Beth O’Leary is a UK novelist and Sunday Times bestselling author of uplifting love stories. Her novels have been translated into more than thirty languages. Beth O’Leary released her first novel, The Flatshare, in 2019. The romance book hit the Sunday Times bestseller list and has sold over one million copies.
Read on to learn more about Beth O’Leary, and to find out what we think her best books are.
In what order should I read Beth O’Leary’s books?
Beth O’Leary writes standalone books, which means you can read them in any order you want! However, she’s previously told interviewers she sees some of them as existing in the same universe, and there’s a call-back to characters from The Flatshare in her novel The Wake-up Call.
Have any of Beth O’Leary’s books been made into TV shows?
The Flatshare was made into a mini-series in 2022. The story follows two people who share a flat without ever meeting in person. They communicate (and fall in love!) via Post-it notes.
The Road Trip, her third novel, was made into a six-part series. It’s about exes who end up on a road trip together to attend a wedding. It was released in 2024, and you can stream The Road Trip on Paramount+ FREE for seven days. Subscribe here.
The No-show has been optioned for TV by production company Bad Wolf, and The Switch has been optioned for film by Stephen Spielberg’s company, Amblin.
Who is Beth O’Leary’s partner?
Beth O’Leary is married to Doctor Sam Hodgson. They welcomed their first child in July 2021. Beth has said The Flatshare was inspired in part by living with Sam, who worked nights.
What are the best Beth O’Leary books?
Here are The Weekly’s favourite books by Beth O’Leary …
01
The Flatshare
Tiffy needs a cheap flat, and fast. Leon works nights and needs cash. The solution: Leon occupies the one-bed flat while Tiffy’s at work in the day, and she has the run of the place the rest of the time.
But with obsessive ex-boyfriends, demanding clients at work, wrongly imprisoned brothers, and the fact that they still haven’t met yet, they’re about to discover that if you want the perfect home, you need to throw the rulebook out the window …
This one also made the list of The Weekly’s top romance books of all time.
02
The Road Trip
Addie and her sister are on an epic road trip to a friend’s wedding in rural Scotland. But, not long after setting off, a car slams into theirs. The driver is Addie’s ex, whom she hasn’t seen since their traumatic break-up two years earlier.
Dylan and his best mate are heading to the wedding too, so Addie has no choice but to offer them a ride. And with four hundred miles to go, they can’t avoid confronting the very messy history of their relationship.
The Weekly ranked The Road Trip as one of our top romances to listen to as an audiobook.
03
Swept Away
Lexi is looking for no-strings-attached fun with a stranger. Zeke is looking for love. Sparks fly at the pub, one passionate kiss leads to another, and they end up stumbling home to the marina together.
The next morning, Lexi is more than ready for Zeke to leave. There’s just one small problem . . . the houseboat they stayed on has been swept out to sea. As their supplies start to run dangerously low, Zeke and Lexi realise there’s much more on the line than their new relationship.
04
The Switch
Ordered to take a two-month sabbatical after blowing a big presentation at work, Leena escapes to her grandmother Eileen’s house for some overdue rest. Newly single and about to turn eighty, Eileen would like a second chance at love. But her tiny Yorkshire village doesn’t offer many eligible gentlemen … So Leena proposes a solution: a two-month house swap.
05
The No-show
8.52 a.m. Siobhan is looking forward to her breakfast date with Joseph. Breakfast on Valentine’s Day surely means something … so where is he?
2.43 p.m. Miranda’s hoping that a Valentine’s Day lunch with Carter will be the perfect celebration. They’ve been dating for five months and things are getting serious. But why hasn’t he shown up?
6.30 p.m. Joseph Carter agreed to be Jane’s fake boyfriend at an engagement party. His friendship is fast becoming the brightest part of her new life. But he’s not at the party …
Meet Joseph Carter. That is, if you can find him.
06
The Wake-up Call
Forest Manor Hotel is quite literally falling apart. It won’t stay afloat without some sort of miracle. When Izzy returns a guest’s lost wedding ring, the reward convinces management that this might fix everything. With four rings still sitting in lost property, the race is on for Izzy and her sworn enemy 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…
