Us Three is the story of Catrin, Judith and Lana. It’s a tale of friendship, love, Greek island escapades and loss. The three girls meet at primary school and swear a life-long allegiance to each other but over the decades this friendship is tested. It’s written well and you can easily lose yourself in this book for hours at a time. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House and the author for the chance to review.

A tale, told by Ruth Jones, of a female friendship over the decades, depicts the good, the bad and the ugly of everyday life and interactions for a Welsh trio.

While Ruth is best known for her comedy writing, this captures more extensive emotions and handles subjects like fertility difficulties, baby loss, grief, substance dependency and dysfunctional relationships.

Each of the women is written well and has her own identity, personality, flaws and priorities. Lana, Catrin and Judith are bound by their similarities in one breath but almost strangers in their differences at others; I felt that was a good reflection of a friendship that survives the ages, as each of the individuals faces their own personal challenges (family, career, relationship - or the impact of any of those going wrong)

It was a very easy and well paced read that I expect will be very popular; I particularly liked the writing style where each character has an opportunity to have their voice and inner dialogue heard (much like The Flat Share / The Switch) and that helped me to believe in their friendship and warm to each of them even when they, in turn, weren’t very likeable.

I’d like to thank NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book in advance of it’s release. I hope it does very well.

I enjoyed this, and found it an easy read, though not as funny as I'd expected. This was purely because of my love of Gavin & Stacey, however, and my expectations that Ruth Jones the author would be writing in a similar way as Ruth Jones the Screen writer.
The characterisation in the book is great - all three friends come to life, and seeing them through different periods of their lives really builds for a strong story. There are some moments of humour throughout, but there are also some really very sad parts too, and it's worth being aware of that.

I wasn't always sure I quite liked all the girls, but their flaws made them more realistic, and I liked that their friendships were really quite broken - it felt like a real portrayal of how messed up friendships can be at times.

Like three or four books in one, this is the story of the friendship of three girls, then women, over their lives.
I loved it! An easy, but very well written book, I was disappointed when it ended - I’ll miss those characters! (The sign of a great story, I always feel)

This book was ok!

I love Ruth’s TV shows so was really excited to read this, however, it just didn’t meet my expectations!

It reads easily, but didn’t quite have enough of a storyline to keep me interested. A good holiday read though!

Thoroughly enjoyed this second novel by Ruth Jones just as much as her first. This time the story is of three friends & how their lives interweave from school days to when they are in their fifties. Lots of trials & tribulations & relationships along the way, that all go to make this book a splendid one. Can't wait for Ruth's next offering.

This book charts the lives of three very different characters, friends since school, with various issues of home life to deal with, different careers and outlooks. The book travels through decades taking them well into their 50's. A compelling investigation of personalities and human interactions.

Such a fab story. I hoped and guessed the book would be good being written by Ruth Jones but it far excelled what I had hoped for. It is about three girls who meet at infant school and wends its way through their lives with ups and downs along the way. The story really starts properly with the three go to the Greek Islands for the summer before University. They are very different characters, a peacemaker, a drama queen and one who had a rough trot in life and wants an easy life. They are so different but get on so well until something happens which blows the equilibrium apart. There are many ups and down in their lives one of which is devastating for the peacemaker who only wants life to be simple. As the story culminates it goes all comes together due to a tragic happening and I was really thrilled with the ending as I could not have coped with the story finishing on a low. A great book

A tale of 3 friends told with warmth and humour and firmly set in Wales through small words and phrases. We follow them from the end of school through trials and tribulations,fallouts and major life events. I'm sure we each will have our favourite although mine changed as the story progressed. A story which has at its heart the importance of good friends. A joy to read.

Loved this! My first Ruth Jones book but certainly won’t be my last,
Schoolgirl friendships gone wrong in adulthood, recognisable characters to empathise with and a cracking storyline. I laughed and cried with these characters, rooting for them through every page. Read in one sitting, which is always the sign of a good book.

Us Three is Ruth Jones’ second book. Us Three is about three school friends living in Coed Celyn, Wales. Catrin Kelly, Judith Harris and Lana Lloyd. They are about to go on an island hopping adventure for a month to Greece. The girls had been close friends since the age of 5, they were as different as chalk, cheese and chocolate, but they loved and knew each other inside and out. They’d always been inseparable and hadn’t gone a day without seeing each other for the past 13years. This adventure was their last before they were all heading off in different directions, Catrin to study medicine in Cardiff, Judith to read economics in London and Lana to train as a musical theatre actress. This was their final hurrah, their last chance to stock up on each other’s company before beginning the next chapter of their young lives.
The book takes you on a journey through their adolescence, through adult hood and into mid life. There are many hurdles to overcome, births, marriages and deaths. It’s a rollercoaster of a ride and you find out if their friendship can sustain their lifetime.

Having recently read and loved ‘Never Greener’ I couldn’t wait to read Ruth’s new book. I really enjoyed this book and the characters in it. It was an easy read with a mix of both love and heartbreak.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was a comfortable read which I quite enjoyed, following the ups and downs of the lives of three best friends.
Although I enjoyed the story, the writing style felt like let it down for me.

The characters felt realistic, and the jumping narrative was easy to follow.

Thank you NetGalley

An excellent book exploring friendship, how it can seem effortless but requires nurturing. Very well-written, the three main characters had quirks and flaws which seemed believable across the decades. The story moves at a good pace and I’d highly recommend.

Catrin Kelly, Judith Harris and Lana Lloyd, have been best friends since the age of five. Follow these three women from the age of eighteen to their early fifties as their lives and friendships whirl through many ups and downs.

