This book was not what I expected, in a good way. From the description, it seems like the main focus will be one relationship, but that one actually takes a back seat.

The book starts out with a flash forward five years, when the main character sees what she instinctively knows will happen five years from the night of her engagement. It looks so shockingly different from her current plans (she LOVES plans) that the reader spends the whole book, alongside the narrator, trying to make sense of that future. In this way, the book is part love story, part mystery.

I liked that the characters were developed enough to feel a sense of knowing what each person's response to any given situation might be. It made it a more interactive read, which I enjoy.

Overall, I ended up liking the book more than I expected to, and it gave me plenty to think about in my own life while still being a fun read. Definitely a good book club book!

Type-A Manhattan lawyer Dannie Cohan has just nailed her interview for her dream job and accepted her boyfriend’s marriage proposal. But when she goes to sleep that night, she wakes up in a different apartment, with a different man, a different ring on her finger. A totally different life, five years in the future. The next time she wakes up, she’s back in the present day—but she can’t shake what happened. It haunts her until, nearly five years later, she meets the man from her “vision.”
I don’t want to give away too much, but this book went in an entirely different direction than I expected. I read it in less than two days, so I certainly got invested in it even though the main character, Dannie, felt a little privileged at times. The ending left me pretty unsettled, to be honest, which is a sign that the author did her job even though I might have wished for a different resolution. The writing is great, the characters and setting are well-developed, so I absolutely recommend this to readers who enjoy emotional women’s fiction exploring life, love, friendship, and loss.

(I received a free digital copy via Netgalley, and a free galley via the publisher. My opinions are my own!)

What a beautiful, engrossing, captivating story this was. This is the story of Dannie, a lawyer who has a dream about her life 5 years in the future. While nothing in the dream seems to make sense, it feels too real for her to ignore. The reader is taken on a journey with Dannie over the next five years to learn exactly what happened along the way.
While I anticipated a beautiful love story, and I did in fact get one, it was not the one I expected. And that is a GREAT thing. This book went in such a lovely direction that I couldn't have anticipated. It's a story about love, friendship, and finding yourself. Each character was interesting in their own way, and my only wish is that the book could have been a little longer to further develop the characters. That said, it kept me interested to the point that I could not put the book down. The best part was that I never saw the ending coming, right up until it happened.
This book evoked real emotions from me as I fought back tears towards the end. It's a lovely book that I would recommend to everyone. I give out 5 stars very sparingly on book reviews, but this one was for sure a 5-star read.

Yet again, another repeat author for me, as I read The Dinner List by Rebecca Serle, as well. As much as I enjoy thrillers and suspense novels, I am also a sucker for a good What If story. And that is just what we get here with Dannie Kohan suddenly waking up 5 years in the future and not sure of anything in her life, including the thought that she isn’t in love with her fiancé after having this experience. However, we are treated to what really transpires over the next five years and how Dannie ends up where she was when she did wake 5 year in the future during that one night supposed dream.

Enthralling and rewarding. It is a terrific story by a wonderful writer.
Many thanks to Atria Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book honestly blew me away. I loved it. It's one of those books where you know the ending (sort of) when you're only a couple pages in and when you get to the real ending it amazes you how the exact same scene can play out but with an entirely different meaning to it! I really loved the main character in this story. I love how she developed throughout the book and I loved her friendship with Bella. That friendship is what really brought the book to life for me. Their bond and everything they go through together is what makes this book so special. Sure there is a romantic story line that is important too but the friendship was the key thing for me. Highly recommend this one!

Imagine having a very vivid dreaming about five years into the future. This dream is so different from what you imagined your life to be...now fast forward 4.5 years and you meet the person in your dream! That’s exactly what happens In Five Years! Dannie is an ambitious lawyer that knows what she wants. Her life is planned out and all is going accordingly until one day...I kept guessing what was going to happen in the book, but at every corner there was a new surprise, some were good, while others were heartbreaking!
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I loved this book from beginning to end. I always look for books that don’t follow the normal narrative, but still have plenty of heart, and this book was that and much more! It was a not- so-normal love story that left me ugly crying in the middle of the night. I can see why @gmabookclub picked it as their March book!

While Reading In Five Years I kept thinking of the John Lennon quote “Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.”

