THE THREE OF US is a captivating novel by Ore Agbaje-Williams about a woman, her husband, and her best friend. It takes place over a single evening and alternates between the perspectives of the three main characters, diving into each of their lives and world views. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and will definitely be seeking out any of Agbaje-Williams' future work! Her writing is compelling, exciting, and real - I kept reading later and later into the night, just to see how this story would unfold!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC I received in exchange for my honest review. I would highly recommend this novel in general - it is interesting, well-written, and the pages fly by! Superb writing and character study.

ive heard so many good things so I was excited to pick this one up! I really love the story line and the ending was incredible. I can't recommend this enough. it was so different than anything ive ever read.

Thank you, publisher and netgalley for the early copy! I did not finish this novel; it was not for me.

The Three of Us is the perfect title for this story - it describes a day in the life of 2 friends from university, one who appears to be following her dreams of independence and one who has married and 'settled down' with her husband. The story is divided into 3 segments, each one written from the POV of that protagonist. With each segment, you get a little more information about each. This was extremely well-written. I can't speak to some of the cultural undertones, but they are woven into the stories and each character has so much to say!

3.5. Short, fun read. Topic somewhat unique. Written from the perspective of three different individuals. Husband, Wife, and Wife's Best Friend. Husband and Best friend hate each other, each vying for the attention and time of the wife. Wife is two different people when with either best friend or husband. Story is about projection's views on another, about wife being conflicted on what she wants, and about other party's imposing their wants on her. It is also a story of loyalty and betrayal. Difficult to put down. Recommend it.

This is a quick read. A story set in a day over many bottles of wine, examining a relationship from three points of view; the husband, wife and best friend. As I was reading I kept waiting for the the shoe to drop, and at the end of the story I left wanting just a little bit more.

This book was like nothing that I have read before. Seeing all three point of views was such an interesting way to understand all the different characters in this book and each of their different point of views. I had never read a book by this author before but for sure will be from now on.

I'm not quite sure how to rate this book. The characters were infuriating - a job well done by the author grabbing your emotion and running with it! I had complete and utter acrimony towards "the friend". It was powerful writing - that had me staying up late to finish the book. I was sucked into the conversation - but at times got lost as to who was narrating.

The ending was powerful...but ...what?!? Now, I need to talk to someone who's read it! :)

I thought the concept of this book was really unique! I love multi-POV stories and I enjoyed that you got to hear from all three characters. Even though the husband was right sometimes about the friend, I found his section to be unbearable! The friend’s section at the end was a welcomed reprieve.

One thing I didn’t love about this book was that it almost felt like reading stream of consciousness. I’m not sure if that was intentional or just the writing style of this author. I noticed I have a harder time following books without quotation marks or italics to designate speech. I think if this book had quotations, I would have enjoyed it more. Also, there were some parts where the characters seemed to ramble on about things that weren’t necessary to the plot/their character development. The husband’s section was particularly repetitive.

Other than my issues with the writing style, I thought this book was interesting and I would recommend this to anyone looking for a quick read to devour in one sitting!

I really enjoy books with multiple perspectives, and I was intrigued by the concept of this book taking place over the course of one night. That said, I'm not sure what to make of this book. I thought the writing was good--tense, taut, compelling. I wanted to keep turning pages, which is the mark of a good story. There was a sense of suspense... which is why the ending fell so flat. I thought this was building up to something big. I also had a hard time connecting with the characters. None of them is particularly likeable. Is this book supposed to be about how marriage changes people? How disappointing it can be to lose a friend to a relationship? Is the "friend" character a sociopath? So many questions! It was a fun read, so I can't complain too much. I'm just not sure what I'm supposed to take away from this one.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my review.

The Three of Us is a sparse novel with three chapters narrated by the three characters, a woman, her husband, and her best friend. All of the action takes place over a single day.

The two girls have been best friends for decades, going back to their school years through to life after college. As teenagers, they had discussed eschewing their parents’ wishes for them, agreeing never to settle down, get married, or have children. However, things change as the central character matures, enough that she and her husband have started trying to have a baby. The best friend either fears that she’s being left behind or fears that her friend is losing herself (both?) and does all she can to reinforce the bonds of their friendship.

The three perspectives are expertly woven together and presented with a light touch. Readers are left to judge the various agendas and intentions of the characters to determine whether there are victims or villains, or just grey areas. This is a book that will leave you thinking long after the story has ended.

