In Five Years: A Novel

Cover 4/5 (plain but the gold detailing is beautiful) Characters 5/5 Plot 4.5/5 THE PLOT TURNING POINT-destroyed me/5 This book absolutely destroyed me. I had NO IDEA what I was getting myself into, literally just chose it because it was a short book we could try to read quickly for book club. Dannie reminds me a lot of me. Stubborn, number-oriented, by the book, very very rational. Bella reminded me of my best friend. Fun. Spontaneous. Adventurous. Artistic. It was easy to imagine ourselves rather than the characters while reading. Which made the hard part even harder. Read this book if you want to ugly cry. Read this book if you want a good reflective story to eat up quickly (I would've finished this book much quicker if the copy i bought wasn't misprinted and i had to pause). Just read the book. Once.

3.5 stars When I read the synopsis of In Five Years, I was immediately intrigued and couldn't wait to read it. I was expecting an epic love story, and I did get one, just not the one that I thought I would. I do not consider In Five Years a romance and would categorize it more as women's fiction. Readers should not expect a light and fluffy love story. There are romantic elements, but to me it was more a poignant celebration of friendship and sisterhood. I really enjoyed Rebecca Serle's writing overall, but I did feel that the pacing of the book was a little slow at times and overly detailed in certain areas. It made the book feel too long, and took away some of the emotional impact. The flash forward scene was done extremely well though and I loved how everything came together in the end. I'm still not really sure how to feel about the pseudo-love triangle that developed and how it concluded, but I can understand how grief and emotion could contribute to that outcome. Dannie, Bella, David, and Aaron were all likeable characters, but I didn't truly connect with or love any of them. I was invested enough in the story though to read this book in one sitting. I appreciated the message/theme that we cannot control life no matter how much we may want to and that there's a peace in letting go. Overall, an enjoyable read, but not quite what I was expecting. *I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*

I loved every moment of this book. I really wish I had the friendship that Bella and Dannie had. However, I do hate the fact that Dannie allowed herself to get that close with Aron. That is not a move that a best friend should make especially if you loooove her so much. I also think Serie did a good job with mixing magic and realism (I am not typically a fan of "magic"). Other than that, I like their friendship and I wish I had a bestfriend. Also, as a planner, this puts things in perspective for me. It is okay to let things just be. Not everything has to be planned out. Note to self: stop being anxious and "let it be".