This sounded like it would be an intriguing read. To some, it probably is. To me, I couldn't connect with the story or the characters. I found myself annoyed with all three of them.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wow, wow, WOW! This book was everything I needed and nothing like I expected. The synopsis for this story pails in comparison to the phenomenal story that is inside. This psychological, domestic drama had me feverishly flipping the pages to watch this car-wreck of a story unfold. With such surprisingly sparse prose, the author provides such a remarkably DEEP understanding of the psyche of these three characters. I a h of the characters is the main narrator of one section of the book. I loved seeing this situation for their unique perspectives. I think this may also be the first 5-star book I’ve ever read where I disliked every character but just salivated over their juicy drama. I feel like, reading this is what viewers of the Real Housewives must experience. The DRAMA!! Such an amazing book that I read pups happily read again and will encourage everyone to pick up. My own suggestion would’ve been to reduce the number of times the word “whilst” was used. That word got super annoying (33 times in this tiny book is just about 30 too many). But even that couldn’t damped my experience.

Interesting premise. Getting three different perspectives spanning over the same day really works for me. I read a thriller in 2022 that used a similar trope, but that one felt complete. And while I’m not comparing the stories as this is a domestic conversation, using a type of style the way the author did is something I like looking at.

I would definitely read more from this author, but this book was just lacking. I didn’t mind disliking all the characters. I think that’s the point.

I found the story an interesting one with a different kind of choice - a friend or a husband?

The ending abruptly just when I was starting to want more is an interesting choice.

I look forward to seeing what this author comes out with next.

I think my biggest issue with this novel was that the novel ended so abruptly. I was getting somewhat invested into the story, even though it was truly just the same story told three different times, but then it got to the end. Also, I did not really like Temi or the unnamed husband and so overall not the most enjoyable time for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a very interesting character study but it felt somewhat repetitive. I liked how the story was told from the POV of all three characters but felt like. a lot of the same information got rehashed over and over again with no real resolution in the end. When the book ended I felt confused and let down. It felt like another few pages at least were needed to wrap things up? I wanted to like this but something was just lacking for me.

An average day in the life of 3 people. Told from the perspective of a husband, his wife and her best friend.

This book had no substance and just ended abruptly with absolutely no closure to the "story".

Thank You NetGalley for the free e-galley.

What I read: The Three of Us by Ore Agbaje-Williams

Why I picked it up: I was very intrigued by the premise of this book: a woman, her husband, and her best friend. I live this dynamic, so I was wondering what this writer would present about it. I received this free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

How I read it: On eGalley in a couple of sittings, it’s not that long and told in three chapters, each from one of their perspectives.

What it’s about: The plot (if you can call it that) takes places over the course of one day. The first chapter is told from the perspective of the wife she her best friend comes over to drink and catch up from being away for over a month. The second is from the POV of the husband when the wife stops by in the middle of the day to bring him some lunch. The third begins when the best friend gets back to the house after going out for some wine and snacks. The goal of the best friend is to see the end of this marriage so she can get her friend back.

What I liked: I appreciated the different perspectives throughout the book and how their history becomes part of their present. It’s an interesting dynamic to have a best friend duo where only one of them marries – this is definitely a life situation I understand.

What I disliked: There’s not a lot of plot, aside from drinking – it’s mostly character development and sowing the seeds of doubt. Truthfully, it ends right when it’s starting to get good.

Genre: Marriage, friendship.

Rating & Recommendation: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and I think it’s worth a read! It came out on May 16th.

The Three of Us is a sharp, witty, and insightful novel that explores the complexities of love, friendship, and betrayal. The novel is told from the alternating perspectives of three characters: Korede, a wife and mother; Temi, her best friend; and Tosin, Korede's husband. The three characters are all caught up in a web of love, betrayal, and deception, and the novel explores the ways in which their relationships are both complicated and rewarding.