Maybe not a great wedding gift, but I recommend reading The Three of Us.

I wanted to like this so much it was honestly just all over the place. I thought the switched point of views would be interesting but that just fell flat and the writing style/format was also a bit disorientating— it jumped between present and the past in such a way that it was hard to grasp where some scenes were coming from, Also, I thought the book felt like it was completely lacking in substance— you’d think that after reading two hundred pages about only three characters I would have some feelings about them but I felt so disconnected from them throughout the book that all I feel towards the ending is indifference.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This story takes place over the span of one day from the perspective of the wife, the husband and the friend. The husband and the wife’s best friend hate each other; they each think that the wife belongs to them and the hatred is purely stemmed from jealousy.
This book was hard to read. Not because of the story line, but because of the lack of punctuation. It was difficult to determine when someone was talking versus thinking due to absence of quotation marks, capitalization and periods. The only characters name we knew was the friend, Temi. The husband and wife are referred to as “my wife” “my husband” or “my friend”. That itself was annoying and bizarre. I did not enjoy this book and would not recommend it to a friend.

Unexpected ending to this engaging psychological novel about three people in a manipulative triangular relationship. Entertaining nd a fun read.

The Three of Us is a glimpse into the life of a well off Nigerian housewife, her husband, and her best friend. The complicated power struggle between the husband and the best friend, Temi. Temi, being the only character who's name you learn.
I can't decide if the lack of names of 2 of the 3 main characters is interesting or strange.
Although the situation is relatable, something almost everyone has experienced to a degree. A time when you're almost forced to decide between a best friend or your mate. I found the characters unrelatable. Well except for the drinking, I get that.
Over all nothing really happens in this book, At the very end it feels like something is about to happen, but then the book ends.
I also didn't like the lack of quotation marks in dialogue.
Thank you, Netgalley, publisher, and author for the ARC.

“The Three of Us” is one of the most unusual books I’ve ever read! The format is interesting, as it is told in three parts, by the wife, a husband, and Temi, the best friend of the wife. The characters are kind of blah and other than the BFF they are nameless. It is a quick read once you get the hang of the syntax.
The premise of the story is basically about the wife’s best friend Temi, who is portrayed by the husband as always intruding in their lives. The wife doesn’t consider it encroaching because they have been inseparable for many years, in fact, she really enjoys Temi being around. The husband has a different opinion, as it becomes very apparent that he really can’t stand Temi in their lives.
I liked this story as it does portray three different personalities; all from the same culture, but each with a different perspective of life and how their relationships should be. Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for the ARC.

This is an intriguing book following three characters – a wife, her husband and her best friend. Chapters alternate in point of view through the three. The gist is that the wife is being pulled two ways by her husband and best friend. The husband hates the best friend and vice versa. Which will the wife ultimately choose? Or can she make it work for all three of them?

I thought the writing flowed well and the characters were well-drawn. The different points of view didn’t really tell anything new, however, which was what I had hoped for. Basically, the same story was told three different times. This could have been very interesting if it revealed secrets from the different characters. I also can’t help but note that the ending was abrupt and disappointing. Just when we see the wife start to make her choice, the book ends. If we assume she chose a specific way, we are not shown how it plays out. I don’t usually have a problem with cliffhanger endings, but this one rubbed me the wrong way. I wanted more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for providing me with this e-ARC in exchange for my opinion.

Heart pounding book that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Fantastic read!!!!!

The premise sounded interesting, but I struggled to finish this book. Although I don't have a problem with unlikable characters, this trio pushed me over the edge. By the time I made it through the first section, my patience was thin. I found the characters impossible to relate to on any level, which killed the book for me.

This short (less than 300 pages) book packs quite a punch. One narrator owns one-third of the long chapters. The characters are the wife in Chapter One, the husband in Chapter Two and finally, the wife's best friend (?) ibn Chapter 3.

All three characters are Black, of Nigerian descent and live in London. Other than Temi, the wife's friend, don't seem to have first names. The narratives build slowly, describing the origins and development of the trio's connection.

It's not until the third narrative that everything starts to fall apart, and you can see where the story is heading. I will include no spoilers here. Rather, I would encourage you to read this psychological portrait of female friendships, and marital relationships. And in between, get an interesting look at family dynamics with parents and siblings.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review.