Name: gabby's review of The No-Show by Beth O'Leary
Item: The No-Show
Rating: 4
Author: gabby

Beth O'Leary

Three women who seemingly have nothing in common find that they're involved with the same man in this smart new rom-com by Beth O'Leary, bestselling author of The Flatshare. Siobhan is a quick-tempered life coach with way too much on her plate. Miranda is a tree surgeon used to being treated as just one of the guys on the job. Jane is a soft-spoken volunteer for the local charity shop with zero sense of self-worth. These three women are strangers who have only one thing in common: They’ve all been stood up on the same day, the very worst day to be stood up—Valentine’s Day. And, unbeknownst to them, they’ve all been stood up by the same man. Once they've each forgiven him for standing them up, they let him back into their lives and are in serious danger of falling in love with a man who seems to have not just one or two but three women on the go.... Is there more to him than meets the eye? And will they each untangle the truth before they all get their hearts broken?

The No-Show

The funny, heart-breaking and uplifting new novel from the bestselling author of The Flatshare Three women. Three dates. One missing man... 8.52. Siobhan's been looking forward to her breakfast date with Joseph. She was surprised when he suggested it - she normally sees him late at night in her hotel room. Breakfast with Joseph on Valentine's Day surely means something ... so where is he? 14.43. Miranda's hoping that a Valentine's Day lunch with Carter will be the perfect way to celebrate her new job. It's a fresh start and a sign that her grown-up life is finally falling into place: she's been dating Carter for five months now and things are getting serious. But why hasn't he shown up? 18.30. Joseph Carter agreed to be Jane's fake boyfriend at a colleague's engagement party. They've not known each other long but their friendship is fast becoming the brightest part of her new life in Winchester. Joseph promised to save Jane tonight. But he's not here... Meet Joseph Carter. That is, if you can find him. The No-Show is the brilliantly funny, heart-breaking and joyful new novel from Beth O'Leary about dating, and waiting, and the ways love can find us. An utterly extraordinary tearjerker of a book, this is O'Leary's most ambitious novel yet. 'Sweepingly romantic, bursting with character, and so, so clever I gasped out loud' Gillian McAllister 'The No-Show is audaciously clever, full of O'Leary's trademark warmth, and it will break your heart in a million different ways. It's phenomenal' Louise O'Neill HEAR WHAT EVERYONE IS SAYING ABOUT BETH'S NOVELS: 'Nobody does it like Beth does' Laura Jane Williams on The Road Trip 'So charming, so sweet and so lovely' Marian Keyes on The Switch 'O'Leary has a knack for articulating the things we all think and feel in relationships' Gillian McAllister on The Road Trip 'This book is perfect' Rosie Walsh on The Road Trip 'O'Leary is such a wonderful writer . . . Joyful and uplifting' Sheila O'Flanagan on The Road Trip 'Brilliant, warm, funny, full of heart' Richard Roper on The Switch 'Heart-warming and uplifting' Heidi Swain on The Switch 'An utterly gorgeous, beautiful book, full of feeling' Lindsey Kelk on The Switch 'The romcom of the year - a Sleepless in Seattle for the 21st century' Sunday Express on The Flatshare 'I devoured The Flatshare. Original, funny and touching. Read it' Clare Mackintosh on The Flatshare

The heart-warming new novel from the author of The Flatshare and The Switch

Silvia

Books are my happy place, he’d told her, and she’d felt herself light up, because that’s exactly what they are to her, too.

Elli Barnette

It’s one’s of those feelings, happiness. One of the ones you don’t really notice is gone until it comes back.

Three women who seemingly have nothing in common find that they're involved with the same man in this smart new rom-com by Beth O'Leary, bestselling author of The Flatshare. Siobhan is a quick-tempered life coach with way too much on her plate. Miranda is a tree surgeon used to being treated as just one of the guys on the job. Jane is a soft-spoken volunteer for the local charity shop with zero sense of self-worth. These three women are strangers who have only one thing in common: They've all been stood up on the same day, the very worst day to be stood up--Valentine's Day. And, unbeknownst to them, they've all been stood up by the same man. Once they've each forgiven him for standing them up, they let him back into their lives and are in serious danger of falling in love with a man who seems to have not just one or two but three women on the go.... Is there more to him than meets the eye? And will they each untangle the truth before they all get their hearts broken?

