I simply loved this book. Ruth Jones is a triumph.
The story of Catrin, Lana and Judith. The book follows their lives and friendship from primary school to their 50s. It's a story of love, hardship and the power of friends. Life isn't always easy and this is reflected in the story. The book is set in 3 parts and tells the story of holidays in Greece to life at home in Wales . Would definitely recommend. An easy read with the power of friendship shining through.

This is the first book I have read by Ruth Jones. I am familiar with some of her TV work, in particular Gavin and Stacey and I was curious to see how her fiction would be in comparison.

Judith, Lara and Catrin have been friends since they started school. We pick up their story when they are 18 year olds. They have finished their A levels and are off to Greece on holiday before starting University. Part one covers the holiday and the start of Uni. Then part two picks up on their lives in their thirties and part three in their fifties.

It's a nice easy read. It would make an excellent holiday book. I did sometimes feel as though the storyline was a little predictable and lacked depth. Having just finished a book by a pulitzer prize winning author, in comparison the writing in this book was very conversational and light - hence my comments about the book being an easy read. I also felt the welsh voice came across strongly in the narrative - sometimes some of the phrases used were those that we are familiar with from the character Nessa in Gavin and Stacey. I did like the book, but I didn't love it. It isn't, however, the sort of book that I would normally choose.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ruth Jones gives us another heartwarming tale in her second novel. This time we meet three best friends and follow their lives from their teens to their fifties. We see the dynamic change with relationships beginning and ending. We also share their experiences with difficult family relationships and bonds that are deeper than blood relationships.
I nodded in agreement, laughed along and made my Kindle wet with my tears during reading this book.
I would recommend it to fans of Mike Gayle, Marian Keyes and Jill Mansell

This is the first book I’ve read by Ruth Jones. I’m a big fan of Gavin and Stacey so was excited to read something a little different from her. I was not disappointed.

Us Three is the 23rd book I’ve read in 2020 and it’s by far my favourite.

The characters are so real. They aren’t perfect but I felt like I was really part of their story.

I love Ruth’s writing style and her passion for Wales just shines through. I love how she brings peoples accents to life on the page, not just those who are Welsh.

The plot is mainly about three best friends who have been friends from the age of five and how their grow up together and their friendship becomes very tested. Through the years and chapters we’re taken through the trials and tribulations of love, friendship, fallings out, family life, secrets and lies and life in all its unfair glory.

I laughed out loud, I gasped, I was shocked and I was angry at some of the things that happened throughout the story. But overall I just loved it.

I have two best friends and two of us had a big falling out a few years ago which made me really feel drawn to Judith and Lana. Although my falling out was not on the same scale or about the same things as in the book, the feelings of regret and love is very similar I would say.

Because each chapter is from a different characters perspective, I feel we get such a good view of the various ups and downs in their lives. As well as the other important people in Lana, Judith and Catrin’s lives.

I loved their epic island hopping adventure in their teens, something I wish I had done in my younger years.

Catrin’s struggle with fertility is something I totally understand.

I don’t think I’ve got a favourite character - they all have their flaws but I actually really liked the three main ladies despite their imperfections. Gosh nobody is perfect and they all have their reasons for why they are the way they are.

I don’t want to go into any spoilers but I will say, when this book is released for general sale, but it, read it and love it.

I devoured this book in two sittings and if I’m honest I was disappointed to finish it. I want to go into the next few decades with these three women and see what else life has in store for them.

Just a brilliant story that I just simply adored.

I loved this book and the life events of these three friends. All of it seemed so believable, and made me think of my friends over the years.
From being based in Wales, where my husband's family are from, to the building of the shopping centre in Guildford, where I worked and shopped for many years, this book felt familiar in so many ways.

I enjoyed this book about the trials and tribulations of seemingly solid friendships and how things can so easily go awry. There are some humourous parts but it is mostly quite serious with defined real issues from real characters who we can all relate to in one way or another. An emotional roller coaster, well written and easy to read with a lot of thought provoking moments questioning one's own past.

This is the first book I've read by Ruth Jones and I absolutely loved it. I can't wait to get my hands on her previous book.
I was worried when I first started reading that it was going to be one of those difficult, jump between characters view points type of books......I was so wrong. Yes each chapter is from one of the characters perspectives but it flows wonderfully, right from the word go you get drawn in and fall in love with their lives. It's full of love, humour tragedy and loss that keeps you wanting more. It's a very easy but fulfilling book that I could not put down.
Thank you netgalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for giving me the opportunity to read and review Us Three.

The thing I loved most about this book is the fact that the characters feel so real. They are almost exactly the same age as me and I really believed in them. Now that I have finished I really feel that I will miss them, especially Catrin and Sol and her dad. The story was great and there were lots of twists and turns I didn't see coming.

I loved Ruth's first book 'Never Greener' and I'm glad this one was a match for it. It's a story of friendship and the real ups and downs of life: romantic relationships, parenting, living away from relatives. I think a lot of people will be able to relate to trying to keep friendships going when life gets busy and being at different stages to each other. I really cared about these characters and at times didn't like them also. It was a bit rushed in parts i.e people declaring undying love very early on in courtship but it was also unpredictable too. From the opening chapter I thought I knew what was going to happen but I was proved wrong. I hope Ruth's next book is as good as the first two. Thanks Netgalley for allowing me a pre-release view of this book.

