“You can’t hide from grief, it’s in you. You have to accept it and accommodate it to work through it.”

Ten Years by Pernille Hughes is our first book by this Author, and what an absolute blinder of an introduction to her work. We bloody loved it! The way she tells a story with such detail, attention, and visual imagery, as well as the intensity of emotions and the depth of her characters -well- it reminded us of the wonderful Sarra Manning and Lia Louis. It was so good, and we loved pretty much everything about Ten Years!

‘Losing Ally had been losing half of himself. For months he couldn’t work out who he even was without her. Moreover, the Charlie who’d been left behind was miserable, angry, and lost. He didn’t like that Charlie, with his unshakeable cloak of sadness.’

Ally, Becca, and Charlie. A three-clover friendship held together only by Ally suddenly becomes two when Ally passes away and Becca loses her best mate and Charlie his beloved fiancé. Much to their surprise, Ally leaves them with a bucket list of where she wants parts of her ashes scattered. So, what do two people who pretty much ‘hate’ each other do in order to honour the memory of their loved one? Well, they decide to carry out one item from the list once a year to minimise contact. These celebrations of Ally become so incredibly special and creates a bond that grows in strength, year by year. However, old animosity is hard to break but sometimes Charlie and Becca ‘doth protest too much, methinks.’

“Whatever. This is different. You belonged to her. Me being with you is disloyal, it’s wrong. What would she think?” Loyalty was everything to Becca. He knew that.

This is a superbly written enemies to lover’s romance with a few twists and bags of surprises along the way. It’s a story that looks at friendships and love, examines the celebration of human flaws and differences, with understanding and compassion. It explores living with grief and learning about yourself as well as the importance of self-reflection and growth. Such a wonderful novel that stole our hearts and made us feel everything in Charlie and Becca’s heartbreak, grief, guilt, and love story spanning ten years.

“I’m not prepared to give you up. I love you, and that’s the reason you should say, ‘Charlie, you’re so right, let’s do this’” ….
“What is it you think you’ve stopped? Me loving you? That’s not how that works. Just because you say it can’t happen doesn’t make it so.”

Ten Years read as incredibly real, and we felt as if we knew these characters and were a part of their story. It had bucketloads of angst and tension as well as extreme emotions and passion, with scattered laughter to break up the darker moments. It was a life and love story through ten years of hurt, anger, grief, laughter, sadness, and love. A slow building love story written with sensitivity that perhaps caused it to feel a tad long, although we never felt it to be repetitive. Rather, we needed to know if Becca and Charlie were going to be okay and that they found themselves in a place where they could be happy and settled after such personal tragedy. Find themselves as well as love. What an immense journey, we cannot wait to pick up more books from this Author!

‘They’d been enemies, then mates, then lovers, then enemies again, then apparently mates again, so perhaps…’

It begins with Ally, the person who ties Becca and Charlie together. The final line of the prologue lets you know that what follows is an emotional story, and it is. Becca and Charlie share two things their unequivocal love for Ally and their animosity towards each other. Demonstrated at Ally's funeral, you concede that going their separate ways is best for all, but Ally's bucket list changes everything over the following ten years.

The story is full of emotions that immerse the reader in Becca and Charlie's lives with and after Ally. The author creates flawed characters that draw the reader's empathy as the characters learn to live without the woman they love. The many poignant moments are balanced with humour as Becca and Charlie learn to like and trust each other.

I like this story's characterisation, believable emotion and uplifting qualities.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

Ten Years was a beautifully written book about an awkward and painful topic. When Becca and Charlie lose Ally, they both assume that they'll no longer have to suffer one another's company. After all, they only put up with one another for all this time because of their love for Ally. She was Becca's best friend and Charlie's fiancee. However, fate and Ally have other plans. When Ally's mother asks them to consider taking a portion of Ally's ashes to a "bucket list" location together in her memory, it starts an annual tradition that they both agree to see through regardless of their animosity for each other.

Over time, Becca and Charlie start to somewhat care for one another. Not that either of them will admit it. Life moves on and they fight over how things are handled along the way. Becca believes that Ally's memory should always be the guiding star and has difficulty moving forward. Charlie struggles with moving on but throws himself into it. It's just another bone of contention for them that keeps them at odds.

As the years pass, the reader can't help but wonder when these two will realize that they are the two meant to be together. Even though you know that's what the entire book is working it's way towards, you still aren't sure these two can pull it off. There are just so many things standing between them. But if it's meant to be, then things will work out.

