Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to listen to this audio book in return for an honest review.

Synopsis

They’re perfect for each other
They just don’t know it yet

Becca and Charlie have known each other for years – ever since they met at university.

And for every one of those years, they've bickered, argued, offended, mocked and generally rubbed each other up the wrong way.

Until now. Until Ally’s bucket list. The death of their loved one should mean Becca and Charlie can go their separate ways and not look back. But completing the list is something neither Charlie nor Becca can walk away from.
And sometimes, those who bring out the worst in you, also bring out the very best…

Over the course of ten years, Becca and Charlie’s paths collide as they deal with grief, love and life after Ally.


Oh, I so wondered if I was even going to like this novel, I struggle with a romance, right to the core of my very sceptical heart. I was right, I didn’t like it, I loved it. They’ve both lost Ally, Charlie was due to marry her, Becca was her very best friend. Unfortunately for them as they appear to detest one another, Ally’s mother tasks them with completeting a posthumous bucket list, taking with them Ally’s ashes to leave on each step of the way. While actively despising one another off they go for the girl they both adored. They bicker and snipe their way somehow into something very beautiful and something it transpires that Ally herself had hoped for all along. Painfully, beautifully written and perfectly narrated.

Ten Years is a book that is both enjoyable and gives you food for thought. A book that allows you time to put it down and think and then easily jump straight back in. An easy flow and great moods. It allows you to be able to put yourself in both Becca and Charlie story together and apart.
Going on a journey with them is a great and fun ride. Although a melancholy and careful one too. A year by year learning curve not just in life, but in love and hate too.

It makes a nice change to have a book like this in the romance genre that’s not a cafe or bookshop or just a repetition of what’s out there.

It’s a nice flowing, enjoyable, love and hate story that has you smiling, thinking and most definitely wanting Jelly Babies.

3.5/5

Narrated by Emma Sidi ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Ten Years by Pernille Hughes ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This was a beautiful story told over a long period of time. It was really nice listening to how these characters grew and changed while going through life's difficulties.

I struggled a lot listening to this book and I couldnt really connect with it; however it was very well written and could see how it would appeal. Just not for me.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

When Ally dies her fiance, Charlie, and best friend, Becca, are distraught. What they don’t realise is that Ally has left them a bucket list to complete for her. The only problem being Charlie and Becca detest each other. Each year the couple manage to put up with each others company for a few hours while they fulfill an item from the bucket list. Little do they realise that Ally thinks they would be perfect for each other and she has planned to force them together in unlikely situations so that they will realise it too.

I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook. The characters, the situations, the range of emotions all work well together. The fact that the events take place over a ten year period also allows the main characters to develop and grow.

Becca is a fabulous best friend, just the type we would all wish for. When we initially meet her she’s a struggling actress, living hand to mouth most of the time. She’s very flamboyant, loves nothing better than scouring charity shops for vintage designer clothing.

Fiance Charlie is a television producer, he seems to have his life sorted. He’s got a steady job and a flat he shared with Ally. Calm, reliable and organised, the complete opposite of Becca.

From the very beginning the story tugs at the heartstrings as we join Charlie and Becca at the funeral. From then on the mood is generally lighter, with the odd bit of sadness thrown in. The situations that Charlie and Becca end up in certainly raise a smile. It’s obvious which way the story is going to end, however Pernille Hughes doesn’t rush this, allowing us to see the characters change over time. Becca becomes slightly more mature and Charlie more reckless.

This is a story about grief and hammers home the fact that we all handle grief differently. More importantly it reminds us that we have the capacity to love more than once.

Enjoyable read, I found i was relly rooting for the two characters to get together.

A light holiday romance read.

This was an interesting read and enjoyable overall. I felt like it was a slow burn- the name Ten years is probably a giveaway!

The book covers topics of romance and grief. I enjoyed it but it did take a while to get going and I felt like it was missing a spark. The characters were solid and I liked the overall plot.

Charlie, Ally’s fiancé and Becca, Ally’s best friend hate each other, but after Ally’s death are pushed together to complete the bucket list she’s left them to complete. Over the next ten years, Becca and Charlie’s come together at various stages in their lives and careers.

This has shades of PS I Love You and gives view of grief from different perspectives (mum, fiancé, best friend) and the changes each character goes though in their own recovery during the next ten years.

It doesn’t come with any big surprises and was a slow burn at times, but it was a decent listen and I never wanted to give it up.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK Audio for this digital ARC.

Firstly, i loved the quality of the narrators voice of this audiobook :)

Secondly, this is a lovely story - about the joint grief of losing a close friend and loved one. I feel like I always knew what was going to happen, but that was a comfort. I was both annoyed (in a good way - just communicate with people!) and smitten with the two main characters and their personal journeys throughout the book.

I wrote this book, so obviously would give it 5 stars, but that's not allowed, and quite rightly so.
But I do give 5 stars to Emma Sidi's narration which is fab. The timbre of her voice is lovely, mellow and warm and she understand how the sentences were meant. I enjoyed listening to it, but I might of course be biased. xx

What a beautiful warm hug of an audio which has restored my daily in love and getting through grief. This is a beautiful story of life after death for two people who hate each other but shared one true love his fiancé and her best friend. When she sends them both on tasks to complete her bucket list they are thrown together over the years and finally find some common ground as they help each other navigate grief.

I listened to the audio book version of this story and really enjoyed the narration.

