Wonderful, feel good, book but I would not expect anything else from Ruth Jones. Three girls with completely different views and aspirations. Follow the friends from Cardiff over 45 years with their trials, tribulations, sad and happy times.

Was drawn to this book as I love Ruth Jones and must have missed that she’d become an author too. I devoured it over 24 hours, loved everything about it, the characters, the settings, the comedy and even the sadness. I’ve now bought her first book to read. 5 stars from me

This is a new genre for me and I really enjoyed it.
Ruth Jones does a really good job of creating real life characters and weaving them into a really good story.
Highly recommended.

Really enjoyed this book. Ruth is a good storyteller and above all she brings her characters to life!

Couldn't get Bryn from G&S out of my head when i first met Huw in the book.

I think all women my age 40+ can relate to a friendship like the one in this book.

Definately one i will be recommending to friends.

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. I really enjoyed this, moreso than 'Never Greener' I think as I found the characters far more likeable, and I thought Ruth Jones' writing was easy to read and enjoyable, setting the scene and describing the characters well.

This started out for me as a fun read but the more the story progressed the more I became engrossed in the lives of Lana, Judith and Catlin. I particularly enjoyed the side story surrounding Judith's mother, Patricia, and her antics. It is well written with some weepy moments along the way.

The story follows the highs and lows of the lifelong friendships of Catrin, Lara and Judith. Best friends from the age of 5, they swore an oath on a Curly Wurly packet that they would always be there for each other. However, life happens, relationships change and it seem's possible to keep that promise.

Another fabulous book from Ruth Jones. I thoroughly enjoyed every chapter and struggled to put it down. More please Ruth!

I tried to read her first book but didn’t get stuck in and never completed it. I was really determined to give this one a try and whilst I was worried it would be too fluffy, the character traits and echoes of people you know, this book feels familiar as it maps out the day to day realities of three young woman now grown up.

This is the story of 3 friends, Lana, Catrin and Judith, who met aged 5, went on a celebratory backpacking trip round the Greek islands aged 18, following the different paths each woman took after that.

This is a well written and researched book, I particularly enjoyed the chapters set in Cyprus. The characters were well rounded, although at times I wanted to shake one or other of them. And as a fan of Gavin and Stacey, there were a few bits of dialogue where I could almost hear Nessa’s voice saying them. That said it was a nice easy ready, ideal for holidays. I would certainly read any further books by this author

Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for an honest review.

A gorgeous novel of what it really means to be a grown up.

In those glory days of childhood where you imagine friendships are forever and life is all mapped out with your besties, a pledge is made by three girls; Catrin, Lana and Judith, on the wrapper of a curly wurly, to be together always.

If only life were that easy! A trip to Greece before starting university leads to love, lust and unimagined revelations. Once at university the three different personalities clash in ways they never could have imagined and life is forever changed.

As we join these three women on their journeys we follow them through depression, motherhood, the trials of ageing parents and bereavement. Told with honesty and humour and a little bit of Gavin & Stacey! I thoroughly enjoyed this and would recommend! Did it all turn out all right in the end??? Read it and see!

I throughly enjoyed this book. I could relate with the characters, I laughed with them, I cried with them and at times I was frustrated, just like real life friends.
This is the story of Lana, Catrin and Judith who have been inseparable since they were 5 years old. We follow the trials and tribulations of their lives throughout their teens and into adulthood.
A light easy book that left me realising that yes, we do need our friends and some bonds never break.

"Us Three" is thoroughly enjoyable and engrossing from start to finish. Being familiar with Ruth Jones' work as an actor and TV writer, I was curious to see if she was just as talented a novelist - and she is. Reading this novel, it is clear which parts of Gavin and Stacey were "hers" so to speak, but in "Us Three" she has created some very different characters, lives and situations, but still with her trademark wit and ability to capture all the ups and downs of life and being human.

Catrin, Judith and Lana have been friends since primary school and at the age of 18, they embark on a fun trip to Greece before going their separate ways to university. They all return from that trip greatly altered, and the events and discoveries of that trip set a whole chain of events in motion that change everything in their lives. After vowing at age eight to be "friends forever", these three young women find that an almost impossible prospect as the twists and turns of life invariably intervene.

The strength of the book is undoubtedly in the characters - even the minor characters are three-dimensional and well-drawn, from the bumbling Father O'Leary who can't get names right to Judith's hideous narcissistic mother. Jones clearly cares deeply for her characters and so as a reader you end up warming to them all, even the more horrendous ones!

