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ljbentley27's review against another edition
4.0
In Twenty Years is the first book that I have read by Allison Winn Scotch but it certainly won’t be my last. I loved this story.
It is about how our expectations of the future versus the reality often careen down very different paths. In Twenty Years focuses on five friends (Colin, Owen, Catherine, Annie and Lindy) who all turn up at their old university digs at the behest of Bea, their friend who died seventeen years ago. When they are there they start to reveal their true selves and not the picture perfect portrait in which they have previously presented their lives.
It is at their Alma Mata that they start confronting old grievances, present dramas and try to remember the hopeful, optimistic people that they once were.
In short, In Twenty Years is a wonderful book. It is a great read for those who are maybe a little dissatisfied with how their life has turned out; it is a reminder that life is what you make of it and that you have to make it count every day.
I really loved In Twenty Years. It was such a satisfying book. You loved all the characters but equally recognised their flaws. I think what impressed me most about Allison Winn Scotch’s reunion story is that she made the narrative unambiguously ambiguous. You had the closure you needed from the main story thread but the fact that not everything was tied up in a neat little bow made it all the more realistic; the cast of characters who made up In Twenty Years still had issues that they needed to resolve. This made it all the more realistic and as a reader I really appreciated this.
If I was going to describe this book to someone I would say it is a more readable and less macabre version of The Secret History by Donna Tartt. Much more readable, accessible and honestly it is just a much better story.
In Twenty Years deserves a place on your summer reading list.
In Twenty Years by Allison Winn Scotch is available now.
For more information regarding Allison Winn Scotch (@aswinn) please visit www.allisonwinn.com.
It is about how our expectations of the future versus the reality often careen down very different paths. In Twenty Years focuses on five friends (Colin, Owen, Catherine, Annie and Lindy) who all turn up at their old university digs at the behest of Bea, their friend who died seventeen years ago. When they are there they start to reveal their true selves and not the picture perfect portrait in which they have previously presented their lives.
It is at their Alma Mata that they start confronting old grievances, present dramas and try to remember the hopeful, optimistic people that they once were.
In short, In Twenty Years is a wonderful book. It is a great read for those who are maybe a little dissatisfied with how their life has turned out; it is a reminder that life is what you make of it and that you have to make it count every day.
I really loved In Twenty Years. It was such a satisfying book. You loved all the characters but equally recognised their flaws. I think what impressed me most about Allison Winn Scotch’s reunion story is that she made the narrative unambiguously ambiguous. You had the closure you needed from the main story thread but the fact that not everything was tied up in a neat little bow made it all the more realistic; the cast of characters who made up In Twenty Years still had issues that they needed to resolve. This made it all the more realistic and as a reader I really appreciated this.
If I was going to describe this book to someone I would say it is a more readable and less macabre version of The Secret History by Donna Tartt. Much more readable, accessible and honestly it is just a much better story.
In Twenty Years deserves a place on your summer reading list.
In Twenty Years by Allison Winn Scotch is available now.
For more information regarding Allison Winn Scotch (@aswinn) please visit www.allisonwinn.com.
cubsfan3410reads's review against another edition
4.0
This was a wonderful read. I loved the characters, the storyline, just everything about it.
Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy.
Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy.
loribree83's review against another edition
4.0
This is the first book I've read by Allision Winn Scotch, and I definitely want to go back and read her other novels after reading this one! I related so well to this book. I'm not twenty years out of college, (I'm 11), but enough to completely relate to this book. I felt like all the characters were my friends from the first few pages. Though I loved some characters more than others, I loved their group as a whole. Annie and Colin were my two favorites. And of course I loved Bea!
I loved how real this story was. Each character had their own set of challenges, problems, secrets, and successes. I also loved the writing style! This is a perfect summer relaxing read for this summer! I loved the reunion theme, and thought the author did a beautiful job of showing how your past is important to your present. A 2016 must read!
