Although I've had Famous in Love on my shelves for years, In Five Years was actually my first experience completing a novel by Rebecca Serle. And all I can say is swoon.


In Five Years
by Rebecca Serle

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.

Brimming with joy and heartbreak, In Five Years is an unforgettable love story that reminds us of the power of loyalty, friendship, and the unpredictable nature of destiny.


Audiobooks are becoming a serious must-have for me. Now that I've discovered that handy, dandy 2x the speed, consuming books in this form has become easier than ever. Add in an awesome narrator like my Broadway gal Megan Hilty, and you've got an epic form of storytelling that takes you out of the bleakness that is our current climate and into something new.  

This book was so beautifully written, creative, and highly engaging, I'm finding myself smiling even now. Somehow, it was as achingly sweet and heartbreaking as it was light and simple. In Five Years is one of those novels that will make you feel. 

Truly.

For a few hours, Rebecca Serle added a little light and colour to my world with In Five Years. So much of this story felt as though parts of me, parts of my friends, were reflected on page. In good, in bad, and in between. And then there were moments of this story that felt hazy with something like a dream.


In Five Years was the perfect antidote not only to what's outside our windows, but to the novels that I've been devouring as of late. Part of me, originally, expected this to be a one-off read that merely felt romantic and sweet; with hints of friendship and drama. But boy, was I wrong--In Five Years is so much more than any one trait and it packs a serious punch for its minimalist page count.

The first thing that stands out to me about In Five Years is, simply, the characters. They are easy to connect with and not without the standard complexities of humanity. As time passes, as the story develops, it's not unlike forming a friendship. My favourite stories are often driven by their characters and In Five Years is certainly a standout this year. 

If you were wondering, there's a little of everything featured in In Five Years. Mostly, it was a tale of self-discovery, ever-enduring friendships, living our lives, seeking out love and so much more. Serle's prose is pulsing with life and light, yet still mingled with harsher realities, making it easy to slip into the narration and make yourself at home.