To be honest if I had to read the book instead of listening to it I probably would have lost patience and not have finished it.
The story line is good and a bit unique. If you are looking for something different this might just be the book for you. To me it dragged on a bit too long and I’m not sure I can bring up much sympathy for Bonnie. Her traumatic experiences only increased her mental illness tendencies of wanting to completely isolate herself from everybody. Her paranoia of distrusting everybody including well-meaning friends and her indifference to the feelings of others makes Bonnie a hard person to like. It also makes me wonder if a person that completely obsessed would be clearheaded enough to finish the detailed strategy with the layer and all the planning involved to make her obsession a reality.

One’s Company by Ashley Hutson is a unique story that is rooted in trauma. Bonnie Lincoln finds comfort in the television show, Three’s Company. Her friend, Krystal, along with Krystal’s parents become her support system after her mom’s death. After a robber murders Krystal’s parents and a rape shatters her world, she wins the lottery and ends up losing herself . . . in an immersive town built to resemble the apartments and sets from Three’s Company. Come and knock on our door but Bonnie says stay away with an NDA. Find out what happens when she steps into the roles of Janet Wood, Chrissy Snow and Jack Tripper. Thanks to NetGalley and OrangeSky Audio for the ALC.

One's Company by Ashley Hutson is a stunning original book about Bonnie, a woman who wins the lottery but just wants to be left alone to pursue her own interests. It has a distinct voice that immediately drew me in. It's dripping with sardonic humor and a hilarious premise. I wasn't sure where this book would go, but was captivated by it and Bonnie's journey. The writing style reminds me a little bit of Ottessa Moshfegh. Readers that enjoy a unique voice and story will really enjoy this one. Rachel Jacobs deftly narrates the audiobook. Her voice was perfect for Bonnie.

Thank you W.W. Norton / Orange Sky Audio for providing this ebook / audiobook ARC. All thoughts are my own.

This book was bizarre in the best possible, but sad and devastating, way. I've never read anything like it. It was hard to read at times, watching the odd way in which our main, Bonnie, deals with the trauma in her life.

Bonnie has led a traumatic life. She wins a boatload of money playing the lottery. She is obsessed, literally obsessed, with the 80s sitcom Three's Company. With her winnings, she buys in a remote location and has buildings and construction folks replicate the building in which Three's Company takes place. The apartment of Jack, Janet & Chrissy. The Roper's apartment. All of it.

She moves in here alone and she alternately lives as each of the characters. She's trying to cope with the tragedy and trauma she's experienced in this odd way. She slips further and further from reality and it is heartbreaking.

This book is a great example about how mental illness and trauma can isolate a person. Although Bonnie was living a life that was bizarre and even frustrating, it was real to her and the author di da great job of making you feel how real it was. At times, it was unclear as to whether any of this was real, or all a product of Bonnie's mind.

Many thanks to NetGalley and OrangeSky Audio for an advance audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

Bonnie suffers from severe depression after a traumatic experience wherein she was raped, and people she loved were murdered. Soon after she is the sole winning lottery ticket and decides to cut out the world and build an exact replica of the set of three's company- the show she discovered immediately after the attack and latched onto. She retreats to live out every episode of every season, and after some time this solitude is encroached upon.

To be completely honest, I could not stand Bonnie. I understand she had been through something horrific, and for others this might be a great read, but the way she thinks only she is entitled to her version of grief. That she so horribly treats her best friend, who's parents were the ones murdered, it was awful. She finds herself finding inspiration from serial killers and supreme secrecy. I did not enjoy being inside her mind at all.

I also didn't like that this entire aspect was a surprise upon starting the book. I knew something happened to trigger Bonnie to want to just... live in a fantasy 70s world, but the extreme graphic detail and the weight of what was discussed was not alluded to in the description beyond "some devastating losses." But when I say graphic, I mean GRAPHIC.

