Trigger Warnings
This book contains:
• Death of a loved one due to cancer (was also in their 20s)
• Divorce
• Difficult relationships with parents.
Characters
Becca is a hot-headed aspiring actress with a massive chip on her shoulder thanks to the relationship she has with her parents. Especially how she was given to her grandmother to raise when her parents separated.
Charlie on the other hand is a laid-back guy who tends to go with the flow and tries to keep the peace and not rock the boat. Ever. Just like Becca’s parents separation shaped her, Charlie’s parents separation shaped him.
Storyline
Becca’s best friend, and Charlie’s fiancé dies at the tender age of 26 due to cancer. After her death, both struggles to cope with their grief and how to move on.
Unbeknownst to them, Ally set up a series of challenges for them to remember her, process their grief and also support each other while they moved through it. Over the span of years, this book takes us through Becca and Charlie’s relationship, stages of grief and moving on with their lives.
Overall Thoughts
I think the best thing about this book is that we get snippets of each year from both character’s perspectives. While most chapters are about when the two characters meet up, either to commemorate Ally’s death, or some other friendship event – some are snippets of their own life.
While this structure of writing is probably unusual for most people to read, each “chapter” was a normal chapter’s length making it flow nicely. Once you get used to the sudden changes in where our characters are, what’s happened in their lives in the months between each “chapter” etc.
While I’m sure there will be some people who struggle with this, I really enjoyed it because it traversed such a long time you really got to see how the characters relationship changed and evolved over time. This made their growth and development so much more realistic while also allowing them to go through so much more than we normally get to see in books.
Overall, it made it super interesting to read without being an obvious romance book. In fact, I think for 70% or more it could more accurately be classes as a fiction book rather than a romance.

My review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

What happens when your best friend from university dies, and leaves you and her husband some tasks to do to mourn her.  Of course you're going to do them, even if you don't get on with her now widower.

This is a heart breaking and joyful story that tugged on my heartstrings. I found it hard to read at certain points as our characters go through all of the emotions, but ultimately it was a lovely story!

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Harper Collins.

Such a lovely story and well handled off the back of a tragic situation. The story is lovely but at times I did find it a little heavy and needed a moment.

Not a book you would read in and afternoon, it is a book I will carry with me for a long time!

A positive story transpiring from such a tragic and sad situation. This was enjoyable read. Loved the enemies to lovers trope.

I enjoyed this one!
Enemies to lovers tropes are done pretty frequently, so there needs to be more of an unusual one to stick in my mind. This book certainly does that!
There is grief and pain that unites the 2 characters and this was compelling and traumatic at the same time.
I enjoyed the audio, both narrators were excellent, and I would look forward to listening to it. It was a good book, although not a brilliant one.

A true journey of a book, I thoroughly enjoyed this love story and the years we go through with these characters. I found myself rooting for them throughout and I found their story to be entertaining and touching all at the same time.

I never thought I would enjoy a book about two people who hated each other, but Pernille Hughes' "Ten Years" had me hooked from the start. Becca and Charlie have been at odds since their university days, but when their friend Ally passes away, they find themselves thrown together to complete her bucket list. What ensues is a heartwarming journey of grief, love, and self-discovery.

What I loved about this book is that it takes place over a period of ten years. We see Becca and Charlie's paths cross multiple times as they deal with the aftermath of Ally's death. The way Hughes weaves their lives together is brilliant and kept me guessing until the very end. I found myself rooting for them even though they weren't exactly likable characters at the beginning of the story.

One thing I appreciated about "Ten Years" was the way it handled grief. Losing a loved one is never easy, and Hughes portrays it realistically. Becca and Charlie both struggle in different ways and seeing how they come to terms with their loss is a powerful aspect of the book.

But the real heart of "Ten Years" is the love story between Becca and Charlie. It's a slow burn romance that's not without its ups and downs, but it's one that's worth rooting for. Hughes shows that sometimes the people who bring out the worst in us can also bring out the best.

Overall, I would highly recommend "Ten Years" to anyone looking for a heartwarming love story with a side of grief and self-discovery. It's a beautifully written book that will leave you feeling uplifted and hopeful.

Second chance romance, conflict. I liked the portrayal of grief and that it is both funny and heart wrenching at the same time. So many twists and it keeps
You guessing in a great way.

