The story had a great premise and was well-written, but nothing much happens to prompt the reader along. Taking place over one day, The Three of Us is told from three perspectives – a wife, a husband and Temi, the wife’s best friend. The quick, short read touches on friendships and marriage, but without much plot, I found myself skimming in places. I wanted to love this book, but it fell a little flat for me, and with no quotation marks, I struggled to engage with the narrators.

Thank you NetGalley, Putnam Books and Ore Agbaje-Williams for an advance copy of the book for an honest review.

The Three of Us by Ore Agbaje-Williams

Published: May 16, 2023
G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Genre: Literary Fiction
Pages: 192
KKECReads Rating: 4/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Ore Agbaje-Williams a British-Nigerian writer and editor from North London who has written for gal—dem, Glamour UK and Wasafiri magazine. Her fiction writing has also been featured on Reflex Fiction.

“In friendship I find knowledge.”

When her best friend gets married, she is shocked. When they decide to start trying for a baby, she is annoyed. She refuses to give up her friend. Her husband will never keep her.

Holy toxic friend. I felt terrible for the wife, being caught between her longtime best friend and her husband.

The husband was more tolerant than he should have been, especially with how snarky the friend could be. Her snide remarks, crude jokes, and spending hours at their house despite knowing they had plans.

Growing up is a ride, and we often evolve past the things we claim to want in our youth. In this situation, one person has grown up and gotten married. She even decided to try for a baby, even if she isn’t positive that is what she wants.

But the other has stayed in the same place she’s always been, and she refuses to accept her friend has changed. So she will stop at nothing to cause a rift, to keep her partner in crime.

This was well written, though I didn’t like the lack of quotation marks around the dialogue. I liked how the story was told in three parts and from three perspectives.

When three of us is one too many, which one has to go? That seems to be the operating principle in this delightfully executed story. There is a husband, a wife, and Temi, the wife's best friend.....or so she claims. The story is broken into three parts, each character gets to voice their perspective on excatly wht happens on this ONE day in their life. Plus, each of them is kin to the other in some form or fashion so it's a family feud too. It almost seems to be an episode of Friends mixed with an episode of the old comedy Three's Company. The laughs just keep on coming. A great reading experience on this dreary day.

And I must say.....someone needs to swoop in and save that poor wife from the best intentions of her husband and her friend.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

Told over the course of one day and three points of view - The Three of Us is a story as old as time. What happens when your spouse does not like your best friend? When I say does not like, it comes across more as despises your best friend. And, the feeling is mutual. The best friend feels that the wife settled by marrying this guy.

The story goes back and forth in time over the course of the day, leading up to the end of the day and ending on a question, I would like an answer to.

This short novel packs a bunch! This is an in depth look at the realtionshipo between a married couple and the wife's best friend. This is broken into 3 chapters, one for each of our characters.

How close is too close? This novel is really thought provoking. Because of the change of perspective, we get to see the way all three of them feel about each other. We also see the effects of when a married couple aren't completely honest with each other...when your friend knows more about your marriage and your feelings than your partner...there is a problem. 

This book was short, only 145 pages but the writing and character development is so good that we really know these characters in such a short time. I would have loved more, this only covers one day of their lives. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. This would be a great book club book.

I really enjoyed this story; I thought the concept was very interesting. This story was told through the course of one day, with three different POVs. The wife, her husband, and her best friend, but the best friend and the husband don't really get along.

Tensions are running high, and there's a twist at the end that I didn't see coming. I also liked how the book ended, it was very interesting.

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the ARC!

This book was ok. Actually, it was boring in places. I do not know if I liked the books styling. The three points of view was ok, but something just felt left out. The wife was just plain boring. The ending left me wanting more, just felt incomplete. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on my review.

Happy Pub Day to The Three of Us! Thank you to Netgalley, PENGUIN BOOKS Putnam, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, and Ore Agbaje-Williams for allowing me to read an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book for an honest review.

The reader quickly becomes frustrated with the way characters disrespect one another. It’s hard to connect and empathize with any of the characters. As a matter of fact, the author never names two out of the three characters which only enhances the reader’s inability to relate to a specific person(s). The third character is given the name, Temi. I can’t help but believe that this character is given a name to emphasize her need to be the center of attention - at all times. This character wants to be desired by all.