Imagine winning the lottery and using the winnings to building an exact replica of your comfort show, and full immersing yourself in the show, living as if you were characters. Sounds pretty quirky, right? Only you are doing it in complete isolation and as a response to trauma. This book was dark and heavy and had readers watch the narrators dissent into madness.

I received this ALC in return for an honest review.

This is the story of Bonnie Lincoln, a young, traumatized woman who is obsessed with Three’s Company. The sitcom got her through some very rough times and became such a comfort that when she wins the lottery, she decides to build a complete replica of the apartment building and surrounding areas to live out her sitcom fantasies, and for a ehile, it works perfectly. It’s enough, until, like it always does, the outside world comes in and might ruin it.

It sounds like an absurdist comedy, right? Not at all, actually. It’s an exploration of trauma and how we use escapism to deal with our lives and how you can only do it for so long. As a casual fan of the classic show, I appreciated some of the very detailed references to the show and its characters, but it’s not necessary to enjoy the book. It’s really about the deeper story of connection and escapism in the extreme, something I could potentially be prone to as I fall into fandoms pretty easily.

It’s out on Tuesday, so keep an eye out for it wherever you get your books/audiobooks.

This book is one I would probably return to in the future. I think it would be better to read in physical form, but im finding the pacing to be a bit of a slog. I'm about halfway through and I feel like the set up has taken to long.... so the audio format isn't really holding my attention. But I really like the premise, so I want to try reading again at some point.

5/5 stars for "One's Company" by Ashley Hutson! This book was unlike anything I have read, yet it felt familiar to works I have loved from the likes of authors such as Ottessa Moshfegh. One's Company" was surreal, gripping, sensational, emotional, and a journey that took me through the life, trauma, and attempted healing/trauma response of Bonnie. I listed to an advnced copy of the audiobook, thanks to NetGalley, and I have to say that the narrator did an AMAZING job capturing the subtleties of Bonnie's emotion and voice throughout. I was impressed time and time again.

"One's Company" is a book that I know I will read or listen to again. I will want to be catapulted back into Bonnie's world and her attempt at person redemption. I think it is fair to say that a book of this type isn't for every reader, but man, Ashley Hutson absolutely nailed it. For the right person, this book is the perfect fit.

Have you ever thought about what you would do if you won the lottery? I have, and I don’t even play the lottery! Bonnie thought about it, too, and now that she has cashed in on her winning ticket, she has big plans. She is going to replicate the set of the seventies sitcom Three’s Company and she is going to live out the lives of each character. But she wants to be left alone while she pursues this dream. Completely alone. Do not, as the show’s theme song invites, come and knock on her door.

Now that we’ve gotten that quirky premise out of the way, let’s talk about what this book is really about. It’s about trauma responses. It’s about protecting yourself from a world that feels impossibly unsafe and the horrific things you’ve experienced. It’s about deep, unfathomable pain. No matter how outlandish Bonnie’s choices may seem to be, if you have PTSD, I feel like you will get it. If you have an understanding of psychological effects of trauma, I hope that you will get it. And if none of these things apply to you, I hope that you will read this with a compassionate heart instead of a judgmental one.

I am reluctant to name the specific trigger potentials, as the narrator allows each aspect of her experiences to unfold slowly. I do not want to spoil the story. Some reveals are gasp inducing and deeply distressing. Just know, going into this, that it is what I’ve said it is. Do not expect fluff. There is content that could upset you and, if you’ve had similar experiences, it could bring you back to that haunting place where you’re reliving those experiences.

Bonnie isn’t a wholly likable character and I am glad the author chose to depict her this way. I felt for her, but I think it’s important for people to recognize that empathy shouldn’t be reserved for those we consider worthy. As human beings (and as readers), we can easily forget that trauma manifests differently from person to person and that the personality type of the survivor doesn’t make the trauma less valid. I think we learn more, in terms of compassion, from stories with nuanced and sometimes unlikable victims.

