This novel was heartbreakingly beautiful. It's a story that makes you think both existentially and theologically and is also a story about love but not solely the romantic kind.

From the beginning to the end, everything was connected within the story and tied together so neatly that made it even more heartbreaking at the end.

This novel reminds you about the fragility of life and relationships. It's also a reminder on the importance of pursuing a passionate love and not settling on one of convenience.

It's a very thought provoking story that will sit and ruminate in your head for a long time.

***Thank you to the publisher for supplying me with an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

As I finished this book my first thought was “that wasn’t what I expected at all”. My second thought was “how the hell did a book only 270 pages pack so much emotion!”

I went in expecting a romance and what came out was a love story but one I was not expecting at all. A beautiful one that was both heartbreaking and relatable.



Thank you to netgalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review

For Dannie Cohan, December 15th, 2020 was going to be a big day. She was interviewing for a junior position at Wachtell, the top law firming Manhattan. Following the interview, she had a dinner date with her boyfriend, and she had more then a sneaking suspicion that he would be proposing. Life was going exactly as she planned, and Dannie was a planner, down to the minutes of her life. David takes her to the poshest restaurant, The Rainbow Room, and the proposal was everything she hoped for. The evening starts to fall apart when they return to their apartment and Dannie falls asleep, and has an unexpected "vision"/ dream, she's wearing a ring but not the one David gave her, she is not in their apartment in Gramercy Park, and she is not with David. All she knew for certain was the man's name was Aaron and the apartment was a loft in Dumbo, and the date was 2025, exactly % years ahead of the present. This entire episode sat firm with Dannie, to the point where she had to see a therapist...

The story scrolls ahead in time, to four and a half years, when the mysterious gentleman reappears. Then the situation becomes complicated..... when life introduces some unexpected obstacles in Dannie's otherwise orderly life.

As the blurbs say, "In Five Years is an unforgettable love story (not the one you may be expecting), that reminds us of the power of loyalty, friendship, and the unpredictable nature of destiny." I enjoyed reading it and would definitely recommend it. Thank you #netgalley for the e-ARC of #infiveyears. @Rebecca_Serle

I was so excited to read this one. The premise pulled me right in from page 1 and I finished this pretty quickly. It was engaging, touching, and the pace was just perfect. The characters are so likeable, and I warn you that you may shed a few tears. It's that type of book. I highly recommend In Five Years!

I was so intrigued by the premise of this book, and I was eager to read it when I received an electronic copy for review.

This was a very quick read, since I was pulled into the story right away. And while I really appreciated that this book offered a look at a deep friendship and bond between Dannie and her best friend, Bella, there was something about it that just didn’t click with me on an emotional level.

This was not what I expected it to be. I went into it thinking it was going to be more of a romance, but it really wasn’t. I liked that the book surprised me, and I was eager to read to the end to find out what happened, but I just didn’t connect with any of the characters. I felt strangely removed from Dannie and Bella's relationship, which is why I think I didn’t have any emotional stakes in this story. I was interested to see how Dannie's story would turn out, yes, but I wasn’t invested on a deeper level than that, and so despite what was happening on the page, I never felt moved.

I seem to be in the minority, though, and there are lots of glowing reviews for this one.

I absolutely loved this book! I fell in love with the characters and the storyline was totally captivating. A true page turner for me! As usual, I went in blind and after reading the book description, I suggest you do the same!! It had me questioning everything the whole time. I highly recommend checking this one out!

Thank you to the publisher and @netgalley for providing a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to get a copy of In Five Years because I loved The Dinner List! This book had me right in the feels. I cried .... A LOT. I loved the concept of this book. Its difficult to write this review because I really don't want to give away any spoilers but I highly suggest reading it. There are so many great relationships in this book and it just really pulled on my heart strings. I just want to go to New York, sit in a park and reread this book. The main character Dannie made me pause and take a minute to think about my own life. This was just a really great book.

3.5 stars. Well, that was fast. I think I’m the anomaly on this one because I neither absolutely loved it nor totally hated it. In Five Years by Rebecca Serle is enjoyable women’s fiction with a great hook and premise, and free-flowing writing that just makes it easy to fall into the book and never want to put it down. I finished this one in a two-day reverie, so interested was I in finding out what would happen. And let me say this: this is not the book you think it is.

First of all, just know that you’re going to be misled if you think this book is all about romantic love it that it has any time travel in it. It doesn’t. Dannie Kohan, the MC, gets one glimpse of the future and a man who is not her fiancé, and a life that is not like the one she’s so carefully planned - and then she has to deal with and live with this glimpse and all the time before that glimpse comes into being. The rest of the book is a “what if” leading to that point, where it feels like fate is absolute, but also that everything Dannie does to deliberately make that future event not happen will make it happen anyway. To be honest, it might be too deterministic for me. But then again, it’s a fascinating concept to explore: that, if given choices, we’re going to end up in the place we were supposed to no matter what.