The novel is well-written and engaging, and the characters are well-developed and relatable. The novel is also thought-provoking, and raises some interesting questions about the nature of love, friendship, and betrayal. Overall, it's is a well-written and enjoyable novel that is sure to stay with you long after you finish reading it.

Here are some of the things that I liked about the book:

The writing is sharp, witty, and insightful.
The characters are well-developed and relatable.
The novel explores the complexities of love, friendship, and betrayal in a thought-provoking way.

If you are looking for a well-written and enjoyable novel that will make you think, then I highly recommend this one!

Overall, I liked the story and the writing, but I just wish the ending was explained a bit better. The characters need a lot of growth!

The Three of Us had potential but did not get there for me. Three unlikable people rehashing their issues with each other was mostly annoying. I mostly skimmed when I realized nothing new was happening.

This could be viewed as just the musings and snark of three socioecomically privileged young people who are insecure, jealous, and hypercritical of each other. But there’s also some insightful stuff around gender, culture, identity, and more. I recommend the audio version - a quick and thought-provoking listen that features three excellent audio performances!

Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this book as much as I wanted to. I could never connect with the characters. I loved the idea of the same story from different POVs but it didn’t work for me here. I would still recommend this book to readers because my inability to connect with the characters is no reflection of authors work.

4 stars!

"The Three of Us" by Ore Agbaje-Williams is a wild ride. With friends like that, who needs enemies!? My jaw was on the floor for a lot of this book. I was captivated, entertained, and just waiting for what was going to happen next. It's one hell of a book.

The story is told from three points of view: a Wife caught in the middle between obligation and comfort, her wealthy, traditional Husband, and her free-spirited and brash best friend Temi (the only character named in the book). All of the characters in this story are from Nigeria. The Husband and Temi do not get along very well and seemingly hate each other. This causes tension and resentment between the Husband and Wife. There are grudges, there are disagreements, there are accusations, there are squabbles, there are secrets, there is passive-aggressive behavior, and then there is all-out aggressive behavior. As tempers flare and wits come to an end, things escalate to new levels.

As previously mentioned, I read this book with my jaw on the floor at times. My eyes were wide the entire time, too. This is a sharp and cunning character-driven domestic drama that's short enough to finish in one sitting. As Temi and Husband share passive-aggressive jabs at one another, Wife just sits there and actively rags on her Husband to, what, exactly? To placate her best friend? To get a rise out of her Husband? To find out where loyalties truly lie? None of the people in this short story are likable, so many readers will be displeased that there's no one to root for, but I have to say, I dug it. It's nice to read a story like this every once in a while, provided that it's written well. I wouldn't say I loved *reading* this book because everyone here is so conniving, but I did enjoy this story overall. It's tense, compelling, and intriguing.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ore Agbaje-Williams, and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons for providing me with an ARC copy of this book! All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for my review.

I really wanted to like this book more, but I feel that it was too long for what it ultimately delivered. At the end, it felt like a very long bickering session.

📚 Book Review: The Three of Us by Ore Agbaje-Williams ⭐

🚫 Disappointing and Lackluster ⚡️

📖 "The Three of Us" by Ore Agbaje-Williams fell far below my expectations. Despite initial anticipation, the book failed to deliver on multiple fronts.

💔 The storyline lacked depth and failed to engage me from the start. The characters felt one-dimensional, and their motivations were unclear. It was challenging to connect with them or invest in their journeys.

🖋 The writing style was unimpressive, with flat descriptions and a lack of vivid imagery. The prose lacked finesse, leaving me wanting more from the author's storytelling abilities.

🚶‍♂️ The pacing was sluggish, dragging on without a clear sense of direction. It felt like a chore to push through the chapters, as the plot failed to offer any captivating or surprising moments.

🔚 The ending was unsatisfying and left numerous loose ends unresolved. It felt rushed and lacked a cohesive resolution, leaving me frustrated and dissatisfied.

