Us Three

by Ruth Jones

This is an uplifting, feel good and funny book with some sorrow that you definitely won’t want to put down. I haven’t read anything by Ruth Jones before so I didn’t know what to expect. I enjoyed this book so much, and I think any woman of a certain age will be able to identify with this book. When we all start to step into adulthood, feeling the we can conquer the world and that there are endless possibilities. As we get older though, our lives don’t always turn out as we expected them to when we were younger.

We follow the lives of Lana Lloyd, Judith Harris & Catrin Kelly, who met at primary school. Which is when they all pledged an oath over a Curly Wurly wrapper to be there for each other forever no matter what.

As the girls grow older and just as they are about to finish their A Levels. They all decide to go on a travelling holiday hopping from one Greek Island to another. They put a lot in to planning this holiday and as they are about to leave it looks like Judith wont be able to go. While Catrin and Lana are waiting in the airport lounge Judith turns up with Gareth Lana’s boyfriend. He saw Judith waiting at a bus stop and offered to take her to the airport. The girls were ecstatic as they were all together again.

While they are on holiday, Catrin falls in love and meets the man she’s going to marry Solomon Blythe. Judith finds out that her step father still has family in Cyprus. When the girls all go to the small village that he grew up in. They end up spending the rest of their time in Cyprus with her extended family. Until it’s time for them to go on to Athens. On their last night in Athens Lana sleeps with an Irish builder she met in a bar, who’s name she can’t remember. Which Catrin and Judith aren’t happy about because means they have to keep a big secret from Gareth.

When they get home from their holiday things don’t go well for Judith. On entering her bedroom she sees that her mother has packed all of he things, along with a note telling her to take her things and that she is no longer welcome there. So she ends staying with the Kelly family until she goes off to university. A few days after staying with the Kelly’s a letter comes through the post from her father telling her that he loves her, but he had to leave and that she needs to look after herself.

The girls just start to settle in to their new collages and university, when Judith has to go back home to look after her mother. Due to this Lana decides that Judith and Gareth should become flat mates. As Judith can’t live with her mother and Lana thinks Gareth could use the company with her being away. Neither of them are particularly happy about this, but they both agree to give it a go.

Lana ends up having a huge shock, when the guy she had one night with in Athens turns up. He has come over from Ireland to work on a big building project. Lana ends up having an affair with him and Gareth ends up finding out. He then finds comfort with Judith and they end up becoming a couple. As they both realise that they have been growing closer and closer together in the time they have been living together.

A little bit down the line Catrin and Solomon get married and Judith and Lana have a spectacular falling out in front of the guests. This falling out lasts for a couple of decades, which always leaves Catrin in the middle. As they both refuse to be in the same place at the same time.

Will Judith and Lana finally start to rebuild their friendship to help Catrin when her life is devastated with loss? Who knows?

Catrin Kelly, Judith Harris, Lana Lloyd! Fell into a muddy ditch and got annoyed, All their clothes they were a-smellin’ So they went back to Coed Celyn Catrin Kelly, Judith Harris, Lana Lloyd!

Us Three by Ruth Jones

As I said before I’ve never read anything by Ruth Jones and I’m looking forward to seeing what she writes next.

Pages: 336, Publication Date: 3 September 2020, My Rating: