I am a huge fan of Ruth Jones’ television writing and so obviously very excited to read this book. Unfortunately it just didn’t work for me. I was quickly bored by all three girls/women and thought the stories around them seemed contrived. The characters were well drawn but not like real people. I never got caught up and involved the way I love to do in a saga such as this. I’m sure Ruth Jones does have a wonderful book in her head waiting to be written but this wasn’t it.
On a positive note it was a very easy read so ideal for holidays or long journeys.

Lana, Judith and Catrin have been friends every since they made a pledge over a Curly Wurly wrapper in the school playground when they were eight years old, but years later, after a trip to the Greek Islands to celebrate the end of their A levels, that pledge is tested, and inevitably broken.

Right from the first page I was gripped by the character led story of friendship, deceit and heartache. You felt like you were sitting behind them, overhearing their conversations rather than reading them on the page. I liked how I absolutely loved some characters, wasn’t sure on others, and one in particular (Patricia) I hated with a vengeance!!!

This is a really wonderful story of the highs and lows of friendship, and I couldn’t put it down evening finding myself still reading it at 4am as I was desperate to know what happened to the group of friends.

I read Ruth Jones’ first book, Never Greener, and I loved that, so I knew that this book wasn’t going to disappoint, and it didn’t!

This book talks about the lives of 3 friends growing up together through school and sharing a holiday travelling through Greece before setting off on their own ways to employment and university until love splits 2 of them apart. Catrin then spends the next 30 years trying on and off to get Lana and Judith back on speaking terms again at the same time all dealing with their lives.

An easy and engrossing read with relatable characters who are flawed but likeable.

We follow the lives of three friends from their teens to 50s and the ups and downs of how life affects their friendship.

Because I'm a fan of Gavin and Stacey I incorrectly expected a lot of humour. What we do get is witty though, and we do get so many heartfelt moments that I also expected.

Ruth Jones is an absolute master of writing enjoyable, relatable and hilarious characters combining them with a plot filled with love, loyalty, heartbreak and compassion.

Much like Never Greener, there are parts of Us Three that could be taken straight from an episode of Gavin & Stacey. Even down to the same quotes used throughout the series ("Alrigh' Cat, how's it goin, alrigh'?"), Ruth Jones has written a fantastic book that will be enjoyed by both G&S fans and those who've never watched it.

I enjoyed the plot and found it brilliant to read how the three best friends lives all spiralled into such different directions, despite them trying to remain close and loyal. The story feels nostalgic and it felt like reading about people you actually know! The characters are familiar and the writing really brings the reader in as part of their story.

My only qualm with Us Three was it was a little too long. Us Three has the potential to be another brilliant Ruth Jones' TV series and I'd love to see some of the characters brought to life. But this is also a brilliant book on it's own. I preferred Never Greener but this is still a highly recommended, enjoyable book that will make you laugh out loud and even shed a tear or two.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ruth Jones and Random House UK Transworld Publishers for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Having not read the authors first book I have to admit to suffering for the first 10% of the book from ‘Nessa’s voice’, this means everything and every character in my head was Nessa and I found myself drifting off wondering if Smithy was going to say yes 😃
This was a distraction but not the authors fault and after 10% it disappeared thankfully
The book is about 3 friends and basically charts their 40 or so years of friendship and everything that happens in it, I felt it gained momentum as the book went on but then ( as in many books/tv ) the seeds for the rest of the story had to be set, it’s a book of love, laughs, disasters, recriminations, ‘falling out’s’, birth’s, death’s and marriages and pretty much everything and anything else that can be thrown it’s way
This book grew on me, as did the 3 characters and by the end was fully invested in their life’s and all that was going on ( good, bad and indifferent )
It all finishes happily and we all like that once in a while in a book and so on the whole would say I enjoyed it and am glad gave it the time to grow on me ( and Nessa to disappear )
A book to pick up at night or on the tube or when you have an hour and a book I am sure many people who don’t often read as much as they would like will read because of the author

8/10
4 Stars

I didn't know what to expect from this book but it was a great read. I loved the characters and the story of their lives. It was very enjoyable.

I haven't read many books set in Wales, so this made a change for me and as I was reading it I could hear the dialogue in my head in a welsh accent! This was a light read and the text was easy to understand. A lovely book and a joy to read.

An enjoyable book despite a disappointing start. I felt that the characters were quite thin as though it was written with TV in mind so it needed actors to bring the characters to life. Having each chapter dedicated to one character almost made it more like a script. The latter half of the book was a great improvement. Maybe, because of Jones's brilliant TV work I expected too much.
This is an honest review of a complimentary ARC.

A very well written story that follows the life of three women who have been friends since primary school. Each chapter tells you who it’s about and the book flows really well. Believable characters who are all likeable except for Patricia who is an absolute horror! Full of drama and relationships, you start reading the book and you don’t want to stop. I recommend this book, thank you #netgalley.

