Book of the Month
Chele’s Pick
by Michele Tester
In Five Years by Rebecca Serle published in 2020 a romance novel This was my first read by this author. It was suggested to me by my daughter, who is an avid reader. I have to say that the ending I predicted didn’t pan out as I had expected. I liked that. I found it to be an easy read, and it kept my interest throughout. It’s been praised for its “fast-paced plot, compelling story, and thoughtful writing.”
The storyline was unique in that the main character gets a “glimpse” five years into her future, for only one hour, and what she experiences and sees in that one hour sends her on an exploration of herself and her current life, what she has always believed, fate versus choice, friendship, and where she truly sees herself in her future. This story is not only about romance. It has a powerful message about true, deep friendship; about grief and loss; about destiny and life’s unpredictability; and about what loyalty truly means. Are our futures predetermined or do we have the power to choose our own paths? Or is it both?
The main character, Dannie Kohan, is a meticulously planned lawyer. A Type A personality, who thinks her life is going exactly as she planned. She has a detailed five-year plan for her future. Dannie plans everything, down to the last detail. She will have a job at a prestigious firm. She will be married to her longtime boyfriend, David. They will live in her dream neighborhood.
But then, the night after a successful job interview with her d ream job and her boyfriend’s proposal, Dannie experiences a powerful, vivid dream five years into the future. She finds herself in an unfamiliar apartment, with a ring on her finger that isn’t her engagement ring, and with a man who is not her longtime boyfriend. She notices the television in the background, and she can just make out the date scrolling on it. It’s the same night as when she went to bed—December 15—but it’s 2025, five years in the future. Dannie wakes again, at the brink of midnight, back in 2020. Dannie chalks it up to just a dream, but she just can’t seem to shake it. The dream was so intense, so real. It felt so much more than just a dream, but Dannie doesn’t believe in visions.
She tries to bury herself in her career and her relationship with David, living as if the dream never existed. Yet, it’s something she just can’t seem to stop thinking about. It keeps pulling her back in. But she has to stick to her plan.
Four and a half years later, Dannie unexpectedly meets the man from her dream, who, it turns out, is the new boyfriend of her lifelong spontaneous and fun-loving best friend, Bella.
Dannie and Bella’s friendship is a cornerstone of the story, with Bella’s free-spirited nature contrasting with Dannie’s meticulous planning nature. Bella believes in fate and destiny, while Dannie believes in planning and structure. Their deep bond is tested when both of their lives take unexpected turns.
This book explores the power of loyalty, friendship, and love, and how deep connections shape our lives.
In Five Years is an unforgettable love story, but it won’t be the one you’re expecting.
A favorite quote from the book:
“You mistake love. You think it has to have a future in order to matter, but it doesn’t. It’s the only thing that does not need to become at all. It matters only insofar as it exists. Here. Now. Love doesn’t require a future.”
― Rebecca Serle, In Five Years
