In Five Years by Rebecca Serle Book Review
“I used to think that the present determined the future. That if I worked hard and long, I’d get the things I wanted. The job, the apartment, the life. That the future was simply a mound of clay waiting to be told by the present what form to take. But that isn’t true. It can’t be. Because I did everything right. I got engaged to David. I stayed away from Aaron. I got Bella to forget about that apartment. And yet . . . “
(pg. 225)
About
Author: Rebecca Serle
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Click to read other book reviews
Synopsis
When Type-A Manhattan lawyer Dannie Kohan 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.
Review
Spoilers Contained Below
To the best friends we love,
Where do you see yourself in five years?
That is a question most people are asked. I have been asked that in middle school and all throughout high school. Heck, for one of my assignments I had to draw a map of my five year plan. There is nothing wrong with having an idea or a goal in five years, but that is so much pressure to put on someone when five years from now things change. Things are changing. In five years, you change and your life can change.
A lot can happen in five years.
A lot did happen for Dannie.
Dannie is the type of person who loves to plan and she lives by a timeline. Again, no judgement if you are like Dannie! Dannie just felt like she had everything figured out—-she knew what she wanted, where she wanted to be, and who she wanted to be with. I found it interesting how she always knew the timing of things, I felt like it was a comfort to know the numbers. Dannie also seemed like a person who valued routine and comfort. I do too.
I believe Dannie is who she is because of her brother’s accident. That was a traumatic and devastating experience as a kid—-to lose someone so close to you at a young age. It probably shook her world and made her realize how precious time was. The accident probably also made her feel like she had no control and so that is why she likes to plan, expect, and keep track of time. Those things are within her control. It also made sense why Dannie took an interest in law. My goodness, do I respect a woman in law. Honestly, Dannie’s a boss freaking woman and I was here for it! No one could stop her and her goals. I LOVE a powerful woman—aka all women.
I also respected Dannie because she went to therapy after her brother passed away. It’s not easy to go to therapy because of the stigma. I am glad that there wasn’t a stigma in this book because Dannie had very real experiences and emotions and she felt like she needed help. There is no shame in that.
Besides all these things, when asked where she saw herself in five years, Dannie did not even blink an eye. She knew her future. And that kind of made me unsettled. Because it felt sad that she knew everything that she was going to do and that she had all these expectations for her life and for me, it felt like Dannie felt content or distant from her five year plan. I felt like it was just a plan she knew by heart and she was reciting it like a robot. That’s no fun. Dannie knowing her five years plan to a T made me think about how sometimes we want to know the future because it would be interesting, but sometimes there comes a feeling of for lack of a better word, this-is-happening-to-me feeling. What I mean by this is that when it feels like we know everything that we will do in the future, we might just feel like what is happening is happening without feeling like we can make a choice about it. I felt like Dannie was going through the motions of her future and didn’t want to live it. I mean, she did not sound excited about her future. Your future should excite you. Your five year plan, your five month, or five minute plan should make you excited. I did not feel Dannie’s excitement, more so dread like this was her life and that was that.
This kind of goes hand in hand with David.
David was comfortable. He was easy. He was just there. Literally 😅.
I found the way Dannie and David met to be so anticlimactic and despairing. I mean, Dannie liked her college friend Adam and then she went to some bar with him. And guess who was “just there?” DAVID 🙃. Dannie and David talked, but Dannie liked Adam still. But Adam told her to hit up David, and then that was that. And that’s SUCH a miserable story if you ask me 😅. If Dannie liked Adam, she shouldn’t have just settled for David because he was convenient and comfortable. That did not seem right. I mean, David wasn’t even her first choice.
I felt like she settled for convenience and comfort. No judgment, but she deserved SO MUCH more. Everyone knew that, but her.
Even when she talked about David, it seemed like a business deal. When David proposed in the fancy rooftop restaurant, how unromantic of her to expect it and know exactly what would happen. How sad was it that she felt like everyday was the same and she could expect the same thing from David—-to drink beer with his feet on the couch or to say these things. Where’s the spice? Where’s the spark? She also would say how right their relationship was. Right? I am sorry, I thought relationships were about love, not just feeling right? Right? Gosh, I could tell she loved him because David was a good man. By all means, David was a loyal, honest (I hope), good man who stood by her side and loved her. There were moments I thought he was cheating on her as they started to become distant, but that was probably just me wanting David to screw up so Dannie had a reason to break off their relationship 😅. But David always put her first. I liked how if Dannie said she was sick, he rushed to take care of her. Or if Dannie was hungry and couldn’t meet, he would take the food to her. I liked how he would constantly cook for her whenever she came home late. I also liked how he did not question her when she came home late or made her feel guilty that she was dedicatedly working. I also loved how he supported her dreams. He changed his dream to better fit her goals of being a partner at one of the law firms she always wanted to work at. And heck, he waited four and a half years to get married to her and never rushed her. Get you a man who would do all of that and more 👏🏼.