There is a weird and very intense love triangle that occurs in the plot. But, it’s no traditional love triangle. It results in jealousy, rage, and a very complex power struggle. The only question is: Will the love for a friend or a love for her husband ultimately win in the end?

Meet the characters:

The Wife - Lived a rather lonely and reclusive life until College where she met bff, Temi. Temi encouraged her to get out more, make some friends, and to view life as a stage. Temi often encouraged “the wife” to put on a performance and be creative in displaying how she wanted the world to view her.

Temi- Desperate for attention and to be desired by most. Has a need for control in relationships. Temi made it very well known her place in the husband and wife’s relationship. Temi is transparent in the fact that she does not like the husband. She does her best to break up the couple.

The Husband - Thinks he marries one woman, the love of his life. But, in reality he married two women…the love of his life and his arch nemesis. Temi often brings out a side of his wife that makes him reflect upon whether or not he truly knows his wife, her values, and what she wants in their marriage.

What I loved:
💕 The book is a quick read.
💕 The novel is told in three taut.
💕 Each chapter is told by a different character’s POV.
💕 The author provides a unique and creative plot.
💕 The book is very well written.
💕 My undivided attention was captured!

#happypubday to this book! 🎉

this story focuses on a married couple—both of whom are unnamed—and the wife’s best friend, Temi. told in three parts with alternating perspectives, the story is set during just one day, with flashbacks from their childhoods and beyond that led to this point in their ever-complicated relationship.

to briefly summarize, Temi and her friend’s husband do not get along. he thinks Temi is overbearing & constantly over-welcoming her stay, while Temi finds him dull & preventing her friend from living an independent, carefree life. the wife finds herself constantly in the middle of their bickering, caught in between starting a family with her husband & enjoying her selfhood alongside her friend.

i was fairly entertained while reading this, but ultimately rated this pretty low simply due to its lack of content & connection with the characters. the story consisted mostly of the husband and friend bickering while the wife passively refrained from getting involved. i was expecting some big event to happen at the end after the gradual tension being built up throughout the book, so i was a little disappointed by the lack of explosiveness & the ultimate cliffhanger we were left on. it’s a quick read at less than 300 pages if you’re looking to get out of a reading slump, but I was sadly a little underwhelmed by this one.

thank you to @netgalley for my #advancedreaderscopy of this book!

The Three of Us is a short domestic novel that takes place over one day. Three people are having dinner together-- the wife, the husband, and the wife's best friend. We hear each of their perspectives on this tense trio, and the novel is an exploration of our most intimate relationships.

In this story, Agbaje-Williams creates three really distinct voices and packs a lot of punch into a short novel where nothing really happens in the plot. The focus is on the inner workings of each character and how they choose to show their hands to each other. The best friend versus husband/ partner conflict is particularly astute here. Who really knows the main character (no name given) the best??

I recommend this book for anyone who likes character-driven novels or low-plot books, like Three O'Clock in the Morning by Gianrico Carofiglio.

I could not finish enough of this book to be able to leave a comprehensive review, but I hope it finds its audience and I am grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

The Three of Us by Ore Agbaje-Williams is such a fun read and something different from what I've read before. My favorite thing is seeing into all three characters' perspectives and it's equally weighted. The tension is fraught throughout and the narrative is funny, clever and so sharp. Overall, a good read!

Long-Standing Tensions

Hate each other with a passion? Love each other without passion? This novel is a quirky but original debut told from the point of view of three narrators. The husband, the wife and her best friend are often at odds and the author brings the reader into the story at a turning point.

The first narration is told by the married woman whose lifelong friend, Temi, arrives late as usual with snacks. She learns that the wife and husband have been trying to get pregnant and Temi is jealous.. Apparently Temi and husband loathe each other.

Each section distinguishes each character but the husband’s is quite humorous. Without giving away a substantial part of the plot, the ending is ingenious.

A good read, unusual, and one wonders what to do if your two favorite people hated each other?

My gratitude to NetGalley and Putnam for this pre-published book. All opinions expressed are my own.

This story is written in three very long paragraphs, each narrated by one of the three people: a wife, her husband and her best friend. There is no actual plot, just three different perspectives of this three way relationship.

