The No-Show by Beth O'Leary

Amy   

Lynnie

 

contemporary fiction

 

In The No-Show, Siobhan, Miranda, and Jane are all dating the same man, Joseph Carter. They don’t know about each other. But it’s obvious that Joseph has let them all down, at least once, by being a no-show for a scheduled date. Siobhan thinks he’s perfect for regular hook-ups. Miranda thinks he’s the perfect boyfriend. And Jane doesn’t consider their weekly book discussions to be dates but she’s slowly falling in love with him despite vowing to stay away from men.

Amy's Review

I loved this heartwarming novel! Beth O’Leary has written her best novel yet! After loving The Flatshare, I had not liked the next two novels she wrote as much. So I hesitated to read this one but I’m so glad I did! Switching between the three women’s viewpoints, we learn more about each of the characters and their relationship with Joseph. Most of the characters had some mystery in their past that made me want to keep reading. And my heart went out to all of them. Some of the characters’ lives were complicated and compelling. They were all very different people and their stories kept me interested. And there were twists! I appreciated the crafting of the novel very much. The pacing was terrific and I could hardly put it down near the end. Although I wish it had ended before the very last chapter, it did hold some closure.

The story spotlights mental illness and support, romantic relationships and friendships, communication, and second chances. And, yes, I think this one qualifies as a beach read.

There were four audiobook narrators. Each of the women was voiced by a different actor: Evanna Lynch (Siobhan), Heather Long (Miranda), Kathryn Drysdale (Jane). As an ensemble, they were fantastic. All three were terrific voice actors and had great vocal repertoires. Each was perfect for their role. The fourth narrator, Luke Thompson, didn’t come in until the last fifteen minutes but did a nice job too. I really enjoyed listening to them tell me the story. I also must shout out to the production team on the tinny quality of the voices on the other end of phone calls! Perfect! I don’t believe I’ve ever given an ensemble an A+ before today. Well done!

Lynnie's Review

If I hadn't enjoyed Beth O'Leary's other books so much (The Flatshare, The Road Trip, and The Switch), I'm not sure I would have kept reading this one if I'm honest, but I had faith that she would bring it all around in the end and I was not disappointed. So- spoiler alert- there is a happy ending in your future if you pick up The No-Show.

That said, I was very frustrated at the beginning of this book. I found it very difficult to like some of the characters no matter how charming O'Leary wrote them because some of their choices were simply frustrating to read about. I wanted to like them, but I found myself rolling my eyes & hoping they would just pull themselves together. There were a few connections I was able to piece together earlier than they were revealed; there are enough breadcrumbs in the story if you're looking for them, but I found it frustrating none-the-less.

All that to say, it's still a very enjoyable book, once again in the weekend escape/beach read category, as I think all of O'Leary's books should be shelved. It's hard to say too much without giving the plot or surprise away, but I will say that if you've enjoyed her other books, you'll enjoy this one as well. Just stick with it if you're frustrated at the beginning- she pulls it all together, I promise.