The book starts with an event that takes place part way through the story. But don’t think that means you know what happens, because all is not what it seems. A well written story about friendship which spans several decades. The interaction between the characters is excellent and the descriptions, particularly of Cyprus, are lovely. A very enjoyable read.

I read this ARC for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

Loved this

I've only just got into Gavin & Stacey so was thrilled to be able to read this
You can hear the author's voice throughout which I loved

This book is about family and friendships - I loved it - couldn't put down

I couldn’t get into this. I tried twice but it just didn’t hold my attention. I am a big fan of Gavin and Stacey and quite enjoyed Ruth’s first book but this one just wasn’t for me. I’d still try others by her in the future though. DNF at 30%.

I'm a huge fan of Ruth Jones' writing for television and "Us Three" didn't disappoint. Is there no end to this woman's talents? Clearly not. She's a superstar. The book explores friendships and family, taking us on a journey with three best friends across several decades. It's funny, sad, heartwarming and a perfect antidote to coronavirus lockdown. Loved it!

Unfortunately I didn’t enjoy this book. I really wanted to and just couldn’t see past the Gavin and Stacey and Stella references.
If there was less of this I possibly would have enjoyed.

That being said thank you so much Netgalley for allowing to read this.

I love the way Ruth Jones writes.
The relationship between the 3 friends is perfect and a wonderful book to read about friendship

A Lifetime And The Trip Of A Lifetime.....
Three friends - Lana, Judith, Catrin - a lifetime, the trip of a lifetime and a catalogue of unexpected events. Will their friendship stand the true test of time? Told with the authors’ trademark warmth and empathy, an exploration of human nature and, whether the reader takes to the characters or not, an enjoyable and engaging read.

I absolutely loved this so much. There were moments that made me cry and other moments that made me laugh. What a beautifully written book about the friendship of these three girls

Ruth Jones is best known for 'Gavin and Stacey' aka outstanding and award-winning television comedy writing and as such I was expecting this to be a comedy. I was wrong but also pleasantly surprised.

This was about friendship; Lana, Judith and Catrin who swore on a Curly Wurly wrapper, aged eight, that they would be best friends forever. It's written in my favourite style with chapters effortlessly alternating between the three girls (with occasional guest chapters from one of the supporting cast) and three parts (or decades). We see how the girls navigate a lifetime of love, family life, work, betrayal, tragedy and life events that irreversibly shape each one and stretch their friendship to breaking point.

Of late I seem to have gravitated to romcoms (or thrillers), but one of my first and favourite ever authors is the late Maeve Binchy. And, in many ways, with its focus on relationships and their ever-changing dynamics, this reminded me of her and reignited my passion for this genre.

The three main characters are in their own words as different as "chalk, cheese and chocolate". But that's what made it so compelling as you see how each one handles life and the same events so differently. It also meant that I related to each one at different times. Ruth Jones describes each character so brilliantly that I felt like the fourth friend and that I'd also known them all my life.

I loved this book. The second one of Ruth Jones' which I could not put down!
The story of the relationship between 3 friends - Lana, Catrin and Judith. It is told over 3 periods of time and goes into the us and downs of their friendship.
Holidays, births, deaths, weddings and funerals all told in a beautiful style.
The 3 friends go for a last fling holiday to Greece and once they get back things start to unravel. We learn about how the friendship breaks down and how they remain on the outskirts of each others lives for years.
Really enjoyed this book!

I really enjoyed this book. I found the 3 main characters likeable. I liked how the story started when they were teens and then moved forward. I could identify with the 3 main characters and found that I was eager to read the book to find out what happened to each of them.
I would recommend this book.

I suppose it was inevitable that, expecting something along the lines of Gavin and Stacey, the book was something of a disappointment. Whilst there were certainly flashes of the famous TV programme, notably in the dialogue between the three young girls, for the most part the humour that is such a feature of the series was lacking. Ruth Jones’s skills seem to be most acute in her observations of everyday life; these can be powerful, but they can also lead to rather depressing accounts of the sort of interactions between characters that reveal the seedier side of life. The three young women we meet at the start of the book are only revealed to us in brief, almost unrelated, episodes as their various life incidents of one or two of the lead characters impinge on the other and/their partners.

Hundreds of pages of inconsequential detail after the first teasing chapter the reader finds that s/he knows disappointingly little about the lives of the three women, despite a set of incidents Ms Jones crowbars into the story that would fill the lives of ten characters. The closing chapters do provide some relief - to say more would spoil the plot, so on that intriguing point I’ll leave you to decide if this is a book for you!

I loved Ruth's first novel so was keen to read this. It didn't disappoint and I really enjoyed it.

A heartwarming tale of friendship across the years and the inevitable ups and downs it brings.

The format was very similar to Never Greener but this didn't detract from the story, which was believable and resonated with me as I am a comparable age.

I became very invested in the lives of the three main characters across the decades and really didn't want it to end.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK and Transworld Publishers for my ARC.

What a wonderful read, loved every minute of it, loved the charecters and the story, the way it came together through the years with the girls story was fab, highly highly recommend, bit gutted I've finished it

At aged 8 three school friends swear on a Curly Wurly wrapper they will be best friends forever but it’s not as simple as that.
I have to admit I didn’t particularly like the main characters nor some of their actions but I did find them intriguing and the storyline full of surprises.

I loved this story about the ups and downs of friendship over a number of years. I felt like I knew Judith, Lana and Catrin by the end of the book.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Great fun and well written story of three friends. The friendship rituals and dialogue really hit home and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I will look out for new works by Ruth Jones who I feel has a real eye for detail in relationships

This was a light, breezy book about 3 female friends. I love books about friendship, so this warmed my heart and it was a lovely comfort read these days.

Well written, nice characters and enjoyable time.

Thanks a lot to NG and the publisher for this copy.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC.

This was a lovely easy read. It is a written well book about the friendships of three girls who meet at primary school, and promise to be best friends for life. The book follows their lives, relationships, ups and downs over more than 30 years. The three main characters are likeable and believable and each tell their parts in the story. Will their friendship stand the test of time and distance? The book pulled at my emotions - at times it was funny, sad, poignant and heartbreaking. I think if you want a light, easy, perhaps holiday read this is for you. 3.5 stars

They say your old friends are the ones who know you the best and this book reaffirms this, Catrin, Lana and Judith have been best friends since primary school and they have experienced many things together.

Each girl has their own distinct personality and life experiences. I think we all probably know someone like each of them, and this is what I found fascinating how true to life they and their lives were.

Friendships usually needs a lot of work and sometimes life and misunderstandings can get in the way , and this was portrayed brilliantly. A friendship triangle can usually be difficult with one friend feeling left out and I loved how this was explored in the story.

I experienced every emotion while reading the book. I did need my tissues at one point and it proved to me just how connected I was with the characters that allowed me to feel such strong emotions.

To sum up this book I would say BRILLIANT , BRILLIANT , BRILLIANT . We all need our friends and this fantastic book celebrates the importance of friendship. I’ve never read any Ruth Jones books before but her gift of portraying everyday people and life means I will definitely be on the lookout for more of her writing.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for my chance to read this beautiful book.