfriend, Kay, who dislikes the arrangement and insists that all communication goes through her. Tiffy agrees to the terms and plans to move in. Leon thought of the flat-share arrangement as a way to earn extra money to pay legal fees for his brother, Richie, who is in jail after being wrongfully accused of robbery. Leon is a hospice nurse, and his relationship with Kay is strained, especially because Leon seems uninterested in sharing a flat with her. She insists he stays with her on weekends when Tiffy is there. 

Tiffy’s coworker Rachel takes Tiffy out for drinks. Mo and Gerty show up to break the news to Tiffy that Justin is engaged. She is stunned because she and Justin have broken up many times, but they’ve always gotten back together. 

Tiffy edits books on DIY and craft subjects; her current client, Katherin, is working on a book of crochet patterns and insists that Tiffy be a clothing model at a party where Katherin is doing a demonstration. Tiffy agrees but panics when Justin appears in the crowd. Tiffy wonders how he knew she would be there. Justin emotionally abused Tiffy, though she is less aware of this than her friends are. 

Tiffy bakes oat bars and leaves a Post-it note for Leon telling him to help himself. This begins their habit of communicating through Post-it notes, which increase in frequency, humor, and intimacy over the next few weeks. Tiffy worries that Katherin will not be able to make samples of all her patterns in time to finish her book. She finds a bag of scarves that Leon has stuffed under their bed. Impressed by the craftsmanship, she leaves a note asking where he got them. He responds that Mr. Prior, a hospice patient, loves to knit and gave them to Leon. She tells him that he could probably get a lot of money for them if he sells them online. 

After a few months of living in Leon’s flat, Tiffy answers the phone when Richie calls, unaware that Leon had a brother in prison. After he shares his story with Tiffy in a letter, Tiffy asks Gerty, who is a lawyer, to look into his case. Tiffy and Gerty both send letters to Richie through Leon, who is amazed at Tiffy’s compassion for Richie, especially compared to Kay.

Leon asks Tiffy if Katherin could come to the hospice to do a demonstration for the patients. Tiffy anticipates meeting Leon for the first time, but Leon nervously avoids her. Holly, a young leukemia patient of Leon’s, introduces herself and tells Tiffy that she will tell Leon that she is pretty. Tiffy looks for Leon but instead finds Mr. Prior, who says he saw Leon earlier, looking emotional after reading a letter. 

When Leon tells Kay he may have found another lawyer to help Richie, she is annoyed that his preoccupation with Richie’s case and his patients means he barely spends time with her. She admits she’s not sure if Richie is innocent, which is the last straw for Leon; they break up. 

At a book launch Tiffy attends with Katherin, Justin shows up and coaxes her to drink with him. She refuses and tells him that she needs a few months of space. Reeling from the encounter, she ends up drinking too much. The next morning, Tiffy wakes up an hour after she’s supposed to be out of the flat per her agreement with Leon. She goes to the bathroom in just her underwear and is shocked that Leon is in the shower. They are mortified to meet for the first time this way, but neither can help feeling attracted to each other. After they get over their embarrassment, they leave each other increasingly flirtatious Post-its. Tiffy calls Leon to confirm that Gerty will help Richie. Leon leaves a note asking if Tiffy wants to extend her stay beyond the six-month agreement, and she says yes. 

During this time, Tiffy grapples with the emotionally abusive nature of her relationship with Justin. Her friend Mo is a counselor, and she spends time unpacking her memories and understanding how manipulative Justin has been.

Meanwhile, Leon starts a project on behalf of Mr. Prior, who fell in love with another man while they were fighting in World War II, but they never saw each other again after being separated. Leon searches for Mr. Prior’s lost love, Johnny White. Discovering there are eight Johnny Whites in England, Leon systematically calls each one. Tiffy accompanies Leon to visit the sixth Johnny in Brighton.

