There is a line in this novel that perfectly sums up how I felt whilst reading In Five Years. Reading this charming, life affirming tale of love and friendship I felt i had indulged and submerged myself in my favourite bubble bath only to come up for air with the final words. I literally flew through this novel and then almost wished I hadn’t since the characters of Dannie and especially Bella are so easy to fall in love with. Now I’m reading more of this genre I’m trying to figure out what makes a novel of this type stand out from the rest, apart from excellent writing and brilliant characterisation of course. There seems to be this magic ingredient that can transform an average, lighthearted and pleasant enough read into one that draws you entirely into the fictional characters lives, making you feel like you don’t want the journey to end. In Five years is that book for me and I ABSOLUTELY loved it.
Without divulging too much of the storyline, this novel centres around four individuals, Dannie and David, Dannie’s best friend Beth and Aaron. Dannie is a high flying corporate lawyer with her life clearly mapped out, so accepting David’s proposal is simply the next step in her life’s trajectory. But life has a funny way of throwing a spanner in the works and when Dannie experiences a premonition/dream into her life as it will be in five years time, she’s shocked to see herself with another man, in a different apartment! So begins Dannie’s attempts to control what happens from now until that day 15 December 2025 she has already glimpsed, determined to change the course of events and avoid what she believes to be inevitable.
At the beginning I could see similarities with another storyline in Josie Silver’s lovely novel One day in December but it turns out to be only fleeting.
Whilst this novel is about romantic love, it is also about nature of love in general, in all its glorious forms and in particular about love that is unique to strong female friendship. The idea that realising your goals and ambitions is the be all and end all is seriously challenged, proving there are other aspects of life equally important, the main one of course being love. Although both characters are immensely likeable and the strong bond they have nurtured over the years is wonderful to witness, I fell most in love with Bella. These two women are polar opposites but their love for each other is evident throughout. The author’s writing brings Dannie and Bella alive so that you can imagine them as real people experiencing these relatable scenarios. I’d hazard a guess the author is a real foodie as the pages are littered with food references which may (or may not!) whet your appetite.
Yes of course some parts of Dannie’s and Bella’s story are predictable but there are a couple of surprises, particularly at the end which left me in no doubt that I’d rate this as a five star read. I’m not ashamed to admit that my heartstrings were well and truly pulled and I shed a tear or two along the way.
In Five Years celebrates the value and joy of female friendship and is such a delight to read. Highly recommend for fans of authors such as Beth O’Leary and Josie Silver to name but two!My thanks as always to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read in exchange for an honest review.

Beautifully written with characters who are believable and human. This book made me smile and it made me sad but ultimately I could not put it down. A page turner which I really enjoyed and I totally recommend.

Dannie Kohan likes to plan her schedule, plan her life. In fact, anything the world has to offer, she wants to control and meld into her vision of her future. There's a problem, though. Dannie has a premonition of herself in five years' time, and what she sees is inconceivable; she neither likes it nor wants it. So begins her journey fighting to avoid a future that implies dire consequences.

Thus, <i>In Five Years</i> tells a story of the lives of two friends — two best of friends who have lived for each other since they were both twelve-year-old schoolgirls. The plot weaves a thread between Dannie's desires and an alternative fate, which through sheer willpower might be avoided. Twists and surprises are in store for both Dannie and the reader. And, when you think the destination has been reached, the author throws one final curved ball into the mix.

Brilliantly written with a narrative pace that keeps the reader engaged, this novel had me reading into the small hours of the morning. It is quite simply the best book I've read so far this year, and having set the bar high, I think it will difficult to displace.

28-year-old Dannie Cohan is obsessively committed to achieving her five-year plan. And everything is on schedule – December 15th, 2020 sees her nailing an interview for a top law firm, and by the end of the night engaged to her live-in boyfriend of two years, David.

But when she falls asleep, she awakens at 10:59pm in an unfamiliar apartment, next to a strange man who clearly lives there with her, wearing a different engagement ring. The date on the television reads December 15th, 2025. An hour later, David is shaking her awake, and everything's back to normal. Dannie chalks it up to an acute, surreal, dream, but can't shake the feeling that it means something. Then four and a half years later she meets the man from her dream.

