This book tugged at my emotions, Hughes deftly conveys Becca and Charlie's grief, including the anger at Ally. Just when you think its going to be a tear jerker then the humour shines through. Then there is that clever little ending thrown in as the cherry on the top! Becca was Ally’s best friend. Charlie was Ally’s fiancé. Becca and Charlie can’t stand each other. But after Ally dies, her instructions from beyond the grave force them to work together to honor her final wishes. And soon (but not that soon) Becca and Charlie find that maybe they’re looking forward to seeing one another to carry out these tasks. First, I loved the format. Each year has one or two sections where you either follow Becca and Charlie in their lives or together completing the tasks. This gave room for me to be excited or anxious to see how their lives had changed. And man did I get anxious! You can tell pretty early in how suited they actually are for each other which makes them moving on with their lives so hard to read. But that’s some of my favorite kind of readers anxiety. Ally’s best friend Becca is looking forward to never seeing Charlie again after the funeral but not so much getting on with life without Ally. The grief aspect of this story is handled beautifully. I also really liked the way they come to realise that each has changed and matured over the course of the story, and that while they might not have been right for each other when they first met, they have grown into the sort of person the other one needs by the end of it.

Pernille Hughes’ Ten Years is a delightful romantic comedy that explores the complex relationship between two best friends, Becca and Charlie, who are perfect for each other but have yet to realize it. The novel follows the two characters as they navigate their lives over the course of a decade, from university to adulthood, through joy, grief, and everything in between. I thought the concept of the book was interesting but I wasn’t quite sure it was going to work for me, personally. The relationship I have with my friends and their partners I believe would preclude what happens in this book ever being possible for me. However, the author really managed to sell it to me over the course of the novel, so she deserves great kudos for making the plot convincing to a skeptic like me. Content warning: *mentions of terminal illness, mentions of death, some swearing, mentions of ‘adult’ themes*

Pernille Hughes

Ten Years is a fun classic enemies to lovers rom com. You know exactly where the book is heading at all times, it’s just waiting for them to get there. Emotional content aside this book was also HILARIOUS!! The off the cuff jabs between Charlie and Becca were hilarious and entertaining and the misadventures they had while fulfilling Ally’s wishes were THE BEST. I won’t spoil it for you, but getting gin drunk on a tour trolley sounds like my kind of party!! Additionally I may be trading in the one bed trope for the one tent trope…just saying ;-) https://linktr.ee/TenYears This is my third book, an enemies to lovers story, spanning ten years and roaming from London to Snowdonia to Cannes. Thank you so much for this lovely review! And thank you for coming on the tour. I’m thrilled the book resonated with you. Xx

One of the main things I liked is that for the first few chapters you think the story line will centre primarily around a tragic loss and how the characters adapt. However, it turns into something else, lighter hearted, entertaining yet still realistic in recognising how people cope differently with grief.Just WOW. I'm not sure what I was expecting - but Ten Years exceeded my expectations and then some. Over the course of ten years, Becca and Charlie's paths collide as they deal with grief, love and life after Ally. Over the course of ten years, we see the way their relationship changes, from that pure hate to questioning each other, revealing certain secrets, pushing each other away, while something stronger keeps pulling them together. When I first started reading, I initially felt like I was thrust right into the middle of the story, however, it’s very easy to catch up with the chain of events and the subsequent plot that follows. The main plot of the book is unlike anything I’ve read before in a romance novel, and I thrived off the book’s brilliance. I do not even know where to begin. This is a relatively short story, a tale of love and survival told through a few distinct and memorable days in the lives of the main characters, BJ and Charlie, spread over 10 years.