A review by dlrosebyh
The No-Show by Beth O'Leary

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

1.75

Siobhan is a fiery life coach who has much too much on her plate. Miranda is a tree surgeon who is used to being treated like any other worker. Jane is a quiet volunteer at the local charity shop who has no self-esteem. 
 
These three ladies are strangers with only one thing in common: they were all stood up on the same day, Valentine's Day, the worst day to be stood up on. And, unknown to them, they've all been stood up by the same man. 
 
I was completely perplexed for the first 75% of the book. The book  moved so slowly. I had to look up the timeline, and one thing I'm thankful about is that there is no formal cheating in this story. The male protagonist was annoying and manipulative in my opinion. I can't believe I knew nothing about this man by the conclusion of the story. 
 
The plot was likewise rushed. Beth O'Leary basically had to cover three romances in under 341 pages. Another point is that until the 80% mark, this book isn't truly a romance novel, unlike what the market sold it to be. They're merely the lives of these women who were dumped by the same guy, as well as their "relationship" with him. None of the characters truly stuck out to me; they all seemed stereotypical and bland. 
 
Speaking about the characters, I found them to be really irritating. Tell me how I know 15-year-old teenagers who can converse with greater maturity than 20-30-year-old adults. They spoke like real toddlers, which I despised. You can't make me like characters I've hated for the previous 200 pages. You should've done it earlier. 
 
Many people advised me to stay for the plot twist component... But where had it gone? I'm not sure if it's because I consume so much media, but I actually predicted the plot twist and it wasn't shocking at all. It was the most transparent plot twist ever. It made me dislike the book even more. If you're going to create a plot twist, make it surprising so your readers will be fascinated. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings