# Read the first page of The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary Read the opening of The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary free, no signup. Two strangers share one bed on opposite shifts and never meet. - Page: https://uncovered.ink/read/the-flatshare-beth-oleary - Genre: Romance - Year: 2019 - ISBN: 9781250295644 - Read it blind (cover and title hidden): https://uncovered.ink/?b=9781250295644&s=read-page - Buy: https://bookshop.org/a/125786/9781250295644 - Borrow: https://search.worldcat.org/search?q=9781250295644 ## The opening You’ve got to say this for desperation: It makes you much more open-minded. I really can see some positives in this flat. The technicolor mold on the kitchen wall will scrub off, at least in the short term. The filthy mattress can be replaced fairly cheaply. And you could definitely make the argument that the mushrooms growing behind the toilet are introducing a fresh, outdoorsy feel to the place. Gerty and Mo, however, are not desperate, and they are not trying to be positive. I would describe their expressions as “aghast.” “You can’t live here.” That’s Gerty. She’s standing with her heeled boots together and her elbows tucked in tight, as though occupying as little space as possible in protest at being here at all. Her hair is pulled back in a low bun, already pinned so she can easily slip on the barrister’s wig she wears for court. Her expression would be comical if it wasn’t my actual life we were discussing here. “There must be somewhere else within budget, Tiff,” Mo says worriedly, bobbing up from where he was examining the boiler cupboard. He looks even more disheveled than usual, helped by the cobweb now hanging from his beard. “This is even worse than the one we viewed last night.” I look round for the estate agent; he’s thankfully well out of earshot, smoking on the “balcony” (the sagging roof of the neighbor’s garage, definitely not designed for walking on). “I’m not looking round another one of these hellholes,” Gerty says, glancing at her watch. It’s eight a.m.—she’ll need to be at Southwark Crown Court for nine. “There must be another option.” “Surely we can fit her in at ours?” Mo suggests, for about the fifth time since Saturday. “Honestly, would you stop with that?” Gerty snaps. “That is not a long-term solution. And she’d have to sleep standing up to even fit anywhere.” She gives me an exasperated look. “Couldn’t you have been shorter? We could have put you under the dining table if you were less than five nine.” I make an apologetic face, but really I’d prefer to stay here than on the floor of the tiny, eye-wateringly expensive flat Mo and Gerty jointly invested in last month. They’ve never lived together before, even when we were at university. I’m concerned that it may well be the death of their friendship. Mo is messy, absentminded, and has this uncanny ability to take up an enormous amount of room despite being relatively small. Gerty, on the other hand, has spent the last three years living in a preternaturally clean flat, so perfect that it looks computer-generated. I’m not sure how the two lifestyles will overlay without West London imploding. The main problem, though, is if I’m crashing on someone’s floor I can just as easily go back to Justin’s place. And, as of eleven p.m. Thursday, I have officially decided that I cannot be allowed that option any longer. I need to move forward, and I need to commit to somewhere so I can’t go back. Mo rubs his forehead, sinking down into the grimy leather sofa. “Tiff, I could lend you some . . .” “I don’t want you to lend me any money,” I say, more sharply than I mean to. “Look, I really need to get this sorted this week. It’s this place or the flatshare.” “The bedshare, you mean,” Gerty says. “Can I ask why it has to be now? Not that I’m not delighted. Just that last I checked you were sitting tight in that flat waiting for the next time he-who-must-not-be-named deigned to drop by.” I wince, surprised. Not at the sentiment—Mo and Gerty never liked Justin, and I know they hate that I’m still living at his place, even though he’s hardly ever there. It’s just unusual to hear Gerty bring him up directly. ## Books with a similar feel - [Heart Bones by Colleen Hoover](https://uncovered.ink/read/heart-bones-colleen-hoover.md) - [Counting Miracles by Nicholas Sparks](https://uncovered.ink/read/counting-miracles-nicholas-sparks.md) - [The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren](https://uncovered.ink/read/the-true-love-experiment-christina-lauren.md) - [A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams](https://uncovered.ink/read/a-love-song-for-ricki-wilde-tia-williams.md) - [The Burnout by Sophie Kinsella](https://uncovered.ink/read/the-burnout-sophie-kinsella.md) - [Negotiating Health Care by Sally E. Thorne](https://uncovered.ink/read/negotiating-health-care-sally-e-thorne.md) --- Source: Uncovered (https://uncovered.ink). A short sample shown for reading and discovery. Rights holders can request removal at https://uncovered.ink/takedown.