Although I loved this story, I did have one issue with it: If you write a story about mental illness and you choose to make your narrator an unreliable one, you’re ultimately feeding into the stigma. Mental illness is far too often associated with unreliability. I know the point was to illustrate Bonnie’s psychotic break and, realistically, the untreated trauma, unresolved issues of childhood, and extreme isolation could have easily led to all that transpired in the last quarter of the book. But to have Bonnie tell the story, to have her mislead the reader at one point - I felt this was unnecessarily harmful to all the book had accomplished. While I was relieved that it wasn’t true, I don’t think one particular scene even needed to be a part of the story. Without it, I would have remained on the five star, “I’m so in love with this book” track. I firmly believe Bonnie’s heartbreaking descent into madness could have been aptly conveyed without it.

I did feel this was an expertly crafted story and Hutson provided an authentic voice to misunderstood and struggling trauma survivors, barring my one concern about the narrator's reliability. It’s clear this novel was well thought out and that the content surrounding trauma was deeply understood within the author’s heart. The creativity surrounding the plot was incredibly impressive and the meaningfulness of the story spoke to my soul.

I am immensely grateful to OrangeSky Audio for my audio review copy through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

One’s Company will be out on June 14, 2022!

I won't be finishing this book because while it is very well-written and has a very interesting concept, I just have a growing sense of dread and increasing anxiety while reading it. I think that is the point and that the author is doing a fabulous job unravelling the story that they are telling, but I'm not comfortable continuing and I don't like the character enough to stick with it. If I had my hand on a paper copy I might flip through to the end just to have a sense of closure, but that is difficult to do with an audio book.

I requested this one mostly because of the cover, it looked so fun. But the story didn't hold up for me. It also could be that I've watched maybe one episode of Three's Company and there are so many references, I just wasn't able to get into it. I felt like I would need to watch a whole season of Three's Company or already have been a huge fan to really get this book.

unfortunately, I just don't think this one is for me. I can definitely see why this would have appeal for others, though
the narrator did a solid job though

Thank you Net Galley for an audio ARC of One's Company by Ashley Hutson. This is one of the weirdest books I've listened to. It was an OK for me.

"One's Company" by Ashley Hutson is mind-boggling Absurdist Fiction!

How do I begin to describe this audiobook? It's a bit out there. No, it's more than that, it's completely out there!

Remember the sit-com "Three's Company" from the late 70's with John Ritter, Joyce Dewitt, and Suzanne Sommers? Yeah, that one! Well, Bonnie, our protagonist in this story is obsessed with it and the measures she takes to live her life vicariously through these characters is what this story is all about...mostly!

I should add that money is no problem for Bonnie because she's just won the biggest lottery payout in US history! She moves to a remote locale and uses her winnings to build a replica of the show's set, including the apartment building the cast members lived in and the surrounding businesses that resemble a small town. Then she begins living her 'dream come true' by immersing herself in becoming the cast members. Bizarre, right?

It's just Bonnie and her imagination in this way-out-there, crazy premise. Well, not just Bonnie, but almost!

So why did I enjoy this story so much?

The main character is believable despite her over-the-top "Three’s Company" fixation. The writing is fantastic and the narration of the audiobook by Rachel Jacobs is compelling and emotional. The story is primarily written in a first-person narrative from Bonnie and it's deep and raw, thought provoking and mind-bending, with triggers and touches of themes that nightmares are made of.

Y'all know I enjoy stories that are different and original, creative and imaginative, right? Absurdist Fiction is a new sub-genre for me but believe me when I tell you this one delivered and I was all in!

Thank you to NetGalley, Orange Sky Audio, and Ashley Hutson for a free ALC of this book. It has been an honor to give my honest and voluntary review.

I picked up this book because it sounded kind of quirky, and I grew up watching re-runs on Three's Company on TV Land. I knew the Three's Company characters well, and could visualize the apartment and the settings well.

I can not imagine someone who is not super familiar with the TV show, being able to follow this book or be interested in it at all.

Once Bonnie wins the lottery and develops the "set" of her new life, it gets very mundane. She goes to work as the characters, cooks, sits on the couch, watches tv. It felt very anticlimactic that this is what she did with her winnings, just to live a plain and mundane life by herself.

