Reviews with content warning for Grief - The Dinner List

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."

Content Warnings

elenatamsen's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

stellashaughnessy's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

loved this book! such an interesting take on grief and growing up. heartwarming and easy to stay engaged, I finished this book in one day (and will definitely re-read in the future!). would absolutely recommend

Content Warnings

shannonmcarrillo's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Twist and turns throughout the entire book. Where this book went - I did not see coming.

Content Warnings

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