This definitely had a "13 Going on 30" vibe to it and I really enjoyed it. When Dannie wakes up one day, she's 5 years into the future and nowhere near where she thought she'd be in life. She has to figure out what's changed and how to live her life when she gets back to 5 years ago so that she'll be happy in the future.

The cover art and premise drew me in at the start. But I enjoyed how the book was actually about Dannie's story and self-discovery than about a romance. However, the ending was unexpected and to me, it was unwelcome. Thus, I did not enjoy the book as a whole.

What a phenomenal book and not at all what I was expecting! This book may have made me shed a few tears - but it was so worth it!

I finished this one in less than 24 hours and have not recovered yet. Holy cryfest! I have so many feelings. 

I have seen so many mixed reviews of In Five Years, but dang.... I loved it. I kept putting this book off because of those reviews. So this is a PSA that some books that others hate, will end up being ones that you love. Don't assume you're going to also hate it if the premise sounds interesting to you. 

The premise of this one:
On the night Tate gets engaged, she has a dream 5 years into the future and she appears to be engaged to a random man who is not her current fiance. It felt so real and haunts her for the next few years. And then she meets her best friend's boyfriend... and it is the man from her dream. What?!

I know some people did not like how it ended. I thought it was perfect. I don't want to spoil anything, but this story will gut you. I'm still reeling. 😭

Also...go hug your bestie.

My main feedback on this book is that it is VERY different than advertised! The marketing campaign and the all of the synopses I've seen make it sound like a light romantic read that touches on the themes of fate and "what ifs." While a main plot point is this snapshot of the future five years down the road that the main character Dannie sees, which places her in a sexual relationship with a man she's never seen before, the story of how she gets there is much more about her relationship with her best friend, Bella, and the tone of the book is much more tragic and powerful than the marketing suggests.

I absolutely loved Megan Hilty's narration of the audiobook - I'm not sure if I would have loved the book as much in print.

Allen Saunders was an American writer, journalist, and cartoonist who is credited with observing that "life is what happens to us while we are making other plans." In her sixth novel, In Five Years, author and television writer Rebecca Serle demonstrates just how true that statement is.

At the age of twenty-eight, Dannie Cohan's life is right on track. She lives in Manhattan with her investment banker boyfriend, David. As the story opens, not only does she land her dream job as a corporate attorney with a high-powered, prestigious law firm, but David proposes right on schedule. All of her hard work and planning is paying off.

Dannie dozes off on the couch and has a startling, upsetting experience. She awakens in a bed in a loft apartment she doesn't recognize with furnishings she's never seen before. She's with a man she's never met, who proceeds to cook her pasta while she finds his wallet and looks at his identification. His name is Arron Gregory and she's wearing an engagement ring -- but not the one David just gave her. In her first-person narrative, she notes that the ring is "not anything I'd ever pick out." The television is on and she is stunned when she looks at the screen and sees the date: December 15, 2025. A full five years later than when she fell asleep in her own apartment with David. And when Aaron kisses her . . . "I'm melting. I've never felt anything like this. Not with David, not with Ben, the only other guy I dated seriously, . . . This is something else entirely. He kisses and touches like he's inside my brain. I mean, I'm in the future, maybe he is."

When Dannie wakes up again an hour later -- with a jolt -- she's right back on the couch and David is standing over her holding a bowl of popcorn, suggesting that they call their parents to deliver the good news of their engagement.

Was it a fantasy? A vision of some sort? A premonition? Dannie concludes, "It must have been a dream, but it . . . how could it be? . . . I feel the need to touch my body, to confirm my physical reality. I put my hands on each elbow and hold my arms to my chest." When David moves close to her, it feels like an "intrusion."

Because she can't stop thinking about that strange occurrence, Dannie goes to therapy, thinking that she's going crazy. She doesn't feel comfortable talking with anyone about it -- not even Bella. Her therapist, Dr. Christine, opines that it may have been a premonition. "A psychosomatic trip. . . . Sometimes unexplainable things happen." Feeling better after talking with Dr. Christine, Dannie convinces herself that her experience was, in fact, "crazy." And that by discussing it with Dr. Christine, she has left it behind her, somehow making it Dr. Christine's problem rather than her own. She feels freed.

