A romantic novel with a twist. I didn't like Joseph for 90% of this book - as intended. The woman in his life are rightfully confused by his seeming lack of commitment and flakiness, especially on Valentine's Day. I liked the 3 different women, and hearing their stories play out was very satisfying. A light-hearted, sometimes tragic, book many will like!

I'm a fan of Beth O'Leary's previous novels and I enjoyed this. In an attempt to avoid spoilers, I'll say that the very last part of the book lost me. I understand the idea, but it felt frustrating and unsatisfactory after reading the first three quarters.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I found the third person POV quite annoying and slowed the read down for me as I just didn't want to reach for it as much. I have preferred the authors other books over this one.

I loved this book. It was very different to the other books I’ve read from this author. I instantly disliked the main character till it became apparent that there was a few different timelines

The No-Show is the book I took to Wales with me for my holiday read and I loved it. I won’t say much because I don’t want to give anything away but the story begins with 3 young women, all of whom are stood up by the same man on Valentines Day. Siobhan is a life coach who is feisty and successful and when Joseph Carter stands her up for Valentines Day breakfast, she swears not to see him again. Miranda is a tree surgeon who is stood up by Carter for lunch – she assumes he has a reasonable explanation and although is annoyed, knows she will forgive him. Jane is a troubled young woman who works part time in a charity shop. She is friends with Joseph but had asked him to be her fake boyfriend at an engagement party and when he doesn’t show, she isn’t really surprised, having little confidence in herself.
I loved all 3 women – they were all very different but all had insecurities. We hear from them all in turn as they live their lives and navigate their relationships with Joseph. Siobhan is still holding on to past trauma, Jane has run away from a situation in London and Miranda is struggling with romantic feelings for sexy tree surgeon AJ.
O’Leary is very talented at writing from the viewpoint of different characters and making them all engaging and at gradually threading the story together. I thought The No-Show was very clever. She also writes about amazing friendships – all the characters in the book are blessed with brilliant friends! The No-Show is romantic, sexy and both funny and sad in places and is a thoroughly enjoyable read. Another 5 star read for me!

This is a fabulous book that I enjoyed greatly. Very cleverly done, it leads you on a false trail and evokes many emotions. All characters are likeable and the story is woven intricately in a very effective way. I enjoyed it and would absolutely read more from Beth.

I enjoyed this once I got into it, although I still don't think it compares to The Flat Share - Beth's first book. I really couldn't work out how it was all going to turn out until right near the end, and I was so confused about how it could all turn out well and I did feel like I was constantly waiting to find out the truth.

I really liked how the three women's stories were interwoven and how different each of them were, whilst all being likeable, and I came to care about where their stories were going. Although I did find it a little slow to get into.

It's a clever story and the twist at the end is brilliant, but the male character did infuriate me throughout the book and I just wanted him to start telling the truth and for the women to start calling him out rather than letting him get away with certain things. However, it really had to be that way for the twist to work so I do get it. It was a good read with more depth than many 'rom-coms' but I didn't love it.

This is a cleverly written book which keeps you guessing until the end. It follows three women who separately all get stood-up on their Valentine’s date and from there the story evolves.
Each chapter is told from a different point of view and the full story gradually starts to piece together. It is emotional, romantic and also funny in parts. This was a quick read for me, I enjoyed the story, full of likeable characters (except one!), and kept me turning the pages. I would recommend this and rated it 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The No-Show is Beth O’Leary at her best, and I think she’s just made it on to my auto-buy list of authors. She’s made me smile, cry and feel huge amounts of empathy for the characters in this book.

The way she has woven the stories of Miranda, Siobhan and Jane together was so clever, and I reached all sorts of (incorrect) conclusions. I have to admit to not liking the main male character, Joseph Carter, much to begin with, but he is portrayed to be something he isn’t at the start - and that’s all I’ll say about him!

This is sold as a romance but as with all of Beth O’Leary’s novels, they’re much more than that. There’s a mystery threaded throughout this, and there’s a mental health theme as well.
This book was perfect, wonderfully narrated too, and I can’t wait for Beth’s next book.

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.
The end was so clever and satisfying but the third person point of veiw was a little slow for me to fully submerse myself in the story.

