A fabulous warmhearted book. Three girls Caitlin, Lana and Judith have been friends since childhood and after they return from a backpacking trip round Greece and Cyprus which they'd planned after finishing their exams they each started out on a different path. The story revolves around them and their families, Lots of emotions, secrets and disappointments along the way but can they remain friends or will life take them in different directions. Fabulous characters and a wonderful story of love,loss, and betrayal and beautifully written by Ruth Jones .A 5🌟read

I love Ruth Jones, I think she writes very well, from Gav&Stace to this novel about three friends and how they grow and struggle to maintain the tight bond they swore to on a Curly Wurly wrapper.

This is the first novel from her which I read and overall, I enjoyed it - it was a nice story to get lost in and take my mind off this quarantine. The story is thought out and plenty happens, there's plenty of drama, the characters are well developed and complex.

The only think I will say - and I am aware of how an industry/world with such dynamic as ours will take it - is that characters who are not white are still written awkwardly in many predominantly white stories. For example a character in this story has 'her long Jamaican hair in a plait' and brings a 'Jamaican cake' - there is no real reason for the Jamaican prefix (we already know they're black) and just saying 'her long hair' or 'ginger and caramel cake' would have done just fine. Subtlety would have been more stylish. Pointing out that this character is Jamaican every time they were in the story just stuck out uncomfortably especially as no-one else had their ethnicity so obviously pointed out every time they were in the room.

What a book! Us Three is the first book by Ruth Jones that I've had the joy of reading, and it definitely won't be my last.

Spanning the lives of best friends, Catrin, Judith and Lana, Us Three is a touching exploration into love, loyalty, loss and the power of friendship and how it defines us.

So refreshingly raw and real were Jones' characters that I slipped so effortlessly into each of their point of view narratives. I cried through their heartbreaks, laughed during their highs and was utterly gripped by their dramas.

Warm, witty and just plain wonderful.

I do love Ruth Jones, but I can never seem to get Nessa out of my head! The entire way through reading this I just felt very 'Gavin and Stacey'...except with a LOT more drama and a lot of cheating.

Cheating is very much a trope Ruth Jones writes a lot about, and it makes me instantly dislike it. I get her books tend to span out over a number of years - but it's the Justification of why characters do it that just niggles at me. On top of that, I didn't particularly like any character (well, except Gareth and George but definitely none of the main characters)

Anyway - lots of drama, plenty of POV's to keep you turning those pages, plenty of secrets given throughout to keep you reading... just unfortunately - not a favourite.

I know this is woman's fiction but as a male fan of Ruth Jones (particularly Stella ) I thought I would give this a read . I started to read it and thought I may have made a mistake . I carried on reading it and got sucked in to the characters and really enjoyed it . Ruth's humour comes through in places but it is a serious story about the relationship between three girls who have been best friends since junior school . The differences between the family backgrounds of each of the girls is well described . The story starts when the 3 girls Lana , Judith and Catrin prepare to go on a first teenage holiday to Greece and what happens on this holiday and in the years after , charting their relationships with each other and family members .All in all an enjoyable read.

This book made me laugh at a time when I was stressed and anxious. A great read. Never read Ruth Jones before but I'll definitely be reading more by her :)

This book is fun, heart warming and totally relatable. Packed full of friendships and their toils, this novel is destined to become one of 2020s favourites.

What a brilliant read. This is the first Ruth Jones book I have read and it won't be my last!
The story of three best friends, of their loves and lives. Such an emotional, relatable journey of their close friendship and of all the dramas that can bring!

Friends from childhood, Catrin, Judith and Lana seem set to be there for each other for life, especially as they it swore on a curly wurly wrapper. However, as with most things in life, things don't run as smoothly as expected and once they get older one mistake snowballs causing cracks to appear between the three that seem impossible to mend. Written is such an easy to read but totally believable way I felt myself desperately wanting everything to be healed between them. I couldn't help hearing Nessa from Gavin and Stacey though in Lana as her character seemed so familiar. A wonderful book that has left me feeling sorry that I've finished it. Ruth Jones has been added to my list of favourite authors for sure.

I loved this book and could hear Ruth Jones voice in my head throughout the story so well is it written.
Each of the girls as a teen is determined to survive the changes life throws at them and to have one last hurrah of a holiday on the way to adulthood, be it university or work.
Dotting between the decades the book follows the intertwined lives of all three women, the complications and the fall outs and the ultimate re-conciliatory gestures made each version of the women grows her further as a character, just as life does in reality .
The characters, in particular the women but also their supporting families and men, are wholly believable and on the whole likeable and are written in such as way as they almost step off the page and into your friendship group. A great read for a couple of sunny spring evenings!