Four and a half years. I swear, if she wanted to marry him in four and a half years she would have 😅.
One of the biggest reasons she didn’t marry him after he proposed was because of the dream.
I kid you not, after the dream, when we cut back to David, I was like, “No no no no no! Go back!” 😂
So . . . this dream 😏
What a dream.
Dannie had a dream the night of her proposal. In this dream she woke up five years later and she lived in a random apartment in downtown New York that she would never had thought to live. She heard a man she did not know, whose clothes were strewn around this apartment. She found his wallet and his name was Aaron. And this Aaron dude cooked her a fine meal. Then she became the meal 🙈. Honestly, there was more passion in this dream than Dannie probably has ever had with David. I mean, sis was out here dreaming about a hot man doing it with her when in reality it was her engagement night and David was tired! I’m so sorry 😂. David, she’s getting action alright, but not with you!
Gosh, I felt like this was a 13 Going 30 Moment but going to the future.
In the dream, Dannie was doing it with Aaron and she had an engagement ring on her finger. Yikes. I guess we know what happens to David.
Dannie woke up and felt the dream was real. I mean, I don’t blame her. I found it funny that she went to therapy afterwards. Not funny in a comedic way, but funny that the dream shook her so much by its meaning. Because Dannie felt like she knew that that was going to be in five years.
Thus, was the catalyst for every decision she made afterward. She did not want to make that five year dream come true.
But part of me felt like she was waiting to see if the five year was just that: a dream. So, that was why she didn’t marry David right away. I felt like waiting on this dream future to play out was a sign already that she shouldn’t marry David. Because if she really loved David and wanted to marry him, she would have just married David and lived her life. But no, she waited. Some part of her wanted that dream to come true.
I also felt like she made too many excuses to wait to get married to him. If she really loved him and wanted to marry him, she would have, duh, married him already. But she waited it out.
So, when it is four and a half years later and Dannie’s best friend Bella settles down . . . of course, the man Bella chooses is NONE OTHER THAN AARON (his name was Greg to Bella because that was his last name)!!!! 😆I literally SCREAMED! HOW IN THE WORLD!? I could not! I was like, I thought this was a story of getting Aaron and Dannie together, not keeping them apart. Obviously, Dannie and Aaron had chemistry in their dream, so they had to be together. But gosh, throw the best friend in the mix why don’t you. I didn’t see how Aaron and Dannie would get together after Bella. Girl code. But girl he was a walking five year manifestation on that double date.
I would have felt sick too.
“We have five months. Five months until I’m living in an apartment my best friend wants to buy, with the boyfriend she wants to buy it with. I need to stop this. I need to do whatever I can to make sure it never comes true.”
(pg. 73-4)
After seeing Aaron, Dannie sped up marrying David by December because she did not want the dream to come true anymore because Bella was really happy with Aaron. And Dannie did not want to take that away from her by some unknown journey. I respected how she thought of Bella’s happiness first, that she would sacrifice her own happiness.
It made my heart sad when Dannie went to try on wedding dresses by herself. How despondent that she bought the first dress she tried on. CONVENIENCE AND COMFORT, my friend. Gosh, the sales lady must have felt so sad for her. I felt so sad for her. That moment should have been beautiful, filled with love, and hope—not obligation or hurry.
And it is crazy how sometimes we dream of this future, but when we actually get there, it’s nothing like we dreamed or imagined.
“I imagine David wearing a sweater and a gold band on his ring finger, opening wine in our kitchen on a cozy winter night. A sense of sustained comfort. The materials of a warm life.
‘I’m happy,’ I tell him.
‘I’m glad,’ he says. ‘Because either way, you’re stuck with me.'”
(pg. 93)
Wow. What a wonderful attitude: stuck with me 😂.
I could not! Someone cue Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber’s Stuck With You. And then cue That Should Be Me for Dannie 😂.
Sigh.
They were really going through the motions of getting married. I also felt like David was tired of waiting for her and that he didn’t want to get married anymore. It felt sad when Dannie tried to spice up their relationship and then David looked at her differently—like he was gone. The love had been gone for five years and I think they both knew that no matter how hard they tried to fix it or get married to make things better, it wasn’t going to work. One of them did not love the other because she had to convince herself she did. And the other loved the other, but did not want to marry someone who did not truly love him. They were over for a long time, and I do not mean that in an insensitive way. Just a despondent way because it’s sad when love falls out like that.
