The No-Show

Starred review from February 28, 2022
Three distinctive women unknowingly fall in love with the same man in this captivating romance from bestseller O’Leary (The Road Trip). Life coach Siobhan Kelly meets charismatic Joseph Carter in London and falls hard after a passionate night together. Miranda Rosso, a free-spirited professional tree surgeon, also feels committed to Joseph despite suspecting that he’s keeping secrets. And shy, bookish Jane Miller is determined to keep her flirtatious relationship with Joseph platonic, though deep down, she wishes they were something more. When Joseph doesn’t show up to his Valentine’s dates with any of the three women, his erratic behavior casts doubt on his relationships, and his partners wonder if there’s more to Joseph than he’s letting on. O’Leary pulls off an impressive balancing act, unraveling each woman’s backstory while meticulously drawing connections between them and celebrating them for their differences. The attention to detail adds depth to each character—even Joseph will win readers over—and the twisty plot keeps readers both guessing what will happen next and rooting for happy endings across the board. This is a knockout. Agent: Tanera Simons, Darley Anderson Literary.

September 1, 2022

In O'Leary's (The Road Trip) latest engaging romance, three women are stood up on Valentine's Day by the same man. The women are Siobhan, Miranda, and Jane, all of whom were hoping to deepen their relationship with Joseph, who is clearly not what he seems. The audio features brilliant performances by four skilled narrators--Evanna Lynch, Heather Long, Kathryn Drysdale, and Luke Thompson. Although it is sometimes distracting to hear the narrators voice the characters so differently, they work together to bring O'Leary's unconventional premise to life. The novel is billed as romance, and listeners will get plenty of that, but they will also be intrigued by the unexpected twists and turns and the women's fascinating backgrounds. O'Leary skillfully weaves clues and foreshadowing together to keep listener's emotional tensions high, without revealing her final hand too soon. Narrators Lynch, Long, and Drysdale are evenly matched in skill, making each perspective shift welcome and unique. VERDICT Although they may have a favorite character, O'Leary's surprising romance will keep listeners invested in each gripping journey as they try to puzzle out a happy ending for all.--Matthew Galloway

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.