This book was such an unexpected pleasure!! I have read Beth O’Leary’s other books and they were entertaining but this one was so much better than any of her others. This was an excellent, well written story that is much more than just another contemporary romance. There was an underlying story of friendship, loss , healing and love that was written in such a unique way that stayed with me for a few days after I finished it. I don’t want to give too much away because I think it is best to read this book without knowing what to expect and then letting the feelings overwhelm you!! I loved it!!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

5 Stars!!!

#NetGalley #TheNo-Show #BethO’Leary

Thank you Berkley for my gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. I absolutely adored The Flatshare, but i haven't ready any of Beth O'Leary's books, but I will have to after The No-Show. I ended up getting the audiobook as well and couldn't stop listening/reading. The narrators were fantastic! They really helped me to transition between the three women. This book sucked me in and kept me engaged the whole time. I didn't want to put it down.

t the suggestion of several friends, I went into this one pretty blind and I really recommend doing that. I thought the women would team up against Joseph at some point, but I really like the direction this one took instead. I was not expecting the three timelines, but I loved this part and how the three women played a part in Joseph's story and in each other's as well. I enjoyed all three women, but especially liked Jane's. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5

I will update with the link when I share to my bookstagram account.

The No-Show by Beth O'Leary is a fun and fantastic romance and quick paced. The story takes place in London and the characters are adorable and relatable. Highly recommend.

The No Show is one of those books that will stay with me for a long time. It was absolutely superb and so much more than I thought it would be. Beth O'Leary has truly outdone herself with this one.

Joseph Carter is a lady's man. So much so that he actually stands up 3 different women. ON VALENTINE'S DAY. Somehow he is able to get back in their good graces, and they forgive him. Slowly his true self is revealed and the secrets and lies surface.

This is a grown up romance story. All three women were absolutely amazing and there are some amazing supporting characters who were charming and endearing.

The Flatshare is one of my favorite romcoms ever and I’ve been waiting for Beth O’Leary to write a novel as good as that first one ever since. While I enjoyed the No-Show, this doesn’t compare to her first book.

Three women are all stood up by Joseph Carter on Valentine’s Day. Is he two (three?) timing all of them? Each woman forgives him and decides to grant a second chance. He’s charismatic in all the right ways and Siobhan, Miranda, and Jane are all willing to put aside any concerns they have to be with him. The beginning starts out with Joseph sort of being an awful jerk and as the book goes on, he gets better and more charming. I think this is a book you will either absolutely love or it won’t be your favorite.

I did enjoy the book, but it’s one you really have to stick with. The twist in the book comes very late so you need to commit to the whole book. It’s not a super gushy romantic book, but I like how the author tied it all together at the end. I loved Jane’s older friend Aggie who encouraged her to get out of her rut and wear the red dress! 💃🏻We could all use an Aggie!

Thank you so much to @berkleyromance for my gifted ebook. The No-Show is out now!

I am beyond disappointed to say that I DNFed this around 50%. I just couldn't for the life of me get into this book. It made me so sad, because all of Beth's previous books were incredible. However, I definitely do want to give it another go sometime. Maybe it was just the wrong time for me to read it.

This was such a delightful gem of a book.

I became so invested in the lives of the three women whose fates seemed to be irrevocably intertwined with Joseph, and was convinced he was the villain of the story unworthy of any of them.

Siobhan is a successful, glamorous woman who uses her business travel to have assignations with Joseph. They both agree it is a completely transactional arrangement , until they fall in love.

Miranda is a woman who has pursued a successful career as an arborist - a job almost exclusively dominated by men. She is fiercely independent, but loves the camaraderie, mutual respect and support she finds with Joseph. Although she values her relationship with her boyfriend, she finds herself studiously avoiding flirtation or entanglement with her tattooed, gorgeous player of a co-worker, AJ.

Jane enjoys her volunteer work, and isn't looking for a connection with anyone because she has been burned by her past gullibility. When Joseph and she start having regular meetings in a cafe and discussing books, she doesn't want to hope for more or misconstrue his intentions.

How is Joseph juggling these three very distinct relationships? Will the women find out about each other? Is Joseph truly evil or just misguided? I pondered these burning questions as I devoured this story.

The bow that O'Leary wraps up the loose ends of the conflict was an unexpected twist that completely gobsmacked me. Once again, this phenomenal author takes a complex situation filled with a diverse cast of characters and shows the reader how love evolves between two people.

