The ways in which I intimately, personally related to this book cannot be understated. The dynamic amongst the three main characters is... so specific and so wonderfully portrayed by author Ore Agbaje-Williams.

A quick, entertaining read. While I personally didn't love the ending, I get it. I think that people will enjoy this novel.

This book is a fast read. Three sections, each from the perspective of a different character: two best friends and one of their husbands. The last section was the most interesting, and the husbands section was lacking a bit in depth and character development. The ending was a bit maddening but I think it worked to some degree. I would have kept reading to see the explosion that was sure to follow!

This has an ending I think people will be angry about on Goodreads but I felt like it fit the opaque writing style. I did feel like the husband's section was the weak link. The two friends filled in a lot more blanks in the story than he did. I wanted to know a little more about what he thought about their marriage, not just the best friend. I think the book will generate a lot of conversations!

At any rate, I enjoyed it a lot and look forward to seeing her next work!

I adored this book. It is such a clever premise, and I love books like these that upend your notions with each change in perspective - it reminded me a bit of Lauren Groff’s wonderful Fates and Furies in that way. All of the characters are well-drawn and intriguing, particularly Temi - her bit was my favourite. .

This story is told in 3 different perspectives, but there wasn’t much variation from the 3 people. It became hard to push myself to finish, but towards the end the story started to interest me. I wish the book was separated into days instead of over the course of one day. The order the perspectives should have been in was the husband, the friend, then the wife. I felt the book could’ve gone more in depth of what actually happened instead of leaving us hanging at the end. Hopefully the author will choose to right a second part to this story since she left us hanging (so to speak).

Temi and her friend met in grade school, and Temi has been pulling her friend through life ever since, trying to get her friend to be as wild as possible. Temi’s adversary is her friend’s husband, who wants a loving wife and eventual mother to his children. These tensions boil over in this story told in one day.

Interestingly, we never see the friend or her husband named in this book. The book also lacks all speech punctuation. Two strong choices.

Pros: quick, entertaining read. Told from three perspectives, each in a standalone section. The story was so compelling, I read it in one sitting. Each character was fully developed. I got to learn about Nigerian culture.

Cons: not a lot of closure since it’s just one day.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book early. While I normally enjoy these sort of claustrophobic, relationship character studies, this one fell flat for me. Told in three parts in three point of views over a single day, the premise of this book is immensely intriguing. The story picks apart the relationship of an unnamed husband and wife and each of their relationships with wife's best friend Temi. All three of them are toxic and none of the relationships are healthy, but overall I wasn't invested in the conflict. Going into the book, I thought he stakes would be higher and ultimately found the ending not only abrupt but anticlimactic. I did enjoy the sardonic tone of voice of the story, but wish we felt more emotion from all three characters.

This is a book about a husband, a wife, and the wife's best friend, and their inabilities to set proper priorities and boundaries. Not too much happens and it ends rather abruptly.

The Three of Us is the account of what happened when a woman, her husband, and her best girlfriend drink wine and whiskey all afternoon, and evaluate their relationships as they get drunker and drunker. The story takes place all on one afternoon, and is presented in three chapters, each stating the point of view of one of the three characters. The story goes from convivial to intense. Ultimately, the conflicts between each of the characters leaves us, the readers, wondering if this is a situation that anyone can actually win.

The writing style of the book is a little confusing, as multiple characters may speak in a single paragraph. The chapters are quite long, but are divided into readable units with little hash marks. I was able to read the book in record time, as I was wondering all along what was the purpose of this story, and how would it end. I'm not sure I was actually satisfied with the ending.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review The Three of Us.

The three of us is an interesting story of following ones true desires versus a prescribed life by societies standards. It started off like any other and I was curious from the start what the big reveal would be. I appreciated Agbaje- Williams' way of expressing the different perspectives. The style of writing was one I had not encountered before (i.e. writing dialogue as sentences) and I found it a useful device in getting into the story. The third section was where everything came together for me as I struggled through the husband's perspective. I absolutely adored the ending.

I think it is a critical read of those of the African Diaspora, like myself, who can fully comprehend the social dynamics play out in real life. I think of this as an excellent read but not quite what I expected. I look forward to following the author's career!

This is a uniquely strange and stressful novel. I actually would liken it to a play! There are only three characters - the wife, her husband and her best friend. Through very long POV dialogues, we learn how the group came to be and what causes the tension.

It seems Temi, the friend cannot let her best friend enjoy her perfect married life. But when the husband comes home early, secrets are unearthed and chaos reigns.