This is such a free flowing and quick read which I truly enjoy. I like it when the story and characters grasp you in the first few pages

This book started out quickly and with a lot of promise.

As the story went on I noticed how the core of the plot was not enticing and too much of the characters energy was being put into this dream.

So many reviews said how they were crying and what an emotional journey it was. Not sure if my heart is just made out of stone, but I felt nothing.

How am I supposed to feel bad for this girl when she just slept with her dead best friend’s fiancé not long after she passed away? And don’t forget they kissed while the friend was still alive- making both of them cheaters.

I forgot the main characters name until someone else said it near the end of the book- just showed how forgettable she was.

I had high hopes for this but it fizzled quickly. The beginning was a 4 star read and the last 25% was a 2 star read for me.

The ending seemed forced and rushed. I would have liked it better if the book up with Aaron never happened and if we had more of her meeting the doctor. And an epilogue where we see them happy and in love- that would have been nice.

I did enjoy how the story of friendship was in the forefront instead of romance. Friendship is a love that is strong, loyal and runs deep and for some reason isn’t given as much limelight as relationship love. So I applaud the author for that.

There were a few quotes that struck a chord with me but the main one was “ Love doesn't require a future.”

I read this one in three nights. I loved the premise of a woman, Dannie, who has a dream/premonition of an important piece of her life in exactly five years. Then, as a reader, watching Dannie's life move forward towards this premonition and learning exactly what it means was such a great plot device. Really liked the characters and the story in general. Thank you, netgalley.com for the copy!

Where will you be in five years? Dannie is a planner. She has her whole life planned out,her job, her boyfriend. Then, one night she has a dream that projects her life in five years. But, it is not as she predicted at all. Who is the man five years ahead? She thought that in five years, she would be married to her boyfriend, partner at her law firm and enjoying the friendship of her best friend Bella.
Her friendship with Bella gets tested to the limits. How and where does she fit into this five year plan?
The author gives you just little hints along the way but then also devastates you with a tragic event. You want to keep reading to see how all the puzzle pieces fit together.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

My review can be found here: https://aubreysangle8.home.blog/2020/03/25/review-in-five-years-by-rebecca-serle/

So, let me paint this picture for you. We have the synopsis for In Five Years hyping readers up on with this life exploding vision. The idea is enticing, fun, and as a reader you are here for it. Yet upon completion you get a very unexpected story. And the greatest thrill from the synopsis falls sort of flat. What do you say about that? I sure as heck have had a hard time with that very question.

Personally, I am not big on romance. Turns out that doesn’t even matter since this wasn’t romantic in the slightest. Issue number one: This book is being market incorrectly. Don’t let me get geeked up on a romance novel and offer me no love story. Yes, there was love. But your best friend doesn’t exactly count as romantic involvement. Don’t pull at my heart strings for life ending reasons and call it a love story.

I really loved the relationship that Serle described between Dannie and Bella. I think the author really nailed Bella’s free spirit down to the name. She spoke vividly of Bella’s personality, whims, and style which allowed me to really envision this woman. Bella is arguable the best character. As for Dannie, I didn’t really care for her. She has this big hot shot job and passion for work. Yet, she is just so complacent in things that matter like marriage or incredibly striking visions. Also, Dannie handles grief like a straight up asshole. Bella was such a beautiful character that Dannie cherished but kind of shat on when it is all said and done.

I am having ambiguous feelings about the end. On the one hand, I actually would normally enjoy the small twist. The other hand, I was told this was a romance novel. In that way making it a letdown.

Overall, I can’t tell if I thought the book was subpar or if it simply didn’t meet my expectations and I’m being harsh as a result. Goodreads reviews are fairly positive therefore I will declare this 3 star rating down to its just me.

Either way, a big thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for approving my request.

liked this book a LOT more than I thought I would. I really disliked The Dinner List. And I mean, "1 star, but would have been none if possible" type of dislike. If you had told me after reading that, that I would read and really enjoy Rebecca Serle's new book, I would have laughed in your face. It's clear to me that Serle improved so many elements of her writing style and I'm in love. I think it really helps that I read this via audiobook and it was really well produced and narrated. I'm not giving this 5 stars because there were parts about it that didn't jive well with me, but overall, I enjoyed it a lot. I'll definitely be looking out for Serle's books in the future. This is a redemption story.