The writing was good, and around Chapter 33, when we start to hear less about Three's Company and more about Bonnie's life and world, it was more interesting to me.

The book takes a turn and gets completely unhinged and we see Bonnie degrading in her solo life. I did find a lot of Bonnie's internal dialogue to be very philosophical, more than what was necessary for what she was doing on a simple level.

One's Company follows a woman who has had a tough life and gone through a major trauma, who then wins the largest lottery ever. She channels that money into creating an escape for herself- a life-size replica of Three's Company. Her goal is to live out her life in complete solitude, as if she is one of the characters.

One's Company is a really interesting premise and kept me reading just for the logistics of the plan. However, it is a very dark and depressing book reminiscence of My Year of Rest and Relaxation, with a slightly more likable main character.

This was such an imaginative book, and it gave me a lot to think about. In One's Company, narrator Bonnie Lincoln wins the largest amount ever in a US lottery. In what initially feels like a quirky, nostalgic use of her winnings, she purchases a remote strip of land and recreates the elaborate setting of her favorite TV show, Three's Company. Every detail is meticulously included, and Bonnie's goal is to never have to leave this space again. Through her telling, we learn the significance of the show while she attempted to recover from past traumas. The book begs the question: is it okay to sink into the fantasy of a simpler life, or is it our responsibility to pull ourselves (or a friend) back into reality?

There was a lot to like about this book, and I was pleasantly surprised how deep it went. Even though I never watched Three's Company with any regularity, it was fun to hear the details that went into this development project.

I also felt a conundrum as a reader. I was pleased the narrator was getting the freedom and clearer head space she needed, but it was obvious that the longer she stayed within her little community, the less stable she became. The book handles the components of mental illness and trauma very well, and it felt like an authentic transition.

I'll definitely be looking into other books by Ashley Hutson in the near future.

Bonnie lost her parents and later became the sole survivor of unspeakable violence. She can’t face real life and only wants to be left alone to watch her favorite 70’s sitcom, Three’s Company. Her reality changes when she wins a billion dollars in the lottery and realizes she can make all her Three’s Company dreams come true. She hires workers and a lawyer and sets about creating her own Three’s Company world. Everyone involved in the creation is bound by an NDA. When all is finally ready, she leaves the real world and becomes the characters, taking turns acting out each part in the TV show.

This story was heart breaking, but so fascinating. Bonnie had many people who cared for her, but she couldn’t let them in. Ashley Huston created a mesmerizing view into the life of a traumatized person trying to cope through obsession. Rachel Jacobs did an excellent job as narrator.

Thanks to NetGalley and OrangeSky Audio for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. #OnesCompany #NetGalley

A few years after experiencing a major trauma, Bonnie Lincoln's luck has turned- so much so in fact that she has won the lottery. Bonnie has had plans for the money since before even buying the ticket, though. She is going to find a remote plot of land and recreate the set of her comfort show, Three's Company, where she will live in complete isolation as the characters of the show in rotation. By doing this, Bonnie plans to step out of a life of sadness, memories, and stress, and step into 1977, where the kisses are hers and hers and his.

"The humiliation of being alive and being seen. Oh it wrangled me. I wanted to kill the very fact."

When I initially read the synopsis of this, I immediately knew this was going to be in my reading wheelhouse. I viewed it, almost, as a cautionary tale for the escapist introverts of the world (who, me?). I never felt bored of Ashley Hutson's writing, and I honestly can't believe what a great debut this is. One's Company was a take on mental health, trauma, hyperfixations, and how we cope unlike anything I've ever read. I drew comparisons several times to My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh, but I liked several aspects of One's Company more- I was more able to understand Bonnie's motivations because of her trauma.

One's Company releases on June 14th, and it's worth the read/listen! I listened via audiobook and the narrator was just perfect for the role. I was so impressed by this one.

Thanks so much to OrangeSky Audio as well as NetGalley for the opportunity to listen in exchange for my honest thoughts.