I expected more. This story was basically the same information repeated from the perspectives of our three main characters, in an uninteresting way. The characters weren't very likable and the ending was rushed and abrupt. I also thought there would be more humor interwoven throughout.

What an interesting way to write a story! There are 3 major characters and the story is written in 3 separate pieces. One piece from each of the 3 characters describing the same events and their perspective of the relationships between the 3. Very revealing how each one saw the same event differently and felt differently about the relationships. And how easily one or the other could influence the feelings of the other 2 by very subtle manipulation.

“The Three of Us” is a fast-paced and quick-witted novella that brings up questions of loyalty, marriage, friendship, and trust. This story is as funny as it is thought-provoking. A relatable and relevant story for millennials who enjoy some self-snark.

I really really enjoyed this novel, mostly because I have never read anything like it before. And reading this very odd story reminds me of when I read My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite. Both stories are veryyyy captivating, and they don’t feel like something you have read before. I particularly enjoyed The Three of Us because it was a quick and easy read, and the story was told and developed in such an amazing way that I was really in a haste to get to the end of the novel, and to discover where the story was going to end. I was on my toes with every paragraph I read, because I so badly wanted to uncover why Temi, the best friend was such an issue for the couple, and why she was constantly a topic of conversation for them as well as a cause for argument between them.

I struggled to even make this graphic, let alone write this review. I really wanted to love this book, I saw a lot of potential from the storyline. But, this book lacked quotations and paragraph spacing. I found it so hard to figure out whom was talking to whom. I also felt like the same story was told over and over, just in a questionable characters POV.

Thank you, @netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this ARC, in exchange for my honest review. Pub date: May 16, 2023.

I'm not entirely sure what I'm supposed to take away from this book, but who cares? It's a complete blast to read. I breezed through it in an afternoon. A skillful and entertaining pas de trois!

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

The Three of Us is the story of a husband, wife, and her best friend and how the intersections of relationships don't always go smoothly. The story takes place over the course of a single day and is told in 3 sections, one from each person's perspective. I struggled with this book because I never really cared about any of the characters and then the writing style is one where quotation marks are not used. There were parts that I enjoyed and I would try another of this author's books but for me this one is just ok.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I found the premise of this book far more interesting than its execution. I love character studies and slice-of-life stories, but unfortunately, this didn't land with me.

I normally find unlikeable characters fascinating - with the catch that they have to be believable! But in my opinion, that wasn't the case here - I found all three shallow and caricature-esque. The husband was rigid and controlling; the friend was manipulative and occasionally cruel; and the wife was passive to the point of absurdity. While we got *facts* about each of them, we never really got *insight* into why they are the way they are; there was also no real self-reflection or curiosity on anyone's part. In my opinion, if a story is about such a small slice of time (one single afternoon), you need a lot of depth to compensate for the lack of breadth, and I just didn't find that.

Thanks to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Three of Us is told from three perspectives; a husband, a wife, and the wife's best friend. The husband and best friend hate each other, and the wife is in the middle, so what could possibly go wrong? Ore Agbaje-Williams has written a delightful story in a unique way, as events unfold between the trio over the course of one drama-filled day. Thank you #NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read an advance ecopy of #TheThreeofUs.

This was not for me. Takes place over the course of one day, as three people share their sides of the day unfolding. Two are best friends, and one is the husband of one of the woman. He and the best friend hate each other. There's really no plot, just their stream of consciousness as they relate how they all met and their backgrounds. I'm not a fan of stream of consciousness writing, so that didn't work for me. I can see many readers-especially readers who character driven novels- loving this, though.

This was a book I really tried to finish but couldn’t keep going because of the lack of depth in the characters and it being confusing to follow whenever anyone was actually speaking because of the not using quotation marks. It also felt the narrative was very random considering it was suppose to be about one night in, yet there were a ton of backstories going on that was hard to follow. I came in thinking it was going to be about one thing and disappointedly came in reading something else. I do not recommend.

The Three of Us
Ore Agbaje-Williams
Penguin Random House
2024

The Three of Us is, obviously, a story about three people: A wife; her husband; and her best friend. The women were free spirits during university and remained friends afterwards.

The story is told in three parts; each narrated by the wife, the best friend, and the husband. They tell their version of what happened one afternoon/night where they all have drunk heavily. The best friend does not want the wife to be married or have a child. She antagonizes the situation with barbs towards the husband. The wife plays along but really, who does she love more? Her husband or her best friend? What will happen when everything comes to a head?

The book is a short one and it moves quickly. I didn’t care too much for the characters so I struggled sometimes to keep reading. But, there is an audience for this book, it’s just not me.
⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really wanted to love this book, but it was just a like for me. I think I wanted more from the characters. But, I did enjoy it and I’m glad I was able to read it!

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I just didn't get this book. It was told from the viewpoint of three different people, the wife, husband and wife's best friend over the course of a day.

I never felt invested or connected with any of the characters. I kept waiting for a big breakthrough moment that never happened. Especially at the end. It just kinda stopped. I felt like I was left hanging. What happened?

