Audiobook Review: The No-Show

Author: Beth O’Leary

Narrators: Heather Long, Kathryn Drysdale, Luke Thompson, & Evanna Lynch

Audiobook Length: 10 hours 47 minutes

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.

Siobhan is a quick-tempered life coach with way too much on her plate. Miranda is a tree surgeon used to being treated as just one of the guys on the job. Jane is a soft-spoken volunteer for the local charity shop with zero sense of self-worth.

These three women are strangers who have only one thing in common: They’ve all been stood up on the same day, the very worst day to be stood up–Valentine’s Day. And, unbeknownst to them, they’ve all been stood up by the same man.

Once they’ve each forgiven him for standing them up, they let him back into their lives and are in serious danger of falling in love with a man who seems to have not just one or two but three women on the go….

Is there more to him than meets the eye? And will they each untangle the truth before they all get their hearts broken?

The No-Show was a very unexpected read. I went into it expecting more “com” in the “romcom” that was described as this story covered heavier topics. The story surrounds three women who all find themselves alone on Valentine’s Day when Joseph Carter never shows. Siobhan, Miranda, and Jane have their own POVs in the novel as the story shifts between them in each chapter. This novel surprised me as I went into it thinking it would be more comedy with each woman interacting more with the other. Instead, O’Leary paints the picture of each woman’s relationship with Joseph until everything starts to come together. Due to this style, I admit that I almost DNF’d this a few times, but I am glad that I stuck it out to the end and its one of the reasons why I’m starting my review by describing the style.

The three women each have their own lives and personalities, so I was eager to see how their stories would tie together. Siobhan is a life coach who meets Joseph once a month, but he ends up standing her up for their breakfast Valentine’s Day date. Miranda is a tree surgeon, who ends up being stood up by Joseph for their lunch date. Finally, Jane is a volunteer at a local charity shop who is stood up for a Valentine’s Day party. The story becomes an interesting mystery as the readers sees Joseph through the eyes of each woman and he does not seem like a bad guy. The timeline and pacing can become confusing, at least for me, as the novel moves forward it does make sense.

After enjoying The Switch and not caring for The Road Trip, I really did not know I would feel about The No-Show. Even after finishing it, I honestly do not know if I liked it or not. As each woman’s life is described, the novel does feel crowded as each has their friends and family that make it difficult to track and connect since the chapters switch between them. While the initial plot with the three women and Joseph was confusing it was written that way by design. Throughout reading and by the end, the reader can tell that O’Leary had a plan when she wrote this novel. I think every reader should try this novel for themselves, but, for me, it is not one that I would read again.