Omggggg,Miranda already found a letter. Her suspicions were right.

Ayoyimika 

Happy birthday! I don’t doubt that you’ll be celebrating in style.

I’ve thought a lot about our Christmas weekend together. And I’m umming and ahhing about whether to send this to you and tell you . . . I don’t know. It felt like more than friends to me. And more than what we had before, too – more than the springtime hook-ups, more than the sex. And I really want to know if it felt that way to you.

Anyway, enjoy your wine and ice cream. I bet the year ahead holds wonderful things for you, Siobhan Kelly. Xxx

Omgggg. Joseph Carter is so ughhh. I know he's playing 3 women and he makes me so mad somehow. I just want them to know he's shuffling 3 of them. Even though he's not exactly exclusive with Jane and Siobhan,it's still somehow. It is getting super interesting because Miranda is getting suspicious and she knows he's lying to her. 

María | @AltroReader

It's a kiss that should happened a thousand times already, but could only ever happen here, now, with so many truths between them.

I think you're my woman worth settling dow for, Miranda Rosso. I think you're my one.

Emma Wolfe

As a rule, she prefers plants and cats to humans these days: they're both species with a much better track record.

Jenna-Lee Gordon

Most people are shit, what are you going to do about it? And she thinks, I’m going to notice all the ones who are doing there best not to be

It’s more like, with AJ . . . I know he’d give me the key.’

This makes me silent cry. Not painful sobs. An inner emptiness that's spilling out through almost unnoticeable tears.

Sophia

It had always seemed cruel that a woman who was so afraid of being left behind had to be consigned to the past.

Siobhan had so badly wanted to live; she's wanted to be seen and felt and heard.

I cannot really think of anything to say... She was truely a fighter and it only breaks my heart so much more.

But because she is Siobhan Kelly, and a fighter to her core, as those last few seconds are passing, it's not despair she's feeling.

She's bargaining with her body, the way she always has. Pushing harder than it wants to be pushed.

Just give me a few more moments, she thinks. Long enough for him to get to me, and look me in the eyes, so I can tell him-

The "less than one minute" really made me sick

And just like that, in an instant, as if the universe doesn't care that her story is really just starting, Siobhan Kelly has less than one minute left to live.

There's no acceptance. She just doesn't have time for that. There's only anger, and pain, and loss.

Aubrey Erskine

Genesis (@whisperingchapters)

gabby

damn you were right yuki. that was so good

i sat with this for a few hours before writing this review. it was a bit hard to get into at first but it got interesting pretty quickly. i was also very concerned for a while about how they were going to redeem the love interest. also i love miranda, i want to be her, and she deserved better!!!

kels

arzoe kaur 

Beth O’Leary takes you through a whole whirlwind of an adventure. I absolutely love how she was able to personalize each of the women and complete their stories within in one novel. I have to say Jane was my favorite of the three, I just loved her personality and how she started to open up more and be comfortable in her own skin. Joseph Carter has my whole heart—I honestly thought he was being an asshole through majority of the book but then it got to THAT part and there’s just so much more to this man. Can we talk about the epilogue!? it really soothed my broken heart. So much love for these characters.

the plot twist was crazy. hated the male lead majority of the time. great first read of the yr

Julie Palacio

The Heart-warming New Novel from the Author of The Flatshare and The Switch

lexie

first of all thank u because you made me get out of my reading slump. this a great book. what the fuck. it’s heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. i thought it was another cheating scumbag again but no.

Emily Moore

** spoiler alert **
           4.5 rounded up

only thing I didn’t like about it was the misdirection that went on for most of the book but everything after that was very beautiful and sweet

I didn't like any of the characters until the twist. So for like 2/3 or the book I wanted to put it down. The twist is okay and it actually made the book better. But I would have like to have a drama book about Joseph story entirely, instead of us hating him all along.

Even like Aggie ? I thought she was so fake, she must have been sent by Joseph somehow. 

Glad the end was okay and cute and tender cause otherwise I would have consider selling her others books I have of her in my TBR 

Mallaury Bonnet

Bit disappointed! 

I didn't like any of the characters until the twist. So for like 2/3 or the book I wanted to put it down. The twist is okay and it actually made the book better. But I would have like to have a drama book about Joseph story entirely, instead of us hating him all along.

And the women characters ? URGH.

