Flatmates

by Chris Manby

Flatmates Fiona, Kerry and Linzi have problems enough squabbling over the itemized phone bill and whose turn it is to do the washing up. But nothing can prepare them for the chaos which ensues when Linzi's latest boyfriend arrives on the scene. Gorgeous but feckless, Gaetano spells trouble with a capital 'T'. And soon events are spiraling out of everyone's control...

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Romance, Humor

448 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

This author has also released books under the name Chrissie Manby.

Encouraged my by English teacher, Mrs. Pocock, I published my first short story in Just Seventeen when I was fourteen years old. The story was called ‘Whatever happened to the wonderful boy I fell in love with’ and I published it under the pseudonym ‘Carolyn Lane’ because it largely consisted of a transcript of an argument I’d had with my boyfriend. I bought a black denim jacket from C & A with the proceeds.

I continued to contribute short stories to Just Seventeen to help pay my way through university. I studied Experimental Psychology at St Edmund Hall in Oxford. Alas, I devoted rather too much time to my social life and staggered away with an unimpressive 2:2. In retrospect, that 2:2 saved my life. It meant that none of the graduate training schemes I had hoped to join would have me. I wouldn’t become an accountant after all. I moved to London and took a series of temp jobs to support myself. It was while I was working at Prelude Audio Books, a company which took erotic ‘classics’ and put them on tape, that I met my first real novelist: David Garnett.

David is a very well respected science fiction writer, who once dabbled with writing erotica under the name Angelique. Prelude was recording the Angelique novels. One afternoon, David spent a couple of hours sitting on my desk, waiting for my boss to come back from a very long publishing lunch to discuss some unpaid royalties. I told David I’d always wanted to be a writer. He dared me to write a novella like Angelique’s. A few weeks later, I handed him my first full-length manuscript. David cast his experienced eye over my scribblings, helped me tweak it and then passed it on to his editor at Little Brown. Incredibly, she made an offer on it. My dream of becoming a proper writer was reborn.

That first book was called ‘Inspiration’. It centred on the sexual shenanigans of a group of artists in St Ives. Wary of embarrassing my parents, I published ‘Inspiration’ as Stephanie Ash. Four more Stephanie Ash novellas followed, helping me to pay my rent and attract the attention of a literary agent. In 1997, I published my first Chris Manby novel, ‘Flatmates’…

Thirteen novels on the single life as Chris Manby later, I’ve just published ‘Getting Over Mr. Right’ as ‘Chrissie Manby’ (apparently too many people are under the impression that I am a bloke!).

I live in London and when I’m not writing (in fact, even when I’m supposed to be writing) I spend an awful lot of time on Twitter. Follow me on @chrissiemanby.

Reviews

[Ann Scriven · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wellll, I must say I am glad that I've finished the book. It is now in a box for books to be sold or donated, unless someone would like to borrow it. Not that great of a book. I did not love the characters, nor feel close to them. Hmmm

[Cat Parker · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't say I particularly enjoyed this book. I felt that the characters were a little weak and not a lot happened until the end. The last few chapters carried the most storyline, but it just felt rushed by that point. It's hard to enjoy a book if you can't connect with the characters, and I didn't really like any of them. I wouldn't seek out any other books by this author based on this.

[Kristy Cunningham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started out really slow but I really enjoyed it in the end.

