I struggled with this one a bit, partly because the way the story was structured, but mostly because of the shallowness of the characters. We have a wife who is seemingly caught in the middle of a growing tension between her husband and best friend as they vie for her attention and loyalty with their he said she said antics.

Three is definitely a crowd in a marriage and a perfect mix for disaster, especially when the husband and friend can’t stand each other and the wife’s loyalty is divided. I had a hard time relating to, or feeling sympathetic for, any of these unlikeable characters as I witnessed the childlike jealousy, envy and resentment cast doubt on the integrity and trust in these relationships. The ending was abrupt and without closure. A fast read, and I honestly have mixed feelings as to whether I found it to be clever, or if I found it to lack direction and purpose. 2.5 stars from me.

An ARC was provided by the publisher, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

These are three of the most frustrating, manipulative, passive aggressive trio to read and each have their own separate sections/POVs in the book.

The wife has no backbone, doesn't speak up for herself and lets her friend do whatever she wants. The husband who can't stand the friend bc she's basically another version of his sister but worse. The unhinged friend who hates people in her space but refuses to respect any boundaries when it comes to anyone else and her co-dependency to the wife.

The only one who really grabbed my attention was the friend through her POV. She is the worst friend you could have and needs to be locked in a padded room. A walking prelude to an episode of Deadly Women.

It's a short novel of less than 200 pages yet reads as if 400 pages instead due to the clunky writing and lack of quotations for any of the dialogue. It's made up of three parts for each character POV that have no chapters with a habit of repetition. No names are given to the reader outside of Temi, the friend. A lot of "my friend's husband," "my husband," "my wife's friend," etc.

The writing can also get confusing at times like it feels as if it was originally in journal entries from a different language but got lost in translation? I don't know how to explain in any other way for the moment. It ended so abruptly and I think it's supposed to be ambiguous but comes off as an unfinished draft.



Thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for providing a copy for an honest review.

This story is told from the perspective of three people, husband, wife and the wife’s best friend over the course of a single day and the consumption of a lot of alcohol. Temi is the “best friend” of the unnamed wife and one of the most unlikeable, obnoxious, meddling characters I’ve read lately. In spite not wanting to put the book down, I found this to be an extremely stressful read wanting someone to tell the destructive, self serving best friend Temi to get out and never come back into the life and marriage of her friend and her friend’s husband. Although I doubt my friends are the audience for this one I’m rating it four stars because of the emotion the author was able to evoke in me.

The cover and description of this book really drew me in. “ Long-standing tensions between a husband, his wife, and her best friend finally come to a breaking point in this sharp domestic comedy of manners, told brilliantly over the course of one day.” I’d just come off of a thriller/mystery binge and this seemed like a good story to continue my “tense reads” streak going.

When I opened this up and started reading, I was interested in how the writing sounded like pure thought. It was informal but comfortable, and I hadn’t really read anything like it before. The more I continued my reading, the more the writing started to confuse me. I’ve been reading reviews and I feel that I might be a little lonely in this opinion, but it seemed that things started to run together for me. When it became hard for me to keep up with, it fell out of my interest.

It’s really not a long story at all, but it isn’t one I was super excited to get to the end of. I don’t think it’s a bad book by any means. I just don’t think this one connected with me the way I thought it would.

This in-depth character-focused book takes place over the course of one day with three main characters: a husband, his wife, and his wife’s best friend. Despite the minimal context setting, the book was a deep and interesting look at relationships and dynamics, and the more I read it the more I enjoyed it. Each section is told from a different characters perspective, and although they are all fairly unlikable, you are able to empathize with each.

If you’re seeking a riveting plot or a quick moving story, this is not your read. But if you are looking to get some insight into human behavior and emotion, you will probably enjoy this quick book!

This book was not good at all. It dragged on and had no serious plot. It was very hard to tell the three different perspectives apart. It was extremely repetitive and down right boring.

I found this book disconcerting. Perhaps it was because the book is really written within the heads/thoughts of 3 persons. I felt a bit stuck in the characters’ heads. This is not an action novel but rather an internal conversation about contrasting beliefs about male and female roles and the changing of society in that regard. In that sense the book highlights the need for changes in the roles of males vs females and how much our families have influenced the way we accept/don’t accept stereotypical definitions of male/female functions, roles, life purposes, etc. Interesting writing style made it feel a bit like an essay rather than a story but the intention of the book seemed worthy.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Putman group/Penguin for the advanced copy.

There are two competing relationships here, wife and husband, wife and friend. The husband and friend despise each other. The wife is unsure of herself, often passive and eager to please. The story develops over a day, and in three parts. Each person narrates one section as the drinking and talking accelerates. The developing tension makes this a compelling read. I would have read straight through if I could.

This was a quick read at under 200 pages. I didn’t really know what to expect from the book description. This is told from 3 points of view. The wife who is never named, the husband who is also not named and the wife’s best friend Temi. The book takes place over the course of one day. The wife does not seem to have a lot of personality and looks to others on how to conduct herself. The husband is pushing for them to have a child and the best friend is pushing for the wife to just divorce already. I enjoyed this book and felt like I was spying on an intimate evening. Thank you to Netgalley and Putnam books for a chance to read and review.