So Dannie's life continues on the trajectory she has outlined for herself. After a year on her new job, she is promoted to senior associate, David goes to work for a hedge fund, and they buy an apartment in Gramercy. And then four and a half years slip by. "Everything goes according to plan. Everything. Except that David and I don't get married. We never set a date. We say we're busy, which we are." They plan to marry when they decide to have children, and talk about traveling first. They agree to set a date "when the time is right -- and it never is." Because, Dannie confesses, the truth is that "every time we get close, I think about that night, that hour, that dream, that man. And the memory of it stops me before I've started." One thing she never planned was a five-year engagement.

Bella has been Dannie's lifelong best friend since they were seven years old and, as with so many friendships, they are total opposites. Bella is vivacious, spontaneous -- a "blue-eyed, blond-haired shiksa goddess" -- while Dannie is a "Nice Jewish Girl from the The Main Line of Philadelphia." Bella's wealthy but frequently absent parents spoiled her with material things, but not their time or attention. So she spent most of her time at Bella's house while they were growing up. She's a "free love" kind of young woman -- giving and receiving it freely, hiding the fragility and vulnerability that lurk just below the surface. Bella always seems to be in love . . . and her relationships with men never last. Dannie suspects that Bella would like her to be with someone other than David, but Dannie insists that he is the right man for her because he fits perfectly into her life plan.

Dannie soon finds out that life never goes exactly according to plan. She is stunned when she meets the new man in Bella's life -- Aaron. But his name is actually Greg. And Dannie resolves that whatever she envisioned or fantasized years ago must never become reality, even though it doesn't seem like there is any possibility it will. Happily, Bella seems to have at last found the relationship she has been looking for . . . with Greg.

Serle relates that she enjoys exploring best friendships among women who grow up together "and then your paths diverge" and "lives that have been so parallel look nothing alike. How you navigate that divide and how you keep prioritizing each other are very interesting questions.” In Serle's tale, Bella receives devastating news that forces Dannie to embark on an unexpected journey with her dear friend. As she remains at Bella's side, she is forced to confront the truth: she simply cannot control every aspect of her life circumstances and experiences, or what happens to her friends and family, especially Bella, the person she holds most dear. It is a humbling and shattering realization. Dannie's workaholic life is disrupted in ways she neither welcomes nor embraces, and she loses her equilibrium. She is forced to find a way to balance competing demands and, in the process, she re-evaluates the choices she has made, really examining, for the first time, her feelings and how her family history has shaped her personality, preferences, and choices. As little aspects of the dream or fantasy she experienced years ago pop up from time to time, bringing her back to that night, she is reminded her that she cannot let it come to fruition. She would never knowingly or deliberately hurt Bella. But those are also occurrences over which she finds she has no control.

Serle credibly and sympathetically portrays a woman who arrives at an unplanned crossroads in her life. She is an attorney, trained to evaluate facts, evidence, and draw conclusions about causality and responsibility. At the outset of the story, Dannie does not make decisions or choices based on her feelings. She focuses on goals and relies on logic. And, as Dr. Christine points out, she does not understand and is frightened by what happens to her and the life events she must navigate. In the hands of a less-skilled writer, Dannie could be a wholly unlikeable character: ambitious, controlling, self-involved, and impervious to her own feelings and the emotions of those closest to her. But she is extremely empathetic and likeable because Serle deftly reveals her inner battle to understand what is happening to her and acknowledge her own and others' needs. Moreover, Dannie is surrounded by an equally intriguing and relatable cast of supporting characters, including the luminescent Bella, who teaches Dannie about having the courage to take risks and love completely, and David, who becomes increasingly frustrated and anguished as he gradually comes to understand what is really happening between him and Dannie. Serle propels the story forward at a steady pace that keeps readers turning the pages to see what will ultimately happen to each of them. Notably, Serle provides a hugely satisfying, but surprising conclusion to the story that further elevates it.

Serle says, "I write to make people feel, to make myself feel and sort out how I feel." In Five Years succeeds because that's exactly what Serle accomplishes: she makes her readers feel what Dannie is experiencing, providing a tender, engaging, and memorable story with a clever twist. At its core, In Five Years is an exploration of the steadfast nature of true friendship, the degree to which human beings can control their circumstances and destinies, and the reckoning that is required when all of one's best-laid plans are interrupted by the unpredictable nature of life itself. Serle has lovingly crafted a poignant story about the peace and freedom that result from letting go of the need to control one's life and relishing the surprises -- good and bad -- that life throws in our paths . . . while we are making plans.

