Review of In Five Years

Is it me, or have there been a lot of books recently that seem like one thing and then turn out to be something completely different? Check out my Review of In Five Years by Rebecca Serle!

In Five Years by Rebecca Serle. Published on March 10, 2020 by Atria Books.

Synopsis: 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—but in 2025, five years in the future. When Dannie wakes back in 2020, she can’t shake what has happened. That is, until four-and-a-half years later, when by chance Dannie meets the very same man from her long-ago vision.

Review of In Five Years

It’s always a weird feeling when you see rave reviews for a book that just wasn’t for you, and that’s what happened to me with In Five Years.

I thought I was getting chick lit – a book about an ambitious Manhattan twenty-something in a committed but dull relationship who suddenly has a vivid dream about sex with another guy and realizes that she needs to make big changes in her life. An empowering and inspiring read.

But that wasn’t what I got. Without spoilers (you can find those in my Goodreads review of In Five Years) this book had elements that, to me, were an equal measure weird and depressing. First (and this is not a spoiler; it’s in the synopsis) when she meets the sex guy in real life he is … her best friend’s boyfriend. I did not enjoy this plot twist in One Day In December and didn’t enjoy it here.

But then the story got pretty dark and sad and even weirder. I didn’t really understand the overall point. By the end I decided I the book was meant to be about friendship, but if that is the case I think more time needed to be spent on her relationship with her best friend and less on her job and her boyfriend.

That said, other people on my Goodreads feed really liked it. And, let’s be honest, the last few weeks have not exactly been a normal reading time for any of us. If you want to cry, you could try this. If you are looking for a feel-good book, I don’t think this is your best choice. If you want to read a book about someone in an uninspiring relationship who DOES change her life, try No, We Can’t Be Friends – it’s what I though this book would be!

Have you read this? Have any feel-good book recommendations for us? Tell me in comments!