🤷‍♀️ Overall, "The Three of Us" was a disappointing read. The lackluster plot, unengaging characters, mediocre writing style, and unresolved ending left me feeling underwhelmed. I cannot recommend this book to fellow readers.

#BookReview #TheThreeOfUs #DisappointingRead #Lackluster #Unengaging

👉 Let's discuss: Have you read "The Three of Us" by Ore Agbaje-Williams? Share your thoughts! 📚🗣️

Interesting story. All three characters are unreliable narrators so it was definitely good to get all of their perspectives. I wish there had been a 4th part with a neutral narrator who did know everything so there could have some resolution.

I have such mixed feelings about The Three of Us - it’s hard to know how to rate and review. Maybe talking through it will help. The story is told from three perspectives - the wife, the husband, and the wife’s best friend. The synopsis asked something like - what would you do if the two most important people in your life hated each other? Draws you in, right?

And the whole story takes place over just a few hours. We learn about their relationships with each other from each perspective. And I appreciated that it did make me think a lot about relationships and how they change and grow and are impacted. How does a relationship with a best friend change when one of them gets married? Are there ways someone remains closer to the friend?

However - I also felt like it was so heavy handed at times. I think with some more nuance it could have driven the same points in even more interesting ways. Instead it made it difficult when none of the characters were likable. It was a quick read but I still found myself wishing for more plot - and then something comes along right at the end but as soon as it arrives, boom, the end.

Thank you to PRHAudio for the free audiobook - I definitely feel the audio and three different narrators added something to the story. Thank you also to the publisher and Netgalley for the free ebook.

this could've been an email, ngl

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and the author for the ARC ❤️

(This review has been published on Goodreads)

-- SOME THOUGHTS --
Literary fiction on Goodreads with a low average rating is like cat nip to me, and the premise of this book seemed promising and exciting.

However, I think the structure of this novel is fundamentally flawed in some aspects.

Because this book is told from the three main characters' tell-all POVs, by the end, I had totally caught onto what Temi was planning on doing by the end of the book and the motives of the characters (along with their backstories and everything else) was spelled out and explained down to the very atom. It is not interesting, to me, to read the same events told from a different perspective; it is not interesting to me to have the main couple I'm supposed to be (sort of) rooting for to be the epitome of an Excel spreadsheet. I honestly think the entirety of this could've been narrated from Temi's perspective as nothing is quite illuminated between any of the characters by having the POV camera bounce around so much. Temí is such a fascinating, deeply unreliable and unlikeable character who carried this book and made it somewhat memorable.

But this is not a raw deal. The conversational quality of the writing and the way the author manages all three of the voices is spectacular and the ending is killer in my opinion. I'm looking forward to what the author writes in the future!

Thank you to Net Galley and Putnam Books for my copy.

Sharp and funny short novel about Temi, her friend, and her friend's husband. The three of them spend the evening together drinking as Temi and her friend's husband face off against each other. I like how it was told in 3 parts from each character's POV with that signature dry British wit. The characters are British-Nigerian with a good portion of the novel focused on their childhood and their parent's expectations.

This was a quick read for me and I like multiple POV stories. I did want more from the ending because I don't like cliffhangers. I enjoyed the concept and could've read more about these characters. Love the cover and blurb! That's what drew me to request this book.

Boundaries are there for a reason. You draw lines around certain relationships to make sure neither relationship suffers. You cannot have your husband and best friend together with you always all the time. There are instances where only husband has to be there and decisions should be taken together. There are other instances where best should be by your side because she was there before.

If you have a somewhat sexist, little self conscious man as your husband and a best friend who thinks she created small hills and won't understand it is a duo not trio, you need to be the most sane and logical person in this triangle. You need to get your priorities straight. You should be the one telling no to either party when necessary. You can be one of those people to ditch the friend because you are married, but that won't make you a favorite if you happen to divorce that man.

If you, as the arbitrator or peace maker, cannot be that person and your lines are drawn over each other, well... you deserve what's coming for ya!