I really wanted to like this but unfortunately I just couldn't root for the two main characters. It starts out from a place where they're each hurt and mean because of it, and personally I found next to no growth in either of them as it progressed. It ended up being a rare romance where I actively didn't want the main couple to end up together. A shame because I enjoyed the writing style and the general premise was handled delicately.

Relatable characters, slow pacing of the story; Hughes' "Ten Years" does not manage to live up to its intriguing premise.

Quite slow and boring book with characters that were supposed to have some strong feelings towards one another but in my opinion the author failed to portray a believable emotional connection between them. Both Charlie and Becca sounded like a couple of petty, squabbling teens, not adults. Their relationship dragged for far too long, I could have easily skipped a few chapters without missing any significant details.

Charlie's fiancee dies and she leaves bucket list for him and her best friend Becca to fulfil on the anniversary of her death. Only problem is that they can't stand each other

Great concept (definitely a bit of a 'one Day in December' vibe) and extremely clever, witty, funny and well written. The characters were well drawn and I enjoyed the writing style very much. I felt the need to skip through quite a lot as conversations / scenes just felt a bit drawn out and conversation-heavy without necessarily a whole lot of direction, but this is perhaps personal taste. Definitely an author to look out for!

I couldn’t wait to start this book & I really enjoyed it even though I cried on page 2!

The story follows Charlie & Becca over the space of 10 years as they navigate through their grief at the death of Beccas best friend & Charlie’s fiancé Ally, Both Charlie & Becca do not like each other at all & haven’t done since university…. Tasked with scattering Allys ashes in line with her bucket list they battle through to meet her wishes.

I liked the way the book was written, it skipped years yet it flowed….. I felt like I was on the journey with both of them, I couldn’t stand Becca in the first half of the book however that changed the further in I got, you can’t help but empathise with her!

I would recommend this book, it’s an easy read and very much a ‘will they, won’t they’

Thanks to NetGalley & One More Chapter for a digital ARC in return for an honest review.

Summary
Becca and Charlie have known each other for years – ever since they met at university. And for every one of those years, they've bickered, argued, offended, mocked and generally rubbed each other up the wrong way.

Until now. Until Ally’s bucket list. The death of their loved one should mean Becca and Charlie can go their separate ways and not look back. But completing the list is something neither Charlie nor Becca can walk away from.

My thoughts
Ten Years is a really entertaining, well written enemies-to-lovers romantic novel.
Over the course of the ten years following the tragically early death of Ally, the paths of Becca (her best friend since childhood) and Charlie (her boyfriend) cross many times, as they fulfil a promise to complete the experiences on Ally’s bucket list. As Ally is no longer around to have these experiences herself Becca and Charlie will live them for her, and so they find themselves attempting to swallow their mutual dislike and irritation as they climb Snowdon; cycle from London to Brighton on a tandem; go to a music festival, and have a very drunken gin-themed afternoon tea on a London bus. Even in the midst of them mourning Ally, with activities such as this and with a healthy mutual loathing, chaos and comedy often ensues. The author handles the tragedy of death at a young age with a delicate touch, but in portraying it she is not afraid to use comedy and fun.

Over the years Becca and Charlie have to learn to deal with their grief in their own individual way and at their own pace. Life after Ally is not easy for either of them. But, this entire subject is very sensitively handled by Pernille Hughes and it is played out in the novel in such a realistic way: how all too easy it is to see the departed loved one as perfect; how those left behind can resent their departure and become angry with them; how hanging on to the past too tightly can stop someone moving forward, and how easy it is to try to move on too soon.

The other strength of the novel is the development of the characters of Becca and Charlie. The reader knows better than the pair of them that they will eventually end up together because that is the trope here, but, we also see them growing up, growing and changing as the years pass by.

