i tried so hard to like this book. i'm not the biggest fan of a 'dead best friend's boyfriend' trope, but it seemed interesting so i decided to go with it. unfortunately, i almost stopped reading twice because the plot dragged out and i felt absolutely no chemistry between charlie and becca. for a book that is marketed as a romance, it fell flat and was disappointing.

brief plot: becca and charlie hate each other. the only connection between them is ally, becca's best friend and charlie's girlfriend. when she dies, ally leaves a bucket list for becca and charlie to complete. they do one task a year.

the thing is, the chemistry really had to be there for this case, more so than any book, because they met only a few times a year. it was an enemies-to-lovers trope with plenty of reasons for the 'enemies' part but was not convincing enough for me to believe that they actually moved to the 'lovers' part.

there was a lot more exposition in this book than most romance books, which made it feel more like a literary fiction than a romance book. i really think this book would have been better if it was marketed more as a lit fic on grief and moving on rather than a pure romance book, because everything felt forced. it felt like the author was giving readers reasons and trying to convince us that they were meant to be because there logically just wasn't any chemistry.

on top of that, i found becca and charlie both very dull and uninteresting and just so unlikeable.

From the description, 'Ten Years' is described as a very different book than it actually is. Which I think is a shame, because the real focus on grief is actually one of the stronger points, whilst the actual romance itself I felt was lacking. Both the main characters I found extremely unlikable, and despite the attempt at a slow-burn, I did not feel any chemistry between them, and honestly struggle to see how their relationship would work long-term. The pacing of the novel also felt strange, as it definitely dragged, whilst also I found missing vital parts. I felt at some points more connected with the side characters than the protagonists.
There were some brighter points, and I did enjoy the realistic portrayal of Becca's acting career though, despite the fact that this was slightly undermined by her quick and sudden rise to fame. I had similar feels about how Charlie was shown with his difficulties of moving on- there were points where I loved it, but making his new wife quickly turn to a typical evil jealous woman felt very easy and unrealistic.

Thank you to NetGalley and One More Chapter for the eARC.

Ten Years follows Becca and Charlie as they meet once a year after Ally, Charlie's fiancé and Becca's best friend, dies. The two travel around the world, scattering Ally's ashes as they go. And somewhere along the way, things between them change.

This book took me a while to get into, it wasn't until about the 30% mark that I was a bit more interested. I think it's because this book was actually a lot heavier than I'd anticipated. I thought that it was more of a contemporary romance, because there was romance at the forefront of it, but it was more about Charlie and Becca's journey with grief. For me, I would have preferred it if the romance between Charlie and Becca wasn't a part of the story, I really wasn't feeling it. I think I found it hard to connect to them as a couple because they were only together every year for a year, so when they started declaring their love for each other it felt a bit false. The book discussed grief throughout so I didn't really feel very loved up. I do think romance books should discuss important and even taboo topics, I just think that there definitely needs to be a balance.
I also didn't really like Becca or Charlie as people. Becca was selfish but I preferred her to Charlie. Charlie on the other hand I found really difficult to actually enjoy reading about. He kept on going from girl to girl, which I have absolutely no issue with, but it meant that I didn't particularly care when he got with Becca and it didn't feel special at all.

Overall, this book concept is really refreshing and I think that was great that in terms of talking about dealing with grief, but as a love story I wasn't really feeling it.

Ten Years is a sprawling story of grief and hope. However, it just wasn’t for me; I found the pacing of the plot odd and the characters quite static and unlikable. Charlie, in particular, is an unusually unpleasant romantic lead who makes awkward choices. Both he and Becca are emotionally immature, making it difficult to sympathize with them. Many of the minor plot lines are also introduced and concluded with little consequence or fanfare, lengthening the novel without adding substantial depth to the story or characters.

I think the topic of grief was handled well, but the characters' reactions to their loss were juvenile and unsympathetic. Hughes as the narrator addresses grief with tact and nuance, which is what makes her characters' unsympathetic reactions to their loss all the more puzzling and frustrating.