3.5/5 rounded up

I can see readers of this book divided into two groups- those who enjoyed the plot twist, and might have even gasped, and a much smaller group of those who felt played by the plot device.

As others have said, you can't really talk about this book without revealing too much, so you're left with comparing it to others and general terms. Definitely not a rom-com, but more serious about relationships and emotional trauma, similar in feel to The Road Trip. Some talk of sex but not steamy at all.

Well written, likeable characters (we even like the dude we're supposed to dislike) but the pacing was off. It took forever to get to the plot twist, and the build-up to it was a slog. Once it came together I felt a bit played by the author.

I'm sure I'm in the minority and hope others have a better time with this novel.

It’s Valentine’s Day and three women – life coach Siobhan, tree surgeon Miranda, and charity shop volunteer Jane - get stood up by their dates, not realising it’s the same man.
And that’s about all you need to know about the plot before you dive in.
The story follows the lives of the three women, who are unknowingly connected, and their relationship with the main guy but it is far from a typical rom-com. It’s a true treat, with characters you will be rooting for. And for fans of O’Leary, in my opinion, this is her best yet.

Jane, Siobhan, and Miranda are all women who have nothing in common until they do in The No-Show by Beth O’Leary.

Siobhan is a no nonsense life coach, Miranda a self-sufficient tree surgeon, and then there’s Jane, the fragilest of the three after coming out on the other side of a dysfunctional relationship. When we first meet each woman she’s just been stood up, and on Valentine’s Day, no less. Despite being strangers and polar opposites, they now all have something in common- dating the same man.

Then things REALLY start to get complicated.

Alternating viewpoints between the three women, we learn about each and how their past has shaped their present. We also learn how each woman handles being stood up by a charismatic man and continuing the relationship, despite their better judgment. It’s hard to elaborate further without giving away the many plot twists that The No-Show throws at its readers. While the end felt fulfilling, I did find myself a little confused while reading the book. I also felt it was mis-marketed as a light hearted rom com when it’s really more of a dramatic, romantic mystery.

Nevertheless, if you can keep up with the alternating timelines and storyline curveballs, The No Show is a book you need to show up and stick around for.

The No-Show by Beth O’Leary

Blurb Time:

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 are all in serious danger of falling in love with a man who may have not just one or two but three women on the go….

Is there more to him than meets the eye? Where was he on Valentine’s Day? And will they each untangle the truth before they all get their hearts broken?

So, when I first read the blurb, sometime before starting the book, I made a few assumptions. Rereading the blurb, it’s clear that to some degree I didn’t read closely enough, because one of the assumptions was that this was going to be “three women get together and get revenge on the cad who broke all of their hearts”, which is actually not indicated. As the blurb states, each relationship continues for some time after the standing-up in the beginning of the book, and in fact for the majority of the book none of the three even knows about the other two.

Siobhan is stood up on a morning coffee date with Joseph, who before the date had been her monthly friends-with-benefits when she came to London for business (Siobhan is based in Dublin). Events in her past have made Siobhan slow to trust and she prefers to avoid relationships, which is why she kicks herself (metaphorically) for even making the effort to dress up for a coffee date, only to have Joseph not show up.

Miranda is starting a new job on Valentine’s Day, having to negotiate the usual awkwardness with new co-workers who tend to be all male and not necessarily comfortable with a female colleague. One of them, A.J., has a reputation with women and immediately hits on Miranda. She leaves work early to meet her boyfriend Carter for lunch, but Carter never arrives and doesn’t respond to her calls or texts.

Jane has to attend an engagement party on Valentine’s Day, and she asks her friend to come with her and pretend to be her boyfriend; both to fend off questions from an obnoxious acquaintance who is always trying to set Jane up, and because Jane is very shy and awkward in company. It’ll be much easier if her friend, Joseph Carter, is with her. Unfortunately, he never shows up.

Because of the unusual plot structure, I find myself having trouble working out how exactly I felt about The No-Show.

In its favor for me, like all of O’Leary’s books, The No-Show is extremely readable. Anyone who knows my reviews knows I value readability highly (sometimes to a fault; occasionally I’ve struggled to grade a book that was both a page-turner and also kind of dreadful). The plot here breezed along, with the story being narrated in alternating chapters by Siobhan, Miranda and Jane.

The three women are distinctly different types. Siobhan is a former aspiring actress, confident and successful in her current career. She had a bad breakup with her last boyfriend, which makes her wary of getting into another relationship, but she has a lot of close friends, the closest of whom is her longtime roommate and bestie, Fiona. Siobhan is the glamorous one of the three protagonists.

