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.

Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Troupe: Enemies to lovers

Overall: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Plot: 4.5/5
Writing and Setting: 4/5

Content warning: *mentions of terminal illness, mentions of death, some swearing, mentions of ‘adult’ themes*

The gist of my review:

How do I even begin…?

This book is simply to die for. It’s stunning in its approach to life, death, love, and raw reality that I have been left with such a complex devastation now that I am finished the book.

I have read some incredible works, but this story will give you one of the greatest book hangover you will ever come by. I really cannot recommend this book enough.

Characters: 5/5

Let’s start off with Becca - props for the awesome name if I do say so myself ;). Becca is an angry, firecracker of a woman that wakes up every day and actively chooses violence. I love how upfront and demanding she is as a character as she strives to be successful in a career she’s incredibly passionate about. She has so much depth outside of the main plot on a totally individual level, and I find that aspect of her so captivating as a character. Her inner monologue is hilarious, and I absolutely adore her obsession with Haribo gummies.

Then there’s Charlie… Charlie is almost everything that Becca isn’t. He has an almost gentle nature, he’s indecisive and willing to roll over and allow others to be in charge of his life. Initially, I was put off by this, but Charlie has a very logical and straightforward approach to a lot of things and he’s willing to put a lot of hard work into everything he does. I love how charming and flirty Charlie can be, and I found the way his family history shaped his approach to his working, daily, and love life, so relatable to the reader.

Plot: 4.5/ 5

When I first started reading, I initially felt like I was thrust right into the middle of the story, however, it’s very easy to catch up with the chain of events and the subsequent plot that follows. The main plot of the book is unlike anything I’ve read before in a romance novel, and I thrived off the book’s brilliance.

Writing and Setting: 4/5

This is the first time I’ve read one of Hughes’s books, and I simply adored the writing style. Each character had their own voice which remained consistent, fiercely recognisable, and strong as the story progressed, even as the relationship between the two main characters changed.

Sometimes I find that romance writers have a habit of including grand locations and lavish houses within their works and they become unrealistic or unrelated to the story itself, and the settings throughout this story were stunning and imaginative, but they felt genuine to each character and the plot itself.

Thank you to Pernille Hughes and the team at One More Chapter for giving me the incredible opportunity to read the advanced copy of ‘Ten Years’ in exchange for my honest feedback. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and I am excited to read more of Hughes in the future.

Ten Years by P. Hughes, published by Harper Collins UK / One More Chapter is a story that's not easy to put in a corner.
Charlie and Becca are very different from each other. They don't even like each other. The only thing they have in common is Ally. The best friend/fiancee. And when she's gone both of them are lost, mourning. But life goes on for them.
The story spans years, a long journey, a slow burn, emotional, intense with a few twists and turns that had me on the edge of my seat. There was no easing in. I was put right in the middle of the storyline, but it was fitting.
So all in all, an ok read, 4 stars.

Ten Years by Pernille Hughes is a great contemporary romance about second chances and that there is never a time that is too late to start again.

This is an entertaining story about two people that crisscross each other’s paths throughout many years. They butt heads, they irk one another…however after the loss of a mutual friend…they are connected in a way that they try to ignore…however when two people are meant to be, they are meant to be. Here we get to go along with the two as they experience a love to hate relationship to a friendship, to finally a relationship. The chemistry is there, the connection…the path may be bumpy, but it is solid and works.

I always enjoy a good enemies to lovers trope.

4/5 stars

Thank you NG and One More Chapter for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 8/18/22.

A really thought out character of Ally, with a cancer that needs more publicity (not a spoiler as this is at the start.)
Great characters and an interesting read.