Reviews with content warning for Emotional abuse - The No-Show

Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

The No-Show by Beth O'Leary

68 reviews

bexh's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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cass_lit's review against another edition

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2.75

I’ve read all of Beth O’Leary’s past books and loved them all, so The No-Show was one of my most anticipated releases of the year. Overall, I liked the general idea but I didn’t get what I wanted from this. If you want to go in not knowing anything, stop reading here. I’m not marking them as spoilers because no specifics will be mentioned - but things will be hinted at.

I love Beth O’Leary’s books because they’re comforting and heartwarming. Even through hard topics, I always felt hopeful and happy. I rarely felt that reading The No-Show. The summary is misleading, which meant I wasn’t rooting for anyone for a very long time (

read: at least 75% in

). By the time I was rooting for people, I just felt emotionally drained from waiting for something that wasn’t coming - and then the book got pretty dark. Which was even more emotionally draining. So while there was

kind of?

a happy ending… I personally don’t feel very happy. I really all of the romances, but I didn’t like reading journeys to get there.

I will still happily read anything Beth O’Leary puts out, I just don’t think this style of romance/“rom-com” novel is for me.

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what_heather_loves's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

"Joseph laughs and dives in to kiss her, and she doesn't even stop him, though her face is a mess and still wet with tears. She let's him pull her close and hold her, and let's the emotions rook, the joy and the sadness. As it all begins to settle to a low hum, she presses her cheek to his chest and feels something else blooming: the peace that comes with letting someone else take a little of the burdon."

It's Valentines Day. Nervous Jane, who escaped London for her home town, Winchester, where she volunteers at a charity shop, is waiting for her new friends, Joseph, to pose as her fake boyfriend at a friend's engagement party. Confident life coach, Siobhan is waiting for her breakfast date, Joseph, which is a change from their usual late night rendezvous. Outgoing tree surgeon, Miranda has been dating her boyfriend, Carter for five months and itvs getting serious. All three women are stood up on Valentines Day. Just what is Joseph Carter up to?!

Told from the perspectives of the three, very different women, the reader gains insight into their lives - their jobs, friends, boyfriends, hopes and fears. Jane is vulnerable and needs a friend first and foremost, Siobhan doesn't want to commit to a man and is also struggling with a client. Miranda can't believe how lucky she is, with her boyfriend, but a fellow tree surgeon, AJ, has the hots for her. The reader will, at best, hope Joseph Carter has a reason for his behaviour! As the novel progresses, it becomes apparent that the three women's lives are connected and it becomes much more than a romance novel. Complex and involving, The No Show tackles tragedy, grief and coercion as well as joy, love and hope with pockets of humour. I found myself rooting for Jane, Siobhan and Miranda, despite suspecting they couldn't all get their happy ending. There are a number of twists and one particular shock that demonstrate clever plotting and make for a slow-burner that is well worth reading.

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