It can be all too easy for some to dismiss romantic fiction as nothing more than fluff and froth, but Ten Years has depth and wisdom to offer, as well as a smashing love story. I really, really liked it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins/One More Chapter for an ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

There are no words. TEN YEARS was phenomenal.
Like they say "all good things must come to an end!" Yeah I did not want this story to end!
A beautifully written book that spills emotions on every page
One of the best novels I've read!
The characters were so enjoyable and very likeable.
They were well developed and detailed that you felt like you knew them all.
The characters are strong, relatable and I loved Becca and Charlie. They left a special place in my heart.
Pernille, her descriptions, her characters are very intriguing and interesting.
A truly well written, uplifting, entertaining story that envoked a complex of emotions whilst reading.
I think this is going to be a new favorite author for me!

One More Chapter
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review closer to pub date.

This was a really good read for me. I really liked the characters. Recommended by me. Thanks for the opportunity to read & review this book.

I had a very different concept in mind of the book before I read it.

The writing is adequate, but it lacks personality. The characters are dull and lackluster.

I did not see where this one was going at first! The scene is set with an extremely sad funeral for Charlie’s fiancé and Becca’s best friend, Ally. Over the next two years, these sworn enemies have to complete items off Ally’s bucket list, which ends up bringing them closer together.
This is a very slow burn with lots of “one step forward, two steps back” in the plot. I enjoyed watching them mature and grow into who they were meant to be.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The plot of this book is good. A woman passes away young leaving her boyfriend and best friend with the task of spreading her ashes at all the places and things she didn’t get a chance to do. The problem is that the two of them don’t like each other at all. You can tell that through the animosity they really like each other but the story just drags on forever.

When the plot is so predictable it is hard to get Into the book and to route for the couple. He comes across as settling for a different woman and she is stuck in her life and not willing to find a new Career or move on.

You may like this book it i find it fell flat.

Ally and Charlie are deeply in love but tragically she develops cancer and passes away well before her time.
Her fiancé Charlie is absolutely floored by her death and promptly packs a bag and sets off for dangerous climes.
Ally’s best friend Becca is looking forward to never seeing Charlie again after the funeral but not so much getting on with life without Ally.
Just before the year anniversary of Ally’s death, they both receive an email with a request from beyond the grave.
It appears that they now have to complete a bucket list together to fulfil as Ally’s last wishes.
Not wanting to spend too much forced time together, they decide they’ll complete one item per year to make it as painless as possible.

Through different bucket list items we see the ups and downs of Charlie and Becca’s relationship and there’s some absolutely hilarious moments.
They are both muddling their way through their grief and loss, and doing the best they can.
Charlie is portrayed as being fickle, a ‘yes man’ incapable of making his own decisions that he relies on a coin and in romantic relationships he allows women to totally take the lead, forgetting who he really is along the way.
Becca is miss independent and a little thorny! She pushes people away as a defence mechanism, so it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy when they do walk away leaving her alone.

There’s some really tender moments which show the softer and vulnerable side of both Becca and Charlie.
We learn why Becca is the way she is thanks to her upbringing.
Ten Years is a fun classic enemies to lovers rom com. You know exactly where the book is heading at all times, it’s just waiting for them to get there.
But it’s definitely an easy cosy read.

Thanks to One More Chapter, and Netgalley for the advanced reading copy of Ten Years in exchange for an honest review.

Ally and Charlie are deeply in love. Ally has a best friend Becca who is a bit wild, unapologetic - and Charlie and Becca can’t stand one another. When Ally dies after a long illness, a number of bucket list items are left for Charlie and Becca to complete, to honour Ally’s memory. They decide they’ll complete on item per year, given their feelings towards spending time together.

Through difference bucket list items we see the ups and downs of Charlie and Becca’s relationship. Both middling their way through their grief and loss, and doing the best they can. Charlie is portrayed as more fickle, a ‘yes man’ in romantic relationships who gets subsumed by the woman he’s with, do the point he loses his Charlie-ness. Becca is ornery, and dogmatic. She pushes people away rather than drawing them to her, so it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy when they walk away.