[Julie Haigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was recently given a book by Chris Manby (Lizzie Jordan's Secret Life) and was hooked from page one-an amazing book. I then went on to read the sequel (Running Away From Richard) which was equally as good. Similar story for 'Seven Sunny Days' and 'Deep Heat' so I was expecting great things from Flatmates. It is a reasonable book but nowhere near the standard of all the other books I have read by this author. This is actually her first novel so I suppose she hadn't quite 'got into' her style at this point. There are a few spelling mistakes in this too-ok not many but they should have been noticed at the proof reading stage-her other books I can't remember having any mistakes as obvious as this and they are annoying to me when I had been used to the quality of her writing. It took me quite a while to get into this book and I had got straight into all the other books mentioned. I was a bit let-down and bored at first. I stuck it out, knowing Chris Manby's previously read novels and yes it did get better, a reasonable story-it's just that I had been spoiled by her other novels being so fantastic. This book was supposed to be 'A Funny First Novel' according to the Daily Mail but I didn't think it as funny as it was made out to be. Lizzie Jordan is hilarious and this just isn't. It has some quite good moments. My advice to you would be to give this book a miss really because, if you haven't read any of her books before it could put you right off them and you really would be missing out. Read the others first that I have mentioned which are all very entertaining. They have characters you can care about with some really funny moments but some serious issues tackled as well-a real mixed bag. This novel is very light-weight compared to these. I have really laughed out loud at the other books I have read by her.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Original rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

New rating ⭐⭐⭐🌠 (3.5)
This is a reread... I haven't read it more than a decade as far as i remember. I remember it being fun and laugh out loud, i couldn't imagine this stuff actually happening - it just seemed a little too stretched... Having had a flatmate and it went sour... I now believe more about the story than I did back as a teenager.

I did enjoy it, this time around but in 2020 the writing is a little dated and hoenstly some of the language used would not pass a standard nowaday, but i do accept that it was published back in the 90's which was a different time so it's to be expected... Books, tv shows and movies have all come a long way since then so.

I will probably read this again in the furture because it is an easy read and there are some laugh out loud moments and it's just a good book.

I've only read a couple other books by the author so I do want to read more 😊

[Kathy Chung · Rating 1 out of 5]

This gotta one of the worse chit lit that I hv read this year. Can't believe I kept reading till the end hoping that it would get better.

Chit lit supposed to make ones feel happy and light after reading them right? But this one just made me feel bad after reading.

Three losers.. fiona who is so uptight and nuts about her so call fiance. Kerry was hard up for a man that she who deceive herself that her gay boss would turn straight and marry her. Lastly linzi who is so blind that she would hang on to a no good louse and gosh...sucking off potential employer???...

Sorry to be this harsh but I had admired ms manby books a lot but this one is just ....oh well...maybe I just dont know how to appreciate this book.

[Dils AB · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't actively dislike it. That is one way of putting it.

I wish they is more of a rapport between the friends, but even though supposedly they should be friends from schools, it is like they had just met. I don't feel it people.

Everyone in this book is an idiot. Though I guess they have to be idiots to go through this passage of life and worth to be written about, I can't imagine anyone being this much of an idiot. So yeah I can't empathized with anyone but I like how they manage to escape their mess. Convenient but not deserving.

Other than that .. it was ok. The style here is simple and straightforward. Not too zany which I likes. A quick read but nothing too enjoyable I guess.

Is this her first book? Maybe I will try another to see if I would like her style more.

[Rachel Gioia · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's very hard for me to put a book down once I start it, even if I am not a fan. That was the case here. So many times I wanted to stop reading, but I trudged on. It had its moments that made it somewhat tolerable. However, this was the first of two books I read by this author, and I think it's safe to say I won't be reading anything by Chris Manby again. Just really not a fan of the writing style.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first book in the duo was about flatmates and the issues caused when one gets engaged to be married.

The second book is in a different type face which is strange. This also deals with house sharing and some phrases appear in both books. The events which unfold are unexpected but when they are "bad" things there is no come uppence.

[Eliza Nat · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked up to this book mainly because I could relate to it (at least from the summary on the back of the book). Back then, I have just started living with another 2 girls, as described in this book. But that's about it.

Not a memorable book. To be honest, I cannot recall what this book is all about.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this one!
Still catch myself thinking about it!
The character of Lara made me think of how I used to be!
Chris Manby is soooooooo good!!

[Tania Easton · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first time reading Chris Manby, I will be reading the rest. A good laugh.

[Jillian Maduray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent read..funny

[Jenna Coyne]

I loved this book thought it was a good read and enjoyed that the ending did not involve a marriage or get together

[Gemma · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was my first time of reading chris manby books and i loved it.