Us Three is the second novel by Ruth Jones. This story appears under the genre of “Women’s Fiction” BUT do NOT let this label put you off. I am a fan of the Crime/Mystery/Thrillers genre of novels and I thought Us Three was simply BRILLIANT. Yes, it is a book out of my normal reading genre but the quality of Ruth’s writing is superb.

Catrin, Judith and Lana grew up in the fictional small town of Coed Celyn, somewhere in south Wales. Ruth Jones is famous for writing the hugely successful British television situation comedy Gavin & Stacey. Reading the dialogue between her characters in Us Three, it is impossible for the reader not to take on the accents and voices from the television programme. The humour expressed between her characters is similar to that which viewers enjoyed with Gavin & Stacey. For example…

Judith nearly spat out her ginger beer laughing, though Lana was not amused. ‘He was just being deliberately difficult. And we had sex and it was rubbish. Like Chinese takeaway. Y’know, good in the moment, but ultimately unfulfilling.’

… I found the dialogue between her characters simply a joy to read. I liked how Ruth highlighted the difference between Cardiff and Valley accents. This is something we poke fun at every week at our Llantrisant depot.

The short chapters are written from each character’s point of view. This makes this novel ideal for brief reading snatches. Character development is wonderful, the content is so rich that you quickly believe these characters are real people. Ruth pitches the dynamics between these three women really well. Having been married to a Welsh girl for the past 28 years and privy to regular telephone conversations as Gail drones on via speakerphone with her friends from school - I know the conversations that Catrin, Judith and Lana share are realistic.

I really enjoyed reading Us Three and what’s not to like? I found this book highly entertaining, funny and light reading. I think it will make an excellent holiday read that should appeal to both genders. It has high quality writing that is easy to understand, follow and roll along with. There are no dull or repetitive bits in this novel. There is no padding within this story to bulk it out, just comedy drama gold. I could not help but wish each girl well as she made her way through the challenges thrown her way.

I found Us Three a delightful and refreshing read. I loved how it featured the Welsh culture with the attitudes and dialogue so true to life. Had Ruth featured a real small town in south Wales rather than the fictional Coed Celyn, I feel it would become a tourist attraction just like Barry Island has become following the success of Gavin & Stacey. Still, Ruth does mention Cardiff quite a bit in Us Three and we have plenty of hotels here to welcome tourists to our fine and historic city. Just don’t think that Bessemer Place is off Bessemer Road! Instead walk along to Leckwith Road, pop into the Asda and you will overhear women talk just like in Us Three. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Us Three and it gets the top score of 5 stars from me. Well done Ruth, you are a Welsh legend.

This book is advertised as a warm, smart uplifting tale of true friendship. I’m sorry, but although I quite enjoy Ruth Jones’ style of writing, this book wasn’t at all uplifting and certainly wasn’t a tale of true friendship. Although it starts off with a tale of three friends, it soon becomes rather sad and depressing once two of the friends have fallen out. The book spans several decades very quickly and throughout, none of the girls seem happy at all, contending with a toxic mother who tricked some poor sole into a sad, loveless marriage, the sad death of a new-born, a self-absorbed lush, infertility, death of a spouse and the last bit of the story relating to Patricia and Adrian was just odd. I didn’t really find any of the three girls particularly likeable and so I found it difficult to be compassionate for any of them. The only characters I did feel some compassion for were Gareth and Sol. Sorry – this is a bit harsh, but it’s an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley, Ruth Jones and Bantam Press for my arc of Us Three in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: Lana, Catrin and Jude once swore an oath on a curly wurly wrapper that they'd be friends forever. Best friends since they were 4 years old and despite being completely different personalities they've stuck together through thick and thin. But all that starts to change when they go island hopping in Greece when they're 18. After that it's off to different universities, different goals, different lives. Can their friendship weather all storms?

Review: My knowledge of Ruth Jones is for her role in comedy shows like Gavin & Stacey, Fat Friends etc, so I was kind of expecting this book to be funny. Especially as it's described as uplifting. In all honesty I didn't find it that uplifting. A lot of what the girls went through was painful, there was a lot of toxic behaviour and none of the really seemed happy, while that might be true to life to some extent some of the plot lines were bordering on the outrageously unbelievable. This would be ok as something to read on holiday, but I wasn't impressed with the writing style and can't say it is a book I really enjoyed although I did manage to finish it so that's something!

I have heard good things about Ruth Jones through her TV work and her previous novel Never Greener, so I was curious to see how Us Three pans out.
Eight-year-old Welsh girls and best friends Lana, Judith and Catrin swear an oath on a Curly Wurly wrapper that they will be best friends forever. But when the girls turn nineteen in the summer of their A-levels they go on a Greek holiday their bond is broken.
The story continues through to their 50’s of their friendships, partners, romances, death and the ups and downs of their lives. Not always turning out how they envisioned when they were younger.
I thank NetGalley and Random House UK Transworld publishers for a copy of Us Three by Ruth Jones. This was an enjoyable read about three friends and their bond with each other. The story had great characters and quite realistic. But for me I was expecting a bit more. I know how funny Ruth Jones is in Gavin and Stacey and I thought that it would reflect in this book, but I didn’t find this funny and too be honest I found the end of this book quite depressing. It didn’t have the light-heartedness that I was expecting 3.5 stars from me.

It’s been a while since I’ve managed to find a book that I could get into but this one had me hooked from the beginning. The three main characters and their extended families are familiar and warm and the storyline far from predictable, but still making me laugh out loud or tear up.
An absolutely cracking book

Story with a Big Heart- following the ups and downs of life of three friends. Not a particularly good writing style and not a genre I really enjoy on the whole. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.