Well hello to you my reader chums! I’m a massive fan of Beth O’Leary; every one of her books I’ve read in only a couple of sittings because I’m obsessed and this book is no different.

If you’re looking for a not-so-typical romance with brilliant character development, here’s my review of The No Show by Beth O Leary.

The plot follows three women, Siobhan, Miranda and Jane and their love lives. Siobhan who is casually seeing a guy, Miranda with a boyfriend and Jane who is pretending to have a boyfriend. All three women have links to the same guy, Joseph Carter. And all three women have been stood up by him. It’s an unexpected love story surrounding Joseph Carter.

I adored the differences between all the women in this novel, it’s what made the book even more special. I liked them all for different reasons but most importantly because they were authentically themselves and not described in a perfect way but in a real way. They were real women, living their best and worst dating dilemmas and learning what love is.

Siobhan - What a complex and interesting character. As a life coach, she comes across as incredibly strong-willed and confident, however, as the plot moves on, it opens Siobhan’s emotions and makes her an honest, real woman with feelings. I loved learning every part of who she was and watching her character develop, as well as reading about her friendship with Fiona.

Miranda - I loved Miranda’s badass and strong energy, paving the way in the male-dominated industry of being a tree surgeon. She is assertive, proud and caring, and is a great role model to her younger twin sisters. As the plot goes on, I got more of a grasp of her dating situation and how a man can really affect everything, and not always in a good way.

Jane - Jane is a character I want to give a giant hug to throughout most of the novel with her rigid routines, simple life and fear outside of her comfort zone. She also has the biggest heart and cares way too much for everyone around her, loving deeply whether that’s platonically or romantically.

Joseph - Joseph Carter is who the whole plot centres around as it becomes apparent he’s involved in all of these women’s lives. Initially, to me, he came across as the guy who thought he had it all and was late to everything. However, as the plot unfolds and I learnt more about him, I came to understand who he really is and what he thinks about love and relationships.

Overall, I loved every part of this book, I read it in just under 3 sessions. It’s one of those books where I fell in with the characters straight away and needed to learn more about who they are and what the big mystery is.

I love how the book is split between the perspectives of all three women as although it’s set in the third person, the narrative carefully explains what’s going on, leaving a sense of mystery with every chapter. The book started out and I had an opinion of what I thought it was, but as the plot was unveiled and the characters developed, its meaning got deeper and my perspective changed.

The No Show is an unexpected romance, sharing the highs and lows of dating and love, and how exactly that feels for different women. I would love to read this all over again.

The ending warmed my heart. After discovering the tragedies and what the characters have been through, the ending is uplifting and joyous, showcasing what love really is about.

I hope you enjoyed this review. Have you read Beth O’Leary’s books?

Thank you for reading <3