A review by mmarlborough
In Five Years by Rebecca Serle

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

This is my second Serle, and while I devoured it just like “One Italian Summer,” I had similar issues with it.

Dannie is a type A planner, living the life she’s curated for herself. On the fast track as a lawyer, she’s also living with her ambitious boyfriend who’s proposing to her with her dream ring. But she wakes up the next day after having a vivid dream of another life five years in the future, in a different apartment with a different man and a different engagement ring. Dannie doesn’t know what to make of this and tries to put it out of her mind, until she meets her best friend Bella’s new boyfriend: he’s the man from her dream/the future. How can this be? 

First, what I loved: the friendship was the focus of this novel and I loved the complexities of Bella and Dannie. I also really enjoyed the depth of NYC Serle showed (I loved this in “One Italian Summer” as well, so atmospheric!) It was really a love letter to the city. But I wanted more from this story. I found the end very rushed and wrapped up with a bow, just like in OIS. I don’t need the magical realism explained in detail but some hint about it would have been nice for my brain! While I enjoy Serle’s books while reading them, I’m always left wanting a bit more. 

I also can’t get over one plot hole, DM me about it please.

✨Trigger Warnings: Cancer, Medical Content, Infertility, Child Death