Just too slow for me, I’m afraid, is in my “Could not finish” pile. I understand the potential and appreciate the author’s attempt but it just fell flat for me.

I do thank the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, however.

Did not finish book. Stopped at 8%.
The way this is written is so terrible. There’s no quotation marks at all and paragraph spacing is so varied and makes no sense whatsoever. It doesn’t help that each sentence has the exact same structure and there’s no variation in tone at all. I can’t continue reading this book.

This book did not work for me at all. I really wanted to enjoy it based on some of the great reviews, but I could never get into it. The layout of the book was horrible, and the writing style was not my favorite. The story fell flat, and I didn’t care about any of the characters – they were all bad. I really wanted this one to work, but it didn’t.

I do want to extend my thanks to netgalley and the publisher, Penguin Group Putnam for my advanced copy. Due to how negatively I felt about this one I will only be posting my review on netgalley and goodreads and not my normal means of sharing. Thank you for understanding.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read the advanced copy of this book. I genuinely don’t like to leave negative reviews but this was one of the worst books I’ve read in quite some time. There is absolutely no plot, the ending is left without any resolution whatsoever. The book is told in 3 sections from the three individuals in the book. They say the name of one person yet never even mention the names of the others. They are the wife, husband and friend which is very strange. The friend is (I’m being nice) a rude, self-centered person who thinks her opinions, beliefs etc are how her friend’s life should be lived. She outright attempts to destroy a marriage and is pleased with herself by doing so. The wife loves both her husband and friend yet laughs in front of her husband while her friend blatantly insults him while she shows him affection…again what bizarre actions. There was nothing to be learned from the book, definitely was not a comedy in my opinion since all of the nameless characters were unlikable. Lastly, which may seem petty but the word “whilst” was used SO many times by all characters that I may scream if I ever hear it or see it in a book again. Would not recommend this book and actually let someone know who had the e-book too that I would suggest not to waste her time. She opted to delete it and not even bother reading it. I myself am sorry to have wasted my own time when I could have read an enjoyable book.

I enjoyed reading about the conflicts in the group, with the husband and the friend jockeying for best position to sway and influence the mind of the wife. The friend became very unsympathetic when she continued to take up time and space in the couple's house, always being around, taunting and teasing the husband. I was impatient with the wife for putting up with her friend's constant presence and harassment of her husband, until the end when I saw the point of view of the friend.

Her goal became clear. Her friend didn't want the wife to be a traditional, obedient wife, but an independent person as she was. I was surprised at the end and amazed at the wife, her motives and aims in the marriage unclear.

The book is a little unsettling, as the wife lost all credibility trying to fool both her husband and her friend, as I see it. I came away disliking all three characters. I wonder what the aims of the author were in this unusual book.

The ways in which I intimately, personally related to this book cannot be understated. The dynamic amongst the three main characters is... so specific and so wonderfully portrayed by author Ore Agbaje-Williams.

A quick, entertaining read. While I personally didn't love the ending, I get it. I think that people will enjoy this novel.

This book is a fast read. Three sections, each from the perspective of a different character: two best friends and one of their husbands. The last section was the most interesting, and the husbands section was lacking a bit in depth and character development. The ending was a bit maddening but I think it worked to some degree. I would have kept reading to see the explosion that was sure to follow!

This has an ending I think people will be angry about on Goodreads but I felt like it fit the opaque writing style. I did feel like the husband's section was the weak link. The two friends filled in a lot more blanks in the story than he did. I wanted to know a little more about what he thought about their marriage, not just the best friend. I think the book will generate a lot of conversations!

At any rate, I enjoyed it a lot and look forward to seeing her next work!

I adored this book. It is such a clever premise, and I love books like these that upend your notions with each change in perspective - it reminded me a bit of Lauren Groff’s wonderful Fates and Furies in that way. All of the characters are well-drawn and intriguing, particularly Temi - her bit was my favourite. .

This story is told in 3 different perspectives, but there wasn’t much variation from the 3 people. It became hard to push myself to finish, but towards the end the story started to interest me. I wish the book was separated into days instead of over the course of one day. The order the perspectives should have been in was the husband, the friend, then the wife. I felt the book could’ve gone more in depth of what actually happened instead of leaving us hanging at the end. Hopefully the author will choose to right a second part to this story since she left us hanging (so to speak).