It's a cool book - unique, fast moving but I did not like the characters and the main secret is a bit of a sore point for me. If you like unique lit, stressful tension, interesting relationships or just want to read the slow burning down of a friendship, The Three Of Us is for you! #penguin




#Penguin

Thank you to netgalley for allowing me to read this book. I felt that this book was lacking in so many areas. I can see the premise and what we were trying to get at. A woman who has to deal with husband and best friend and their lack of friendship and jealousy. However, throughout the whole book there was no substance. Yes, tit for tat back and forth throughout. It would have been nice to see a side picked or to see from the wife’s perspective.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the eARC!

This book had a synopsis that intrigued me right away. I was hopeful that it would be literary and have some psychological twists.

There was plenty to unpack in this book. There are 3 parts with each of the characters “view points” in this odd relationship triangle. This is also a story written with no quotation marks so that may be a challenge for some.

I did not like the characters and this relationship triangle was beyond toxic. This was a quick read but not one that I loved

Three unhappy people get drunk in the middle of the day and passive aggressively poke at one another, only to have the story abruptly end when one of them is finally brave enough to take a direct shot.

The writing in this book was very well done, told through the perspective of our nameless couple and the wife's best friend. Each has a vision of the future that directly contradicts with the others, but all choose to let resentment build internally instead of doing anything about it. By the end I was rooting for none of them, yay!

I would read more from this author but this one wasn't for me.

The Three of Us by Ore Agbaje-Williams is told from the perspective of three narrators over the course of one day; the wife, her husband, and the best friend. The husband and best friend, who detest each other, vie for the love and attention of the wife, who passively watches the animosity grow between them without taking sides. She acts as one person with her friend and another person entirely with her husband, leading us to question the very notion of self. Who are we? Do we exist separate and apart from others’ perceptions of us?

I thought the book was well written and there were aspects that I enjoyed, such as seeing the day unfold through each of the narrators’ differing perspectives. But not much actually happens. This isn’t a plot-driven book, and if you’re waiting for a huge escalation of tensions culminating in an explosive confrontation – don’t. Instead, what you’ll take away from this story is far more subtle. It’s a short and mostly enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Quick read about a wife, her husband and her best friend. Told in 3 parts, each from the perspective of each of the characters. It’s clear the best friend and husband dislike each other for the way they feel they each influence the wife. The story centers around one day/night when the best friend and the husband finally have it out.

Personally, I had a little trouble following dialogue and the first section of the wife was not interesting or introspective despite she being at the center of the conflict. What is clear is that she’s lost in her marriage but also doesn’t seem like she’s ready or interested in ending it. Both her husband and her best friend each have their perceptions of who she is and neither seem to be correct but it seems she doesn’t know who she is or wants to be either. The last third of the story seems to get more interesting to me then it ended with a bit of a cliffhanger.

Thanks to NetGalley and Putnam for advanced access to uncorrected eCopy.

The Three of us is told from 3 perspectives. A wife, a husband and the wife’s best friend. I felt the book lacked pretty much any plot. The story is told in 3 parts and basically is just telling a different perspective of an evening together while flashing back to things that have happened before this evening.

i found myself quite bored the entire time. The plot started to actually pick up in the last 3 pages of the book and then it ended so abruptly that it seemed like the author wasn’t finished writing.

It had potential but there was just nothing there to make it a worthwhile read in my opinion.

I received this ARC from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The Three of Us is a novella centered around a wife, her husband, and her best friend and all the tensions that come with it. Meeting in grade school, her best friend has been pulling her out of her shell for most of her life and today is making not-so-subtle jabs at her husbands expense. Her husband, being the sole breadwinner for their lavish lifestyle and supportive of her staying home, hates her friend. This book is told over the course of a single day from all three perspectives about what two people will do for the one they love most.

This is a super quick read and it flew by! It’s got the perfect amount of background and detail to understand where it’s going and where it came from without feeling bogged down.

One small criticism was that this book doesn’t use quotation marks - this isn’t the first book to not use them, but it’s jarring trying to figure out what is just a thought and what’s actually being said, with that said, I loved the book enough to not care, but I might’ve had it been longer.

I absolutely loved the characters and their interactions. They were written so well that I had no doubt at all being pulled into their narratives. I actually felt myself getting stressed out and angry at one point, because I was so invested. I couldn’t handle the last page and want to know what happens next!

ARC was provided by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really really struggled with this. Maybe this just isn’t he type of story I can relate to, maybe the writing style just doesn’t align to my taste, I’m honestly not sure. But I feel like this story floundered in the middle and then the ending felt rushed and unfocused