That’s not to say that that’s what this book is about. It’s not as philosophical as all that. That’s what I mean about the synopsis being misleading. This is, at its heart, a book about friendship beyond all reason, about bonds that hold us to someone even when everything seems “determined” to break them. It’s about romantic love, too, but more, it’s about finding and holding on and treasuring the people in your life who are YOUR people. That’s who Bella is to Dannie - her best friend, her soulmate, the person she can laugh with and cry with and knows inside out. The person she will run to save no matter what.

Their friendship is really the basis of this book, with Dannie’s questioning of her future the the veil through which their characters are revealed. Oh sure, there is David, Dannie’s fiance, and Aaron, the man she will find herself with in the future. And there are others. But this is a book about moments of loveliness with your bestie, and hard work and learning more about yourself. The rest is ornament.

To be honest, I’m more sure how much more I can say about this one. It’s a well-written, thoughtful book, but I can’t say I totally got everything from it. It feels a bit like Summer Sisters to me because of the push and pull of Dannie and Bella’s relationship, and because they are in similar socioeconomic situations to those girls. And yet, I didn’t fully fall for them in the end. Something held me back. And maybe that’s why this is a 3.5 for me. I feel like I wasn’t as in my feelings as I should have been.

Still, In Five Years is clearly a book that made me think, and I might need to think about it some more. It’s definitely not conventional, and I really appreciated that. Would be interested in discussing this one further after publication.

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

I had been hearing nothing but good things about In Five Years by Rebecca Serle (who I realized after the fact is the author of the highly well-reviewed The Dinner List, which is loaded onto my Kindle to tackle sometime soon), and since it’s coming out this week (March 10!), I figured I would give it a shot and see if it kept my attention. I can’t say that I read it in one sitting, but as soon as I hit about halfway through, I couldn’t stop.

From the get-go, I was really interested in the premise of this book. Serle basically gave away a snippet of what Dannie’s life looked like five years in the future right away, so we knew her story was going to have to veer away from her plan, and I was all about trying to figure out how it happened. That’s why I was so surprised that the book moved us four-and-a-half years in the future so quickly, because things were going to have to fall apart quite quickly and I wasn’t sure it was going to be believable. Boy, was I ever wrong.

I don’t want to spoil the main plot points too much, but I will say that if you are expecting a cute little rom-com where the main character realized the man she’s with isn’t the one for her (despite him being “perfect”) and finding her true love along the way… this isn’t that story. This ends up being much more about friendship and love in its many iterations, and it’s such a refreshing change… especially because I didn’t see it coming.

Dannie is a little bit annoying. She works more than is healthy (I’m sure some corporate lawyers work that much, but probably not many for as long as she does), and she’s kind of a crappy girlfriend/fiancée, but I ultimately didn’t really care. I appreciate that she never cheats on David, like the snippet into her future suggests, and that she’s a good person in the grand scheme of things. I also really enjoyed Serle’s description of New York. I’ve been there many times and could never imagine myself living there, but the way it’s portrayed in this book makes me think that I should pack my bags and move there ASAP. I kind of love it.

In the end, I took a star off because I wish it didn’t end as abruptly. The book wasn’t super long, so it could have a couple of extra chapters to sort of round out the story (although I guess I sort of see the point). That being said, I added an extra half star in the end because the plot twist (or at least the arc of the story) really surprised me, and that rarely happens anymore. I highly recommend this one, and I know it will do gangbusters when it comes out.

4.5 STARS

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Finishing this book, I had to sit back and think - what did I just read? I did not expect my heart to be so stretched, be filled with such love for everyone in my life by the end of it. Dannie’s desire to plan everything in the future to the detriment of her life in the present is something I see in myself sometimes. I was encouraged by her journey to come out of that mindset and live in the moment.

Read for a wonderful story about the undeniable bond of love that two best friends had, and to feel inspired to do more, to be better in your everyday.

One of the best book I read this year. Power of premonition. Force of friendship and love. Make me cry.

Dannie knows exactly how the next five years of her live is going to go. After her boyfriend proposals, exactly as planned, Dannie wakes up in a different place, with a different man, and a different ring on her finger-in 2025, five years in the future. Dannie wakes up again in 2020 and tries to live life normally and she tries to make sense of her vision. Four and a half years later, Dannie meets the same man from her dream and tries to figure out how her life can change so fast.