They meet Johnny, and he and Tiffy hit it off. She and Johnny decide to go swimming, and Tiffy sprains her ankle and goes underwater. Leon rescues her and carries her to a nearby inn. The owner lets them stay for free, but they share a room since the owner assumed they were a couple. Leon cares for Tiffy, and they have dinner together, talking for hours before falling asleep in the same bed. 

Returning home, they both know that their relationship has changed. At midnight, Leon realizes that it’s too late for him to take a train back to his mother’s. He offers to sleep on the sofa, but Tiffy says they can share the bed. She kisses him, and they decide to move to the bedroom. They are interrupted by the doorbell ringing incessantly. Leon answers the door to see Justin, who demands to see Tiffy. Leon tells him she isn’t there. Justin tries to enter, but Leon refuses, telling him that he has a female guest and that Justin must leave. Tiffy is shaken, and Leon comforts her. They attend Holly’s birthday party together the next day. Holly asks Leon if he and Tiffy are dating because she believes they’re supposed to be together.

The next weekend, Tiffy, Leon, Katherin, and several of Tiffy’s coworkers spend a night in a Welsh castle for a photoshoot to promote Katherin’s crochet book. Leon models the clothes, and they plan to release the photos on social media with the help of viral YouTuber Tasha Chai-Latte. Tiffy and Leon are excited to spend the night at the castle together, but they are repeatedly interrupted by Tiffy’s coworkers. During the night, they sneak out for a romantic tryst in the castle kitchen, but Tiffy freezes, flooded by memories of Justin. Leon reassures her, but internally he is furious at Justin for hurting her so badly. 

Gerty gets a new trial set for Richie, and Tiffy continues working on a launch party for Katherin’s book. She is upset to learn that the trial and party will be on the same day; she wants to be there to support Richie, Leon, and their mother. Leon assures her that they will be fine and that she should enjoy the fruits of her labor. 

Katherin’s launch party is a success, and Tasha Chai-Latte is there to record it. On stage, Katherin thanks people for helping with her book. As she calls Tiffy to the stage, Justin appears. He takes the microphone and proposes to Tiffy. Before she answers, he tells the crowd that she said yes. Tasha Chai-Latte films everything and posts it on her social media channels. Leon sees the video and is shocked and hurt. Richie’s trial was successful, but Leon doesn’t tell Tiffy because of her perceived betrayal. Tiffy confronts Justin, asking how he knew where she’d be that night and the other times he’d mysteriously appeared. At first, he claims they were coincidences and that Tiffy is paranoid, but he eventually admits that Martin told him. Tiffy is furious and tries to contact Leon to explain everything.

Leon, upset, goes to the hospice ward even though he’s off duty. Mr. Prior is not doing well. He sees the Johnny White that he and Tiffy visited in Brighton waiting outside Mr. Prior’s room. It turns out he was the right one after all. After a call from Gerty explaining what happened, Richie calls Leon to explain that the proposal was staged. Leon rushes to Tiffy and apologizes for not trusting her. She forgives him, and they are physically intimate. 

When Tiffy returns to work, she and Rachel confront Martin about him giving information to Justin. Tiffy receives a call from Leon to say that Richie has been released. Tiffy goes home to meet him for the first time. Mo and Gerty join the welcoming party. Leon and Tiffy are preparing for Richie’s arrival when Justin appears at their flat. He is confrontational, so Gerty calls the police. Richie arrives and speaks to Justin outside before coming in and barricading the door while Justin pounds on it. Eventually, the police arrive to take Justin away. 

Two years later, Tiffy comes home to find a series of Post-its from Leon telling her to prepare for an adventure. The notes lead her to a chair on Brighton beach. She finds a letter from Gerty that says she and Mo give their blessing. The last note contains Leon’s proposal. He tells her to meet him at the room in the Bunny Hop Inn where they stayed their first time in Brighton. She rushes there and accepts, and Leon tells her that their flat was never really home until she moved into it.