All I can really say is that this book is so so depressing. The basic premise ends up being that you have zero control over what happens in your life - it’s all pre-ordained. I thought it was going to be one kind of book, but it was another kind of book and there was so much grief and sadness and it just was not for me.

A good quick read about relationships and friendships over the course of five years. You’ve got the straight-laced friend and the cooky, fly by the seat of her pants friend weathering men, health and every day life together. A pretty common formula. I recently finished Firefly Lane which had the same formula, but did it with much more depth, character development and detailed storytelling.

Gosh I went into this expecting a love story of epic proportions. Well maybe not epic but something maybe like One Day as advertised. Honestly I was a little disappointed. In my opinion it wasn’t a love story. Was it a story about best friends? Maybe. But the main character tells us more about the designer of her clothes. The places she eats in NYC, indeed what she eats. Oh and the fact that she and her perfect fiancé live in Gramercy Park. I’m sorry, I know a lot of people loved this book.
Thanks to NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review

"In Five Years" was a strange book about fate, the future, relationships, and friendships; it's about how you envision your life playing out a certain way but nothing in life is guaranteed, nothing ever goes how you think it's going to go. It was a beautiful story that didn't make sense until you got to the climax of the book.

This is Dannie’s story. Dannie has the most wonderful best friend ever, Bella. She also has her loyal boyfriend of seven years, David. There is Dr. Mark Shaw. And then there is Aaron Gregory, literally the man of Dannie’s dreams. What we have here is a 5-month slice of life where we see it all—love, loyalty, heartache, devastation, and hope.

Key facts: Dannie is a high-powered corporate lawyer who works at least 60-hour weeks. She has been engaged for five years; there has never been enough time to plan a wedding with her hedge fund trader fiancé, David. Dannie has a dream where she has the most wonderful sex ever and it’s not with David. Bella is an artist and a free spirit, and despite the fact she and Dannie are seemingly nothing alike, they couldn’t be closer.

This book has feelings to give out by the truckload. Gosh, I must have teared up a dozen times. All kind of tears. Tears of sadness, loss, and poignancy. There are so many feelings that it’s no wonder most of my Goodreads friends rated the story 5 stars.

My only criticism of the book, and the entire reason why I dropped the 5th star, is because the story is told entirely from the viewpoint of Dannie. That in and of itself wasn’t bad, but I would have been much more invested in the other characters had I known more about them. I was dying to know their inner thoughts but was never privy to them. This novel is short, only 250 pages, and I think another 50-75 pages dedicated to writing from other points of view would have enriched the story considerably.

Despite that criticism, I was really engaged by In Five Years. It took a couple of twists from how I imagined it ending, which was fine, but I would have liked it even better if there had been a true epilogue.

I highly recommend In Five Years for everyone looking for a quick novel with something a little different but with depth and all the feelings. I look forward to reading more from Ms. Serle.

I would like to thank Net Galley, Atria Books, and Rebecca Serle for an advanced review copy. Opinions expressed are mine alone and are not biased in any way.

In Five Years is the story of Dannie and her current life in NYC. She has a great fiancé, David, and is a successful corporate lawyer preparing for her next promotion. She has had the same best friend, Bella, since she was 7. Her life couldn’t be better!

But one night, Dannie has a dream that rocks her to the core. She is transported 5 years into the future and she appears in a beautiful apartment, except she is no longer with David. Who is the man she is dreaming about?

Dannie finally starts getting over her dream when Bella tells her she met a guy and is falling in love with him. Dannie, David, Bella, and the new mystery man all meet for dinner... except Dannie knows the man. He is the man from her dream!

From that point on, Dannie spends her time doing everything she can to prevent her dream from coming true. She loves David. She can’t be with this man from her dream, so what lengths will she go to in order to prevent that from happening?

I enjoyed this book, until the last few chapters. While I already knew Bella’s fate, as well as the fate of Dannie and David, it just felt unfinished. There were too many loose ends for me to be satisfied for the book to end.

I did enjoy the story, and I read it quickly because it kept me engaged throughout. I can’t really say I loved any of the characters, but they had “real” personalities which made me feel connected to them.

Overall, 4 stars. This story shook me because it hit some fairly new, personal events and emotions and I was not prepared for it. But it kept my attention and wondering what would happen next.