This was a unique and interesting storyline. Even though there were times I felt like sitting these two character down for a long lecture, I still enjoyed the way it all played out. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

I adored this book! Initially, I was expecting this to be a lighthearted romance but it is so much more than that. This book alternates between Charlie and Becca’s perspectives and spans across a ten year period. Following the death of Ally, we see her best friend and her boyfriend complete a series of bucket list challenges despite hating each other. As the years pass by, we see the characters grow, develop and mature and we follow their successes and failures as they navigate life after Ally.

The thing I loved most about this book is the journey it took me on and the range of emotions I felt while reading it. Even within one chapter, I could go from laughing out loud to feeling grief or sadness in the turn of a page. The character development was fantastic - I felt like I knew the characters and was really rooting for them to find happiness. Despite the long chapters, the ten year time period made this book feel really fast paced and I just wanted to keep reading to see what happened! I 100% recommend that everyone reads this book - 5*! 🙌🏻

Thanks to One More Chapter for the gifted copy of this book.

A solid 'will they/won't they' romance. This wasn't groundbreaking for me but an easy, enjoyable read.

This made me a little uncomfortable as it was dealing with a terminal illness. I found it very sad but uplifting at the same time. Nit really sure how I feel about this book. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Tragic and beautiful all in one. Having seen the hype around this book I just had to read it. While it was good it didnt quite grab me like I had hoped for. At times I felt the plot could of been rapped up a little sooner. I did love how different the two main characters were to each other, the complete opposites which really gave a boost to the whole story.

I loved this book! It’s been compared to One Day by David Nichols which is a very bold statement as that’s one of my all time favourite books BUT it totally lived up to it!

Ten Years follows Charlie and Becca who are forced to come together after Becca’s best friend and Charlie’s fiancée Ally tragically passes away. She was very young and still had a bucket list of things to do, so she asks Charlie and Becca to continue her bucket list and scatter a little piece of her along the way. The pair then meet up once a year every year and the book catches up with them then.

This book was such a brilliant representation of how messy grief is and how there is no one size fits all way to grieve a loved ones death.

I adored Becca’s character, she is incredibly flawed and makes stupid mistakes but I loved how human she was. I couldn’t help but root for her and what her to succeed.

This book was so brilliant but also very sad in parts and definitely made my heart hurt more than once - but the sadness is worth it in the end!

My first DNF. I just couldn’t get into this book at all. After hearing about it from @natasha_notes and how she was reading it as part of a book readalong, I requested it from @netgalley and started it right away.

The storyline I thought to be a good idea but for me, it was a slog. The storyline line was too drawn out for me and the characters very annoying.

For me, it didn’t hit the spot and I’m super sad about it but I just couldn’t face picking it up. It took me 3 days to read 25% and that’s when I knew I had to stop. As sad as I am and I don’t have many positives (which is unlike me) I’ve had to put the book down.

I am not sure how I really feel after reading Ten Years. What I did feel was that it dragged on just a bit too long and a bit of a slog at times. However there were some bittersweet moments.
Thanks to the author and Netgalley for this ARC

I raced through this book and really enjoyed it. Obviously having a best friend and a fiancé who has died is heart-breaking and this is how the story starts out but its written so well and is the basis to the whole story. Following Becca and Charlie over the years as they come to terms with Ally's death and the journey it takes them on was both infuriating but fun. Infuriating because you just know they belong together but they don't see it. I've never read a book like this before and I look forward to reading more form this author.

In TEN YEARS, Pernille Hughes shares the story of Charlie and Becca. Enemies as well as Fiancé and best friend to the remarkable Ally, they mourn her death each year by completing tasks she asked them to do each year following her death. Together, they brave the world without Ally as best they can, hating and loving and encouraging one another only as sworn best enemies can do. I rooted for them individually and together, loving how the story unfolds in natural, beautiful rhythm. I received an advance copy of this novel and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

3.5⭐

I was fortunate to receive a copy of this ARC from One More Chapter to join the readalong for this book!

I found it very slow to start with. It didn't really pick up for me until the second wedding of the book. I found it very hard to like Becca, Charlie or even Ally (not wishing to speak ill of the dead!) Both Becca and Charlie were clearly heavily affected by their upbringings, but there were few redeeming features in my opinion. The epilogue just added to my feelings of manipulation by the characters!

Sadly this definitely wasn't "One Day" for me but an enjoyable enemies to lovers story.

This book had me laughing and crying from start to finish and by the end of it, I was an emotional wreck. But, as heartbreaking as I found some aspects of the book it was equally funny and uplifting.
Grief is never easy to navigate but trying to do so with someone you don't like makes it a tumultuous journey. Becca and Charlie bicker nonstop but interspersed between arguments are some of the sweetest moments you can have between frenemies. The little considerations they had for each other spoke volumes. They knew each other inside out and when it truly mattered they were there for one another.
The annual bucket list tasks were tinged with sadness but quickly overridden with humour by their snarky one-liners and madcap ways. They were actually a joy to read and I couldn't wait to see what they get up to next.
Despite the heavy theme of loss, every page is enthused with humour. Becca is hilarious without even trying to be and I couldn't help but laugh at some of the things she said to Charlie to get on his nerves.
I loved watching the pair develop a friendship over the years and eventually find a HEA with each other.
A brilliant book that will stay on my keep shelf.