I enjoyed this book, but not as much as I had hoped. I can see the potential in this concept. I liked seeing the same relationship played out through the lenses of the three people involved in it, but I wished to delve deeper into each of them. Not bad, I just wanted more.

A multi-pov novella centered around our main character, her best friend, and her husband. Our mc who is seen to have it all is faced with the dilemma of having to choose motherhood when she values selfhood more than anything.

My overall thoughts on this novella are I enjoyed it very much! There isn't much that happens except we see the dynamic between the three. A very character-driven book, which I love! I really enjoyed the topics of motherhood, being child-free, and the dynamic of various relationships shown throughout the book. Tbh the characters are unlikeable but I enjoy stories where we are not fond of our characters. I think these are the types of stories I love being immersed in. My only critique is the lack of punctuation. It can be difficult at times to follow the dialogue between the characters, so I will say that this may be better as an audiobook than a physical read. I think I would give this 5 stars if I listened to it in an audiobook format.

Overall, amazing work to the author.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the e-arc!

Rating: 4/5

Special thanks to the author, putnambooks, & netgalley for my advanced readers copy!!!

This was a very quick and interesting read. There’s no major build up to anything because as soon as the book begins you’re basically in the middle of what’s already occurring. The author never mentions the names of the husband and wife only the name of the third MC Temi. Which I guess since everything is centered around her involvement in their lives it makes sense that we only know who she is.

It’s broken down into 3 sections and is told from each characters POV. Nothing major happens until the end which the book revolves around this one day in particular. That was fine aside from the repetitiveness surrounding it. The wife’s friendship with Temi was completely unhealthy. 3 was definitely a crowd when it came to these characters.

There was constant bickering between the husband and Temi. In simplest terms they hated each other which was probably the most entertaining part of the book. Because it definitely lacked character development and depth. But I kept going because I was entertained and the premise is what got me initially.

I couldn’t believe the things the friend allowed to go on between her husband and Temi. Once she got married and Temi’s little tantrums began she should’ve nipped all that in the bud. Temi had no respect or boundaries when it came to the things she said or did.

I was in total agreement with the husband not liking Temi by the end of the book I kind of hated her too. I wish I could go into more detail about it because it’s not a 5 star read but worth reading because the premise and everything that happened in this book was wild.

The wife and husband didn’t even matter because Temi was always the main focus. I think Temi acted out the way she did because she was never given the proper attention by her parents. Having the wife as her friend was used as a crutch giving her hope that she finally had someone she could connect with. Then boom her best friend gets married and it’s no longer about her but him instead.

The ending upset me because I needed to know what happened next. I hate endings like this with a passion but if she follows up with another book I might just read it. Overall the book was fine it had potential to be great. Very entertaining but not 100% recommendable so read at your own will!!!

THE THREE OF US is a captivating novel by Ore Agbaje-Williams about a woman, her husband, and her best friend. It takes place over a single evening and alternates between the perspectives of the three main characters, diving into each of their lives and world views. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and will definitely be seeking out any of Agbaje-Williams' future work! Her writing is compelling, exciting, and real - I kept reading later and later into the night, just to see how this story would unfold!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC I received in exchange for my honest review. I would highly recommend this novel in general - it is interesting, well-written, and the pages fly by! Superb writing and character study.

ive heard so many good things so I was excited to pick this one up! I really love the story line and the ending was incredible. I can't recommend this enough. it was so different than anything ive ever read.

Thank you, publisher and netgalley for the early copy! I did not finish this novel; it was not for me.

The Three of Us is the perfect title for this story - it describes a day in the life of 2 friends from university, one who appears to be following her dreams of independence and one who has married and 'settled down' with her husband. The story is divided into 3 segments, each one written from the POV of that protagonist. With each segment, you get a little more information about each. This was extremely well-written. I can't speak to some of the cultural undertones, but they are woven into the stories and each character has so much to say!

3.5. Short, fun read. Topic somewhat unique. Written from the perspective of three different individuals. Husband, Wife, and Wife's Best Friend. Husband and Best friend hate each other, each vying for the attention and time of the wife. Wife is two different people when with either best friend or husband. Story is about projection's views on another, about wife being conflicted on what she wants, and about other party's imposing their wants on her. It is also a story of loyalty and betrayal. Difficult to put down. Recommend it.

This is a quick read. A story set in a day over many bottles of wine, examining a relationship from three points of view; the husband, wife and best friend. As I was reading I kept waiting for the the shoe to drop, and at the end of the story I left wanting just a little bit more.

This book was like nothing that I have read before. Seeing all three point of views was such an interesting way to understand all the different characters in this book and each of their different point of views. I had never read a book by this author before but for sure will be from now on.

I'm not quite sure how to rate this book. The characters were infuriating - a job well done by the author grabbing your emotion and running with it! I had complete and utter acrimony towards "the friend". It was powerful writing - that had me staying up late to finish the book. I was sucked into the conversation - but at times got lost as to who was narrating.

The ending was powerful...but ...what?!? Now, I need to talk to someone who's read it! :)