Even like Aggie ? I thought she was so fake, she must have been sent by Joseph somehow. 

Glad the end was okay and cute and tender cause otherwise I would have consider selling her others books I have of her in my TBR 

Patricia Nelson

It's not often I read 2/3 of a book thinking I understand the story, and then realized (Plot Twist!) I don't! I didn't love the characters, but that changed in the last third of the book and I couldn't wait to find out how everything pieced together. Author gets 4 stars for their writing craft.

Enna Burton

Samantha Chavez 

I absolutely adored this book and was melting at the romantic moments most of the time. 
However, I will say I don’t think the twist works here. Most readers will spend a majority of the books disliking Joseph, to say the least, and I think it would have been better to know the twist going in. 
Aside from that, I loved it and cant wait to read more of Beth’s books.

Was slow to begin with but got me hooked. The twist at the end how all the characters are slightly connected and he's actually a good guy not a womaniser is great. Jane story took me a while to get into I found it a little boring to begin with

Megan caddick

Beatrice

Actual rating: 3.5/5

I went into this book expecting another rom-com-style story about a two-timing guy, a serial cheater of sorts and had fully built in my head a John Tucker Must Die kind of plot flowing from that (I know, weird). But! Knowing Beth O'Leary after having thoroughly enjoyed The Flatshare, I should have guessed it just could not be that simple.

It's tough to review this book without spoilers, so I'll already apologise if everything I say sounds super-vague but I really don't want to risk giving anything away since the way the story developed was definitely a key factor in my enjoyment of this. This is one of those stories where it's best to go in blind, but just be mindful that there is some heavy content and it's not a super fluffy and light-hearted read. For me, it was definitely heart-warming and heart-breaking at the same time, which really shows the author's talent!

The three main characters are amazing women, each in her own way and with her own flaws. I loved how their individual voices came through in the multiple POVs and they really sounded like different people. To varying degrees, I grew to care about all of them and I loved following along for a part of their journey.

Despite this, at times I felt as though they weren't 100% fleshed out as characters: maybe it's because of the need to juggle three main characters and a full cast of secondary characters, but there were points in the novel where the three women definitely felt like characters instead of real people, boxed in their key distinguishing traits and not moving away from them. This didn't happen all the time, but it was often enough that it took something away from me in the enjoyment of this.

Their relationships with Joseph were also annoying at times. Yes, he's charming but he also doesn't always behave fairly towards them and all three women certainly put up with a lot of stuff without questions. Much is explained by the end, going a lot way towards his redemption in my eyes, but it was not enough to justify some of his behaviour.

I loved the experience of reading this book, as the writing fully drew me in. The beginning and end had me rushing through, but I felt some steam was lost towards the middle, which bored me slightly. Still, powering through it was certainly worth it to get to the ending! Some of the side plots were also brilliant and definitely added to my enjoyment.

The No-Show is a very clever book that is likely to appeal to anyone who likes a good romance with depth in plot and themes tackled. There is plenty going on just underneath the surface, and it was a delight to get to it.

CW:This book contains mentions of (view spoiler)[death, pregnancy/miscarriage, stalking. (hide spoiler)]

For more reviews, visit Book for Thought.

I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.

beth o'leary te amo tanto!!!!! es q nunca decepciona de vd q no 🥺 q haya conseguido q yo no sea misandrica hasta el final se merece mas nota incluso 😗 a lo mejor hay hombres q realmente merezcan derechos... jane !!!! mi favorita es q la amé desde su primer capítulo aunq siobhan y miranda han ido creciendo en mi corazon a medida q leia 🥺😭

maría

honestly, this has been my least fave book by my queen Beth 😓 it just didn’t hit the same as Flat Share and The Road Trip.

I buddy read this one with my mom, and for about the first 200 pages, we basically had no idea where the plot was going and what the point of the story was. there was no real connection between the three female characters so it was hard to connect with the story.

It became interesting once we hit the twist, and ultimately we finished it quite quickly once we hit the last 150 pages, but we both agreed it could have been shorter to keep the readers’ attention.

we both loved Miranda’s character the most, and both disliked Jane’s chapters as they felt the slowest and we didn’t overly love her character. the ending was the most emotionally charged part of the book, where you finally understand why Joseph is the way he is 💁🏽‍♂️

I wish I could say more, but it’s hard not to ruin any of the surprises in this one. if you have read this one, I’m keen to hear your thoughts!

