I have so many feelings about this book.

Even though it destroyed me a little bit, I really enjoyed this book. I had trouble relating to some of the characters but that didn't stop me from loving them and rotting for them all to have a happy ending. Each main character was unique and so very special.

This book was so interested as it felt like a mystery at times while I tried to figure out what on earth was going on.

I'd recommend going into this book as blind as possible for the best experience.

I haven't read a Beth O'Leary book I didn't like (in fact, I've loved them all), but I think she has really outdone herself with this one. This book hit all the right notes. It was clever, sweet, heartbreaking, and hopeful. The characters and dialogue were pitch perfect. I am often skeptical of books that have more than two perspectives, because it can sometimes feel messy and jarring, but this was definitely not the case for this book. I feel as if I need to reread the book to really appreciate how expertly plotted it is.

I think it will be difficult to top this book for best romance this year, which I know is a bold statement for the first quarter. I can't wait to read her next book!

The No-Show is about three women, with absolutely nothing in common, except for their connection to this one man, who stood all three of them up on Valentine’s Day. From there, the book alternates between the POVs of these three women and explores their different relationships with this man.

This book was a 4.5/5 star read for me! This is a hard book to review as it is so difficult to articulate how amazing this book is without spoiling it. But The No-Show took me completely by surprise, it was nothing like I thought it would be. This page-turner made me smile, laugh, cry, and relate to the characters. I did not want to put this book down. The character development was amazing and I did not see any of the plot twists coming. I definitely think it would definitely be best to go into this book with an open mind. At first, it seems like a book with the typical cheating trope, but there is so much more to this book as it explores the challenges of dating, grief, healing, toxic relationships, mental health, and the strength of female friendships.

Thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for providing me with ARC of this book, I can’t wait to get a physical copy when this book releases on April 12th, 2022!

Review posted to blog: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend.com/

Whatever I thought this book was, I was so wrong! When it all came together, my Jaw Dropped.

Looks are deceiving, that’s all I’ll say.

Here we have Miranda, Siobhan and Jane. Three very different women, looking for romance. What they find is something completely unexpected.

This is the third novel that I’ve read by Beth O’Leary and I found it to be quite clever. At times sweet, sad and romantic, it kept me glued to the pages till the very end.

A buddy read with Kaceey that definitely got our attention.

Thanks to Elisha at Berkley Publishing for the arc.

Published on Goodreads and Twitter.

Beth O'Leary is quickly becoming an all-time favorite of mine in the romance genre. She's certainly an auto-buy author for me. When I saw the synopsis for The No-Show, I was interested and mostly curious how O'Leary's loving, warm, endearing storytelling would tackle a man dating three women but stands up all three.

Wow. This was not at all what I expected, but I flew through it. I couldn't put it down until I finished it. I laughed, I cried, I empathized. I will say, I do not cry very often while reading, but this one had a moment that I didn't see coming (though perhaps I should have) and it struck a nerve. What I love about this book is that the moment you know certain details all the seemingly throwaway details from previous chapters click into place. Nothing felt far-fetched or forced. As with all of O'Leary's books, the characters are imperfect but lovable.

I appreciated the pacing of this book. No story felt rushed or too drawn out. Everything started coming together in its time, which I think is appropriate given the ultimate message of the book ("timing is everything").

It's hard to review this book without spoilers, so I will just say this: I think this is O'Leary at her best. I highly recommend it to longtime fans and people who love romantic stories that are messy, that focus on circumstances, and who have been badly hurt and are open to love again.

I'd suggest going into this book without reading too much about it. Three different storylines follow the mysterious Joseph Carter as he stands up three different women on Valentine's Day. Of course, there's more to it than meets the eye. The story unfolds a bit slowly, but once it does, it's worth the reveal. I particularly loved the storyline of Miranda, the intrepid tree surgeon with the pesky and hilarious sisters.

What a beautifully written story. The interweaving storylines had you rooting for every protagonist and your feelings are not spared in the end. Beth O'Leary is becoming a must-read author!

I enjoyed reading this book and loved the plot. It was a great beach read that I brought on vacation!

At first glance this seems like the story of a man who's juggling three different women, and he's stood each of them up on Valentine's Day, but we soon find out there's more to the story than meets the eye.

