I devoured The No-Showin record time, powering through its pages despite wanting to save the deliciousness that is a new Beth O’Leary novel for as long as possible. I was totally enthralled by each women’s experiences and relationships with Joseph, and somehow never felt any bad blood towards him despite his mysteriousness and at times emotional unavailability. The books featured on this site are aimed primarily at readers aged 13 or above and therefore you must be 13 years or over to sign up to our newsletter. He’s either a heartless bastard or the great guy he mostly appears to be, but how to reconcile the two? Another character would introduce her closest friends, and then we’d never see them again, only hearing about a tragic event around them mentioned in passing.

The No-Show: The utterly heart-warming new novel from the The No-Show: The utterly heart-warming new novel from the

I agree with alot of people that this doesn’t fit the structure (or really the tone) of a Romance novel, but O’Leary has always skirted the edge of that definition IMO. 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. The twist and the spoiler come out at you, and can I just ask who the hell decided to market this as a rom-con? And the more I learned about Joseph, the more he wormed his way into my heart just like the heroines.Ibbotson) have moved onto other genres or produce new books only rarely, so she's had to expand her horizons a bit. The book sprinkles clues and misdirections as we piece together how each of the women met Joseph and how he’s managing this audacious juggling act. 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 No-Show - Incredible books from Quercus Books The No-Show - Incredible books from Quercus Books

I’m not sure she’s achieved that level of characterization (though I liked the heroine of The Roadtrip quite a bit). The No Showis O’Leary’s savviest book to date (and dare I say her best), and although it’s not quite as ‘cosy’ as The Switch, it’s equally as heartwarming and joyful. When their boyfriend/fuckbuddy/date shows up the next day, frazzled and contrite, he manages to convince them to forgive him by spitting out a variety of excuses.The Flatshare had the perfect balance of light and dark for her voice, I agree that the characters were lovable, and also the premise of sharing a one-bedroom apartment in shifts and leaving each other notes was fresh and charming. Because of the unusual plot structure, I find myself having trouble working out how exactly I felt about The No-Show. Siobhan is an ambitious career coach in Dublin, who looks forward to monthly sex dates with Joseph and his magic tongue. Some we receive from the authors, some we receive from the publisher, and some we receive through a third party service like Net Galley.

The No-Show by Beth O’Leary - Zoella BRB Sobbing! Reviewing The No-Show by Beth O’Leary - Zoella

Which isn’t to say that heavy material is something I never want to read; I’m just wondering if that’s part of the reason The Flatshare stands out above the others. Meticulously plotted, fresh and surprising but thrumming with that signature Beth O’Leary warmth we all adore, The No-Show is a dream of a novel from start to finish, even if it is a total enigma until the very end. It might have been the mystery of how Joseph was going to get caught that kept me reading, but it was spending time with Siobhan, Miranda and Jane’s journey that made me enjoy the book along the way. 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). In some ways, it felt a little different to the other books I’ve read from Beth and I can’t put my finger on why, perhaps because of the three-character perspective format and at times not feeling overly drawn to all its protagonists, but regardless it still stands as my favourite book of the year so far!

Meanwhile, Jane is a fragile young woman with a mysterious past trauma who’s starting over in Winchester. But lingering questions remain for each of them, and the missed Valentine’s Day plants the seeds for a shift in Joseph’s relationships.