Ultimately, I do admire Hughes’s ability to tell a story over so many years of ups and downs, but I wish the characters were more developed and sympathetic. As always, just because this novel wasn't for me doesn't mean it won't be for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

An emotional read with a positive undercurrent. The book is intrinsically about bereavement and grief and the ways that different people deal with it whilst not losing the love for the person who has died. Quite entertaining in parts with a feisty female lead character, Becca, who is a little bit too spiky at times opposite a more relaxed male character in Charlie. The book covers the period of 10 years following the death of Ally, Charlie's fiancée and Becca's best friend. Slightly different and quite engaging as they struggle with their own moving on processes whilst maintaining an intolerance of each other when they come together to remember Ally

I wanted to love this book. It is a very different romance story with the start beginning with a funeral and this is where we meet our 2 main characters. I just really didn't like the two of them as characters and thus I just couldn't root for them at all. I understand it was complex due to them both loving and mourning the same person but I found them both selfish and equally unlikeable. It's still a good story though and this is probably just my own personal opinion.

This is a highly original story that had me hooked from the very first page. The author brings to the page two real, complex and well-drawn characters that I championed all the way through. This is a true slow burn and I loved seeing how the characters evolved each time they met up - how they change as people and how their relationship evolves.

No spoilers but a VERY satisfying ending , including a lovely twist. An absolute must read.

Amazing. I will be looking out for more from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I didn’t expect to like this as much as I did, but it was charming. A bit of a weeper, but theme of grief and loss was dealt with well. It was a little slow moving especially at the beginning and took a bit too long for the two characters to sort themselves out.

This is a difficult book to review because I enjoyed it, but also rolled my eyes a lot.

I read it in one sitting, as I was enjoying it and did want to see what happened. I thought the way the author portrays the different experiences of grief was done well, and I could see the way Becca and Charlie's relationship evolved over the years. It was a beautiful and realistic portrayal of moving on from a partner and best friend's death, the difficulties in doing so, and how love can evolve from this. I enjoyed the bucket list idea, as it felt like their forced proximity was occurring in a natural way and showed their love for Ally.

However, their dislike of one another felt childish, dramatic, and irritating (and not in a good enemies to lovers way). The way they acted and spoke to and around one another was more reminiscent of a child than anyone supposed to be in their twenties. The reason for their rivalry was a disappointment, and served to further my view that they were childish and ridiculous. The time jumps later on in the book didn't feel as natural as at the start, and it felt like some tropes were thrown in "just because". They didn't really feel as though they'd developed the story in any significant way. I think this was why I didn't feel invested in their relationship.

Overall this was enjoyable book, but as a romance I was a bit disappointed.

I liked the way the story unfolded although it was a little predictable. Ally directed Charlie and Becca from beyond the grave, like conducting an orchestra. She knew her two friends would do anything for her, even after death. For Charlie it took a failed marriage, for Becca a large dose of self belief and confidence to realise they were meant for on another.

10 years follows 2 “sworn enemies” Becca and Charlie over the course of 10 years as they navigate their way through relationships, careers and the grief of losing their best friend and fiancée respectively.

Thank you NetGalley for the Arc of 10 Years. It was a beautifully written story that just ran a little too long for my tastes. The will they won’t they went on for so long and when they finally did it felt forced and unnatural.