In Five Years was intense, moving, poignant, and compassionate, and not at all what I was expecting, which I probably should have figured out because it's written on the front cover – ha! I definitely got my wires crossed on this one, was convinced this was going to be pure escapism chick-lit – a light, fluffy romantic comedy. And it contained all these elements to a certain extent, but it turned out to be a lot more meaningful and serious, and I recommend keeping those tissues at the ready, because it's a tear-jerker.

The novel explores the notion of prophetic dreams, but I wouldn't label it as science fiction or fantasy but rather an exploration of fate and destiny. That no matter how much we may want it to, life doesn't always go according to plan. At times it can be unpredictable, and outside of our control, but that even unprecedented situations and dark times can teach us things about ourselves, change the course of our lives, inspire us to do something different, and confront the things that aren't working.

I would have preferred less telling and more showing, and the four and a half years omitted between Dannie experiencing the dream and encountering the man from it hindered character development, particularly in the case of David, and his and Dannie's relationship, but also the latter's friendship and bond with Bella. Put simply, I wasn't as emotionally invested in the character's as I would've liked.

In Five Years does contain the trendiness and posh-ness you'd expect in the contemporary romance genre. Dannie has expensive taste, so a fair amount of the plot it devoted to her glittering lifestyle in Manhattan and NYC – designer merchandise, dining out, tasty cuisine, as well a summer share in the Hamptons.

A wonderful read that is ultimately about love and sacrifice, and the unexpected joy and sadness that life brings.

I'd like to thank Netgalley, Quercus Books, and Rebecca Serle for the e-ARC.

Publication Date: 10th March, 2020.

Thank you to Quercus Books and Rebecca Serle for a digital ARC - my thoughts are my own.

This started as a book about a modern romantic relationship in New York, then changed to the importance of female friendships, and falling in love with a person rather than following a life plan.

I enjoyed reading the book but never really warmed to the character of Dannie. Bella was the real character for me, someone who lived life to the full not to a five year plan.

This was so much more than I thought it would be. I'd seen this book all over social media so knew I had to read it and I wasn't left disappointed. It's not your typical chicklit romcom but more about a book of friendship and loss, it's smart, happy, sad, uplifting and will have you engrossed from the onset. I loved the main characters and also the backdrop of New York worked wonders for me.
Thank you Netgalley and Quercus books for this ARC.

Just finished In Five Years by Rebecca Serle. Not what I was expecting, but I really loved it. Smart and warm and sad.

I thought this was going to be a romantic novel, it’s not but I wasn’t disappointed. A well written story about friendship and love. Highly recommended

A wonderful book of love and friendship. I could not put it down! This book centres on Dannie and Bella's friendship and their lives. They are best friends from school bur live very different lives. . Dannie is a corporate lawyer leading a very structured, ordered life, Bella is creative and artistic and is much more spontaneous. Dannie is in a long term committed relationship, Bella has various 'liaisons' which are fun but short lived. All this changes when she meets Aaron Gregory and the story unfolds from that moment. Everything changes. I loved the story, it makes you reevaluate the way you live your life and makes you appreciate all your friendships.

I do love a good weepy story. Don’t get me wrong it doesn’t happen very often. I can probably count on one hand the amount of books that have managed to turn me into a quivering wreck. So when I read the blurb for In Five Years I was hopeful that this would be the next one to add to the list.

Alas, it didn’t make me crumble into a ball of tears but it was a very enjoyable read.

The protagonist Dannie Kohan was likeable in that weirdly neurotic driven sense. You admired her gumption and gusto for all things life and equally other characters were fleshed out and you found yourself fully immersed in this small New York contingent of friends. It was nice to be invited in to watch.

I really enjoyed this book. There was one questionable plot devices which didn’t quite sit as well with me as others would and I think that without them the book may have been slightly more enjoyable to read but when looking at the book as a whole this device didn’t stop me from thinking that the story was really well written (when you read it you will see what I mean).

