Scan barcode
kelly_e's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Title: The Dinner List
Author: Rebecca Serle
Genre: Magical Realism
Rating: 5.0
Pub Date: September 11, 2018
T H R E E • W O R D S
Magical • Original • Reflective
📖 S Y N O P S I S
When Sabrina walks into the restaurant for her annual birthday dinner with her best friend, Jessica, she finds a table for six, not two. Around the table she finds the five people - her father, an old professor, an ex-boyfriend, and Audrey Hepburn - on her list of people she'd want to have dinner with. Brought together for one night, Sabrina questions how they got there? And why the dinner is even happening?
💭 T H O U G H T S
I adored this book! I'm not going to lie it absolutely broke me and I needed to keep the kleenex close by as I neared the end. I connected so much with Sabrina (through a shared expereience), and the story will stay with me for a long time. The Dinner List has a touch of magic (without being unrealistic) combined with a touch of tragic. It explores the complexities and messiness of life - from first love, to loss and grief, to friendship, and finally to forgiveness and healing.
Told in alternating chapters, between the present day dinner, and flashbacks to the evolution of Sabrina and Tobais' relationship; the plot is well-written and unfolds at the perfect pace. I definitely didn't know where the relationship chapters were going to go, and it took awhile to really take an interest in that part of the story compared to the actual dinner. What makes Serle's books wonderful is the romance isn't the main focus. She explores different types of love beyond romantic love and that's absolutely beautiful. Additionally, here book don't always tie up nicely in a bow, which is parallel to real life.
Overall, this was an extremely reflective book, and made me question who my five people, living or dead, would be. It left me really pondering life in general and why I'd choose these five people. After reading this one, Rebecca Serle has become a favourite author of mine, and I cannot wait to dive into her 2022 release One Italian Summer
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• Rebecca Serle fans
• readers who loved The Light We Lost
• magical realism enthusiasts
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"'You know just because something is well known doesn't mean it's great or even good,' Tobias said."
"'Many things can be true at the same time,' Jessica says."
"That's the thing about life - these moments that define us emerge out of nothing. A missed call. A trip down the stairs. A car accident. They happen in a moment, a breath."
Author: Rebecca Serle
Genre: Magical Realism
Rating: 5.0
Pub Date: September 11, 2018
T H R E E • W O R D S
Magical • Original • Reflective
📖 S Y N O P S I S
When Sabrina walks into the restaurant for her annual birthday dinner with her best friend, Jessica, she finds a table for six, not two. Around the table she finds the five people - her father, an old professor, an ex-boyfriend, and Audrey Hepburn - on her list of people she'd want to have dinner with. Brought together for one night, Sabrina questions how they got there? And why the dinner is even happening?
💭 T H O U G H T S
I adored this book! I'm not going to lie it absolutely broke me and I needed to keep the kleenex close by as I neared the end. I connected so much with Sabrina (through a shared expereience), and the story will stay with me for a long time. The Dinner List has a touch of magic (without being unrealistic) combined with a touch of tragic. It explores the complexities and messiness of life - from first love, to loss and grief, to friendship, and finally to forgiveness and healing.
Told in alternating chapters, between the present day dinner, and flashbacks to the evolution of Sabrina and Tobais' relationship; the plot is well-written and unfolds at the perfect pace. I definitely didn't know where the relationship chapters were going to go, and it took awhile to really take an interest in that part of the story compared to the actual dinner. What makes Serle's books wonderful is the romance isn't the main focus. She explores different types of love beyond romantic love and that's absolutely beautiful. Additionally, here book don't always tie up nicely in a bow, which is parallel to real life.
Overall, this was an extremely reflective book, and made me question who my five people, living or dead, would be. It left me really pondering life in general and why I'd choose these five people. After reading this one, Rebecca Serle has become a favourite author of mine, and I cannot wait to dive into her 2022 release One Italian Summer
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• Rebecca Serle fans
• readers who loved The Light We Lost
• magical realism enthusiasts
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"'You know just because something is well known doesn't mean it's great or even good,' Tobias said."
"'Many things can be true at the same time,' Jessica says."
"That's the thing about life - these moments that define us emerge out of nothing. A missed call. A trip down the stairs. A car accident. They happen in a moment, a breath."
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Car accident, Death of parent, Grief, and Miscarriage
Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, Infidelity, Pregnancy, and Alcoholism
death of partnertheespressoedition's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It's been a very long time since a book has made me feel so deeply.
Sometime last year, I read In Five Years and fell in love with Serle's writing style. One of the things I noticed was that this book had a similar feeling to it. You begin the story not entirely sure of what the heck is happening but as it progresses and you understand all the pieces falling into place, you become emotionally attached to the characters and you actually feel what they're feeling.
When I finished The Dinner List, I had to set the book down, gulp in some air, and get a hug from my husband because I was crying so hard. I wasn't misty or even a little teary. I was near weeping. I can't even remember the last time a book had that effect on me.
You don't necessarily think you'll be emotionally impacted when you hear about a story where the protagonist gets to dine with her "anyone dead or alive" list. I mean, Audrey Hepburn, her estranged and deceased father, her college professor, her best friend, and her ex-boyfriend? What an odd compilation of characters. I appreciated how the story unfolded using a dual timeline. One chapter would take place at dinner and the next was past-tense, reliving what Sabrina experienced in her whirlwind (if not tumultuous) relationship with Tobias.
I found myself completely absorbed in their romance. I also posed the question of "who would I like to dine with?" on a number of occasions while I read. By the end, I was a wreck (in the best way), but also had a lot of thinking to do. It made me want to read this book again and again.
Sometime last year, I read In Five Years and fell in love with Serle's writing style. One of the things I noticed was that this book had a similar feeling to it. You begin the story not entirely sure of what the heck is happening but as it progresses and you understand all the pieces falling into place, you become emotionally attached to the characters and you actually feel what they're feeling.
When I finished The Dinner List, I had to set the book down, gulp in some air, and get a hug from my husband because I was crying so hard. I wasn't misty or even a little teary. I was near weeping. I can't even remember the last time a book had that effect on me.
You don't necessarily think you'll be emotionally impacted when you hear about a story where the protagonist gets to dine with her "anyone dead or alive" list. I mean, Audrey Hepburn, her estranged and deceased father, her college professor, her best friend, and her ex-boyfriend? What an odd compilation of characters. I appreciated how the story unfolded using a dual timeline. One chapter would take place at dinner and the next was past-tense, reliving what Sabrina experienced in her whirlwind (if not tumultuous) relationship with Tobias.
I found myself completely absorbed in their romance. I also posed the question of "who would I like to dine with?" on a number of occasions while I read. By the end, I was a wreck (in the best way), but also had a lot of thinking to do. It made me want to read this book again and again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Moderate: Toxic relationship
Minor: Infidelity
More...