This one might be Beth O'Leary's best one yet. You want to hate Carter for most of the book and instead you just...ugh. (no spoilers!)

I can always count on Beth O'Leary for a heartfelt narrative with a loveable cast of characters, and THE NO-SHOW did not disappoint! I'll admit, I started off wondering why I was reading a book about a guy who was stringing along three woman at once (LOL) but this author weaved together a story that surprised me and that I thoroughly enjoyed. Highly recommend!

A pretty good read, although I'm not sure it was totally successful in the execution of the big reveal. An interesting idea, though.

Romance with a clever time twist you figure out about two thirds of the way through. Everyone is broken but the healing they experience is believable. The overlap between characters is interesting. Clever and readable.

The No Show by Beth O’Leary
Tags: Fiction; Contemporary Fiction; Relationship Fiction; Slow Burn Story; Drama;
CW: Harassment; Miscarriage; Grief; Death; Abuse - Gaslighting; Dementia

It’s Valentine's Day and three woman with seemingly nothing in common are about to share one thing: all being stood up by the same date.

To start off, this book is described as a romcom – but to do so, in my opinion, does the story a disservice and could set some readers up to not enjoy this story or stick with it. So to be clear, when I read the description and saw the cover art, my initial impression was that this was to be a RomCom a la The Other Woman (movie with Cameron Diaz and Leslie Mann), instead this was more of a Contemporary Fiction with a focus on relationships and character growth read.

If it were a movie, I’d classify it as a drama. Do not go into this expecting a traditional romcom or romance, there are romantic arcs. I want to make this clear up front, because I think for me – knowing what to expect impacts my ability to enjoy and appreciate a read. Having read The Flatshare and The Roadtrip previously and knowing that each was classified and appeared to be a RomCom – I had some reservations on what ‘genre’ this would actually fall into and was better able to appreciate the story as a result.

With that out of the way, I think once again Beth O’Leary has proven herself to be a very talented writer, who can weave an truly engaging, slow evolving story with plenty of character development and poignancy. She has a delicate way of balancing real life heavy topics, with bits of levity and creating characters who are well developed and feel real, as does each of their journeys and growth. Her stories are emotional, powerful and carefully layered.

It was a slow build of a story with a bit of a mystery element in a way (you know you are missing pieces and are waiting for them to slot into place as the story goes on). I enjoyed the multiple POVs – each voice felt unique and interesting. Deep, heartfelt, and emotional keep flipping the pages because when it all comes together you will be surprised and satisfied in the ending.
I can’t say more without giving away key pieces of the plot – recommend for fans of intriguing, thought provoking, parallel storyline readers.

All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy of this book.

This was a very solid read - lots of character growth and change. It was definitely not as light and fluffy as I expected and I wasn’t sure where it was going. But at the end of the day I loved this ambitious novel by Beth O’Leary.

After really enjoying The Flatshare this past year the description of this book really intrigued me. Three women are stood-up on Valentine’s Day, but, little do they know, it by the same man, Joseph Carter.

Siobhan is a life coach, who is very successful, smart, and her own person. Joseph and her have a standing monthly date in London, but usually it as a hotel at night and for Valentine’s Day he asked her to breakfast, which he never shows up to.

Miranda is a tree surgeon and is surrounded by men all day, so she is looking forward to her lunch date with Carter. After a long morning climbing trees and ignoring her co-worker, AJ’s flirtation, she ends up waiting at a restaurant all by herself.

Jane works in a charity shop and has to go to a dreaded engagement party on Valentine’s Day, which Joseph has said he’d be her fake date for. Her co-workers don’t believe her and even less so after he doesn’t come to the party.

The No-Show follows each of these women’s relationships with Joseph and dives deeper into their lives, asking what they want from the world. They each have their own trauma and relationships that questions not only what it means to be a partner, but also what it means to be a friend.

I really enjoyed this story, and I was prepared to hate Joseph for his no-show dates, but this story is not what you think. It’s clever and surprising. It’s heartfelt and a tearjerker.