Ten Years by Pernille Hughes is described as a romance, yet I feel that its strengths lie elsewhere. If you go into this read looking for the classic enemies to lovers it may not ring true for you. However, if you choose to view this story as one that deals with grief you are in for a special tribute.

‘Having had little experience of grief, Becca had assumed it was a short-term contained event, but no, apparently not. Loss was a much longer affair, sometimes a constant feeling of something being missing’

Losing a loved one is never easy and everyone most definitely deals with it in their own way and time, feeling in fact, that you might never move on. This is a story about how two people coped with grief, learned to live with it and in so doing, opened themselves up to love once more.

The mode of these two coming together is clever and unique. The dying wish of their loved one was that each year they must come together to complete one of her bucket list items. Over this extended time period Pernille dives deep into their individual and collective highs and lows, their growth and stagnation and ultimately coming together as you always knew they would with this type of book. Readers will enjoy this book if they sign onto how life evolves through both success and setbacks and where advice and opportunities need to be taken.

“I think it helped,” she said, turning her glass by its stem. “The tasks pushed us through the grieving process.

Viewed in this capacity, Pernille has penned a powerful tale that deals with a very sobering topic. Be prepared to both laugh and cry as she tackles the difficult task of grieving and healing. Yes, it does move a bit slow at times, feels a little repetitive, main characters bickering wears thin leaving you questioning if they should even be together. Yet, it’s real and it’s raw and is sure to appeal to those searching for that little bit extra when it comes to a tale on the journey of life.

‘Life could be long or short, but it was wide as the sky and there would always be some path around the obstacles.’









This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Becca and Charlie come together to complete their late friend Ally's bucket list. They're annerved from each other but they loved Ally with all their hearts so they overcome their irritation and they go on various adventures.

I've liked to follow Becca and Charlie journey, it's fast moving in some parts and dragging in others but still enjoyable.
Their bantering are entertaining, their quarrels eye-opening.
We know them better at every meeting for their challanges year after year, we get attached to them, even if they are both flawed, we cannot not to cheer for them and to wish them to be happy and to lead a fulfilling lives.

More than the romantic side of the story I've appreciated how the charaters grow and finally they understand they are worth of love and success.

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.

In Ten Years is a very emotional take on who 2 friends handle their grief and the loss of their friend, Ally. It starts out very sad, but the story lifts up and becomes very endearing and heartwarming as the 2 people closest to Ally find a way to heal, fall in love while also still honoring their friend. I look forward to reading more from this author!

Pernille Hughes killed it. This book is an easy read but not the quickest. Ten Years was the perfect title for this one as it’s a slow burn following the lives of Charlie and Becca. The parts of me that are a selfish reader wanting to know what happens next hit me a time or two but at no point did I feel like the book was dragging on.
I had an ah-ha moment early in the book where I thought “I know exactly how this is going to end.” but it built up into something much better. By the end it all clicked for me and the way it was written made me truly appreciate the story arc and I don’t think I would have changed a thing.
Highly recommend!

Posted to Goodreads 8/29. Will post on Amazon when reviewing opens.

Let's start off with a little advisory as there is a character death due to cancer at the very start of this novel and while the story does not dwell in great depth on Ally's illness and death, the novel does commence with her funeral and the storyline forms around her last wishes.
Now, that we've covered that topic, let's dive into the review. Our two protoganists are Becca and Charlie, two complete opposites with only one thing in common - or rather one person. Ally. Becca and Ally were best friends and Charlie and Ally were in love. Since Ally has died, neither has any contact with each other, until the first anniversary when they meet up to scatter Ally's ashes on Snowden. It becomes clear very quickly just how different these two really are and I started to doubt if they would actually be successful in their quest. Oh, the quest? To meet on the anniversary and carry out a task as outlined by Ally. There are ten tasks, ranging from a tea party to a music festival and will take 10 years to complete. Naturally our intrepid duo are due to meet each year to achieve their goal and so the book jumps from anniversary to anniversary, with a few dates inbetween such as weddings (no spoilers) and moments with Ally's mum.
If you are a fan of Cecilia Ahern (this novel particularly reminded me of PS. I Love You') then this is definitely an novel for you. I did guess the ending fairly on in the story but the amusing scenes between Becca and Charlie ensured that I also enjoyed their journey to the final page.