I really liked this! Beth O'Leary is a good writer and I always find her characters so interesting. The story flows so well that this plotline could be a movie. Out of our three main characters, Siobahn, Jane, and Miranda, I found Miranda to be the most interesting. The main love interest, Joseph, was truly a hot mess. He kept saying he wants to be a better man, but he seemed kind of all over the place. If I was any one of these women, I wouldn't have given him nearly as many chances as they did! I can't say he would end up on my top 10 list of book boyfriends, but his character was very realistic and well-written.

I was super curious as to how this story would end, and I definitely didn't see that ending coming! This story was very engaging and fast-paced, and I couldn't put it down. I highly recommend it.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I wasn't able to finish this one. I couldn't get into the story. I am so disappointed because I liked The Flatshare so much.

Don’t mind me. Just loudly sobbing into my emotional support tequila.

I should have known that Beth O’Leary was going to wrench my heart out of my chest and then gently place it back.

Without giving spoilers, let me just say that the guy in The No Show is not who you think. And you will cry for him by the end of the book, as well as the three women protagonists.

CW: sexual harassment, death of a character, dementia, gaslighting

The No-Show by Beth O’Leary was so intriguing and took me on a journey to a place I didn’t see coming. First off, in the synopsis this says it’s a rom-com, but let me tell you… it is not. I would not consider it a rom-com at all. I would consider it more of a contemporary fiction with some romance in there.

Joseph Carter was a hero I spent so much of the book conflicted about. I didn’t think I liked him, until I really did. Ugh. There is so much I want to say about his situation with Siobhan, Miranda, and Jane, but I don’t want to spoil this book. I’m so glad I didn’t know what was going on. After I finished this one I ended up telling my husband all about it and saying how good of a movie I think it would have made.

This is Beth’s best work since ‘The Flat Share’ in my opinion. Her writing is so developed, the characters were great, and the story its self had so much emotion, angst, and a touch of humor. It’s one of those books that was equal parts heartbreaking and heartwarming and kept me on the edge of my seat. I definitely recommend checking this one out. It was not what I expected in the best way possible.

Thank you to the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'll be honest. I really wanted to love this one. I enjoyed it at first, but it didn't really pick up pace, and I wasn't sure where it was going to go.

It was also just so hard to see these women waiting for this guy who couldn't keep a commitment. Been there done that 😅 Ugh I just really loved the Flat Share but haven't been a huge fan of anything since! I'll keep hoping, though!

This book has so much potential, but unfortunately, that potential really isn’t clear until the end, after a ton of confusion over some very unlikeable characters. It’s almost like… like a thriller romance. 😅 And I really don’t think it goes over the way the author intended.

I read this during the perfect season! I twas wonderful and I enjoyed the difference in the characters. It was a great weekend read and I highly recommend it!

This book is a disappointment from Beth O’Leary. THE FLATSHARE is the swoons romance that dreams are made of, but the last two of her have been duds. While potentially there’s some argument to be made about this novel as women’s fiction (although, I would still argue not successful), it is certainly not a romance—the entire plot depends on a gotcha moment in the third act, various elements of which seemed to depend too heavily on coincidence. Also, because the focus on Joseph is as a guy whose mystery you’re trying to figure out, you never really get a sense of him as a person, which makes him a real snooze as a romantic lead. This one was a pass either way for me, but doubly so as a romance.

Three women are stood up on Valentine's Day...by the same man!

I am a longtime fan of Beth O'Leary and must say, I would trust her with my life. THE NO-SHOW is no exception. The twists of this title had me going for 60% of the book, but when I got it, I GOT IT! I found this rom-dram exceptional and loved the intricate plot, characters, and all the feels I had during this one. A Valentine's read for the ages, I would recommend this to anyone in need of a great book.

Beth O'Leary does a wonderful job of weaving these three characters' stories together. I appreciated the way the three women were given complex personalities, battling anxieties and traumas in a realistic and compassionate manner. It is not often that the rom-com genre can provide an unseen twist, but O'Leary definitely delivered- oof, all the feels.

3 Women, 3 missed Valentine's Dates, and 3 versions of Joseph Carter.

The first half of this book I was sitting at a 3 star review/"liked it" vibe because I could not figure out how these stories were going to connect, but I had a soft spot for each of the women and I wanted to see how Joseph was going to mess it up and how these 3 women would find out about how he was dating them all at once.

Around the 50-60% mark, O'Leary drops a major missing piece of context and from then on I could not put this book down. I HAD to know how the stories connected and what the end result would be for not only Siobhan, Miranda and Jane but even that jerk, Joseph. Because really, besides dating 3 women and not showing up for Valentine's dates, he WAS a good boyfriend to them all.

I highly recommend this O'Leary book!