Review: The Name Game by Beth O'Leary

 

The Name Game by Beth O'Leary

Publication Date: April 7th 2026 by Berkley

Pages: 384

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★½

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Charlie Jones arrives on the remote island of Ormer ready for a fresh start as the new farm store manager. The island is exactly what she needs: quiet, beautiful, and far removed from the life she’s trying to leave behind. But her reset is immediately derailed when another Charlie Jones shows up, insisting he is the one who was offered the job. A simple mix‑up… or something more suspicious?

 

Rosie Nicole, the farm’s owner, decides the only fair solution is a two‑month trial. Whichever Charlie proves to be the better fit will stay on permanently, unless they can boost profits enough to justify hiring both.

 

Both Charlies are desperate for a restart, and the story slowly unravels their pasts through emails, diary entries, and flashbacks. Their relationship begins with prickly tension, but working and living in such close quarters forces them into an uneasy truce that gradually shifts into trust, respect, and eventually a simmering attraction. It’s a slow burn, but I was hooked on every moment of it.

 

I also adored the island regulars, an odd, prickly, and unexpectedly warm group who make Ormer feel like a place you’d want to escape to yourself.

 

As for the name‑swap mystery, I had no idea where it was heading, but I could feel a twist brewing. When the truth finally dropped, I had to pause and process because it genuinely blindsided me in the best way. O’Leary ties it together so cleverly that once everything clicks, it feels both surprising and completely earned. It added a whole new emotional layer to the story, and I loved it!

4.5 Stars

Book Description:

A man and a woman with the same name are looking for a fresh start only to discover they have landed the same job in this charming new romance by bestselling author Beth O’Leary.

Charlie couldn’t be happier to take the job of farm-shop manager on the remote, wild Isle of Ormer. She’s grieving, a little lost, and in desperate need of a fresh start.

Jones has come out of a difficult breakup and is looking forward to some peace away from the noise of his city life. Moving to Ormer couldn’t have come at a better time.

But when Charlie Jones and, ahem, Charlie Jones both turn up at Ormer’s one and only farm shop, claiming to have been offered the role of manager, everyone is baffled. How could this have happened? And just who is the real Charlie Jones?

Review: Swept Away by Beth O'Leary

 

Swept Away by Beth O'Leary

Publication Date: April 1st 2025 by Berkley

Pages: 384

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★½

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Zeke and Lexi find themselves in the middle of the ocean on a houseboat with no phone reception, a dead battery and no means of navigation. They’re essentially strangers but now must rely on each other to survive.

 

Swept Away was brilliant! There was something magical and magnetic between Zeke and Lexi from the start, but facing the trial together cemented their bond. Having nowhere to go, they shared their deepest feelings, insecurities, fears and dreams. I was on the edge of my seat with some of the things that happened, worried about their survival!

 

Beth O’Leary is famous for her surprise twists and there was one here that reshaped things. I did suspect before it was revealed, though. It did make things messier and complicated but didn’t change my love for the story from beginning to end! I will say that I was more than a little miffed with Penny.

4.5 Stars

Book Description:

Two strangers find themselves stranded at sea together in this epic new love story by bestselling author Beth O’Leary.

What if you were lost at sea…with your one-night stand?

Zeke and Lexi thought it would just be a night of fun. They had no intentions of seeing each other again. Zeke is only in town for the weekend to buy back his late father’s houseboat. Lexi has no time for dating when she needs to help take care of her best friend's daughter.

Going back home with a stranger seems like a perfect escape from their problems. But a miscommunication in the dark, foggy night means no one tied the houseboat to the dock. The next morning, Zeke and Lexi realize all they can see is miles and miles of water.

With just a few provisions on the idle boat, Zeke and Lexi must figure out how to get back home. But aside from their survival, they’re facing another challenge. Because when you’re stuck together for days on end, it gives you a lot of time to get to know someone—and to fall in love with them.

Author Bio: Beth O'Leary is a Sunday Times bestselling author whose novels have been translated into more than thirty languages. Beth writes her books in the English countryside with a very badly behaved golden retriever for company. If she's not at her desk, you'll usually find her curled up somewhere with a book, a cup of tea, and several woolly jumpers (whatever the weather).

Mini-Review: The Wake-Up Call by Beth O'Leary

 

The Wake-Up Call by Beth O'Leary

Publication Date: September 26th 2023 by Berkley

Pages: 368

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Izzy and Lucas at one time got along, with attraction and chemistry sparking between them, but a misunderstanding has them battling it out as co-workers, trying to one-up the other.  

Now they must band together to save the beloved and charming Forest Manor Hotel. Cleaning out and selling off the accumulated “lost items” to raise money, Izzy finds a Tupperware of lost wedding rings. Partially motivated by her own loss, Izzy is determined to find the owners of the missing wedding rings, which leads to a competition between Izzy and Lucas over who can return the most.

I loved The Wake-Up Call! Brimming with emotions, fun and playful at times, but also more serious dealing with feelings of inadequacy, grief and hurt. The romance was deliciously steamy, and I cheered for these two to sort everything out!

4 Stars

Book Description:

Two hotel receptionists--and arch-rivals--find a collection of old wedding rings and compete to return them to their owners, discovering their own love story along the way.

It's the busiest season of the year, and Forest Manor Hotel is quite literally falling apart. So when Izzy and Lucas are given the same shift on the hotel's front desk, they have no choice but to put their differences aside and see it through.