This story was heartbreakingly beautiful and I couldn't put it down. The only reason it took me two sittings is because I had to go to sleep! I was afraid to read this one because of the over-hype but it did not disappoint. I haven't teared up reading a book in a while. This highly anticipated book is highly recommended from me. For fans of Jojo Moyes.

5/5 stars!

This book has been getting a lot of buzz and many of my Instagram friends have been raving about it, which is what prompted me to request an ARC. Having read it myself I’m not really sure how I feel. I'm hovering between 2.5-3 stars.

Manhattan lawyer Dannie has had a very eventful day. She nailed an interview for her dream job and just got engaged to her boyfriend David. She’s right on track with her five-year plan. Then she falls asleep and has a dream that feels so real, it’s as if it actually happened. She’s five years in the future in an apartment in Dumbo with a different ring on her finger and a man named Aaron that she’s never met before. When she wakes up she can’t shake this feeling that it was real. Four years later she meets this man in real time and he happens to be her best friend Bella’s new boyfriend. Her carefully planned life is no match for fate.

This book is wonderfully written and compulsively readable. Based on the synopsis I was expected a romantic comedy with a magical twist but I got something more along the lines of hard-hitting women’s fiction. The plot gets quite messy in the second half of the book. I’d argue that the true romance of the story is that of female friendship. Dannie and Bella’s friendship was the true highlight of this tale.

I loved New York as a setting and the city felt like a character in itself. There was a plot twist that I wasn’t expecting, which caused a very interesting turn of events. I couldn’t justify rooting for Dannie’s romance with Aaron because it made no sense especially since he was depicted as being very much in love with Bella. Dannie denying her feelings for Aaron was a smart move because it showed that she took Bella’s happiness in high regard but we knew that something would eventually happen because of the future dream from the beginning. Her original romance with her fiancé David was fine, albeit rather boring as David written as being very one dimensional.

<spoiler> I liked that there was no cheating. I hated that cancer was used as a plot device. </spoiler>

<I>I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.</I>

All the feeeels! 😭
Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the eARC of In Five Years in exchange for an honest review.
This is a story about the pursuit of goals, of love and friendship, and of the proverbial "five year plan".
Set in amazing New York, the story is told through Dannie alongside Bella, David and Aaron. Dannie's unexplained glimpse into her life five years down the road offers up questions and confusion and how life takes turns into completely unexpected places.
I inhaled this book in less than a day - it's a quick read but not simplistic. It's thoughtful and heartbreaking and even nostalgic. Lovely work from Rebecca Serle - recommended!
For release on March 10, 2020.

Review: In Five Years by Rebecca Serele ⭐️⭐️

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada and Netgalley for a copy of this book to review.

I really wanted to love this one. In Five Years is an example of how marketing went wrong for me. This is not a romance! I see where the author was trying to go with the love aspect that is alluded to in the synopsis, and it could have been great, but unfortunately it missed the mark for me.

There were aspect of Serle’s writing that I really enjoyed, there were wonderful descriptions of New York! I found it difficult to connect with the characters in this novel. Something would happen with the plot or a character would behave in a certain way that took me out of the story. I wasn’t really rooting for any of the relationships or friendships and I questioned them as some seemed pretty unhealthy. We are ‘told’ of some great aspects or bases for relationships but we don’t really ‘see’ as many as I would have liked. I wasn’t really feeling the friendship and didn’t understand the romantic conflict unfortunately. There is an aspect to this novel of self discovery, acceptance, and love that is important, and we eventually got there, but it was a windy road!

I do think this book will be a great one for Bookclubs and discussions. There are so many things to talk about here! I think many people will love this one and I definitely recognize that I will probably be in the minority. Sorry most of this review is pretty vague, I don’t want it to be spoilery.

There are trigger/content warnings

eARC WAS PROVIDED TO ME BY THE PUBLISHER AND NETGALLEY FOR A FAIR AND HONEST REVIEW
… (very light spoilers ahead) …

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this book! I was very excited to read this one because of the sheer amount of times I have seen it around the bookish sphere. Those who had had the chance to read it before hand were all of one mind: this book needs to be put onto your TBR!!

Now that I’ve read it, however, I’m not sure I’m on the side of LOVE for this book.

The premise was incredibly intriguing: a girl who is at the top of her game, has her whole life planned out, and is just waiting for her perfect boyfriend to pop the question after she has just scored her dream job. Perfect, right? That night, however, she slips ahead in time five years for an hour, and suddenly she’s in a different apartment with a different ring on her finger and a different man in her bed. Flash back, and Dannie chooses to push this off as just a dream. But was it?

Four and a half years later, she meets the man from her ‘dream.’ And four and a half years later, her life starts to become a lot less perfect than it had been.

