There's a lot of potential in this storyline, but it just didn't connect for me. The slow-burn romance was great, but felt weird given the context.

Well, this was definitely an emotional read but a hopeful and comforting one too. I loved the characters, their flaws and realistic personalities.

Even though a few tears were shed on occasion I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know these characters. Seeing how their lives played out after loss.

There was something so heartfelt about the story and it really helped me connect with not only the characters but I felt invested in their happiness too.

A wonderful look at life, grief, love and romance too. Ten Years was a real joy to spend time with!

Thank you to Netgalley for sending me this arc!

I enjoyed this book, however it did take a while for me to get into. I would recommend to others as the premise of the story is interesting!

Sadly, this book wasn't really to my taste. It's quite an emotional story and I prefer books with a bit more humour. It's definitely something other readers will enjoy though.

I had to DNF this after a few chapters. I grew very uncomfortable with the idea of a relationship between a man and his dead fiancée's best friend. I didn't realize from the blurb that this was how the story would go, but I was intrigued by the hatred between the two MCs.

Also, I didn't understand why Becca and Charlie loath each other so much. If this is the relationship between two people so close to Ally, I cant imagine how she held on to both of them.

Ten Years is an emotive and poignant read that makes you feel a multitude of emotions when reading it. It's not your typical rom-com type read but it's hugely satisfying.

Charlie and Becca have disliked each other since University which is unfortunate as Charlie's fiancee Ally is also Becca's best friend. When Ally tragically dies her mum Valerie asks them to fulfil Ally's bucket list can they put their animosity for each other to one side.

The book alternates between Charlie and Becca's perspective the highs and lows of their friendship navigating their way through their grief.

I loved everything about this book, the story was original and Charlie and Becca were wonderful characters, I especially loved Becca a strong, fiesty, red head with a haribo obsession (In my head I pictured her as Rose Leslie)

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for the ARC.

Wow. This book hurt. It was so good but very emotional. Ten Years shows a year in Becca and Charlie’s lives, beginning at the funeral of Charlie’s fiance and Becca’s best friend. This is a sot of enemies-to-lovers with forced yearly proximity and a second chance a happiness for the both of them. This book shows that there is not one great love and it is possible to love again.

Charlie and Becca have known each other since university. Since Charlie officially came into her life as the boyfriend of her best friend, Ally, they have bickered, fought, and just generally not got on. Ally’s death hit them both hard and after the funeral, neither of them think they will see the other again. Until, almost a year after her death, they both receive an email from Ally’s address with a bucket list of things Ally never got to complete. Both Charlie and Becca refuse to walk away from this challenge, so they agree to meet once a year to complete an activity and spread Ally’s ashes.

‘What is it you think you’ve stopped? Me loving you? That’s not how that works. Just because you say it can’t happen doesn’t make it so.’

This book reminded me of One Day, but with a happier ending. As Becca and Charlie complete these challenges, they begin to grow closer and see each other in ways they never could have expected. This romance tore at my heartstrings and I felt like I was feeling the emotions as they were. I cried, I laughed, and I rooted for these two characters, as I felt like they deserved the world.

‘So I choose you, Becca, I pick you, and you can kick and scream all you like, that’s my decision.’

I did not see the little twist coming at the end and was pleasantly surprised! This book was an emotional rollercoaster but I couldn’t recommend it more as I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Becca and Charlie have known each other since university, and for all that time, they have bickered, argued, mocked, and rubbed each other up the wrong way. Until their loved one, Ally dies and leaves them a bucket list. Charlie and Becca must complete the bucket list together, and over the course of ten years, Charlie and Becca’s lives collide as the deal with grief, love, and life after Ally.
This is a classic, boy and girl dislike each other but are ‘friends’ because they have a mutual friend, who are then thrown together after the death of afore mentioned friend as she has set them up to meet at least once a year to work through her bucket list. The premise of the book is OK, but for the first half of the book, I found the writing a bit slow, but in saying that, there are some difficult subjects handled well within the book. The plot twists livened the second half of the book up, and I certainly didn’t see the final twist coming!

Wow what an emotional journey!! I couldn't put down this book!! I really enjoyed this friends to lovers romance. I have to say this book had a lot more depth than most romance books and excellent characterization. The characters just felt so realistic. I definitely recommend this one.