I loved Ruth Jones first book, Never Greener, and this one didn’t disappoint.
Us Three is filled with lots of humour, sadness and reflection about friends, love, betrayal and forgiveness.
Following the lives of three women spanning across the decades from their childhood, when you really believed that friendships would last forever and remain strong.
Great execution of the personalities of each of the main characters and you couldn’t help but love them all in their own inimitable ways.
A very easy reading style which I finished in a couple of sessions as it was so easy to be immersed and the time passed so quickly.

I loved reading this book. The characters were outlined and expanded upon throughout the unfolding story. The three women were childhood friends who remained in touch for most of their lives.
The way that their lives unfolded and the bringing together of the three was outlined with sometimes humour, sometimes sadness. They didn't always get along and their lives had many twists and turns. However I couldn't wait to see what happened to them all in their final moments of the book.
Well written, the chapters were defined by the names of the girls, so the part of the story highlighted their thoughts and feelings in relation to the other girls. and their families..
First time I have read Ruth Jones as a novelist. I shall read her again.

I enjoyed reading about real people, with everyday real problems and because it’s written by Ruth Jones I could easily imagine it as another funny/sad television sit com, something she is so very good at. However it is a light read and after a week I found it difficult to recall any of the storyline so although enjoyable at the time it isn’t memorable, this makes it, for me, a read suitable for those hours when you need to be entertained but not challenged.
Catrin, Judith and Lana are three girls who met at school and became firm friends when they were very young and this story takes us through their lives. As in life friendships strengthen and change and sometimes become estranged but there is always history together which maintains a connection.

Us Three
Author: Ruth Jones
Publishers: Transworld
Publication Date: 3 September 2020

An enjoyable, ultimately uplifting, book about friendship, loyalty, betrayal and loss. Likeable and relatable characters with an engrossing storyline it was just what I needed with all that is going on in the world at the moment. I loved it.

I’d like to thank the author, publisher and netgalley for providing me with this advance digital copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Ruth Jones has written a complex and satisfying tale of three childhood friends and their relationships over the decades. Lana, Catrin and Judith are all very different characters, from different backgrounds but they bond at primary school and stay in touch over the years. One of the girls is reminiscent of some of the characters Ruth Jones has portrayed on TV, but even more over the top. She is a contrast to the other two more sensible girls. However, they all have their part to play and are well rounded characters in a lovingly described landscape.
Superior chick-lit.

Ruth Jones is a great observer of life, and it shines through in her writing. Realistic scenarios, but exciting in that way fiction is. Good characters, and the humour shines through as well. A nice easy read.

Review
Catrin Kelly, Judith Harris, Lana Lloyd, three best friends from the age of five who vowed to be best friends forever. But forever is a long time and sometimes promises are hard to keep. There are loves and losses and falling outs, plus things that will make you laugh and cry.

There were so many interesting diversions in this book, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Even if I couldn’t help but read it in the voice of Ness from Gavin & Stacey!

I would definitely recommend this book and give it 4 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Thanks

Thank you to the author and publishers Random House UK for an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for an independent review.

I enjoyed this tale of friendship through the years.. The lives of the three main characters were well described and beautifully interwoven. Some real sadness amongst the heartwarming moments. An altogether lovely read, characters who you care about and don’t want their stories to end.

Another great read by Ruth Jones. Very approachable and relatable characters with all the welsh speak we know and love from the writer of 'Gavin and Stacey' and 'Stella'. Covers the lives, loves and losses of 3 best friends from childhood. The path in adulthood is not smooth and they break up as friends and lose touch after huge arguments, but seem to have a slightly uneasy truce decades later following a personal tragedy of one for the friends. An enjoyable and good read.

This story took me through the decades of three friends, lives and relationships with others and each other. At times it was endearing seeing them grow up and how outside influences affect them, as well as some emotional and funny moments. At times for me the story dragged and I really just wanted to jump forward to find out what was happening. The story is well written and the characters are well developed.

The idea of the story was really good, however, it was predictable at times and I felt it lacked some depth in the storytelling. Having said that I am sure there are plenty out there who will love reading about these three friends and their lives, loves and upsets, all set in Wales.