Becca and Charlie are the pair brought together every year to live out Ally's bucket list. Ally died far too young, and the book explores how her death has impacted on her best friend and her fiancé. Never having been the best of friends, their grief brings a new edge to their dynamic. Grudges and past events are brought up, and, to be honest, a lot of the book is the pair bickering and generally being very unlikeable. For a good part of the book their annual meet up's were under duress and a sense of duty to honour Ally.

Eventually the book does get to the good stuff, and I admit my cockles were warmed. I may even have shed a tear of two. So, my advice would be to stick with the book, it does get better

My thanks go to the publishers and Net Galley for the advance copy in return for an honest review.

This was such a sweet romance read. The novella shows how two longtime friends, Charlie and Becca, cope with loss, grief, and how they open themselves to love again. It’s an extremely easy read/listen, although it was quite as romancey or emotional of a read as I expected from the blurb, but I do enjoy a slow burn, and I loved the banter and funny moments we get to see between Charlie and Becca.

I recommend if you’re looking for a short and sweet read, with slow burn and fun banter.

Becca and Charlie are struggling through their grief of losing Ally - her best friend and his girlfriend - who has set them with a task each year for the next 5 years. This is Ally’s bucket list and they spread her ashes whilst completing each task, from climbing Snowdon, to sky diving to a tandem bike ride, Becca and Charlie reconvene each year to celebrate Ally’s life, all the while building a deeper connection.

I really enjoyed this audiobook. The two MCs are incredible, if not infuriating at times (Charlie not telling Liv about Ally, what was he thinking?!), there is so much depth to them and their growth throughout the ten year period. It’s a real natural progression to where they end up. My only one comment is that I felt Ally needed more of a backstory, I was missing the connection with that character that was linking everyone else together.

I would highly recommend everyone listens to this audiobook to go through the ups and downs with Becca and Charlie.

Such a well crafted novel, compelling enough to pull you through and very quick read. I enjoyed it so much from the first page till the end. A good audiobook story like this needs a quiet afternoon, a sofa and a warm blanket.

I was expecting this to be an emotional rollercoaster the likes of PS I Love You and Postscript which both made me reach for the tissues but it didn’t quite go that far. I would say this had a lot more happy and funny moments which made it a much easier read without it evoking such emotion.

Don’t get me wrong, there was lots of emotion and sad moments in this, and the death of a friend/loved one is the main basis of the book which would be a trigger warning for a lot of people. Both Charlie and Becca, the two main characters, are experiencing grief after Ally died way too young but they both go through this in completely different ways and you could say they do not meet eye to eye on anything!

I really enjoyed listening to this on audio as it gave the characters a bit more personality and when I read the second half on audio book I found myself relating and visualising the characters better which meant that I got into the book more.

Overall I did enjoy this book but I think it wasn’t quite what I expected after seeing some reviews, I much preferred the banter and happy moments than the sad moments and was engaged in Becca and Charlie’s enemies:friendship relationship.

Ten Years by Pernille Hughes

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

They’re perfect for each other
They just don’t know it yet

Becca and Charlie have known each other for years – ever since they met at university.

And for every one of those years, they've bickered, argued, offended, mocked and generally rubbed each other up the wrong way.

Until now. Until Ally’s bucket list. The death of their loved one should mean Becca and Charlie can go their separate ways and not look back. But completing the list is something neither Charlie nor Becca can walk away from.

And sometimes, those who bring out the worst in you, also bring out the very best…

My Opinion

This is a powerful book that will play on your mind after you have finished reading. A very emotional story, with tough subjects handled in a delicate manner. This is not a light-hearted read, I read this in small chunks as it was too heavy to read in one go.

This is my first book by Pernille and it will not be my last. I really enjoyed the way that through the bucket list we learnt about Ally. There are twists throughout the book to keep the reader on their toes. This will appeal to fans of the enemies to loves trope.

Rating: 4/5

This is a very slow burn, enemies to lovers, open door romance.

Although this is technically a romance I would say this book is more about grief. The grief of losing someone. The grief of a life you wished you had. The grief of a life you should have had.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for approving me for an ARC of this book.

Pernille Hughes certainly doesn’t hang about and throws us straight in at the deep end by opening the story with a funeral. Don’t worry this isn’t a spoiler as you’ll see if you read the synopsis. This is where we meet our two narrators, Charlie and Becca. It is clear from the start that they tolerate each other and Ally was the glue keeping this threesome together so the unexpected news of the bucket list certainly threw a spanner in the works.

I will admit that initially I wasn’t too sure what to think about the chance of a romance between these two characters. As Becca rightly says at one point there is so much to consider and girl code plays a big part in that. However I soon found myself swayed by the chemistry between these two and as you get further into the story you realise why it was meant to be.

The bucket list idea was fabulous and I loved all the little challenges the duo went on. They certainly got taken out of their comfort zones and provided us readers with some entertainment too, the tandem and the bus trip were my favourites.

This is an enemies to friends to lovers with a few twists and turns along the way. It dives into the depths of grief and how someone’s lasting memory can be seen differently to two people. Becca and Charlie are chalk and cheese but they work so well together that you can’t help but want them to find each other. I must also give a special mention to Valerie who’s final confession brought tear to my eyes. What a lovely, understanding and kind woman!

This book really does prove there is a very thin line between love and hate.
This book is pure escapism and a lovely summer read.
Beautifully written uplifting storyline, that feels so real and relatable.
I think the ending felt a little rushed and wanted a few more chapters to round off the story.
I had never read Pernille Hughes before but I will definitely read more
#Netgalley #Ten Years