I enjoyed reading about Becca and Charlie. While there were some great moments and I mostly enjoyed the story overall, it just didn't quite do it for me. There was way too much bickering between the two of them and Becca is way too pigheaded for her own good. She just needs to let some things go. Without spoiling anything, when she finds out about "Allie's plan," I thought her reaction was way too over-the-top. I felt like most of the time Becca was just being ridiculously stubborn and most people would have let some of those things go a long time ago.
There also just wasn't enough of the relationship for me either. They spent most of the book hating each other and it took forever for them to get together, which really didn't happen until the end. I love a good "enemies" to lovers ( I would call this haters to lovers as there is really no reason for them to be enemies), but there wasn't enough angst and wanting each other early enough for me personally.
There were definitely elements of the story I enjoyed. I liked reading about their bucket list adventures, and both of the characters showed a lot of growth throughout the book. I loved when they ran into each other in Cannes, and the moments when they really connected and weren't arguing. I also liked the timeline, how it jumped from one year to the next. It definitely made it feel like you weren't missing a bunch of their lives, but there wasn't a ton of filler either.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes haters to lovers (and doesn't mind that they don't get together until almost the end), long timelines without a lot of filler, good character growth, and stories about struggling actresses.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was just an ok read for me. I wasn't a fan of the writing style but managed to persevere until the end. It did drag on a bit though and I was ready for the end a lot longer than it was.

I probably should have read the blurb a little more closely before requesting this one, because the "dead best friend's fiancee" trope (is that a trope?) isn't something I think I like. This story of completing your dead bestie's bucket list with her ex fiance had a lot to like, but ultimately the slow pacing, slow burn, and heavy emotional tone was hard for me to get through. For readers of In Five Years by Rebecca Serle, Float Plan by Trish Doller, and One Day by David Nicholls, this is an emotional romance with a literary fiction bent. Would definitely recommend if you're in the mood for something a little heavier and slower than the average romance book!

I think grief romances might be a trend, because this is the second story, I've read this month with the same premise. This definitely a slow burn romance, and even when you think the chemistry between Charlie and Becca will finally spark, one of the two would ruin it and then you are back to ground zero. I was so happy to finally get to the ending and to know that the two of them were going to be okay.

This book took me a while to get into - I found myself getting very emotional to start with and at times I had to stop and come back to it.

I found myself swapping between loving and loathing both Becca and Charlie ti start with. One minute I was siding with one then next I was seeing things from a different side.

As the book went ok I started to love them both equally as we saw their stories unfold.

This is a heartwarming story that is full of emotion and passion.

Pernille Hughes' Ten Years is an expertly crafted enemies-to-lovers novel that is both entertaining and well-written. The story follows the ten-year journey of Becca and Charlie as they attempt to fulfil the bucket list of their deceased friend Ally. Despite their mutual dislike and irritation towards each other, they embark on various adventures such as climbing Snowdon, cycling from London to Brighton on a tandem, and attending a music festival. The author sensitively handles the topic of death and grief, portraying how it affects individuals differently and how it can be difficult to move on.

One of the novel's strengths is the development of the characters of Becca and Charlie, as they learn to cope with their grief and grow over time. The reader can anticipate that they will eventually end up together, but the journey towards that outcome is portrayed with depth and wisdom. Hughes expertly weaves together a love story that is not just fluff and froth, but a story that offers insight and understanding about the complexities of love and loss.

Overall, Ten Years is a delightful and engaging read that will leave readers rooting for Becca and Charlie's happy ending.

***arc generously received courtesy of One More Chapter via NetGalley***

I really liked the set up and the realistic portrayal of grief, anger, annoyance, resentment and how it continued and evolved

Another book that has sucker punched me is this book, which features possibly one of the most standout opening chapters I’ve ever read, as we meet a young girl who has the world at her feet, and the loveliest personality to boot, but then …
This is the biggest stunner of a book I could ever imagine, with two characters trying to live on after the death of their world, the lovely Ally. Both Becca and Charlie always hated each other, but are forced together yearly by a bucket list from Ally who wanted each to see what she saw in them. Both characters blew me away (blew, blew, blew!), as did the twists and turns, where what I expected to happen would suddenly disappear and I’d be literally thinking ‘what?!?!?’ The sad parts, the grief, really punched me in the gut (oh my god how I cried in this book!) and the vividness, vibrancy and humour was fantastic and had me smiling along. All in all one of my favourite books of all time, and a privilege to have read.
Thanks so much to the publisher for the book in return for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book, but it felt clichéd at times and unfortunately wasn't as memorable as others in this genre. Pernille's writing was good but it was predictable and I found the characters to not be particularly likeable. I would still read other books by Hughes!

This was one of my favorite books of 2022. I loved how wildy different Becca and Charlie were and their transition from bickering enemies to eventual lovers felt natural and real. I read this as part of a readalong and loved it.

A brilliant read and one I really enjoyed. The characters are loveable and varied, the plot is one that is engaging and medium paced. I found myself completely drawn into the story and enjoyed the writing style.

enjoyed this story every bit of it. I found this author from this site and was super happy to review the book. Glad to do and will find more books when they come out. Liked this a lot.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.