Book Review: In Five Years by Rebecca Serle

This is an extremely uncertain time. Nobody really knows what’s going to happen in the next five weeks, months, years with everything going on. What we do know is that, in these times especially, there’s nothing better than settling down with a book.

I’ve never read any of the books by Rebecca Serle but, when I came across this book on my Kindle (and saw the price!), I couldn’t resist giving it a read.

Blurb

Where do you see yourself in five years?

When Type-A Manhattan lawyer Dannie Cohan is asked this question at the most important interview of her career, she has a meticulously crafted answer at the ready. Later, after nailing her interview and accepting her boyfriend’s marriage proposal, Dannie goes to sleep knowing she is right on track to achieve her five-year plan.

But when she wakes up, she’s suddenly in a different apartment, with a different ring on her finger, and beside a very different man. The television news is on in the background, and she can just make out the scrolling date. It’s the same night—December 15—but 2025, five years in the future.

After a very intense, shocking hour, Dannie wakes again, at the brink of midnight, back in 2020. She can’t shake what has happened. It certainly felt much more than merely a dream, but she isn’t the kind of person who believes in visions. That nonsense is only charming coming from free-spirited types, like her lifelong best friend, Bella. Determined to ignore the odd experience, she files it away in the back of her mind.

That is, until four-and-a-half years later, when by chance Dannie meets the very same man from her long-ago vision.

Review

I didn’t really know what to expect where this book was concerned. Though incredibly beautiful, the cover gave very little away but – based on the synopsis – I had a feeling that there would be a bit of time-hopping at least.

Dannie Cohan has a plan: she’ll get the job, get married and find her dream place. What we see at first glance is a driven and determined character, she knows what she wants and knows what to do to get it. As you read on, you find that Dannie is fiercely loyal to her friend Bella and – when her future is put in jeopardy – her character becomes vulnerable and sensitive and real.

The relationships in the book were hit-and-miss for me. I thought Dani and her boyfriend, David, were nice at first. I just got the feeling, straight off the bat, that they weren’t that great as couple. I actually liked David a lot more than Dani and I didn’t like how the dynamic shifted when Aaron was introduced. I also wasn’t crazy when Aaron and Dannie kind of got together in the book, I know it was for drama at first and then closure later but I just don’t think they worked in any capacity (maybe it’s the cynic in me that’s protesting?).

I liked the friendship in the book. The friendship between Bella and Dani was sweet, authentic and it made me think of my own friendships and how far we go for our friends. I liked both of them together, as they gelled really well, and the fact that they both had their flaws made them seem incredibly real but also quite likeable (especially when they’re together).

I also liked the overall idea that a lot can change in five years. I don’t particularly have a five year plan (let alone a five minute plan)  so I couldn’t relate to that aspect of Dani’s story, but I think we can all relate to the fact that – sometimes – things work out a lot different than we imagined. I think, without the five year leap into the future, the book would’ve got tiresome and boring but it definitely improved the pacing.

The one thing I wasn’t so keen on was the need to put Dani and Aaron together – even for a brief moment. I think this muddled the plot a bit and it meant the ending felt rushed and anti-climactic for me.

Other than that, I liked this book. I liked the concept of time, the friendships and the fact that it was unpredictable. It was emotional, heartfelt and insightful – I’d definitely suggest reading with tissues at the ready!

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 stars

Have you read this book? What did you think of it? Alternatively, what are you reading? I’d love to chat in the comments 😊.

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