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The Years of Us
Five friends. Life, love and a night that will put their friendship to the test.
Following University, a group of friends plan to stick together, but will they survive distance, career changes and lustful love triangles?
Life throws unexpected realities their way, and one fateful night brings their lives into harsh perspective. Minor mistakes result in them questioning who they are and who can be trusted. Can they rebuild the foundations of friendship and move forward or will the test of time finally set them adrift forever?
Following University, a group of friends plan to stick together, but will they survive distance, career changes and lustful love triangles?
Life throws unexpected realities their way, and one fateful night brings their lives into harsh perspective. Minor mistakes result in them questioning who they are and who can be trusted. Can they rebuild the foundations of friendship and move forward or will the test of time finally set them adrift forever?
383 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 11, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 2, 2016
The cover and title of this book really intrigued me. Once I started reading I could not put it down. When I was thinking about what I would write for my review, my first thought was to give this book a 4 star rating. Then I read the author's bio and suddenly it dawned on me that this is her debut novel. WOW! She had intricate storylines, complex characters, told the story from many different perspectives, made all of the characters real people whom I could identify and empathize with - and on top of that she tied all of the loose ends together. A well deserved five star rating!
October 21, 2016
I enjoyed reading the characters in this book. Gemma manages to draw you into their world well. for a fictional story I couldn't help but feel that I personal know the characters because I was able to connect with them. This story made me want to read on to see what happens next. The true sign of a great author in the making. I'd recommend this book to anyone.
September 15, 2019
The Years of Us follows the lives of five friends as they adjust to life post University. They drift in and out of each other's lives and find that at different times, their closeness ebbs and flows. Some of their actions push their friendships to the brink. The story is structured through short chapters which follow one of the friends. I found the rhythm of the story telling difficult to get into as you jumped from character to character. However, a third of the way in, I relaxed into the book and was able to keep up with the threads.
This fractured feeling must have been what some of the characters' lives felt like, especially Luke and Kate. They are all quite different characters so it is a difficult task to find a distinct voice for each one. The character who I felt stood out and who I wanted to find out more about was actually a little on the periphery of most of the story, Millie. I would love to find out how her future pans out. Friendship, in different forms stands centrally in the novel. It is what supports some and what draws others to each other. It also drives people apart when they want different things. Its invisible threads link people over time.
In short: Can friendships all survive as the years go by?
Thanks to the author for a copy of the book.
This fractured feeling must have been what some of the characters' lives felt like, especially Luke and Kate. They are all quite different characters so it is a difficult task to find a distinct voice for each one. The character who I felt stood out and who I wanted to find out more about was actually a little on the periphery of most of the story, Millie. I would love to find out how her future pans out. Friendship, in different forms stands centrally in the novel. It is what supports some and what draws others to each other. It also drives people apart when they want different things. Its invisible threads link people over time.
In short: Can friendships all survive as the years go by?
Thanks to the author for a copy of the book.
September 14, 2019
This was a wonderful read full of emotion and complex Characters who pull the reader into the storyline and personalities that it holds.
I enjoyed getting to know each of the individuals, and from reading the blurb i was intrigued as to where this story would go. Something many of us have considered at some point or other is how some friendships can last for years, and yet some of those we thought would do so in fact fade away and become a memory.
A story which considers this in honest and beautiful detail certainly sounds individual, and the way it was done was masterful. We see each of the individuals changing gradually, attitudes and perceptions changing alongside priorities, and how despite promising to stay in touch, they come to see that in reality, this doesn’t always go perfectly.
I loved the Characters, all of whom had their own feel to them, their own attitudes and personality within the friendship group. Many a time I have read a story about a group of friends and found that the “friends” almost mimic one another in their attitudes, with minimal ways to make them individuals in their own right. I found in this case that each person was clearly definable, and the friendships worked in a realistic way. They were all very different people who just did get on (mostly).
I loved the way the story flowed, and although I thoroughly enjoyed the variety of links between people and the different types of friendships that happened from start to end, I found myself really curious as to how Millies story would have continued into the future!
After enjoying this story, I was intrigued and decided to have a look at the author, and now find myself not to patiently awaiting more! A story that is very well worth the read, that you’ll sink into easily and miss the characters when it’s over!
I enjoyed getting to know each of the individuals, and from reading the blurb i was intrigued as to where this story would go. Something many of us have considered at some point or other is how some friendships can last for years, and yet some of those we thought would do so in fact fade away and become a memory.
A story which considers this in honest and beautiful detail certainly sounds individual, and the way it was done was masterful. We see each of the individuals changing gradually, attitudes and perceptions changing alongside priorities, and how despite promising to stay in touch, they come to see that in reality, this doesn’t always go perfectly.
I loved the Characters, all of whom had their own feel to them, their own attitudes and personality within the friendship group. Many a time I have read a story about a group of friends and found that the “friends” almost mimic one another in their attitudes, with minimal ways to make them individuals in their own right. I found in this case that each person was clearly definable, and the friendships worked in a realistic way. They were all very different people who just did get on (mostly).
I loved the way the story flowed, and although I thoroughly enjoyed the variety of links between people and the different types of friendships that happened from start to end, I found myself really curious as to how Millies story would have continued into the future!
After enjoying this story, I was intrigued and decided to have a look at the author, and now find myself not to patiently awaiting more! A story that is very well worth the read, that you’ll sink into easily and miss the characters when it’s over!
October 10, 2026
This did remind me of the kind of TV dramas that were on in the noughties. The personal trials of city-based, graduate twentysomethings. It did keep me turning the pages though.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews