The no-show showed up for me

The no-show is the second novel I read by Beth O'Leary. If you love British humour and quirky people but there are serious subjects tackled in the books, Beth O'Leary is for you! Before reading The no-show, I read The road trip. See also my post on the other three books in O'Leary's current catalogue.

The no show | Published April 2022 | Read September 2023

On the surface The no-show is about three women - strangers - who are dating the same man, Joseph Carter. They are all stood up by Joseph on Valentine's Day. The novel progresses with chapters written by each woman, and by Joseph, as the truth is closer to being revealed.

The three women are vastly different, as different as their relationships are with Joseph. Siobhan is an ambitious life coach, juggling clients in multiple locations and dealing with one who is starting to cross professional boundaries. Her relationship with Joseph seems to mostly consist of late night booty calls. Miranda is a tree surgeon used to working in a male-dominated world as 'one of the boys'. She's a seemingly unlikely partner for Joseph who is a bit, well, nerdy for her, even though their relationship is probably the most conventional and settled of the three. Jane, a shy socially-awkward bookworm, volunteers in a local charity shop in Winchester, Joseph's home town, after escaping a traumatic work experience, the details of which are not revealed until later in the book. Her relationship with Joseph is a bit of a non-starter as she struggles with her self-confidence and self-worth.

I like the way the author developed the female characters and gave the reader insight into Joseph through the three different lenses. I'm glad that I went into the novel free of spoilers and other readers' reviews. I suggest you don't read anything about The no show until you've finished the book so your reading experience is fresh. I didn't figure out what was going on until late into the book, and the ending I suspected was coming was completely different to the one I was served up. Clever! There is not much more I can say about the plot without giving away spoilers.

If you are looking for a lighthearted rom-com, The no-show is not for you. Like The road trip, the cover is misleading. The no-show is billed as a rom-com and true, it is about relationships and there are some humorous bits in it in typical Beth O'Leary style (and I love British humour anyway). Again like The road trip, it starts out light but then descends into much darker territory. There's a shopping list of serious subjects covered in the novel, including dementia, gaslighting, sexual harassment, self-harm, and miscarriage. I felt the treatment of these topics was appropriate for the context of the novel, even though they take the reader on an emotional rollercoaster ride. My feeling is readers will either love the book or hate it. I loved it! It has left a lasting impression on me, for the clever writing, depth of characterisation, the emotional journey, and an ending that was both heartbreaking and heartwarming.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