I loved how real this story was. Each character had their own set of challenges, problems, secrets, and successes. I also loved the writing style! This is a perfect summer relaxing read for this summer! I loved the reunion theme, and thought the author did a beautiful job of showing how your past is important to your present. A 2016 must read!
anjana's review against another edition
4.0
https://superfluousreading.wordpress.com/2017/03/25/in-twenty-years-a-novel-scotch-allison-winn/
larcher's review against another edition
2.0
Copy was furnished by NetGalley for an honest review. I wanted to love this book, but I didn't. It felt like a modern retelling of The Big Chill. I did not think the characters had many redeeming qualities. It felt like I was reading about a group of people who were all going through mid-life crisis'. I also wish some of the story lines had wrapped up, it felt unfinished.
meags1's review against another edition
2.0
I'm a sucker for reunion books, but some of the characters were so unlikeably selfish.
sams_bookstagram's review against another edition
4.0
This book will have you nostalgic for your college years and questioning if you have become who you thought you would in those pivotal college years.
This is the story of 5 friends returning over the 4th of July to their college home to celebrate one friend who passed away. This is a story of life, forgiveness, and friendship at its core.
This is the story of 5 friends returning over the 4th of July to their college home to celebrate one friend who passed away. This is a story of life, forgiveness, and friendship at its core.
ioanaisreading's review against another edition
2.0
College never ends.
That was the phrase that kept poping into my head while reading this book. I did find myself cheering for the characters and cheering some of them on. The premise of the book was appealing, but after I reached the half of the book and nothing seemed "to happen" I started fearing for the characters. If you are looking for a book that changes dramatically over its length, this is not it. There were little bits of information thrown throughout the novel alluding to the ending, bur for the most part things stayed constant.
A tight group throughout college, 5 old friends reunite in their old college house. What prompted them was their old friend's wish to celebrate her birthday two years before their twentieth college reunion. They are changed and unchanged at the same time, their friendship no longer their lifeline as it used to be in the past, they are akward in each other's presence, but they carry on with the weekend.
The novel zooms in on a different character in each chapter, so you learn something about everyone, both from their college life and their present day life. My favourite thing about this novel was that it didn't end how I predicted or how I hoped. However, the ending did feel like the best natural way to wrap things up . It left you hoping and rooting for the characters, without tying it with a pretty ribbon as if their lives ended with the last full-stop of the novel.
It is not the deepest novel I have ever read, but it gives the reader some things to ponder on. I am sure it would be better appreciated by readers who are in their late 30s or early 40s, but we the 20s can find valuable things in it as well.
I received a free e-book copy from the publisher via Net Galley. All thoughts expressed here are my own.
That was the phrase that kept poping into my head while reading this book. I did find myself cheering for the characters and cheering some of them on. The premise of the book was appealing, but after I reached the half of the book and nothing seemed "to happen" I started fearing for the characters. If you are looking for a book that changes dramatically over its length, this is not it. There were little bits of information thrown throughout the novel alluding to the ending, bur for the most part things stayed constant.
A tight group throughout college, 5 old friends reunite in their old college house. What prompted them was their old friend's wish to celebrate her birthday two years before their twentieth college reunion. They are changed and unchanged at the same time, their friendship no longer their lifeline as it used to be in the past, they are akward in each other's presence, but they carry on with the weekend.
The novel zooms in on a different character in each chapter, so you learn something about everyone, both from their college life and their present day life. My favourite thing about this novel was that it didn't end how I predicted or how I hoped. However, the ending did feel like the best natural way to wrap things up . It left you hoping and rooting for the characters, without tying it with a pretty ribbon as if their lives ended with the last full-stop of the novel.
It is not the deepest novel I have ever read, but it gives the reader some things to ponder on. I am sure it would be better appreciated by readers who are in their late 30s or early 40s, but we the 20s can find valuable things in it as well.
I received a free e-book copy from the publisher via Net Galley. All thoughts expressed here are my own.
whatsheread's review against another edition
I tend to steer clear of women’s fiction, as I am not a fan of the typically lighter themes and the tendency for excessively happy and tidy endings. However, that does not stop me from trying the genre every now and again to see if my opinions have changed. Allison Winn Scotch’s In Twenty Years was, for me, one of those chances I took. Thankfully, it was a successful chance as well.
