*big thanks to netgalley and berkeley for sending me an eARC! all opinions are my own.

beth o'leary once again shows that her romances are go far deeper than the surface. "the no-show" starts out as a story based on bad timing and missed dates, but becomes a layered insight on love, grief, and life-changing people. siobhan, miranda and jane are each very different leading ladies, but they all captured my attention immediately. it was impossible not to root for them. joseph, while he definitely doesn't start off in the best light, is given the time and space to be understood, and although i didn't love him as a character or a male lead, beth o'leary is amazingly talented at writing about loss, heartbreak and trauma. as expected, the story has plenty of twists and turns, and i have to say, i really didn't see the big one coming. it adds so many layers to the story and makes the emotions so much bigger. while i loved each lead, miranda was absolutely my favorite (i'm also a huge fan of AJ, too) and i enjoyed how each storyline was tied together in the end, although more attention to that would have made the ending even more satisfying. o'leary is phenomenal in her fourth novel -- it's a perfect showcase for her skills in writing love, loss and humor all while captivating her reader.