Temi, the best friend, isn’t happy that she’s no longer the most important person in her friend’s life. She tries desperately to sabotage the relationship so she can have her best friend back. The husband grows increasingly angry about Temi always being in his home, taking up too much of his wife’s time and wishing he was the one his wife chose more often. 

The husband, in my opinion, is the most stable of the three, and I was drawn to his side of the story most. Temi was aggravating and not in the least bit likable, and the wife was just plain boring. There was no happy ending to the story, no ending at all really. It’s hard to describe the story because nothing happened. I’m sure plenty of people will enjoy this book, but I was bored and just wanted it to end. I give it 3 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This review will be posted on May 16, 2023 to: https://instagram.com/amandas.bookshelf

Buckle in, kiddos, for the most lit(erary) ménage à trois you'll EVER read about. I said what I said. This novella is divided into three parts and each one is from a different perspective: The Wife, The Husband, and Temi (The Wife's childhood bestie). It's absolutely a character study, so don't expect a dynamic plot with lots of twists and turns. In my opinion, this is the BEST example of a story that takes place over a finite time frame. (Literally, the novella spans just a few hours.) I'm still thinking about how The Wife was caught between the other two characters, morphing between their visions for her. I also don't believe Temi was completely altruistic either; she had her own reasons for what she did and those reasons weren't for the benefit of The Wife. #TheThreeOfUs Rating: 😊 / really liked it
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This book is scheduled for publication on May 16, 2023. Thank you @putnambooks for providing me this digital ARC via @NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the story of a husband, a wife and the wife's best friend, told in three chapters. The story takes place over the course of a day, but there are many flashbacks to fill in the history of these relationships. I was very intrigued by the synopsis as this seemed like an interesting relationship to explore. Does a long time friendship overshadow a spousal relationship? Can friends be too close? I was curious about these characters from reading the synopsis.

While I thought it was an interesting story to tell, the way the author chose to reveal this story didn't quite work for me. More stream-of-consciousness than dialogue since no dialogue punctuation is used, I just could get into the story or these characters. I didn't care about them or like them, which made it difficult to get into the story. And when the punch of it all finally comes, I wasn't invested nor was I interested in learning more about what happens.

So, overall, an interesting look at friendships, family and spousal relationships and asks the question on whether there is some sort of pecking order based on longevity. Definitely worth looking at, but the delivery just didn't help me to relate or engage with the characters.

I didn’t get this book. Readers are only given the name of the friend but not the husband and wife.
It’s like a very weird threesome with them. The friend is the third wheel.
This book was completely detached and devoid of emotion.
I finished it but I didn’t enjoy it.

3.5 stars. Whew - there's a lot of toxicity stuffed into this short novel. It's difficult to reconcile lifelong friends when they marry or have a significant life change with the person you knew before. Often it's difficult to recognize yourself. This is a short novel, told in 3 parts, over the course of one day as a woman hangs out with her best friend, while her husband simmers. Best friend and husband hate each other, and have radically different views of the wife. First part is wife's view, then husband (shortest part), and finally Temi, the best friend. It's definitely an interesting (and fast) read.

"What if the two most important people in your life hated each other with a passion?

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 above all else.

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."

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for gifting me a digital ARC of the debut novel by Ore Agbaje-Williams - 4 stars!

What if the two most important people in your life hated each other? The wife is content - doesn't have to work, lives a good life with her husband, and has a best friend that fills all her other needs. The husband is content with having his wife at home but is bowing to parental pressure and wants to have a baby. The best friend in the middle wants her relationship with her friend to be like it was before she got married.

This was so intriguing - the story is told from each of their viewpoints. Both the husband and wife remain nameless, and only the best friend, Temi, is named. I loved seeing the same scene play out through different eyes. This was an exploration of married life, of the way we change for the people we love, the compromises we make for them, and what we'll do to keep things status quo. A short read that I really enjoyed!

I think this was a really interesting read. I enjoyed the characters, the pacing, and the way the story was structured. I felt like the banter was really well done. As we switched POVs, I became very invested in each character and loved how that progressed. I didn’t love the ending being so abrupt and felt like we could have gotten a little bit more background information on the actual conflicts, but overall, it was a great read.