A story of friendship, set over 30 something years, of three friends and their lives together, but also their lives apart.
It includes all the struggles of trying to make amends after endless problems, secrets, with a few difficult family members thrown in.
The three friends seemed to encounter more than their fair share of tragedy and there was always an issue with at least one of them that needed resolving.
Although the story itself was good, I didn't particularly like any of the main characters and this took away some of the enjoyment of the book for me.

Us Three is a lovely novel about the friendship of three girls who meet at primary school and promise to always be there for each other. The book picks up on them approximately ten years later when they have completed their A’Levels and are about to start at university, but first want to spend a month travelling a round Greece.
Lana, Catrin and Judith are three very different characters and their differences come out even more as they grow up. Will their differences compliment their relationship or pull them apart?
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, equally loved the three main characters for all of their various flaws, and would highly recommend it as a nice easy read.
Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Lana, Judith and Catrin have been best friends since the age of 5. That is until the time comes to leave school and follow their new paths in life. Will their friendship survive a tragic event? At times, very sad, at others, very funny and always true to life.

I was very excited when my request to read US THREE by Ruth Jones was granted on Netgalley. I may have squealed...just a bit. 😂 I’m a big Ruth fan if you can’t tell. 🤩 Who doesn’t love Gavin and Stacey and I enjoyed Never Greener.

This book was packed with relatable characters who made this a winner for me. Three childhood friends Lana, Judith and Catrin make a pact to always be there for each other, yet their journey from adolescence to adulthood is a bumpy one and really tests their friendship. The dialogue between the characters was a joy to read and the writing was so funny and witty, yet incredibly touching. Everything you would expect from Ruth Jones. 🥰 She really gets to the core of her characters. US THREE is a true testament to female friendship, and all the complexities and emotions that comes with it.

Recommend to bookworms who👇
~ enjoy stories about female friendships
~ want a big hearted book and probably a little cry. 😘
~ for fans of Beth O’Leary and Marian Keyes.

It was tidy! 😉

Ruth Jones is brilliant and I thought Never Greener was glorious - that book came at the perfect time for me in my life.

Us Three was an enjoyable read but didn't quite hit the mark for me. It felt like a really long book, despite being only 300+ pages. A lot of time is spent on character building - and I get why that's important - but despite this I really didn't care about any of them. There were quite a few shocking moments but I found I wasn't particularly bothered how it turned out. It was a nice read to pass the time - it's maybe a nice, light story to pick up while we still have a bit of summer left!

This is the second novel from well known actress and screen writer Ruth Jones. A different take on women's fiction than her first novel, but extremely enjoyable and captivating. In fact any nonsense about second books being notoriously difficult does not apply in this instance.

Having finished their A-Levels Judith, Lana and Catrin are about to embark on one of those life affirming moments when they take a trip to Greece to celebrate the fact that they have made it thus far and that their long standing friendship since the age of eight will last a life time.

But life has a funny way in playing out and sometimes those moments made when you are eight or eighteen are difficult to maintain throughout life. Especially when you thought it would be forever.

As the book goes on through key moments in all their lives, it is being told from the perspective of each of the girls as they become women, as they move between close friends and further distance. You move from feeling sympathy, to anger throughout the actions of the three women's lives. I could relate so much to being the 'third wheel' in some friendships from my own past, if you can too, then this book is for you!

To say anymore will ruin it for all those who have yet to read it. This is a book full of strong female characters, with such depth and warmth you will think you have known them a lifetime. In fact you can relate to aspects of all of them and I think that is the key to making this an excellent book.

A book about friendships and about how they work and how they don't. How life choices affect sometimes more than yourself and that sometimes life has a funny way of turning out.

Ruth Jones has this novel writing business cracked!

What a magnificent read! I enjoyed every word and can't wait to read what the author writes next. I had liked her previous title, Never Greener, but this a really lovely read about friendship, family and what we discover when we let the time pass and heal our souls.

Absolutely lovely!!

After only a few pages I knew that this was a book I was going to enjoy.
Three friends, Lana, Judith and Catrin; three different backgrounds; three different paths to travel yet lives and emotions entwined throughout the years.
I loved the characters, their flaws, foibles and friendship. I was with them throughout their family anguish, their family fallouts and their reunions.
The laughter and tears or true friendship shone through.
Thank you for a tremendous read.

Really enjoyed this, there was a really nice dynamic between the three lead characters. I laughed and cried, and repeatedly swore violently at Patricia! An insightful and well written look at friendship and family with a great sense of humour throughout.

DNF. This was disappointing for me, as I love Ruth Jones’ work usually, but I just didn’t find it engaging at all. The characters fell flat, and I just wasn’t interested in continuing.