Which makes Miranda the “normal” relatable one. Sure, she’s chosen an unusual career, climbing trees for a living, but she’s emotionally healthy and has a good relationship with her family (including her 18-year-old twin sisters, who have moved in with her). Miranda thinks she has a good relationship as well with her boyfriend Carter, even though there are times she feels that something is missing.

Jane is…sort of a sad sack. I feel harsh saying that, but Jane is processing a mysterious trauma that caused her to flee her life in London and move to Winchester, where she volunteers at a charity shop. Her source of income is unclear. She is living a very proscribed life (she wears the same clothes every week, and eats the same breakfast every day) in the belief that she will somehow be “safe.” Jane doesn’t think she has friends until she meets Joseph Carter (they frequent the same coffee shop) and ends up in friendship/two-person book club with him. She first tells Joseph she has a boyfriend, so even though there are definite vibes between them, they are platonic.

I liked all the female protagonists (even though I kind of wanted Jane to get over being a drip and deal with her trauma, whatever it was). Joseph/Carter/Joseph Carter was the problem in the story. He’s either a heartless bastard or the great guy he mostly appears to be, but how to reconcile the two? Is he actually identical triplets who all share a name and the same poor time-management skills? (Spoiler: no, that’s not it.)

In retrospect I tried to think of how I would feel if I thought of The No-Show as a mystery. But it wasn’t a mystery, and I find it hard to apply the rules of a mystery to a book that while not a romance, had at its heart three romantic relationships. It was just hard not to focus on the journey and not the resolution, when the resolution was such a big question mark.

The author’s last book, The Road Trip, also featured a plot where the reader doesn’t learn everything that transpired until late in the book. I’m not totally opposed to that sort of plot, but The No-Show takes it to extremes, with instances of intentional misdirection. Which, again, is the sort of thing I expect more from a mystery or thriller.

I did guess pretty much how this story was going to shake out about 75% in. Which created another problem, the discussion of which would be a big spoiler.

Spoiler: Show

There were also some inconsistencies that I don’t think had to do with misdirection – chiefly having to do with Miranda and Carter’s relationship. She seems to mostly think he’s too good for her, I guess because he’s more polished and in a white collar profession. But later in the book she thinks about how she wants him to get himself together, and that surprised me because it seemed to cast him in the opposite light.

So, pluses: O’Leary is a funny, engaging writer, and the story was compelling. The three main female characters were likable as were several secondary characters (especially Miranda’s sisters and the friends that Jane does end up making/realizing she had all along in the course of the book). Minuses: the structure of the story and a plot development late in the book.

I gave The Flatshare an A, The Switch a B+ and The Road Trip a B-. Maybe more than other authors, I compare O’Leary’s books to each other, perhaps because I’ve read them in fairly close succession over the past couple of years. The Flatshare is still the gold standard. I probably found The Road Trip a bit more compelling than The No-Show, but it also had hugely problematic character issues that brought the grade down. This book is pretty comparable to The Switch, but because of the problems I’ve mentioned with the plot, I think I’ll give it a straight B.

Best,

Jennie

I was slightly hesitant going into this because I haven't loved some of her books but this is easily my favorite of hers and am such a big fan of this book!! I wouldn't classify this as a romance, more romantic mystery - but expectations of a true romance are misleading for this one!

Highly recommend going into this blind. This was both heartwarming and heartbreaking along with original, creative, and will leave you a bit stunned! You feel for each of the women, you have assumptions about Joseph Carter, and you are left with a very satisfying ending! I thought the twist was SOOO good in this and of the best I've seen. I did figure it out but could not sort through it exactly and once it was revealed it made me change my perspective on other events that happened! Very clever and well done! 👏👏👏

While this book starts off on Valentine's Day, it takes place throughout the rest of the year. Do you have a memorable Valentine's Day?

Thank you to @berkleyromance for my gifted copy!

Told in a 3 POV, this novel was so much more than I expected it to be. The story is adroitly told and it kept my attention throughout. I struggled to put it down as I became invested in each of the women's experiences. Beth O'Leary has done it again - she has written a novel that is unexpected, a novel that resounds deep down in your soul. The No-Show confirmed for me that she is one of my absolute favourite authors. Her latest novel is definitely worth picking up!

Joseph Carter and three women are at the center of this story. That sounds complicated, right? Keep an open mind because not all is how it seems.