The story seems to be marketed as a romance and in a sense it is romantic but for me it was the relationships between friends that solidified the story for me. Romance came in second place. It was this element that I enjoyed the most.

In Five Years by Rebecca Serle is available now.

For more information regarding Rebecca Serle (@RebeccaASerle) please visit www.rebeccaserle.com.

For more information regarding Quercus Books (@QuercusBooks) please visit their Twitter page.

Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book. I previously enjoyed Serle's debut book so I was pretty interested in this one. This is a great follow up to her debut. The book starts out with a cute romance with a quick twist of "what happens in five years". I won't say more so I don't give anything away, but I loved this one. Definitely recommend.

I Five Years was not the lighthearted romcom I was expecting; but a deft and heartbreaking story that I couldn't put down. I gulped in down in one sitting and it left me in tears.

I loved, loved, loved this book.

The author draws Danni's character and the world she inhabits elegantly and without apology. The premise worked well and the story kept me hooked.

Well worth a read and highly recommended.

This book was nothing like I thought it would be. If you're looking for a swoony romance or easy to read chick-lit type book, this is not it. This was a hard-hitting contemporary fiction that got me good. After reading the blurb, I thought I had an idea of how this book would go, but I wasn't prepared for what happened. It had twists and turns I didn't see coming, and I'm not mad about it.
This book reminded me a lot of the book One Day In December by Josie Silver (which I Loved!), it had a very similar love triangle feel and it also spans many years like that book does. 

I thought I knew where the book was heading and thought it was going to be more of a romance but it was more about friendships and sometimes just because it fits or works doesn't mean it right.

I finished this book all in two days (would have been one day if I didn't have small people to attend to 🙄), it made me cry many times and at the same time gave me all the warm fuzzy feelings.

I will be purchasing a finished copy of this book.

**Thank you to Netgalley, Quercus Books, & Hachette Australia for providing me with a copy of this book in return for my honest review**

It is not a typical love story, but it truly is a story about love. It’s also a story about friendship, grief, hopes and dreams and navigating life when all the of the above do not go to plan because... life happens and it’s often not the way we imagined it to be.
In Five Years was heartfelt and moving. I can see why the hype around this book is so big and I can foresee it continue even bigger.

Dannie and David are a couple with their lives and career paths planned out, so when Dannie has a dream/premonition of what her life will be in five years time it comes as a shock – it is not as planned.
I was not expecting this story to have such an impact on me/ the characters are lovely, the friendship so fulfilling – the thought of the great love just around the corner.
I wanted to read more to find out where the characters travelled to next. How they managed to carry on.
This is a book about hope after loss, not settling for second best, being true to oneself and most of all friendship and love.

This book was definitely not what I expected. For about the first half I thought I knew where it was going - wrong! The story flipped so much I think I gasped out loud. From that point on nothing else mattered and I absorbed myself in this beautifully written book. Definitely needs to be adapted for the big screen. Fabulous.

In Five Years was nothing at all like what I was expecting, the 'love' story that the crumbs are laid for were so cleverly woven, and my heart broke several times throughout the book.

I loved reading in Dannie's point of view, her thought processes were well written and I found her to be a reliable narrator, and felt like she didn't hold back. Bella was a fantastic side character; absolutely loved her; as well as both Aaron and David. The story wove together so well and I could feel the dread through Dannie as the date came barrelling closer, just stunningly written. Loved it.

This is not the book I expected.

The twist, so sudden, knocked me off my feet, kept me reading and made my heart dip. The characters were so well written, so alive, that they felt real.

This is not the book I expected from the blurb or the cover. I didn’t expect to be blown away.

Fantastic read, highly recommended.

Dannie and David have been going out for two years when everything starts to fall in place with Danone’s five year plan, get a job at Watchtell, get engaged to David. On the night of their engagement Dannie has a dream of five years into the future where she is no longer living in her dream house, no longer with David but Aaron a stranger she has never met.

Four years in and Bella Dannies best friend has a new w and it is Aaron.

A fantastic book that has had me in floods of tears. A must read.