A beautiful story of friendship. I didn’t expect what would happen and my heart is broken for the loss. While I didn’t connect with Dannie at first, her strength, the methodical way she handles and controls situations, made sense because of who she is. I was kind of sad that the dream didn’t play out to how I wanted as I saw more of a connection there than with her real relationship with her fiancé but the future has many possibilities for Dannie. I loved her friendship with Bella...true friends in every way...it was utter love and devotion. It made me happy that they had each other for all of life’s ups and downs. 3.5-4 stars

Rebecca Serle took me on an unpredictable journey and left me shedding tears at the end. Dannie has everything she could want in life. Her career path on track, she loves her apartment, her boyfriend just proposed and she is heading down the life path she has always seen for herself. Then she has a dream or could it be a premonition of herself in 5 years with a different man in a different apartment. As she holds that in the back of her mind, she wakes back up in 2020 and back to her "normal" life. Then years later, she meets the man from her dream and for the first time in her life, she questions what her future holds.

Thought this would be a great romance to read in February and wow this one shocked me. I don't know about other readers, but I thought I knew where this one was headed and I have to say I was mistaken. I don't want to say too much because it's best to go in blind with this one, but just know this touches on love and friendship like I haven't read in awhile.

Thank you Netgalley & Atria books for my e-arc and I hope to read more by Rebecca Serle in the future!

I loved this book! If you are looking for a chick lit romance then this is not it. I went in thinking it would be chick lit but it is more than that. It is a story about love, friendship, sadness, compassion, promises, what the future hold and more. I thought the writing was wonderful. I would recommend reading this book.

Rebecca Serle’s “In Five Years” Forces The Question: Where Will You Be? (Posted here: https://litzyditz.com/2020/02/29/rebecca-serles-in-five-years-forces-the-question-where-will-you-be/)

Originally published February 20, 2019

Well? Start thinking …

The concept isn’t novel — we’ve been practicing future think since we were in kindergarten. Because school is designed to prepare us for our futures, the question, “Where will you be in five years?” is practically a key ingredient to the foundation of our collective childhoods.

In fact, one of my oldest and earliest memories remains an afternoon assembly when I was in 6th grade, when the principal alluded to the 8th graders impending graduation that evening. I remember specifically thinking, “In two years, that’ll be me.”

For most people, pondering our future is just part of our DNA. Then there’s the actual planners. Like Dannie.

Rebecca Serle’s latest, “In Five Years,” takes aim at the concept of carefully planning out futures, and what happens when destiny has something else up her sleeve.

But mostly? It’s a love story. Just not the kind you think.

Dannie Kohan has every milestone step of her life scheduled, right down to the law firm she’ll partner at and the night she gets engaged. When a premonition-like dream shakes her to the core, the next five years are an exercise in avoiding what she thinks is the night that throws her off track.

Readers soon discover though, that even the best laid plans don’t stand a chance when the universe has other ideas about health and happiness. And sometimes the most important love in your life isn’t with the guy you’ve spent the last seven years with — instead, it’s the friend you’ve had since elementary school who knows you better than you do.

Set to publish March 10, Chicago-area readers have chance to talk shop with Serle at two local appearances:

Saturday, March 14, 2 p.m.
HIGHLAND PARK PUBLIC LIBRARY
494 Laurel Avenue
Highland Park, IL 60035
Details at: https://hplibrary.org/event/4006571
Sunday, March 15, 2 p.m
ANDERSON’S BOOKSHOP
123 West Jefferson Ave
Naperville, IL 60540
In an email exchange with the author, I asked her about “In Five Years” …

To get the obvious question out of the way, writers often write what they know — so in that sense, is there one character above all in “In Five Years” that you most identify with?

Dannie, probably. I used to have a pretty airtight vision for my life.

I am excited to see how others respond to the different threads of love stories with “In Five Years.” In writing it, was there a particular couple you started with, such as David and Dannie or Dannie and Bella, that led to uncovering the others?

I don’t think I’m spoiling anything by saying that the love story between the two friends Dannie and Bella is really central to the plot. I knew the concept wouldn’t work without their relationship, so I began there.

I loved that readers start the novel under the impression someone has yet to really discover themselves (Bella) when in fact it’s really all about Dannie having that A-ha moment. What was your biggest A-ha moment while writing?