Temi and her friend met in grade school, and Temi has been pulling her friend through life ever since, trying to get her friend to be as wild as possible. Temi’s adversary is her friend’s husband, who wants a loving wife and eventual mother to his children. These tensions boil over in this story told in one day.

Interestingly, we never see the friend or her husband named in this book. The book also lacks all speech punctuation. Two strong choices.

Pros: quick, entertaining read. Told from three perspectives, each in a standalone section. The story was so compelling, I read it in one sitting. Each character was fully developed. I got to learn about Nigerian culture.

Cons: not a lot of closure since it’s just one day.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book early. While I normally enjoy these sort of claustrophobic, relationship character studies, this one fell flat for me. Told in three parts in three point of views over a single day, the premise of this book is immensely intriguing. The story picks apart the relationship of an unnamed husband and wife and each of their relationships with wife's best friend Temi. All three of them are toxic and none of the relationships are healthy, but overall I wasn't invested in the conflict. Going into the book, I thought he stakes would be higher and ultimately found the ending not only abrupt but anticlimactic. I did enjoy the sardonic tone of voice of the story, but wish we felt more emotion from all three characters.

This is a book about a husband, a wife, and the wife's best friend, and their inabilities to set proper priorities and boundaries. Not too much happens and it ends rather abruptly.

The Three of Us is the account of what happened when a woman, her husband, and her best girlfriend drink wine and whiskey all afternoon, and evaluate their relationships as they get drunker and drunker. The story takes place all on one afternoon, and is presented in three chapters, each stating the point of view of one of the three characters. The story goes from convivial to intense. Ultimately, the conflicts between each of the characters leaves us, the readers, wondering if this is a situation that anyone can actually win.

The writing style of the book is a little confusing, as multiple characters may speak in a single paragraph. The chapters are quite long, but are divided into readable units with little hash marks. I was able to read the book in record time, as I was wondering all along what was the purpose of this story, and how would it end. I'm not sure I was actually satisfied with the ending.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review The Three of Us.

The three of us is an interesting story of following ones true desires versus a prescribed life by societies standards. It started off like any other and I was curious from the start what the big reveal would be. I appreciated Agbaje- Williams' way of expressing the different perspectives. The style of writing was one I had not encountered before (i.e. writing dialogue as sentences) and I found it a useful device in getting into the story. The third section was where everything came together for me as I struggled through the husband's perspective. I absolutely adored the ending.

I think it is a critical read of those of the African Diaspora, like myself, who can fully comprehend the social dynamics play out in real life. I think of this as an excellent read but not quite what I expected. I look forward to following the author's career!

This is a uniquely strange and stressful novel. I actually would liken it to a play! There are only three characters - the wife, her husband and her best friend. Through very long POV dialogues, we learn how the group came to be and what causes the tension.

It seems Temi, the friend cannot let her best friend enjoy her perfect married life. But when the husband comes home early, secrets are unearthed and chaos reigns.

It's a cool book - unique, fast moving but I did not like the characters and the main secret is a bit of a sore point for me. If you like unique lit, stressful tension, interesting relationships or just want to read the slow burning down of a friendship, The Three Of Us is for you! #penguin




#Penguin

Thank you to netgalley for allowing me to read this book. I felt that this book was lacking in so many areas. I can see the premise and what we were trying to get at. A woman who has to deal with husband and best friend and their lack of friendship and jealousy. However, throughout the whole book there was no substance. Yes, tit for tat back and forth throughout. It would have been nice to see a side picked or to see from the wife’s perspective.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the eARC!

This book had a synopsis that intrigued me right away. I was hopeful that it would be literary and have some psychological twists.

There was plenty to unpack in this book. There are 3 parts with each of the characters “view points” in this odd relationship triangle. This is also a story written with no quotation marks so that may be a challenge for some.

I did not like the characters and this relationship triangle was beyond toxic. This was a quick read but not one that I loved

Three unhappy people get drunk in the middle of the day and passive aggressively poke at one another, only to have the story abruptly end when one of them is finally brave enough to take a direct shot.

The writing in this book was very well done, told through the perspective of our nameless couple and the wife's best friend. Each has a vision of the future that directly contradicts with the others, but all choose to let resentment build internally instead of doing anything about it. By the end I was rooting for none of them, yay!

I would read more from this author but this one wasn't for me.