My biggest complaint however is would it have killed the author to make one remotely likable character. Becca was childish and awful, her mom more of the same. Valerie was manipulative and meddling. Charlie was self centered and cruel. At no point did I find myself rooting for anyone in this book. Even the dead fiancée was portrayed as awful at points. That blow out between Becca and Charlie wasn’t telling each other “hard truths” it was horrible and I have no idea how they forgave each other.

ten years being an enemies to lovers with both characters having a common friend or in this case fiancee and best friend was right up my alley, especially with seeing the depth behind how charlie and becca's dynamic came to be. the pacing of this one was slow but more of a steady slow burn as they both go through grief of losing ally and begin to bond closer over time with the bucket list ally left for them. though being a romcom, hughes writes the dealing of loss in such a raw realness with how they feel as the years pass more and more. there was also the aspect of right person wrong time even though they didn't know it until they finally got along more unfortunately after ally's passing. i empathized with becca the most as we get to read more of backstory of how she became the character she is with how her childhood and past affected her in the long term. this is truly a solid romcom recommended for anyone looking for more of a slow paced emotional read predictable along the way.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

After the death of their best friend Ally, frenemies Becca and Charlie are left with the task to complete her bucket list. The storyline follows Becca and Charlie’s journey over the next 10 years as they follow through with each task.

Ten Years is a slow burn. The book has love in it but I wouldn’t necessarily consider it strictly romance. The storyline is more “happy for now” than “happily ever after”. The main characters are so petty and awful to each other through most of the plot and I found them really dislikable. Ten Years is quite short so maybe the characters just needed to be developed more.

My favorite part of the book came with the twist in the end.

This is the first book that I have read from this author but I’d like to look into some of her other work in the future.

Lovely book!! I adored all that characters and the development was great throughout. Kept me wanting more. I would definitely recommend!

Full disclosure, the first thing that attracted me to this book was the cover... on the grounds that I'm a big X-Files fan and the picture of the couple reminded me of a stylised Mulder and Scully! I'm glad it did because I probably wouldn't have been drawn to it otherwise, and I very much enjoyed it. Despite the obvious disadvantage of a lack of aliens, government conspiracies and the FBI, Ten Years turned out to be a brilliant read.

Charlie and Becca both love Ally - Charlie as a fiancée, Becca as best friend of many years - and her death, at a heartbreakingly young age, leaves them bereft. What it doesn't do is bring them closer together - they quite convincingly don't get on. However, over a period of years, they are forced by a task set by Ally to spend time together around once a year (this structure reminded me a bit of One Day, though it's a long time since I read that). Meanwhile, life goes on and work and relationships change and evolve around them. We know they're going to end up, somehow, together - but getting there makes for an excellent read.

The highlight of the book for me was the character of Becca, an aspiring but largely unsuccessful actor, who I loved. I totally believed in her character, good and bad (she definitely has flaws, pretty large ones in fac) and she was hugely entertaining to read about.

Many thanks for the opportunity to read and review!

A great story full of heartache and love! So much happening and written in a beautiful book keeping you hooked in from start to finish

This was a corker, I love a love/hate relationship almost as much as I love a tale that takes us on a journey over a number of years and this did not disappoint.

We follow Becca and Charlie in the years following Ally's death, we see their relationship grow from distaste to mutual respect to attraction. I thought the characters were really well written, likeable although definitely definitely flawed. We see the tenderness of friendship and we watch the relationship growing, another one that I flew through.

Recommended to fans of Mhairi McFarlane and Sarra Manning.(my faves!)

Set over 10 years between 2011 and 2021. When Ally dies her two best friends are overcome with grief and find it hard to move on without Ally. Charlie Ally’s fiancé finds it hard to make decisions and Becca deeply misses Ally. Becca totally dislikes Charlie and will be glad not to see him again after Ally’s funeral.
Almost 12 months after Ally dies Charlie and Becca receive an email from Ally requesting that they both visit Valerie, Ally’s mother on the anniversary of Ally’s death. Valerie has a task for Charlie and Becca.
I loved the way the characters interacted. Charlie and Becca hate each other but their love for Ally and Ally’s mother brings them together regularly over ten years to remember Ally.
This was a love story about friendships and grief.

I was initially captured by the description of this book.
This is not a genre that I usually read but I felt that a change would be good . I’m so glad that I did .
This is such a well written book that deals with loss and love . No spoilers here just to say that this book is well worth reading.
Credit to the author .