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shaeg77's review against another edition
1.0
This book was so slow and boring. I didn’t care at all for the main character and her bland boyfriend. Her best friend was a generic rich bestie.
lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I purchased a copy of this book from the library bookstore.
"In Five Years" follows Dannie Kohan. Dannie has the seemingly perfect life, and her grand plan is falling perfectly into place. She is about to land her dream job at a law firm, she is living in her dream apartment in New York City, and she is about to be proposed to by the perfect guy. But, on the night of her engagement, she falls asleep, and has the most vivid dream about what her life looks like five years into the future. Nothing turns out how she thought it would, and she does not know what that means for her present.
I would first like to say that I found this book in the romance section of the bookstore, and although there are some love stories, all of the romance felt more like a subplot. I think this is a hard-hitting contemporary that is far more about Dannie and her relationship with her best friend, Bella. I think this is a love letter to friends, and to one's self, because Dannie is forced to acknowledge some difficult truths she has hidden from herself.
I love the exploration of the idea: where do you see yourself in five years? It is often easy to dream and picture where life is going to take you, but everything can change in the blink of an eye. Dannie is a planner, and very much has the plan for life laid out. For her to see a future she did not envision is terrifying, and I think a lot of us would be shocked to see where our lives are actually going. I think this book also tries to tackle the idea that knowing the future can ruin the present. Dannie saw her future, thought she did not like it, and she stressed and tried everything in her power to steer away from it. Knowing does not make it better.
Dannie is such a relatable character, and I loved reading from her perspective. She is trying so hard to stick with her rigid plans, that she is missing all of the beautiful things she could have.
The pacing was great in the book. I did not feel like the story was taking place over five years, which I think is a great testament to the writing. All of the characters felt fleshed out, and I was rooting for them all in different ways.
I highly recommend this book, and I look forward to reading more from Rebecca Serle in the future.
"In Five Years" follows Dannie Kohan. Dannie has the seemingly perfect life, and her grand plan is falling perfectly into place. She is about to land her dream job at a law firm, she is living in her dream apartment in New York City, and she is about to be proposed to by the perfect guy. But, on the night of her engagement, she falls asleep, and has the most vivid dream about what her life looks like five years into the future. Nothing turns out how she thought it would, and she does not know what that means for her present.
I would first like to say that I found this book in the romance section of the bookstore, and although there are some love stories, all of the romance felt more like a subplot. I think this is a hard-hitting contemporary that is far more about Dannie and her relationship with her best friend, Bella. I think this is a love letter to friends, and to one's self, because Dannie is forced to acknowledge some difficult truths she has hidden from herself.
I love the exploration of the idea: where do you see yourself in five years? It is often easy to dream and picture where life is going to take you, but everything can change in the blink of an eye. Dannie is a planner, and very much has the plan for life laid out. For her to see a future she did not envision is terrifying, and I think a lot of us would be shocked to see where our lives are actually going. I think this book also tries to tackle the idea that knowing the future can ruin the present. Dannie saw her future, thought she did not like it, and she stressed and tried everything in her power to steer away from it. Knowing does not make it better.
Dannie is such a relatable character, and I loved reading from her perspective. She is trying so hard to stick with her rigid plans, that she is missing all of the beautiful things she could have.
The pacing was great in the book. I did not feel like the story was taking place over five years, which I think is a great testament to the writing. All of the characters felt fleshed out, and I was rooting for them all in different ways.
I highly recommend this book, and I look forward to reading more from Rebecca Serle in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Cancer, Death, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Medical content and Pregnancy
cupcakedawnie's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
This is a shining, beautiful masterpiece of a novel. I am overwhelmed. It's perfect, something very rare for me to say about a book.
crispyfries's review against another edition
3.0
I read this book in a couple days and enjoyed but definitely won’t reread. It has a lot of twists and turns, but I never really felt super attached to any of the characters. I wish more time was spent getting to know them and less on work stuff. Also the amount of brand names dropped in this book was annoying. I swear every page has a reference to some brand, clothing or otherwise.
lindseyottta's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
4.0
lexniekamp's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
izzys_internet_bookshelf's review against another edition
4.0
4.5/5
Really enjoyed this book!!! I’ve been wanted to read it for a while! I enjoyed the phot and was surprised on how fast things seemed to move. My one thing about the book is it seemed like the plot took away from the romance and I felt the romance was going to be the center of the story.
Really enjoyed this book!!! I’ve been wanted to read it for a while! I enjoyed the phot and was surprised on how fast things seemed to move. My one thing about the book is it seemed like the plot took away from the romance and I felt the romance was going to be the center of the story.
juliaarciga's review against another edition
5.0
Thought this book was gonna go one direction but it changed course in a heartbreaking way. I cried a few times. An extremely bittersweet book.
alissa417's review against another edition
4.0
Rebecca Serle’s In Five Years (272 pp. Atria Books, $27.00) inventively flashes forward in time after protagonist, Dannie Kohan, interviews for a new position at a law firm and becomes engaged to her long-time boyfriend. Upon falling asleep, Kohan spends an hour in her life five years later – complete with a new apartment and a new man – only to return to her former self, with total recall of what she believes lies in her future. What seems to be a plot twist for purely romantic purposes takes a sharply dramatic turn, instead examining the bonds of friendship. Serle packs a (light) punch here and produced something worth an afternoon of your time. Buy it here and support indie bookshops: https://bookshop.org/a/36/9781982137441