I absolutely loved this book by Beth O'Leary. I was a massive fan of her debut, and this one is somehow on the same level as "The Flatshare".A great story of love, friendship and grief, "The No-Show" is a story of three women and one man. What I loved about this book was the unexpected shift in the story that I did not expect. I thought I had all the characters sussed out, especially Joseph Carter, but apparently I was all wrong. This is a story of second chances, and new beginnings, and it will make you feel soppy and fuzzy inside.

This book is outside my usual genre and I enjoyed piecing the story together knowing there was more to what was first presented. I would recommend this book, I even had to get the tissues out.

I’ve absolutely loved all of Beth’s previous books but this one fell a bit flat with me. Not that it wasn’t beautifully written and had an amazing twist that I haven’t seen before in fiction. It was just that the main male character was so annoying, I wanted to punch him. He did redeem himself by the end, but for me, it was a little too late for my complete forgiveness.

This book features three women who have all been stood up for a date. Within the first few pages, you realise they are all waiting for the same person - Joseph! He is the wettest and weakest male lead I’ve ever come across and it felt like he was just playing games with them all. I’d get so angry every time his name cropped up or he appeared in a scene.

But the ending was mind blowing and I didn’t see it coming. I wish the plot twist had appeared earlier in the book. Maybe then I might’ve grown to like him.

On the whole a very clever twist but a little too late in the plot.

I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher in return for an honest review. This review is based entirely on my own thoughts and feelings.

Overall rating : 3*
Writing skill : 4*
Plot: 3*
Pace: 2*
Characters: 3*
Twist: 4*

This is very much a book of two halves. The first half was slow, not much character building, not a lot of plot and I was bored. However, the second half was interesting and pacy and I started rooting for certain characters and enjoyed seeing where the story was going. And the twist was very clever, she wrote that very well.
One absolute bug bear of mine now though is setting the book in lockdown, an unnecessary negative trope of mine. I do not want to hear of lockdowns and zoom meetings and working from home! Get out of my book!!!!
If you’re a fan of her other work I can see you enjoying this but it is a very slowwww burn.

I really enjoyed this warm and cosy romance. Really loved the characters and they really grew on me throughout the story. Although some of it was predictable it didn't take away from the great storyline and loveable characters.

Definitely recommended and especially for romance and feel good seekers.

Thank you Netgalley.

With thanks to #netgalley for the advance read.
#TheNoShow

A book that fits the Beth O'Leary expectation - frothy, fun, heartfelt and just a damn good bit of entertainment! The basic but somewhat brilliant premise is the story of three very different women who are stood up on Valentine’s Day by the same man - Joseph. At the outset it is easy to presume that he is just a player - an uncaring or inconsiderate male whose out for himself. But then we start to realise that not all is what it seems and not everything is as it meets the eye.
The three female protagonists - Jane, Miranda, and Siobhan each allow the reader emotive, personal experiences of their heartbreak at being stood up on Valentine’s day. O Leary is adept in taking stock and looking at the very contemporary issues of dating and how it feels to be subjected to rejection in the social media age. Not an author who necessarily follows the expected trajectory for her characters - especially in the way this blurb sells the story,

Beth O Leary has again masterfully drawn characters whose journeys are all diverse in theme or the manifestations of love, loss, and eventual self-acceptance, moving them [and us] in empowering ways that speak especially to female readership beyond just the pages of the story.

Nothing of a novel to set the world on fire, but comfortable, clear and compelling all the same. I look forward to more of her writing soon!

Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. I went into this book blindly having enjoyed the previous books I have read from this author and this book was so not what I expected, in the best of ways. The best way I can describe it is as being a chicklit read with mystery thrown into the mix and it was so delightful and heartbreaking in all the best ways.⭐⭐⭐⭐ #thenoshow #betholeary #netgalley #litsy #goodreads #thestorygraph #tea_sipping_bookworm #chicklit #bookqueen #bookstagram

I have loved all of Beth O'Leary's novels and this one is no exception.

A stunning and romantic book that ticked all the boxes for me. I can't wait to read more books from this author!

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.

It is easy to see why Beth O’Leary has earned the title of best selling author. I absolutely loved her latest novel, thank you NetGalley and Quercus for the opportunity to read an advanced copy.
This book is about three women and one man but the storyline is very cleverly written and will keep you guessing until the very end. I enjoyed reading each chapter from various characters points of view. If you are looking for more than the average room com then this is the book and the author for you.