The hotel won't stay afloat beyond Christmas without some sort of miracle. But when Izzy returns a guest's lost wedding ring, the reward convinces management that this might be the way to fix everything. With four rings still sitting in the lost & found, the race is on for Izzy and Lucas to save their beloved hotel--and their jobs.

As their bitter rivalry turns into something much more complicated, Izzy and Lucas begin to wonder if there's more at stake here than the hotel's future. Can the two of them make it through the season with their hearts intact?

Review: The No-Show by Beth O'Leary

 

The No-Show by Beth O'Leary

Publication Date: April 12th 2022 by Berkley

Pages: 352

Source: Publisher & Purchased Audiobook

Rating: ★★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Joseph Carter and three women are at the center of this story. That sounds complicated, right? Keep an open mind because not all is how it seems.

Siobhan is a no-strings kind of girl after being burned in the past, but deep down is she really? Joseph Carter has burrowed under her skin. They have a passionate relationship, but in a panic, Siobhan breaks it off. Their connection was intense and palpable!

Miranda and Joseph have been seeing each other, and Miranda is over the moon for him, or at least thinks she should be, but something about their relationship niggles at her. She can’t get over the feeling that he’s holding something back from her. I felt like their romance was never quite right, especially with AJ, her co-worker in the picture. Just as at side note, I thought Miranda’s job as a tree trimmer was pretty bad ass, and I thought her twin sisters, Adele and Frannie were a hoot!

Jane is very reserved and cautious, but somehow Joseph has managed to befriend her and their meetups discussing books and whatever soon turn into more for Jane. It’s obvious that something was brewing between these two and I have to say this was my favorite storyline. I adored Jane! It’s evident she’s been through a trauma of some sort. Feeling a bit broken she didn’t push Joseph when it was obvious that he was a little broken, too. I appreciated that Jane grew a lot apart from Joseph, made important friendships that helped her in her journey. I loved that Jane felt it important to be supportive and there for her friends, as well!

The No-Show was an emotional and heartbreaking story, but it was oh-so-lovely, too! An original way of writing a romance that was a bit misleading at the beginning. Like I said keep an open mind and enjoy this beautiful journey! My heart soared upon finishing! I loved how it all turned out!

5 Stars

About the book:

Three women who seemingly have nothing in common find that they're involved with the same man in this smart new rom-com by Beth O'Leary, bestselling author of The Flatshare.

Siobhan is a quick-tempered life coach with way too much on her plate. Miranda is a tree surgeon used to being treated as just one of the guys on the job. Jane is a soft-spoken volunteer for the local charity shop with zero sense of self-worth.

These three women are strangers who have only one thing in common: They've all been stood up on the same day, the very worst day to be stood up--Valentine's Day. And, unbeknownst to them, they've all been stood up by the same man.

Once they've each forgiven him for standing them up, they let him back into their lives and are in serious danger of falling in love with a man who seems to have not just one or two but three women on the go....

Is there more to him than meets the eye? And will they each untangle the truth before they all get their hearts broken?

Review: The Road Trip by Beth O'Leary

 

The Road Trip by Beth O'Leary

Publication Date: June 1st 2021 by Berkley Books

Pages: 400

Source: Publisher and Purchased Audio Book

Rating: ★★★★½

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads | Audible

My Thoughts:

Addie and Dylan fell madly in love over a Summer in France, but things fell apart spectacularly. Neither has really moved on, and right from the beginning I could tell these two had that special romance that only comes along once in a lifetime.

Now, almost two years since the breakup they’re both on the way to a mutual friend’s wedding when trouble strikes, and they up stuck together in a cramped car ride to Scotland. Addie and Dylan must confront mistakes from the past while on the inside they still long for each other.

The story alternates between Addie and Dylan in the present and then in the past. How they fell in love and what led to the breakup is slowly revealed. I wondered what went horribly wrong and my heart hurt for these two to find a way back to each other.

Certainly, Dylan’s best friend Marcus, a total asshole in the past, was a huge part of their breakup. I couldn’t stand the guy, and I suspected early on one of the reasons he was such a colossal jackass! Did Marcus improve in the present? Well, you’d have to read to find out. More important though was Dylan and Addie’s handling of the situation.

The Road Trip was a bit angsty and really pulled at my heart strings, but it was also pretty laugh-out-loud funny in parts! I alternately read and listened to the audio version, and I couldn’t stop reading once I picked up the story! I had to know what happened to break these two up when they were so in love in the past and obviously still in love in the present.

The audio version was fantastic with Josh Dylan and Eleanor Tomlinson performing Dylan and Addie’s POVs. Loved their English accents!

4.5 Stars

Book Description:

What if the end of the road is just the beginning?

Four years ago, Dylan and Addie fell in love under the Provence sun. Wealthy Oxford student Dylan was staying at his friend Cherry's enormous French villa; wild child Addie was spending her summer as the on-site caretaker. Two years ago, their relationship officially ended. They haven't spoken since.

Today, Dylan's and Addie's lives collide again. It's the day before Cherry's wedding, and Addie and Dylan crash cars at the start of the journey there. The car Dylan was driving is wrecked, and the wedding is in rural Scotland--he'll never get there on time by public transport.

So, along with Dylan's best friend, Addie's sister, and a random guy on Facebook who needed a ride, they squeeze into a space-challenged Mini and set off across Britain. Cramped into the same space, Dylan and Addie are forced to confront the choices they made that tore them apart--and ask themselves whether that final decision was the right one after all.