An enjoyable read, this book flowed and it was easy to keep reading on.
A tale of three girls, friends from childhood, and the trials and tribulations they encountered over the years. There were highs and lows along their journeys and you were kept engaged throughout. The characters were well described and made me reflect on my childhood friends.

Jude, Lana and Catrin - school friends since age 8. This is the story of their lives and their friendship. I really enjoyed this book.

The are some books that make your heart and souls happy... this is most definitely one of those!

Within just a couple of chapters the characters literally come alive, full force and full of vigour. So amazingly written you can picture every expression. The characters are 100 % what make this book so bloody brilliant. Even the minot characters were just as three dimensional as the main characters which isnt usually the case in this genre, Father OLeary was a clear favourite of mine!

A story of friendships, lasting and broken. Love in its sweetest and rawest form. Grief and the everyday dealings of testing long life relationships.

Truly heartfelt moments make this ever more engrossing and with a touch of wit its extremely easy to plough through in one sitting.

I honestly couldn't rate any higher. A perfect work of fiction that's left my heart full.

The biggest thanks to netgalley and Random House UK for the ARC.

After enjoying the debut novel from Ruth Jones I was excited to receive a prepublication copy of her second.
Us Three tells the story of three childhood friends and the trials and tribulations that come with a friendship spanning decades as they grow up, grow apart and experience life together and apart.
Would recommend.

I liked this, a story about three friends and their developing lives over the course of many years. The only thing I didn't like was the over-use of Welsh valley slang. I've lived and worked there and never heard people speak like this. I loved Ruth Jones' writing for Gavin and Stacey and it worked there but reading it - well It did get irritating Still, it was an enjoyable read.

Ruth Jones came to my rescue with her second novel, Us Three. I've found myself unable to read due to the pandemic and the scary, unknowable situation we now find ourselves in - anxiety shatters my concentration.

But I really wanted to loose myself in a book, so picked up Us Three and was delighted when I found myself actually engaging and finishing it. I had previously read and really enjoyed Ruth Jones' debut novel, Never Greener and the tone of her second book is very similar. There's a focus on the nuances of relationships and friendships in a small-town setting. The overall effect is cosy and comforting, even when a drama is playing out in the story (and there were a few through the story). Exactly what I needed from a book at the moment.

Us Three tells the tale of Lana Lloyd, Judith Harris and Catrin Kelly - friends since school, they have known each other their whole lives and were always an inseparable trio. The summer before they go their separate ways to university, they take a girls' trip to Greece, where things happen that change the course of their lives.

Told across three points in time; when the characters are 12, 37 and 52 years old, we get to see how their friendship develops and how they all cope with love, loss and the multitude of events life throws at them.

It was so enjoyable to spend time in the company of these ladies and not think about the pandemic for a few hours! I loved the Welsh colloquialisms too, and the way Ruth Jones writes so you can hear the accent coming through, it really makes the characters feel rounded and real. The book had the feel of a Sunday night TV drama, and I've always had a soft spot for those. Us Three was the perfect piece of warm, witty, easy-to-read escapism that I was looking for.

A very easy read, it flows well and tells the story of 3 friends as they grow up. Families, work, life, ageing are all covered and the stories of the 3 women are explained in turn. The men in their lives don't get too much of a mention!

This would make a very comfortable holiday beach read, with sangria on hand. Just take it for the tell-tale signs of Ruth Jones in it!

Well this is another wonderful book by the fabulous Ruth Jones. As a huge fan of hers and of “Gavin and Stacey” I fell in love with this book as soon as it started. Whether intentional or not there were lots of Nessa-isms throughout which made me laugh out loud.
The writing is fantastic and I loved the 3 main characters, the story of their friendship is glorious and it’s a journey of everything they went through!! I strongly recommend this wonderful book!!

Us Three is the second novel from Ruth Jones. The novel follows three best friends Lana, Judith and Catrin.

The three friends, at a very young age, make a pact that nothing will ever stand in the way of their friendship. The novel follows the girls throughout their teenage years, early adulthood following into parenthood. Along the way Jones delves into the external relationships of the three girls, with their parents, their spouses and their jobs. Can the girls' pact stand the test of time?

Us Three has a Marian Keyes feel to the novel, it's not exactly a holiday read but has an easy style of writing to it, even when handling the more difficult situations in the novel. I would definitely read more from Ruth Jones in the future and I am actually going to go back and read her debut novel on the back of this read. My only complaint is that the male characters of the novel do not feel as developed emotionally as the female characters are, but I dont think that this detracts from the novel as a whole.

Thank you to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and Bantam Press for the copy of the book to review.

Loved this story! I wasn’t sure what to expect from Ruth Jones (writer of Gavin and Stacey) but she did not disappoint and I hope to read more from her in the future. An absolute natural writer, I read this brilliant book in one sitting. Great characters, great insight into life and friendships, very well written with a good mix of events which touch on all the emotions. Highly recommended, I rated this 5⭐️.

This is a warm and nostalgic story of childhood friendship in the 1980s and follows the lives of Catrin, Lana and Judith up to the present day. It's an easy read with some memorable characters and I really enjoyed the back story of George and Patricia. However overall I'm not sure this novel really lives up to promise. It doesn't really go anywhere and loses some vibrancy in the later sections.