I loved all the characters and the side characters too! You’d think with three different POVs it would be a lot, but O’Leary masterfully weaves them all together.

I think if you enjoyed her other books, love romantic comedies, or stories about relationships (not only the romantic kind) you’ll enjoy The No-Show.

This book discusses sexual harassment, miscarriage, death of a loved one, gaslighting, cheating, and dementia.

Thank you to NetGalley for sharing an ARC with me in exchange for an honest review!

I don’t think I’ve ever been so duped by an illustrated cover before. This book isn’t a sweet rom com. I came into this book thinking of The Other Woman, that funny Cameron Diaz movie with three women seeing the same guy.

That is not this book.

I would barely consider this book a romance. This book reads more like Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies. The differing POVs all leading to a twist that wrecked me. But as a big LM fan, I still really enjoyed this book. But it’s hard when I was expecting a story with a central romance, when the romance plays secondary to some deeper issues with these characters.

I’m still giving it five stars because it’s a great book…but is it a great romance? Idk. There’s a happy ending but I’m still gonna be reeling for awhile which isn’t exactly the feeling I like to have after reading a romance. I like feeling a happy little sigh. Not, omg wtf just happened???!!! 😭😓😫 you know, basically how I feel after every Liane Moriarty I’ve read and loved 🤣

This book didn't quite hit the right notes for me. It is a romance, but I didn't really understand what the attraction was in the relationships between the characters. (Although maybe that's one of the book's points--not all relationships are meant to last forever.) It was a bit frustrating to wait to see how the 3 major plot lines were going to come together, but the author did so in a satisfying way close to the end of the book. It was missing a lot of the humor from the author's previous books, and I didn't like a few of the characters. But it had an interesting twist, and that clever conclusion saved the book for me overall.

A fun but complex Valentine's Day read - I loved the way the three POVs were executed. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Argh, I have suffered thinking about how to write this review. This kind of book is not my cup of tea & I would not have picked it up if it wasn't written by Beth O'Leary tbh. She did it well and it kept my attention but I felt a little tricked by the twist! I wasn't looking for a twist! I was looking for some comfortable British reading.
But I realize this was all on me. It would probably be a good book club book? But I'll just go back and reread The Flatshare for the millionth time instead.

Wow it was such a satisfying read for me because not only I just simply loved it but also I really loved how layered it was. Significantly, I really loved the writing the style, especially how raw characters and their emotions have been portrayed. So, in a nutshell, it’s definitely a 5 star read for me.

Made Me Smile!

Three women are jilted by Joseph on Valentine’s Day. It seems like Joseph is a cad, but there is SO much more going on than it seems.

Told through the eyes of Jane, Miranda, and Siobhan, the reader experiences their heartbreak at being stood up by Joseph on Valentine’s day. As a result, the three go on very different journeys of love, loss, and self-acceptance. I loved all of their stories.

Then there is Joseph. He seems to be a lying, womanizing, cheating bastard, but there is more to him than meets the eye. He grew on me in the end.

The No-Show seems to be a predictable romance, but it has a twist. I was congratulating myself on being a savvy reader and rolling my eyes at how predictable this book seemed--I even had all of these scenarios in my head of how things would work out for each character…and then there is a twist that I didn't see coming. I realized I was a very dumb reader who missed so many clues and was reading this book the wrong way.

What we get is a heartbreaking, sweet, and tragic story about three women finding themselves and the man who is part of their journey.

Overall, I loved The No-Show. It was a fun, enjoyable, and sometimes sad read. In the end, I shed a few tears, but it left me with a big smile!

Thank you to Elisha Katz and Berkley for an ARC of this

I absolutely adored 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐎-𝐒𝐇𝐎𝗪 (Pub 4.22). It is clever & fresh, lighthearted & heartbreaking. Thank you

At first glance, the premise of this book is a little cringey- Miranda, Siobhan and Jane are strangers that have something in common: a date on Valentine's Day with the same man- Joseph Carter.

