In Five Years: A Novel
4.3 | 92,552 ratings
Price: 13.12
Last update: 03-02-2026
Top reviews from the United States
- strohgreat readVery enjoyable book. It was heartfelt, yet exciting. I would recommend In Five Years to others. Well done, thank you.
- Sandra TannerBeautifulIt's a beautiful story. It wasn't what I expected, but I am very glad it wasn't.
Highly recommend - Afsaneh D. PantaniBella and DannieBeautifully written and emotionally resonant, In Five Years is a story that stayed with me long after I turned the last page. At its heart is a friendship so deep and true, its the kind most people only dream of having. Rebecca Serle captures that bond with such authenticity and tenderness. Its impossible not to be moved. The novels explores life's unpredictability. The doubts we all carry, the plans we cling to, and the moments that challenge everything we thought we knew. This isn't just a love story in the traditional sense, its about the love between friends, the love we have for the life we imagined, and how fate sometimes has other plans. Absolutely excellent in every way.
- jesica loveNot what I expected at allHmmm. So this is a good book. But I’m mad b/c I feel betrayed. The back of the book says it’s about Dannie, and how the night she gets engaged to her longtime boyfriend David, she falls asleep. And then she wakes up and spends one hour 5 years in the future. A different apartment, a different ring, a different man. “It’s a love story, but it is not the one you’re expecting”.
Ok, so spoiler alert. If you’re planning to read the book, maybe you shouldn’t read this review and should just read the book as it’s meant to be read. But I would have liked a warning. This is a story about friendship. Dannie and Bella have been best friends since they were 7. While Dannie is conservative and loves to plan, Bohemian Bella flies by the seat of her pants and goes where the wind takes her. They are so different, but are twin souls. And I think the story of their friendship would have been enough. But instead, I was told it was a love story about a woman and two potential men. And I was definitely not warned that this would be a crying book, but the last 20 pages had me just over misty.
Overall, this was not the book I thought I’d be reading. And while it was good, I feel like I’ve been tricked and I’m mad about it. - ElizabethPerfect summer book!Dannie has had her life planned out since she was a little girl. Get into the good school, find the right job, meet the guy, find the perfect job, get engaged, get married, buy the house, and maybe one day, have the kid. So far, everything is going according to her plan. She has made it to the "get engaged" moment and it is perfect. She has the man of her dreams and everything is on track to meet all of her goals. But the night of her engagement, something makes her swerve off course. She dreams a very vivid and real dream that it is 5 years in the future and she is in a different apartment and has a different ring on her finger, and there is a different man in her life. She wakes up suddenly and tries to forget. 4 and a half years go by and Dannie still hasn't set a wedding date...life keeps getting in the way. One night she and her fiance meet her best friend, Bella, for dinner on a double date only to find that her best friend's date is the man she dreamed about. All Dannie can think about why he is in her life and more importantly, how she can change the future. Along the way, Dannie has to learn many hard lessons, including accepting the unexpected.
Told from Dannie's perspective, this fast paced and heart breaking novel, examines love and one's chosen family. The author uses "the dream" to frame the entire story and I loved the feel and rhythm of this book. It feels suspenseful knowing Dannie is on somewhat of a countdown. This isn't a romance book (believe me, not my thing) but it is a love story. It is a rather short novel, which made it a fast read, but I found myself wanting more. I would have liked to have seen a little more plot development before the story's major twist occurred. But overall, I really enjoyed and would recommend to anyone wanting a heartfelt, yet not sappy, summer read. - judy e whiteEnthrallingI couldn’t put it down. Such a wonderful story of friendship with all its ups and downs, hurts and happiness.
- Marie MCouldn't stop reading...This story grabbed me right off. I felt as tho I knew both women and could feel what they were feeling. Couldn't figure out how things were going to be explained in a way that would make sense, but everything happened the way it should. I don't want to say too much as you need to go thru it as it's happening in the story. Excellent book. So glad I got to experience it.
- Tabby1249Interesting premise, unexpected endingWhen I read the Amazon “blurb” on this book, I went into it thinking it would be one of those two friends who agree that “if we’re not married by the time we’re 35, we’ll get together” books.
It was not that. Instead, this is an interesting and sometimes uncomfortable look at the truth of the old saying that “life is what happens when you’re making other plans.” This book, with its very interesting premise, is testimony to that frustration and futility.
I still haven’t resolved my feelings on the ending. For me, it was a bit surprising, but overall it makes sense.