Read June 12, 2020 – June 13, 2020
Rebecca Serle is a seasoned author who writes for both young adult and adult audiences. This particular novel really stood out to me when I was browsing through the bookstore because the cover is pretty and clean – I know, I know… we aren’t suppose to judge books by their covers but I’m sorry, it matters when you’re window shopping. The general idea for the novel intrigued me so I took a chance and decided I would download a copy on my Kindle once I got home.
What is it about?
Well there’s the what you think it’s gonna be about and then the what it’s actually about. I don’t feel I was entirely prepared for what I was going to be reading so I’m here to give you a better idea, without spoilers…which I am now realizing might be challenging. The leading lady of the story is Dannie and she has this wild and crazy dream, premonition even, about this guy that is definitely not the guy she is currently with. She’s the type of girl who is obsessed with numbers and plans every little detail of her life, so it’s not a surprise that the dream derails her a bit.
Between dream and some drama with her best friend, Dannie’s five-year plan veers off track and comes to somewhat of a halt. There’s Danni’s guy, the dream guy, the best friend, and the best friend’s guy and a lot of heartache along the way. I thought this would be more of a romantic comedy but there was not enough comedy…or romance really… to fit this book in that genre. I would say this book is more about the idea that the picture you paint for your life in the future may be different than it actually turns out in a very big way; that and how to evaluate and handle major crises.
What does it have?
- Female Friendship – the BESTIE kind
- Steady Romantic Relationship
- Loss 😥
- What-Ifs
This story, though it didn’t end up where I thought it would when I started, get’s you thinking about the cost of happiness; the sacrifices to achieve what you want and if the cost is worth the outcome – intended or not. As the narrator brings out, “Happiness. The end of all suffering” (In Five Years). If we are happy, we can’t possibly be suffering can we? Maybe we have to just work toward the five-year plan, toward what we think might bring us happiness, but keep in mind that there may be days we find ourselves in a winding stairwell and we’ll need to PIVOT…
Is it worth reading?
It’s very possible you’ll enjoy this novel, I enjoyed a lot of it even though there was a shocking plot point that broke my heart. I guess there was no way to really prepare me for it without spoilers and so I can’t prepare you. I think if you remove the expectation of rom-com and are still interested, then you will very much like what you read. I hope they consider bringing this to screen, though, because the way the story is set up would translate well.
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Nicolena Reads 