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sassyyabby's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer
Moderate: Pregnancy, Vomit, Medical trauma, Medical content, Grief, and Alcohol
rebwingetwalls's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Cancer, Grief, and Death
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
whillsjournal's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book was not about what I thought it would be (the flap did not lie). I was able to predict the ending around the two-thirds mark due to the given context clues and foreshadowing, though the journey of getting there was not so obvious. This was incredibly sad, and the twist half way through made it clear the tone of this was going to be much more The Fault in Our Stars than a triumphant love story. Dannie was somewhat unlikable, as I wanted her to be happy and succeed, but she never did what she needed to in order to do that, which caused a lot of harm to others, further perpetuating the state of affairs that ultimately seem unbelievable they would last so long without change when they are observed and acknowledged by those affected. Worth a read yes, but a masterpiece it is not.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer
Moderate: Grief, Car accident, and Child death
Minor: Infidelity
sydny_n's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I thought this was a romance but for the first time in my life I was pleasantly surprised it wasn’t. It made me reflect on some things I really need to with my life. And I loved the “After” chapter. Knowing that we never get to see the possible love she has with Dr.Shaw is both beautiful and sad. Honestly, just like this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Pregnancy, Grief, Medical content, Miscarriage, Death, and Cancer
joprokop's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Grief, and Death
stellahadz's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
This is the first book in a while that I've finished in a single day. It's definitely a page-turner, and even though you think you know what's coming the entire time, you never quite do. The premise of the book was interesting, and the feel of the story reminded me of Taylor Jenkins Reid's One True Loves (although I have to say I liked OTL a little more than In Five Years!)
It's a fun, cute romance novel, and I loved reading about Dannie and Bella's friendship. However, the "magic" of the book started to fade for me about halfway through, and the second half of the book felt rushed, which was a shame because it dealt with topics that could have been beautifully and profoundly explored. The ending did redeem the book just a bit, specifically the final line: "So be it, so let it be." Overall it's great as a quick, fun read, but if you're looking for something on the same level of depth as One Day or About Time, which deal with similar themes, you might be disappointed.
It's a fun, cute romance novel, and I loved reading about Dannie and Bella's friendship. However, the "magic" of the book started to fade for me about halfway through, and the second half of the book felt rushed, which was a shame because it dealt with topics that could have been beautifully and profoundly explored. The ending did redeem the book just a bit, specifically the final line: "So be it, so let it be." Overall it's great as a quick, fun read, but if you're looking for something on the same level of depth as One Day or About Time, which deal with similar themes, you might be disappointed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Cancer
Moderate: Grief, Sexual content, and Infidelity
rachel26's review against another edition
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death, and Cancer
betsfio's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Cancer, and Death
bethany_b's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
The first half is good. The second half felt like purgatory. The MC(Danni) is unlikeable, controlling (which is said in the text), and possessive. Every other character is just their to serve Danni in whatever words of wisdom she needs next. Danni never learns her lessons and is very close to the same character she was at the beginning. Also the queer characters just felt like an excuse not to give them a personality.
Hey. Don’t fall in love with your bsf boyfriend while their DYING OF CANCER. Also she was rewarded for being a workaholic. This book makes me want to bang my head on something.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer and Grief