As each day neared to this supposed wedding, I felt Dannie tense up in this sense of dreaded fear. She knew she didn’t want to marry David. She just felt like she had to.
“We’ve been on these parallel tracks, David and I. Moving constantly forward in space but never actually touching, for fear of throwing each other off course. Like if we were aligned in the same direction, we’d never have to compromise. But the thing about parallel tracks is you can be inches apart, or miles. And lately it feels like the width between David and me is extraordinary. We just didn’t notice because we were still looking at the same horizon. But it dawns on me that I want someone in my way. I want us to collide.”
(pg. 210)
Dannie and David’s relationship really did feel like they danced around each other. I mean, the barely saw each other and if they did it was to briefly talk or eat. I felt David stayed out of her way and Dannie did her own thing. That’s not a relationship. Yes, do your own thing, but they could have made time for each other if they really wanted to. But they didn’t. They held each other at arms’ length and just let their “love” ride itself out.
“We were, weren’t we? An arm’s length away? If you can reach out and hold the other person’s hand, does the distance matter? Is simply being able to see someone valuable?”
(pg 213)
Yes, Dannie, the distance does matter. You cannot help someone if you do not connect with them and only stare at them from afar.
I was surprised that David had an angry bone in his body 😂 when Dannie told him she wanted to postpone the wedding. Sucks for David.
They were only delaying the inevitable of no wedding. So, when they had dinner the next night, gosh, I was SOOO ready for some CONFRONTATION!
“I love you, but I’m sick of being the person who fits in your life but not your . . . [fudge] it, your heart.”
(pg. 217)
OOOOOH, but when David said:
“You may love me, but I think we both know you don’t want to marry me.”
(pg. 217)
Who knew David had a SPINE!? Let’s go, spit that fire David! 🤪 Let’s give David props for also having a freaking brain to know Dannie did not love him. He deserved better. Honestly, they are both not bad people, just not right for each other, you know?
But, David was on a savage role when he kicked her out the apartment. That sucked.
But you know who was there for her: Bella.
The person I did not want to touch a lot on until now.
Bella, Bella, Bella, beautiful Bella. My heart, Bella.
Sigh.
Bella and Dannie have been friends forever. I love how they are always there for each other and how they put each other’s happinesses first. I found it funny how awkward Dannie was when they all went to the beach house and Aaron was there cooking in the kitchen. I would scream in confusion whenever Bella would mention falling more in love with Aaron because I did not see how Dannie and Aaron would be a couple if Bella and Aaron were smitten with each other. Oh, but when Bella did the pregnancy test? I absolutely did not see a future for Dannie and Aaron. I mean, how could there be. That would be one heck of a twisted relationship 🙃. Honestly, I wondered if Aaron knew who Dannie was because he was also in that dream? 🤔
But then things took a turn too fast. I absolutely had no idea that this book would hit me in the chest like this! What do you mean about Bella!
MY BELLA!
“It is unbelievable that right now there is something deadly growing inside of her. It seems impossible. Look at her. Look. She is the picture of health.”
(pg. 134)
My heart just grew so heavy in the span of a few pages. Life can change drastically for someone and others and it is so weird how it can feel like a normal day when people’s life changes like that and we do not know about. It makes my heart heavy how so many people are told heavy news each day, news we do not know about. And it makes me think about how we do not know what people are going through or battling each day. We do not know how someone’s life is changing.
Life is unexpected.
” . . . I feel at a loss for words. Can . No children. I have to focus on inhaling.”
(pg. 132)
When Bella’s life changes, there are two people who were there for her: Dannie and Aaron.
I want to start with Aaron. I have so much respect for him. He wasn’t married to Bella and he wasn’t expected to stay, but he did. He stayed by Bella’s side—literally—because he wanted to. I loved how when Bella said she was pregnant, Aaron was ready to start a life with her. And even with this change, he still wanted to be in her life. I loved how he proposed to Bella. Gosh, did that throw a wrench in Dannie and his future, but I was happy for Bella. She had love in her life.
“This is the thing she’s wanted forever. This right here. This is love.”
(pg. 157)
Because Bella had shizzy parents who didn’t care for her. It is part of the reason Bella flitted away from place to place in her 20’s—she didn’t feel loved or like she had roots. So, she traveled and took up different relationships to feel loved. Bella also didn’t have a healthy relationship to look up to as a kid, so that was why she didn’t know how to have a healthy relationship. Or maybe why she put off having one for so long. But she always had Dannie. And now she found love with Aaron. And even with everything, her dad and mom came under obligation to her, but Bella was so loved.