The story has several things going for it that tipped the balance in its favor. For one, the ages of the main characters was perfect. There is something about turning forty that makes you reflect on your life, where you thought you would be versus where you actually are. In addition, it is an age where most people’s careers are really beginning to take off. You are no longer a new employee and have most likely moved up the ladder to middle or even upper management. You have experience and success to varying degrees. You should be experiencing financial freedom and are in general quite literally in the middle of your life. Ms. Scotch gets that and it shows in her characters. This group of friends are not young and optimistic. They are weary as forty-year-olds everywhere are weary. They have had their successes and their failures, which has made them individually stronger. Those college years seem a long time in the past. Readers who have hit this particular milestone will know just how they feel.
Then there is their interactions with each other. After so many years apart, it is stilted and uncomfortable, and it should be as it is a very rare group of friends that can pick back up as if no time has past. At the same time, it speaks volumes to their allegiance to one another and the closeness of their friendships that they would each drop everything and give up their holiday weekend to get back together again. Watching them feel their way back into each other’s lives is part of the story’s appeal. They are all older, wiser, and more likely to speak up if something is bothering them, but they carry within them the same vulnerabilities and insecurities they did when they were younger and relied on each other.
The best part about the story is how realistic it is. Granted, in some aspects it is a bit of a fluff story; the degree of success for all of them is one such area. For the most part however, the rest is as mundane as real life. Even the ending, while hopeful, is anything but tidy. These are characters who could be your own friends, struggling with feelings of inadequacy, loneliness, and anxiety as they work towards taking that next step in their careers, relationships, lives.
In Twenty Years is a very enjoyable novel about growing up no matter what age. It is a wonderful reminder that you are never to old or young to reflect on your life, take chances, make changes, and have fun. At times amusing, at other times depressing, Ms. Scotch’s latest novel is always entertaining while also gentle guidance on the importance of friendships at any age.
The story has several things going for it that tipped the balance in its favor. For one, the ages of the main characters was perfect. There is something about turning forty that makes you reflect on your life, where you thought you would be versus where you actually are. In addition, it is an age where most people’s careers are really beginning to take off. You are no longer a new employee and have most likely moved up the ladder to middle or even upper management. You have experience and success to varying degrees. You should be experiencing financial freedom and are in general quite literally in the middle of your life. Ms. Scotch gets that and it shows in her characters. This group of friends are not young and optimistic. They are weary as forty-year-olds everywhere are weary. They have had their successes and their failures, which has made them individually stronger. Those college years seem a long time in the past. Readers who have hit this particular milestone will know just how they feel.
Then there is their interactions with each other. After so many years apart, it is stilted and uncomfortable, and it should be as it is a very rare group of friends that can pick back up as if no time has past. At the same time, it speaks volumes to their allegiance to one another and the closeness of their friendships that they would each drop everything and give up their holiday weekend to get back together again. Watching them feel their way back into each other’s lives is part of the story’s appeal. They are all older, wiser, and more likely to speak up if something is bothering them, but they carry within them the same vulnerabilities and insecurities they did when they were younger and relied on each other.
The best part about the story is how realistic it is. Granted, in some aspects it is a bit of a fluff story; the degree of success for all of them is one such area. For the most part however, the rest is as mundane as real life. Even the ending, while hopeful, is anything but tidy. These are characters who could be your own friends, struggling with feelings of inadequacy, loneliness, and anxiety as they work towards taking that next step in their careers, relationships, lives.
In Twenty Years is a very enjoyable novel about growing up no matter what age. It is a wonderful reminder that you are never to old or young to reflect on your life, take chances, make changes, and have fun. At times amusing, at other times depressing, Ms. Scotch’s latest novel is always entertaining while also gentle guidance on the importance of friendships at any age.
randi701's review against another edition
3.0
Kind of torn on this book. Liked the premise, not necessarily the execution. I know characters need some 'human/not perfect' elements, but I don't think we saw enough of the good sides of them to make them very likable, so I didn't get very invested.