Book #20 read this year!

One Hundred Moments of Us by Jon Rance is a book that you have to take the time to read and not rush through to truly enjoy the story. I have to be honest, though. It took me much longer to finish than I anticipated. It took me several days to read. I felt like I was running a marathon.

It is hard to give this book a 2/5 star ⭐ rating. The reason for giving this rating is that I had to put this book down several times to be engaged. There was too much fluff. Although, I felt that the author put his heart into this book. It's not that I didn't love the book it's just that I think the author published it when it wasn't ready. Despite taking a year to write it.

I thought the main characters, Ash and Charlie, were young and native but grew into their personalities as they matured. Their love for each other was raw. They had their ups and downs like all relationships do. I found humor and endearment in their relationship. I almost felt like I was looking into their life and was secretly hoping that Charlie would let go of Ash as she emotionally hurt him. I don't want to spoil the book! So, I'll stop there...

Warning ⚠️ one of the characters in the book has a miscarriage.

What was unique about this book is that it incorporated a couple of the characters having to put a halt on their marriage because of COVID.

This narrative evokes comparisons to One Day by David Nicholls, as it chronicles the evolving relationship between two individuals, Charlie and Ashley, over several years. From the moment Charlie first sees Ash, he recognizes her as the love of his life. Fate intertwines their paths, bringing them closer and pushing them apart until the ideal moment arrives. While their journey won't always be smooth, they commit to facing whatever challenges come their way together.

The story unfolds through alternating chapters between Ash and Charlie, allowing readers to gradually understand their lives, dreams, and feelings in the context of various situations presented throughout the novel. This reflective approach resonates with anyone who has experienced similar circumstances, making it relatable on many levels.

While the tale offers moments of joy, it also poignantly captures the sadness inherent in their relationships. I held my breath at the conclusion, fearing a tragic ending reminiscent of One Day, but fortunately, the story takes a more uplifting turn. Without an overwhelming pace, this novel allows readers to glide through the narrative with ease.

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After reading several other reviews, I feel like a minority because I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It took a few chapters to get accustomed to the writing style, where each chapter represented one of the 100 significant moments in the lives of the main characters, Charlie and Ashley. Once I got the hang of it, the story progressed beautifully.

Following Charlie and Ashley through their lives was enthralling, and I found myself immersed in their different emotions. Their relationship had its highs and lows, with moments of joy and periods of hardship and sorrow. Both main characters are endearing in their own ways, yet they are deeply flawed, and we witness their attempts to overcome these challenges. The storyline, presented from both perspectives, is so cleverly written.

I was particularly moved by how their tales spanned several decades, from their youth to adulthood. It was a heartwarming and occasionally emotional journey that gripped me from the start, making the book impossible to put down. It's not a book I would typically pick up, but I'm delighted I had the chance to read it. It was such a beautiful read, and I would definitely recommend!

I loved following Ash and Charlie on the rollercoaster of emotions. Beautifully written. Gorgeous characters that were real
Highly recommend delving in to One Hundred Moments of US

dnf @ 18%

i really liked the blurb of this book, but then i started reading it and it didn’t hit the same way that the blurb did. i found charlie okay but there was something that put me off about the way he spoke about ash in his internal monologue. it gave me an ick.

A beautifully written book, heart-warming and touching. Charlie and Ash, both are relatable and well written characters. It's about them, finding each other, again and again, life's ups and downs, their love, their heartbreaks, and finally, reunion. Simple and easy to read writing style with deep emotions. It is a wonderful book about relationships and true love. Thanks a lot to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.

Many years

This book follows Ash and Charlie’s lives starting at age 17. Lots of chance meetings, fate? But mostly details of their day to day lives, lots of details.

I thought the premise of the story was good, but it could have been much shorter and more engaging. It was difficult to get through, I wasn’t very invested in the characters or even cared about what the future had in store for them. I appreciate the work the author put into creating this book, but unfortunately it just missed the mark for me.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

First off thank you to netgalley and Hera for giving me this book! This book is meant to follow a couple throughout all the stages and moments of their relationship and as a concept that's so adorable. My problem with the outcome is that it just felt slightly flat. I couldn't get into the characters or the world and it felt a bit too disconnected. I was rooting for them by the end, and I loved the last like 40 pages.

SPOILERS!