A second chance romance spanning ten years.
Charlie and Becca meet at Uni, a one nighters happens and then Charlie falls for Ally - Beccas best friend.
Fast forward a few years and at the beginning of the book Ally has unfortunately died and Becca and Charlie have totally fallen out.
The problem being they now have to do tasks each year scattering Allys ashes.
Over the span of the book and the dual narrative Becca and Charlie come to life, seeing their ups and downs and how they interact with each other.
This is a story about grief and how it is dealt with, but also moving on and finding love again.

This year I made a decision not to read books if I'm not hooked by page 50. Well, I needn't have worried with Ten Years because I was hooked within the first few minutes of reading.

It is the story of the thin line between love and hate and how those who straddle that line shouldn't underestimate the power of both.

It is the story of Becca and Charlie - frenemies who have been brought together through tragedy and who have to weave in and out of each others lives whether they like it or not.

This is the perfect love to hate you story and I did not want it to end.

Ten Years by Pernille Hughes is available now.

For more information regarding Pernille Hughes (@pernillehuges) please visit her Twitter account.

For more information regarding Harper Collins (@HarperCollinsUK) please visit their Twitter account.

Ten years by Pernille Hughes is a heart-warming, touching, and completely magical love story. I don't think I have ever read such a romantic story before. Absolutely fantabulous story!

I suppose this story can be described in a sentence: If it is meant for you, it will come to you. Becca and Charlie never got along, or at least it seemed so, They were always bickering, mocking and arguing with each other. They never wanted to keep in touch after Ally's death. But Ally's bucket list forced them to meet - once every year. But as they start to complete the tasks, they grow closer, fall apart, call truce, fall apart once again...

Highly recommended!

This was an emotional and moving book. I really felt a Rollercoaster of feelings reading this,
With such lovable characters I felt invested in the plot all the way through.
A lovely book that I totally enjoyed.

When Charlie's fiance dies, her last wish was for her cucket list to be carried out by himself and her best friend, Becca over the next ten years. Becca and Charlie don't like each other at all, but are determined to do this for Ally.

This book is emotional, and touching, and a slow burn romance. I wasn't a big fan of it though, just because the subject matter of Ally's death wasn't my favorite vehicle for a love story.

Thank you to One More Chapter UK for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Thank you OMC and NetGalley for a Review Copy in exchange of an honest review.

First of all, I think there was a lot of potential in the story but it was unnecessarily dragged.

There is overlap between Enemies to Lovers and Friends to Lovers. More like a long process of first developing a friendship and then taking it into the romantic territory. The passage of time in the story was too long with not enough due consideration given to every instance the main characters interacted.

The development of the relationship was not up to the mark.

Good for a one time read though.

Ten Years is heartwarming, touching and emotive contemporary romance that revolves around Becca (Ally’s best friend) and Charlie (Ally’s fiance) who cannot stand each other, even at the funeral of Ally whom they loved most and connected them. They both are struggling with loss and grief and when after one year they receive email from Ally (not anything paranormal, she scheduled that) asking them to fulfill her dying wish by completing 5 items on her bucket list, they agree to keep aside their hatred for Ally and meet once a year to complete the task that begins their long Ten Years of relationship that help them to deal with loss, grief and moving on in life.

The writing is beautiful, gripping, and emotive with third person narrative from Becca and Charlie’s perspectives. As title suggest the story takes place in duration of ten years from Ally’s death in 2012 to 2022, with yearly chapters highlighting important events in both characters’ life along with their meets for the bucket list. There are intermittent past, a memory telling about Charlie and Ally’s relationship, Becca’s life, Becca’s relationship with both Ally and Charlie. It added more depth to story making us familiar with characters and understand their relationships and life better.

The plot is emotional rollercoaster dealing with serious subject of death, loss, grief, and struggle of small actors with layers of abandonment issues, loyalty, and second chance to life and happines.

Characters are heart of the story. Both characters are realistic, relatable, flawed and complex. As there is long duration of time we see the characters grow with every year. It was amazing to see how they turned from childish, bickering, and struggling individuals to wise, understanding, and successful adults (bickering still stays).

I loved Becca in first half of the book. It was easy to root for her. Abandonment from her parents since she was kid, her loneliness after Ally’s death, her struggle in acting career and not getting a decent role is touching and heartbreaking. I admired her tenacious iron will and self-deprecating nature. It amazed me every time she made a joke of her fall and weird roles she has to play to pay the bills, it was both tragic and often humorous.

But she is not all kind and lovely, she is one angry and snarky woman who wouldn’t shy from being blunt and honest which is also understandable. All the angst and frustrations has to come out in some way and poor Charlie took the bitter burnt of it. It’s still a mystery if it was because she has feelings for Charlie but feels guilty as he was her best friend’ fiance but in my opinion, she wasn’t exactly aware of her feelings or knew she liked him until they completed almost all items on bucket list.