Larissa Kirchberger

BOOK REVIEW

The No Show / Beth O’Leary

Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️

honestly, this has been my least fave book by my queen Beth 😓 it just didn’t hit the same as Flat Share and The Road Trip.

I buddy read this one with my mom, and for about the first 200 pages, we basically had no idea where the plot was going and what the point of the story was. there was no real connection between the three female characters so it was hard to connect with the story.

It became interesting once we hit the twist, and ultimately we finished it quite quickly once we hit the last 150 pages, but we both agreed it could have been shorter to keep the readers’ attention.

we both loved Miranda’s character the most, and both disliked Jane’s chapters as they felt the slowest and we didn’t overly love her character. the ending was the most emotionally charged part of the book, where you finally understand why Joseph is the way he is 💁🏽‍♂️

I wish I could say more, but it’s hard not to ruin any of the surprises in this one. if you have read this one, I’m keen to hear your thoughts!

Faith Kitowski

this book is not what i was expecting, but i actually enjoyed it. i was super scared i wasn’t going to like it, but the plots twists were so good. and the ending ahhhh <3 i love joseph

Lane Hokanson

THIS IS NOT A SPOILER, but I would argue against this being labeled a rom com. I went into it with that and ended up sobbing, which isn’t to say it’s not both romantic and comedic. It’s lovely writing, a beautiful story, and is not a sad ending, but be forewarned: do have tissues available and DO NOT read this on your period.

Hulda-Maria Räty

Gillian Rose

3.5 stars

This book is extremely well-written and I enjoyed the three women telling the story. However, I didn't really think it was much of a romance because I could not connect with the male lead at all and then the reveal/twist was employed too late for me to root for him! This is definitely a me thing, but it kind of soured the whole experience. I should not be exclaiming "wtf" during a romcom! Again, it's not bad, I just think it wasn't marketed right.

I went into this book knowing nothing aside from the quick summary on the Libby page and a recommendation from BookTok Swiftie sensation Marta. I recommend you do the same. Anything else is spoiler territory! You’ve been warned!

Content warnings: dementia, grief, abusive workplace relationship

For me, the big twist at 85% or so came too late in the plot for me to retroactively be okay with the whole premise, which is that this one guy is seeing these three women simultaneously. The book summary also made it sound like the three of them meet each other and conspire, which did not happen.

That being said, the big twist DOES result in a lot of compassion and clarity, and almost everything falls into place from there.

Liz Griffin

I went into this book knowing nothing aside from the quick summary on the Libby page and a recommendation from BookTok Swiftie sensation Marta. I recommend you do the same. Anything else is spoiler territory! You’ve been warned!

Content warnings: dementia, grief, abusive workplace relationship

For me, the big twist at 85% or so came too late in the plot for me to retroactively be okay with the whole premise, which is that this one guy is seeing these three women simultaneously. The book summary also made it sound like the three of them meet each other and conspire, which did not happen.

That being said, the big twist DOES result in a lot of compassion and clarity, and almost everything falls into place from there.

Initially I was leaning towards a 4 star rating, but after that ending? I cried so much I woke up with my eyes almost swollen shut. What a wonderful piece of prose. If all her books are along these lines, Beth O’Leary will become an automatic-buy author for me.

A bit slow and thought it was redundant in the beginning to know a lot about each character but it all ties in at the end. 

Remya Pillai

Millie Roberts

Alexa M

I’m so ?? This was somehow entertaining and boring at the same time. I really didn’t care about any of the characters and found most of the book to be uninteresting but I was curious to see how everything turned out. For a book less than 350 pages, this dragged. I will say I DID get got by that twist though 👀 

IDEK how to describe my thoughts but a 3 feels right. This was definitely not a romance and more a book about three women. This books main plus is how unique it is! Very unlike anything I’ve read. 

ALSO— this man was not giving ANYTHING that warranted three grown women gagged over him. Ok

Tori Agnew

Interesting take on a romcom.. Took until probably the last 80% for me to change my mind on Joseph, which made for a bit of a slow read. Not my favorite by O’Leary but definitely enjoyed seeing how everything tied up in the end

Genesis (@whisperingchapters) &
The No-Show by Beth O'Leary

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The No-Show by Beth O'Leary