I also have to say I hated the tropes and the way they broke up and got back together. It felt badly done and too rushed.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me.
The premise of the book is something I would usually enjoy, I love a slow burn, a relationship span out over the course of multiple years, missed chances, etc, but unfortunately this time, this book just didn’t do it for me. The tropes and plot line are so interesting and intriguing! But for me, I couldn’t get on with the characters, I didn’t feel any chemistry between them, it felt more robotic to me than anything else.
However, I’ve seen lots of people review this book and loved it so once the publication date is here, give it a read. Reading is subjective, this book may be for you even if it wasn’t for me :)

Absolutely loved this story and found it near impossible to put down!! Great book and highly recommend it.

What a pleasant book to read!
The development of the two main characters was done beautifully. Introducing both pivotal and everyday moments in this relationship, helped you to understand how deep their love was for each other as well as their struggles. This book was well written, entertaining, and left you with the feeling of contentment.
Thank you, NetGalley for sharing this book!

When Charlie first meets Ashley Oliver in sixth form, he is in love. Yet it is not all sunshine and roses for them, taking several years and more than one chance meeting before they begin their relationship. The story follows them in their relationship, which is full of ups and downs. Ash has her life planned whilst Charlie is not quite as clear in where his future lies. He struggles with his confidence and it seemed that he was never quite sure of Ashley’s feelings for him. A realistic take on a relationship that spans many years.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I fell in love with the characters in this book and simply could not put the book down , finishing the book in one day. This is the first book I read by this author but I am going to immediately go buy more now. A wonderful story of boy meets girl and is instantly infatuated with her. He spends so long adoring her from afar until one day his dreams come true and she acknowledges him. This is the story of Ash and Charlie told over many decades of their lives. Lovely, simple and simply unputtdownable.

The title and idea was intriguing so I figured I’d give it a try. I will fully admit I was not expecting to absolutely love it as much as I did. It was not a fairytale romance- it was so real life and that was my favorite part about it. I may or may not have been so heartbroken 70% in I considered not continuing but was way too invested to not see it through to the end.

Will 100% recommend this book and will definitely try more Jon Rance books in the future

There was stages throughout this book that I did genuinely enjoy, but majority of the book I felt bored. I couldn't really get into the characters and it felt almost like an array of short stories where nothing actually happened.

There was little drama for at least half of this book. I also didn't feel the emotion coming from the two main characters. I liked the dual narrative. Interesting idea, and there was enough there to keep me reading. With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Canelo for this ARC.

This is the story of Ash and Charlie's relationship over the course of 23 years, one moment at a time, from when they were teenagers to their marriage, break-up and second chance.

We get important moments and every day ones because that is what a relationship is - for all the exciting stuff there is also the mundane, for the highs there are the lows. So while this is a well-written exploration of love and marriage, at times it is also boring.

Ash and Charlie are complex characters, and I didn't always connect with them. Ash has her life mapped out too closely and unrealistically, and Charlie is a drifter for too long. Those two could benefit from marriage counselling but instead they turn to other people. Ash's desire for a baby is so strong that she is willing to give up on relationships, and I personally found that unrelatable.

The dual POV storytelling works well, and the book is well-written, with very short chapters. But ultimately I didn't care whether they stayed together or not as they didn't seem very compatible. Their relationship just wasn't interesting enough to be one for the ages.

3.5 stars

After meeting in school in their teens, two people share their love story over 100 moments. This story was sweet. If you are looking for something that has short chapters and is a quick read, this one is for you.

One hundred moments of us by Jon Rance is a trivial and uplifting snapshot into the ups and downs of love and loss in a relationship from 1999 to 2022

Such a captivating read that can only be described as unputdownable. Set predominantly in London Ash and Charlie having met in school and later on a holiday in Lanzarote begin a relationship full of ups down from family to love loss and careers. I really loved the character of Charlie in this story but found his certain action (no spoilers) very out of character but also it was quite important to force him to have his personal development. Although I liked Ash I found at times she was naive towards the feeling of Charlie with situations like her father money jobs etc but it did make her feel more authentic as nobody is perfect in reality. I found the way the author chose to write this book as important moments quite clever and was done so successfully with the dual storytelling aspect. The theme of grief and loss is present in this story showing has grief can take over a relationship. Overall I really enjoyed this story and would highly recommend this read to anyone looking for a uplifting yet realistic romance story.

Life ultimately consists of moments, some more memorable than others. And so does love.
That's a nice idea and concept for a novel about a relationship that took quite a while to take off and is stumbling along with ups and downs.
My only problem was that neither of the two was really relatable.
Ash is focused on her life plan: university, one year travelling, a good career, a nice husband, a house and children. In that order and within a set time frame.
Charlie on the other hand doesn't know what he wants to do with his life and has deep inside an overwhelming feeling of inferiority that makes him think that he's not good enough for Ash.