I really felt happy when she finally got the success she deserved but at the same time she really annoyed me in the second half. After knowing her, I agreed with Charlie, she feared being hurt and abandoned if she let anyone in her life. She kept pushing away happiness in her life and was kind of comfortable with misery. I really wanted to shake her when she didn’t give Charlie a chance and gave whole list of excuses to keep him away and said some bitter and nasty things. I liked when she finally gave herself time to accept where she is wrong.

Charlie at first wasn’t all charming except in looks. I didn’t understand why he didn’t like Becca, was always riled by her and felt eager to demean and fight with her. Becca was right about him from the beginning, he didn’t understand the struggle, he got everything in life easily, and he was indecisive person who was happy to go along with his partner or lover’s decisions or will flip a coin if he get many options. The only struggle he knew was his parents’ divorce and as story progressed I could see how it fanned his indecisive nature.

Even though I liked Becca for most of story, I found Charlie most interesting and loved his development. He grew on me as story progressed. Young Charlie was flirt, Charlie after Ally’s death was lost and was eager to move on in life, and Charlie after another failed relationship was wise, decent and changed person who saw his flaws and worked on making things right. And this Charlie, I could see isn’t indecisive but he has a tendency of dating or loving women who are controlling. It was amazing when he could recognize this and see why he found Becca different, loved her company, and how being with her he actually could be himself not molding into what someone else wanted. I also liked how he was realistic and reasonable about moving on in life, making Becca see she isn’t doing anything wrong by loving him and it’s not betrayal to Ally.

Author perfectly balanced serious subject of grieving process with fun and light moments. I loved the way Becca and Charlie completed the bucket list. I enjoy every moment of them together putting aside their differences and remembering Ally and their love for her. Wierd roles Becca got gave many laugh out loud moments. That wedding scene was epic.

Romance is slow burn with second chance arc and lots of banter. I wouldn’t even call this a romance as we see actual romance in second half of the story. Even with all the complexity that came with lots of switch from enemies to friends to back to enemies and then to lovers, I cheered for both characters and wished them happiness, even when Becca annoyed me with her dilemma.

Climax is filled with cliche, predictability and at the same time taking unexpected curve that kind of dragged the story but also was important for character development. I get why Becca was agry but at the same time I didn’t like her considering her feelings fake and not giving Charlie and happiness a chance. I don’t blame Charlie for what he did after that. I don’t exactly get how that last conversation changed Becca’s mind, at the same time I was glad her head was working in right direction. I liked the lovely, satisfying, feel-good ending with a little unexpected surprise.

Why 4 Stars-

Like I said, I wasn’t happy with Becca’s dilemma in third part and how much drama and scene she created after knowing the real reason behind bucket list. Some part of the story was a bit dragging.

Overall, Ten Years is touching, emotive, and beautifully written contemporary about second chance to life and happiness with enemies to lovers trope.

I definitely recommend this if you like,
Story dealing with loss and grief
Story takes place for long duration of time
Bucket list
Layer of abondonment issues
Second chance to life and happiness
Slowburn clean romance
Enemies to lovers trope
Realistic and realatble characters
Amazing character developement
Lots of banter and fun moments

TEN YEARS
By Pernille Hughes

Ten Years by Pernille Hughes is a beautifully written story about friends, friendship, love, and loss. It's about Becca and Charlie - and then Ally who is gone. Charlie's fiancee and Becca's best friend. A yearly task from Ally's bucket list joins these two together - though they would rather not, but through the years, they learn to care for each other, and hopefully from enemies to lovers.

Though this is truly a slow burn story, you find yourself cheering on for these two to realize they are meant for each other and actually are good for each other. Though it may have been about a dead friend and heartbreaking loss, this was hopeful and did tug at heart strings. I enjoyed it.

This is my first read of a one of Pernille Hughes books and what a treat it has been. It is well written, with heart-warming characters and plot, which makes for a lovely book.

Thank you HarperCollins, One more chapter and Netgalley for the arc!

A witty story with a tragic background.

I really enjoyed the writing style and the character development.
I usually don't like the 'enemies to lovers' trap, but this one was special.
I loved how the author wrote about the difficult and heavy subjects, but then made the reader smile.
The story really resonated with me because of some things that happened to me and reading this was a great way to deal with that type of stuff.