This book was a very interesting process because over the course of writing it I met someone who was very significant in my life, but they ended up having a very different role in my life than I thought they would. My aha moment was very much: “You can see what’s coming, but you cannot see what it will mean.” That’s a primary theme of the novel, as well.

I love when writers incorporate food as a character into their work. From the restaurants to the takeout, it feels as if the meal is often the backdrop for a lot of the action in the novel. What’s your favorite meal? Would you rather linger over coffee or Chinese takeout?

All the restaurants Dannie and Bella go to in the novel are/were personal favorites of mine, and places I visited often in my own New York youth. I’m a coffee lingerer, for sure!

Dannie’s a big planner about the things she wants, which should clue readers into whether or not she walks down the aisle. Are you a planner? A planning wanna be?

I used to be a huge planner. I had a whole blueprint for my life. But things ended up turning out very differently than what I was planning. I’d like to think I’m learning to be a bit more go with the flow these days. And oddly enough when it comes to books – I’ve never outlined! Fiction really does have much to teach us about our own lives.

Who plays Dannie and Bella in your fantasy version of a movie adaptation?

There are so many great actresses working today. I really don’t know. I’ve learned over the course of my career that adaptations are another thing entirely. Right now I just have my Dannie and Bella in my head!

Favorite part of a book tour?

Getting to meet readers. And a bath after a long flight.

Your favorite book last year?

Normal People by Sally Rooney.

And finally, what’s next? Another book in the works or are we lucky enough that we might actually get to see Dannie and Bella on the big or small screen?

Another book, always! I’m also working on adapting my last novel, The Dinner List. And a new television show, as well.

Honestly I didn't like the characters all that much. They felt almost stock-like in their composition, and they didn't sit nicely. However, the story was intriguing. Dannie works as a lawyer in Manhattan, living a perfect life with a white and gray apartment, a lawyer boyfriend, and fancy dinner dates. She's got a plan, and everything is going according to that plan. Basically, she's boring. One night she goes to sleep and dreams about her life in five years. She's living in a different neighborhood and having sex with another man. She wakes up feeling confused - why would her life look so different in five years from the plan she's had in place?

This book is almost a coming of age story - perhaps a reckoning with life story is a more accurate description. Dannie likes to have control, and she's been lucky enough not to have many unexpected things happen to her, so she can keep cruising along. Of course the whole point of the story is that tragedy falls, and she has to learn how to deal with that. The book takes a lot of unexpected twists and turns through different events, ultimately leading up to that scene where she's in the different apartment having sex with that different man. But it's different than how she thought it would be, just like life is. She ends up on her own, learning how to grieve and live and be okay with all the things that are not okay.

While Serle didn't write particularly likeable or compelling characters, she did write unexpected situations so beautifully, giving me insight into all the emotions behind and beautiful and unexpected life. I cried and laughed. I felt thoughtful. I re-examined my decision making processes. It felt like the right book at the right time.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

In Five Years turned out to be nothing like I was expecting. Truthfully, I was expecting more of a rom com with the way the synopsis read. Dannie, a young New York lawyer has the life she's always wanted- new job at her dream law firm and newly engaged to her long-term boyfriend. Then she has a dream- 5 years in the future and she's with a different man. This shakes her, but she moves forward until it's 4 1/2 years later and the man from her dream is dating her best friend. Sounds like a rom com set up to me, right? But, this story is so much deeper. I was so invested in these characters. Reading this is not for the faint of heart, but if you can handle it, it really is a wonderful read.

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2021 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2021/02/2021-reading-list-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

4 stars for this beautiful piece of fiction, that is not actually a romance (thankfully!)

I really love this book now that it's finished but I definitely had to get there.. like other said, this book is not what it seems. I expected romance, but it was actually tears I found, rather than fuzzy feelings.

Dannie was a frustrating character for me, because I'm more of a Bella than a Dannie. I found myself repeatedly wanting to shake her and say "follow your heart!!!" for much of this book. I can't stand to see people wasting time being unhappy because they can't just open up.

...Fortunately, I was wrong. I actually love the way everything unfolded eventually, even though it left me wrecked by the end. This is a beautiful book about deep friendship, grief, opening up and moving on. I'll definitely look for more books from Rebecca Serle in the future, and would recommend this quick read- paired with a box of tissues.


Thank you to #AtriaBooks for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an impartial review.