*Review copy received through NetGalley in response for an open and honest review. All thoughts are my own!

In Five Years is a surprising contemporary “romance” that resists pigeon-holing. Dannie Kohan is a corporate lawyer and somehow makes that seem like something exciting and wonderful. That’s an accomplishment in itself. The story opens with what should be the happiest day, an interview for her dream job and a marriage proposal from her boyfriend who loves her and supports her ambitions.

Then she falls asleep and has a dream that seems too real to be a dream, a dream five years in the future where she is living with another man and experiences an emotional connection so much stronger than she could imagine. Perhaps the memory of this dream has kept her from scheduling her wedding. Even as the years pass.

When her beloved best friend Bella falls in love, imagine Dannie’s shock to recognize the man from her dream. How could she be living with him in a few months when he is dating her best friend?



I enjoyed In Five Years a lot. It goes to a place that is unexpected, but so welcome. I love books that resist the simple storyline. I think it captures an underappreciated emotional reality. Her relationship with her fiance is as realistic as her friendship with her best friend. Her resistance to the new man in Bella’s life is absolutely likely. How they grow closer over time is also very real.

The story is compulsive, making it impossible to put down. The people seem real. It was fascinating to discover how people can be drawn to an occupation that seems so boring to me. I also value the insight into how important friendship, simple friendship, can be.

I received a copy of In Five Years from the publisher through NetGalley

In Five Years at Atria Books | Simon & Schuster
Rebecca Serle author site

This book messed me up in the best way possible. It is about love, but possibly not in the way that you are expecting it to be. The writing was beautiful and the story itself is incredible. I read it in one day and sobbed towards the end. I can't recommend this book enough. It's about love, friendships, and family. I sobbed. I haven't flown through a book that quickly in a long time. Perfection.

Dannie is an attorney who knows what she wants. She and her boyfriend-turned-finance have their five-year plan in place and are marking things off the list. She interviews for the firm that she’s always known she’d work for and her boyfriend proposes all in the same day. Check, check. But after her proposal dinner, Dannie falls asleep – and wakes up in 2025 where she lives with a different man. Is it a dream? Deja vu? Or a premonition?

This book isn’t just about how the future plays out. It’s about friendship – the lifelong kind and love and who you consider family, by blood or your own choosing.

I really loved this novel. My heart broke for the characters. Be sure to read the last half with lots of Kleenex!

How do you measure time? How does the amount of time we have impact our decisions? The short answer: we don’t know.

Dannie, a successful NYC lawyer, has her whole life planned out. She has a 5 year plan and if something doesn’t fit into that plan, it doesn’t come to be. She’s engaged to David who is just as driven as her, and he wants all the same things she wants. Then one night, she goes to sleep and has the most life altering dream of her life. In her dream, it’s the year 2025, and she’s living in a different apartment with a man who is not David. This dream changes Dannie. And then there’s Bella, Dannie best friend, who’s full of life and love and vibrancy.

I picked this up expecting a steamy romance, but instead it was the story of friendship, true friendship. Rebecca Serle managed to create characters that came to life. The characters succeeded in squeezing my heart, but I truly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who loves a book that focuses on family and sisterhood.

Another blogger I follow had reviewed this a while back and mentioned that it’s better going into the book not knowing a lot about it. I did, and I would agree with her. As a result, this review will be rather short today.

It starts off as a love story with a brief skip in time to 5 years in the future. It then returns to present day. The book didn’t go in the direction I thought it would at all. It was expertly created and written and drew me in completely. I’m not one that usually gets super emotional about the books I read, but this one totally grabbed me emotionally. I loved the characters. I can’t really say what I loved most about the book because that would give away too much. I’d just say, trust me on this one, and read it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy to review.

My Rating: 4.5 Stars

This book took me by surprise in a very good way. The most tear jerker, gut wrenching and lovely story I’ve read this year. I ran through the pages because I could not believe how wrong I was about the plot twists and the story line. I was invested in these characters from the very beginning and my heart broke at the end of course. Was I happy with the ending? Maybe, maybe not so much... but damn I loved the story as a whole and I’m glad I have this book chance. Thanks for the copy!

loved it. Loved that it had an unexpected ending and loved that it didn't have a perfect happy ending. The fact that her best friend turned out to be the love of her life was bittersweet.