There's a lot going on in this book - as indeed there is over the course of life - and one of the biggest themes I pondered on while reading it is our capacity to forgive, and whether or not is it is possible to ever move on after heartbreak, tragedy, loss or betrayal.

Overall, it's delightful, absorbing and, despite being extremely sad in places, a lot of fun.

With thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.

Three primary friends, three very different family backgrounds. All on a girls holiday before going to different universities. Adventure awaits but not as they expected at University. A wedding ends in chaos and the girls are split. One in the middle trying to fix the friendship for the next thirty years.
Life's up and downs wil they ever become the loyal and inseparable three best mates they were growing up?
A Well written tale, believable characters that you can understand and root for. It made me laugh, wince and cry.

A story that follows 3 friends from meeting at junior school to when they are grandparents. The way they lives intertwine through the years is very believable. The trip of a lifetime when they are 18 and the twists and turns that life throws in their way made me laugh at times buy also want to cry. I really enjoyed the book and felt involved with the characters,

With thanks to Net Gallery and Random House UK for the opportunity to read this arc in return for an honest review.

I am a massive fan of Ruth Jones' TV work and am ashamed to say that Never Greener has been on my TBR pile for far too long (this will change very soon!)

This is a story of friendship and how lives and events can shape and change the nature of it. Catrin, Judith and Lana met at primary school and have been best friends ever since. Shortly after their A Levels they go travelling around Greece and their lives begin to change.

I adored this book, the writing is so captivating. This passage really struck a chord with me "Let's celebrate what we have got, is it? Not mourn what we haven't. 'Cos that's the hand that life dealt us, Cat. And it's a good hand"

I'm feeling a bit lost now. I need to know what happens next!!!

Having never watched Gavin and Stacey and, I guess rather naively, not realising who Ruth Jones is until I had completed the book (my apologies) I can certainly say that I didn't have any prior expectations when I read Us Three.

I read the book on holiday and it was a perfect easy read to help me to wind down. The story follows the friendship of Judith, Lana and Catrin. At age 5 they are already best friends at age 8 they swear an oath of loyalty on a Curly Wurly wrapper. We first get to know the girls when they are 18 and are off on a Greek island-hopping adventure to celebrate the end of their school exams. Although the girls are as 'different as chalk and cheese and chocolate' they can laugh at each other's foibles and the bond between them is very strong. But they are all aware that after this trip they are all going to very different places to follow different careers. As we follow the girls through their lives we discover whether their friendships can stand the test of time.

For me, the best thing about this book were the different characters. Even the more minor characters were brought so clearly to life; from Judith's horrendous self-absorbed mother to Father O'Leary who could never quite get Catrin's name right. The tensions which arise between the 3 friends are handled sensitively and they all come across as very human, with their strengths as well as their weaknesses.

I was sorry that the story itself didn't particularly engage me. Even the big 'shock' moment wasn't really a surprise as the book opens at a funeral so it is obvious from the outset that someone will die. But I did enjoy the issues it raised about love and support within families, maintaining friendships, our capacity to forgive and whether we can forgive enough to move on. But that may make the book sound heavy-going which it certainly isn't and there are some hilarious moments.

If you are looking for a page-turner about friendship and families this is a book for you and I would certainly recommend it.

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

Lots of laughs, lots of tears, a story of three friends (and their families) from the girl’s childhood to middle age. Although some of the scenarios were a bit far fetched, (hence four stars instead of five) , I enjoyed it very much and would recommend that you read it

This is not my usual kind of book, but as it was written by Ruth Jones, I couldn't resist it and I am thankful to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-book in exchange for a review.

The story tells the life of 3 friends, starting when they were teenagers (although they have been friends since they were very young) and going right through to middle age. Holidays, careers, children, partners are all navigated by the women and their friendship generally endures through misunderstandings, crises and the usual life experiences. The characters are mostly likeable, and even the ones who aren't get better with age and time.

The dialogue was excellent and there were many laugh-out-loud moments. There were also moments of shouting 'nooooo' at the book, crying and gasping with frustration at the characters' actions. It's an easy and quick read, because it all flows along so nicely and I wouldn't hesitate to read more of the author's work.

This story unfolds at high speed! It is helpful that each chapter is headed by the name of the character who is relating their part of the story. It was an enjoyable read.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House UK for giving me the lovely opportunity to read and review this book.

I loved this book! It’s been a while since I’ve read a story with so many characters that have gripped me, all in their own individual way. So much happened in this novel, but you get such a good insight into all the characters lives, their feelings and their emotions. Not an easy task. I enjoyed how the story goes back and forth in time, filling in bits of each persons story. An easy read, and one that I think I’ll be thinking about for a while.