2/5 stars

I wish to thank NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam, G P Putnam’s Sons - for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The title of this book sounded very interesting to me and I looked forward to reading it. What do you do when your very best friend and your husband do not like each other at all, and you find yourself in the middle of it all? This is the story of just one day in the life of the three people. I found the characters to be dull and once you got the drift of the story that was all it was. The friend was very controlling, the husband protective of his wife and the spineless wife stuck in the middle. I did not engage with anyone. The ending was abrupt. Sorry to say this one is not for me at all.

This was an ARC from @netgalley , thank you very much! So this story takes place in one day, one afternoon really. There are three characters; the wife, the wife's best friend and the husband. It's an interesting way to write this, each character has a section of the story. The husband and the best friend hate each other, and both are sabotaging the relationships. It was okay to read, but not my favorite. #thethreeofus #oreagbajewilliams #oreagbajewilliamsthethreeofus #bookstagram #booklover #reader #bookblog #lovetoread #fictionreader #bookreview #bookrecommendation #readersofinstagram #bookloversofinstagram #takeapagefrommybook #readallthebooks #booksbooksbooks #advancedreaderscopy #netgalley

When I first heard of this book, I was hoping for a complex character study with hidden motivations and revelatory backstories. However, all three characters seemed bland. None appeared to have any additional depth that would contribute to their actions and opinions. There is no mystery to why they move through the world the way that they do. I didn't particularly resonate with any of them, and the ending didn't seem like much of one. I understand that this work was supposed to be a "snapshot" into their lives, but the unresolved feel was not enough of a payoff.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

I’m not a fan of family drama, but this book was supposed to be a “sharp domestic comedy,” but boy, is it not. Gah. I really did not like this book. I loved seeing Nigerian characters with everyday problems, but these characters were so annoying.

Description: The wife has it all. A big house in a nice neighborhood, a ride-or-die snarky friend with whom to laugh about facile men, and an affectionate husband who loves her above all else. The only thing missing from this portrait is a baby. But motherhood is a serious undertaking, especially for the wife who has valued her selfhood more than anything.

On a seemingly normal day, the best friend comes over to spend a lazy afternoon with the wife. But when the husband comes home and a series of confessions are made that threaten to throw everything off balance, the wife’s two confidantes are suddenly forced to jockey for their positions. Told in three taut, mesmerizing parts—the wife, the husband, the best friend—the day quickly unfolds to show how the trio’s dented visions of each other finally unravel, throwing everyone’s integrity into question—and their long-drawn-out territorial dance, carefully constructed over pivotal years, into utter chaos.

At once subversively comical, wildly astute, and painfully compulsive, The Three of Us explores cultural truths, what it means to defy them, and the fine line between compromise and betrayal, ultimately asking: who are we if not for the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves, and the people we’re meant to love?

The story is told in three chapters, one from the wife, husband, and friend. All of them are not good people. Petty and childish. Obnoxious, rude, and secretive. I did not laugh. I mostly just hated them and their annoying ways. I am not going to be recommending this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Three of Us.

This was a fast read made difficult by the formatting of the narrative; no quotation marks or paragraph breaks. The entire narrative felt like reading a very long run-on sentence.

The chapters are divided amongst the three characters; the nameless wife and husband, and the third wheel, the wife's BFF.

The wife is just going through the motions as a married woman; no career, playing housewife to her husband who makes plenty of money for one breadwinner in the family. They're trying to have a baby, much to the BFF's dismay, since she likes her life the way it is.

The wife's childhood and relationship with her parents isn't happy, though not abusive. They expect more from her, but she's happy with her life the way it is. Isn't she?

Her husband has always envisioned a stereotypical future; marriage, a couple of kids, a summer home, that's all fine and dandy with him, but he notes a glaring difference between him and his wife; he loves her more than she loves him.

The BFF loves being single; she detests anyone who seeks a husband and desires kids. She's opinionated, tough, and speaks her mind. But, she expects her BFF to share her beliefs and derides her for having married to a boring dullard.

The battle for the wife's friendship is apparent in the animosity between the husband and BFF, though I'm confused as to why this is.

The novella is too short on character development so I don't see why the wife's friendship is so prized. Out of all three POVs, she seems the dullest.

She has no ambition, no drive, or personality.

Who is she? What does she want to do with her life?

She's fine living a life of leisure and superficiality; working out every day, shopping and drinking with her BFF. She's as dull as a brick.

Her husband is a straightforward character; he's not a bad guy, just someone who wants the simple things in life.

For me, the most interesting character is the BFF. Why does she shun married life or companionship? Why is she so against having a spouse?

She's not a good friend; she scorns her BFF for getting married, and not following her own ideals when it comes to men and marriage. She hangs around (as if on purpose) to annoy and goad the spouse into disliking her presence, as the two battle it out as to who the BFF likes more.

I'm not sure what the purpose of the book is except to say all three characters need therapy.

This book turned out not to be what I was expecting from a gripping domestic thriller. While the format didn't make it easy to read the book, the very much lack of depth in the characters made it feel very boring to get through.