The characters in ten years are well thought out, but the story is incredibly slow and it’s a tad frustrating. It’s definitely gentle which is expected given the subject matter but it was more than that. Full disclosure, I skimmed a few chapters as it didn’t maintain my interest, as there was not the strength of relationships between the characters (positive or negative) sufficiently holding my interest. And it is a little like People You Meet On Vacation with the storyline tweaked to be like people you meet when you’re carrying out people’s last wishes…. Not quite the same ring to it.

I did finish the book following the meandering in the middle and it was nicely rounded off. I just hope people don’t leave it in the middle as I was tempted to do.

Thanks to one more chapter, and netgalley for the advanced reading copy of Ten Years.

2.5 stars

I have to be honest, this isn't usually a genre I would pick to read but I was offered the chance to review Ten Years and thought I would give something different a try. I was really surprised by how readable this book was and how much I enjoyed it. I have only read a few books in this genre that have actually stuck in my mind afterwards - the first is One Day by David Nicholls and the second is A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby - and now I can add Ten Years to that list!

The story and the writing were very raw, and it dealt with some difficult and emotional subjects. At the same time I really enjoyed the relationship between the two main characters. There was a fantastic balance of light and dark in the story which really worked for me.

Thanks to One More Chapter and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for the advanced copy

I laughed, I cried, I was upset, this book had me feeling so many things. It was a quick, cozy read and I believe everyone will be talking about this book

The synopsis of this book had me so intrigued and so excited, as soon as I got the link sent to my kindle I picked it up instantly.

Sadly for me that was where the excitement ended. Straight off the bat I did not like how the story was set up and why these two characters were linked and the so called mutual friend they had. I understand it would give away a large part of the story to say who the friend was but also not stating properly could really effect the readers experience, as it did mine. I was 100% not on board with it but I continued the book anyway hoping maybe my feelings and thoughts would change.

Spoiler! my feelings did not change. The characters weren't very interesting and honestly just a little bit cliche insert boy with divorced but wealthy parents, has this shit together, and quirky girl with big dreams, bad upbringing and a me against the world vibe.

I also not enjoy each little reveal or plot twist. I found them all a bit silly and the end of it just had me annoyed that I even read the book. I felt like the book went on too long, I didn't particularly enjoy the writing and to me the growth in characters seemed summed up by them realising how bad their parents messed them up and thats why they are the way they are. Not a fan of that.

What did I like in this book? well not a lot really as you can gather. I guess the sex scene was pretty decent, as well as the writing and description of the parts set in Cannes was nice and I wish the writing was more like that throughout.

I probably wont pick up another book by this author sadly, but I know there are heaps of people out there that would like and do already, as seen in the other reviews posted.

A positive, optimistic story transpiring from a sad tragic situation. There is always hope. An enjoyable read, written with humour and compassion. I shall be looking out for more of Pernille Hughes.

I received an ARC of, Ten Years, by Pernille Hughes. I found this book to be quite boring. The characters were dull and unappealing. I did not care for the language in the book, either.

This is a fun Rom com. It’s nothing particularly ground breaking and you know exactly where the book is heading at all times, it’s just waiting for them to get there.

Becca and Charlie are only in each other’s lives due to their mutual love of Ally. When she dies, they are looking forward to never seeing each other again! Of course, fate (and Ally’s mother Valerie) has other ideas. Can Becca and Charlie ever be happy again?

For me, this went on one ‘will they/won’t they’ too long. The conclusion was inevitable so it really didn’t need hammering quite as much! I did enjoy the earlier parts of the story very much- just the ending was overdone in my opinion. Both characters are flawed and can be very irritating, but they are also intrinsically nice people so you can forgive them. There are some great peripheral characters too!

All told, this would be a good untaxing beach read for the summer. It’s not my usual choice of book but I did enjoy it and I think it’s a good example of it’s genre. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy of this book.