So… okay. I’m going to keep this as spoiler free as possible because I think that if you want to dive into this book, go right ahead. I just want you to know that this is not a romance. It’s more of an ode to lifelong friendship and the heartbreaking realities of illness.

The story itself is good - and incredibly hard hitting, shocking, and painful to get through. I will admit to sobbing so hard during this book I scared my dog multiple times. It is an important story to share, I think, and the situation is handled very well by the author.
I just…
Really hated how the book ended. It felt as though we had only gotten to the halfway mark - there was no satisfying finale, there was no kernel of hope to leave on. Well, that’s kind of a lie - there’s one moment that I think was entirely unnecessary between Dannie and the Doc but like whatever choices were made - but yeah. Not NOT a good ending. And I get it - if it was meant to portray life in a way that is brutally honest like “oh life ends like this or this is just a slice of life,” I agree, but… books, like life, can be made a bit longer to wrap up the story just a bit better. The ending was rushed and cut short, and that still irritates me, even after sleeping on it.

I also had a slight issue with the writing - the style of it grated against my mind slightly as I read and it took me until the 50% mark to really feel as if I was into the story. And even then, I wasn’t enjoying it. The pacing of the book was off, which I guess was already stated by my hatred of the ending, but I feel like I needed to state that the rest of the story, though good, was not planned out. The beginning felt slow, and the end felt rushed. There was no balance in this book.

I’m going to give the book the benefit of the doubt, though, because that - all the weird pacing and the terrible ending - might be the books whole point. What if the author was going for a harder read, to convey a more visceral reaction to the hard story? I can get behind that… if it was done better.

I think the summation of my thoughts here are: I wish this story had been done a bit better, the story had better pacing, and that we just had… a bit more from it. More building of the relationships between characters, rather than the fleeting touches we get until the meet of the story is happening and you’re sobbing into your hands, you know? The gut wrenching pain that this story gives off are more because of my own feelings toward my own best friend, and less from my connection to the characters.

Ah. Maybe this book simply wasn’t for me. I can see why people have loved it, though, and I did enjoy it enough to keep reading and want to know what happened, but it was not my favourite read.

Dannie is living the dream; she has just scored the perfect job at a very impressive law firm in Manhattan and just got engaged to her perfect plan following boyfriend. But when Dannie wakes up, she finds herself in another apartment, next to another man with a different ring on her finger. The kicker: It’s exactly 5 years in the future. Dannie is thrown back into her real life in 2020 where she decides to ignore the dream, she had about her off-kilter future.

I was so excited about this book, the synopsis made me feel that there would be more of a supernatural feel to this story. I was expecting a story reminiscent of 13 Going On 30, but instead, I found myself waiting for a connection with the plot of the characters, but it didn’t quite hit the mark. I really loved the way that Dannie’s character was developed throughout the story but wish that there had been more time spent developing the relationship between Dannie and her best friend, Bella. I really enjoyed the light and easy writing style of In Five Years; it kept me engaged throughout. I can see the amazing elements of a great story in this plot but somehow it just didn’t connect in the right way for me. I can see this being a book that is enjoyed by contemporary romance lovers and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a book the captures the hardships of illness at a young age.

Wow! This was such a unique and vibrant story, I couldn't put it down. I loved how alive the characters were and they felt like I knew them. So much life and heartbreak within and I enjoyed every step. I really appreciated how the ending was done. Congrats to the author on blowing me away!

3.5 stars Where do I start with this book??? Not at all what I expected. A love story? Hmmm....not convinced...but definitely an emotional read towards the end. In order to preserve the crux of the story I will say nothing further about the storyline. Best going in blind...but beware that the description is somewhat misleading.

This author really knows how to write authentic dialogue. A couple of times I had to catch my breath it felt so raw and heartbreaking. I also loved the premise...”where do you see yourself in five years?”When Dannie, a type A with her whole life planned, has a premonition of herself in five years, she is in a strange apartment with a man who is not her fiancé. I was intrigued from the start to know where it was going.

It lost some points because I wish the characters had been less cliché and more relatable. I desperately wanted to connect with the MC but had such a hard time because she was so clinical for most of the story. I needed a little more warmth and vulnerability, which definitely came out towards the end. This was a book that had brilliant moments but also some misses. I think part of the difficulty was that I expected a different story from the one I got and I’m personally not a huge fan of these types of plots. (Sorry if I sound a bit cryptic but trying to avoid spoilers). HOWEVER I would encourage others to read this book because it is a heartfelt women’s fiction and one of those instances in which I would say “it’s me, not you”. I’m excited to see where this author goes next in her storytelling. Can’t wait!

A huge thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada and Atria Books, Rebecca Serle and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.