Siobhan is a no-strings kind of girl after being burned in the past, but deep down is she really?
Joseph Carter has burrowed under her skin. They have a passionate relationship, but in a panic, Siobhan breaks it off. Their connection was intense and palpable!

Miranda and Joseph have been seeing each other, and Miranda is over the moon for him, or at least thinks she should be, but something about their relationship niggles at her. She can’t get over the feeling that he’s holding something back from her. I felt like their romance was never quite right, especially with AJ, her co-worker in the picture. Just as at side note, I thought Miranda’s job as a tree trimmer was pretty cool, and I thought her twin sisters, Adele and Frannie were a hoot!

Jane is very reserved and cautious, but somehow Joseph has managed to befriend her and their meetups discussing books and whatever soon turn into more for Jane. It’s obvious that something was brewing between these two and I have to say this was my favorite storyline. I adored Jane! It’s evident she’s been through a trauma of some sort. Feeling a bit broken she didn’t push Joseph when it was obvious that he was a little broken, too. I appreciated that Jane grew a lot apart from Joseph, made important friendships that helped her in her journey. I loved that Jane felt it important to be supportive and there for her friends, as well!

The No-Show was an emotional and heartbreaking story, but it was oh-so-lovely, too! An original way of writing a romance that was a bit misleading at the beginning. Like I said keep an open mind and enjoy this beautiful journey! My heart soared upon finishing! I loved how it all turned out!

This is a Women's Fiction/Romance. This is not my favorite type of book because I love character drive books. This book is told in the point of view of three different women that you cannot see how they are connected for the first half of the book. I do not love books with that many characters. This is also a plot driven book, and there is also a weird timeline thing that slowly unfolds through out this book. This book took me forever to start to enjoy, and The ending was good. The ending has a reveal that I think was really good. This is one of those books you put things together after the book ends which I always find those books to be hard to get into. If you love books that are plot driven and is told by several different characters then I think you will love this book. I think if you are a character driven reader then this many not be the book for you. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Berkley Books) or author (Beth O'Leary) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

I started off reading this book waiting for the moment it would turn into John Tucker Must Die. I waited and waited, and I was about 50-60 percent in before I discovered that books — much like life — don’t always turn out the way you expect. I am so glad I had no idea where this book was headed, and I’m now thoroughly convinced that this may be the most clever romance book ever written. The first quarter of the book moved a little slower than I would have liked (too much explanation, not enough dialogue), but I can’t not give this book five stars. Beth O’Leary, you’ve set a bar for romance writers everywhere.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book!

What a ride. This book makes you hate, love, hate, love and then hate/love the characters some more. Your feelings continue to develop for everyone throughout the book. You can't trust your opinion at anytime til the end. I loved the romance, women's fiction vibes, and just getting to know everyone and this boy that stood them up. Another solid book by Beth O'Leary!

I can safely say that THE NO-SHOW by Beth O’Leary is my second favorite book by this author!

(nothing can top my undying love for THE FLATSHARE)

I don’t want to give too much away but you have to fully go into the story with zero context to fully enjoy it. Don’t look up any spoilers!

While I was reading it, I will say I had my doubts. I had no idea where the story was going and it was making me feel icky. But then it all came together in the most beautiful of ways. Like I was well and truly shocked!

I’m telling you Beth O'Leary just has a way with words that fully just hurt your heart in the best of ways!

Thank you so much to Berkley Romance for the gifted copy and the opportunity to read an e-ARC!

A wonderfully heartbreaking tale of three women who are all stood up on Valentine’s Day, apparently by the same man - Joseph Carter.⁣
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Told through the eyes of Jane, Miranda, and Siobhan, we experience their heartbreak, and watch the three of them go on very different journeys of love, loss, and self-acceptance. I loved every single one of them.
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Then there is Joseph. He seems to be a lying, womanizing cheater, but there is more to him than meets the eye. He really grew on me in the end.
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The best way to enjoy this story is to go into it blindly, which is what I did. I'm so glad I didn't know the big twist, as it changed my perspective on everything that had happened earlier in the book!⁣
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I really can’t say more because I don’t want to risk spoiling anything in the story. But The No-Show pulled my emotions every which way. This story is so good and I'm thankful for an ending that left me very satisfied (and in tears).

I really enjoyed Beth's writing overall and the plot was like John Tucker Must Die a bit. I found I wasn't a huge fan of multiple povs however.