I am a big fan of O’Leary. I adored 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦 and 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩, but I was disappointed by her last novel, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘰𝘢𝘥 𝘛𝘳𝘪𝘱. Oh- the redemption is sweet here because THE NO-SHOW reminded me of what I love about her work.

Top shelf writing.
Original story.
Superbly plotted.
A masterful blend of heart & heft.
Creative, insightful and emotional.
Not a traditional romance- perhaps more romance adjacent with a bit of mystery mixed in.

The writing was captivating and I loved the way each character was crafted with both complexity and a distinct voice. I was invested to the point that they started showing up during that in-between 'twilight sleep' when you're not 100% awake or asleep. I was rooting for Miranda, Siobhan and Jane while also being committed to understanding Joseph. I read this a couple of weeks ago and they still pop into my head from time to time.

There is a unique structure to the plot that had almost a suspense element that kept me flipping through the pages. I wasn't sure how this story was going to work- but she nailed it. Don't read any spoilers and I think you'll enjoy it as much as I did.

Stayed up until 3:30am finishing this and I HURT. I loved this book SO MUCH. I truly think that this is Beth O'Leary at her best. With that being said- I'm not sure that this is a book that will work for everyone. This book starts off pretty light hearted (similar to the tone of The Flatshare), but as the story goes on and we get to know all of our characters better, the tone of the novel switches to one that is much heavier (think The Road Trip). If you're looking for a light and breezy rom-com, this is not going to be the book for you. However, if you're looking for something a little deeper that will make you laugh and then cry and then break your heart and put it back together again? I absolutely recommend checking out The No-Show. Despite it featuring a handful of tropes that I don't normally enjoy, Beth O'Leary easily won me over and it is now tied with The Flatshare as my favorite of her books. Even though I finished reading it just yesterday I already want to do a re-read bc I'M EMOTIONAL OKAY PLS JUST READ THIS BOOK SO THAT I WILL HAVE SOMEONE TO CRY ABOUT IT WITH THANKS

CW: death of a loved one, cheating, dementia, self harm, pregnancy, miscarriage, emotional manipulation, gaslighting, sexual harassment

Mind blowing! This will be my new favorite read of the year. Three women have Valentine's Day dates with the same man and he doesn't show for any of the dates. As the Reader you think he's a cad, a jerk; definitely not to be trusted. But read on and you start to think Joseph Carter might be okay and his complicated commitments to the three women might be for the best for everyone. Such a fantastic book, a must read!!! I couldn't put it down and I can't stop thinking about it.

This book was well done but so sad! I loved how the author wove the different characters stories together into the plot. It was a quick read and page turner and once you get immersed in the story you really want to know what will happen next! I didn't think this one was very humorous though so if you want lighthearted rom com this probably doesn't fit that bill. This is more heartfelt and sadder. But very well done. This was my first book I've read from this author, and I was impressed with her writing and story execution.

“Three women. Three dates. One missing man.” This premise was so intriguing right off the bat. This book is funny and heartbreaking.

Anything Beth O’Leary writes is a must-read for me, and I was delighted to get an early copy of this one! (Thank you, NetGalley!) The premise seems simple at first glance: it’s Valentine’s Day, and three women are all waiting for their dates to join them, but all three are stood up--by the same guy. The story is told from the perspectives of all three dateless women, and it unfolds beautifully. The characters are so delightful that I didn’t want the book to end. Not going to give anything away here, but I will say that O’Leary has definitely stepped up her game. I wasn’t sure how she could manage three narrators, but their stories weave together seamlessly. Absolutely next level! Allow plenty of time for this one, because you’ll probably want to go back to reread it just as soon as you finish. Sure to please both existing fans and those new to this author.
Highly recommended

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

So much to like in this one! All of the main characters were well developed and likeable and the way the storylines were told in parallel as well as how they intersected was very well executed.

Kudos to Beth O'Leary for this and I'll be back for more.