I loved how Aaron was there when Bella and Dannie had a fight. He took care of her, cooked for her, laid beside her when she wasn’t feeling well. Gosh, that moment when he moved her on the bed and then shifted her so he could hold her 🥺. So cute. My heart really swelled there.
I also liked how Aaron was there for Dannie. They understood what they both were feeling; They had this shared experience and love for someone they did not want to lose.
I found it funny how on guard Dannie was around Aaron because she didn’t want to like him. Everyone else thoutght that it was Dannie’s protective nature of Bella. She was protecting Bella alright 😆. She really went to his neighborhood and walked around to see the apartment she did not want to be in. But of course, she would run into Aaron at the park and of course he was apartment hunting that day. And of course the apartment he was renovating was the future apartment. I felt Dannie’s reaction to the apartment was kind of weird and if I was Bella or Aaron I would have thought something was up.
But I liked how Aaron brought Dannie up to the rooftop of a building he was working on and he told her she could scream. Af first, I was like, where they heck were they going? I mean, they just left Bella to go through her procedures, were they not going to wait in the waiting room. I mean, please, take a breather, but I thought for a second they were going to kiss on the rooftop. Gosh, that would have felt w-r-o-n-g! I also thought it was interesting how after Bell and Dannie’s big argument, she called Aaron instead of David 😏. Aaron could understand her better than David at this point.
Throughout their bonding, I did not feel like their relationship was romantic. I did not feel like they like liked each other no matter how much they spent time with each other. I also didn’t feel like it would be right at this point if they did develop a romantic relationship. When they had that one kiss, I felt it was very random and not done out of love, but a shared hurt. Hurt was bonding them.
They hurt over Bella.
Now, let’s talk about Dannie. Dannie was by Bella’s side as much as she could help it. What I loved about Dannie was her dedication and whole-heartedness. Dannie really went in to understand what Bella was going through, which I felt was part of her having control. But also so she knew how to help Bella because she loved her.
I loved when Bella first went home, Dannie was right there with food and all the nostalgic DVDs they loved. They really felt like sisters. But like sisters, Bella and Dannie had a fight. Dannie did not want Bella to go to the theatre with her mom after Bella just had her treatment. Dannie did not feel like it was reasonable or safe for Bella to go. I understand Bella’s concern and I understand how Bella felt like Dannie was controlling her. But it was such a difficult situation because they both loved each other and knew that.
I felt like Dannie really went through the five stages of a break-up with Bella, and Dannie was in the anger phase. I don’t blame her. She had every right to feel angry at the situation and to feel lost and confused. Every right.
Eventually, Bella and Dannie made up. But not under the best circumstances—things were getting worse. My heart felt even heavier. Bella was a person so full of life who was notably going through a lot of changes. It broke my heart whenever Dannie would describe how thin, pale, or frail Bella looked. Or how Bella lost her glow, or how Bella would vomit all the time now. Gosh, Bella—and anyone who is going through something similar to what she went through— is the very definition of strength. I remembered after Bella’s first chemo, she tried to be strong and say she was okay, when really she felt unwell and nauseous. Bella was strong.
So strong.
I loved how Bella was always a friend to Dannie despite everything going on. Bella told Dannie straight up that Dannie deserved better than David. And I think we all need friends like Bella who will be honest with us and see the areas in our lives we do not want to be honest with.
“I think you’re capable of this kind of love, too. And I don’t think you have it.
. . . “You think you’re on a clock.”
December 15.
“That’s not true. I love David.”
“I know you do,” she says. “But you’re not in love with him. You may have been at first, but if you were I never really saw it, and I don’t have the luxury of pretending anymore. And what I realized is that you don’t, either. If there’s a clock ticking toward anything, it should be your happiness.”
(pg. 204-5)
Bella knew David was not for Dannie and yet she never told her because she just wanted Dannie to be happy. But Bella didn’t want Dannie to not be happy forever, so that is why she told Dannie that she deserved love. What really got my heart and my 1,000 pack Kleenex box was when Bella said:
“I’m not sure I’m capable of it (love),” I tell her. “Not the kind you mean.”
. . .”You are. You know how I know.”
I shake my head.
“Because that’s the way you love me.”
(pg. 205)
Excuse me while I go ugly cry in a corner 😭😭. My heart 🥺💛.
You know what also got my heart?
When freaking Aaron took Dannie to the apartment he renovated for Dannie under Bella’s request. I honestly could not! It was a beautiful sentiment and a nightmare come true for Dannie.
“You always tell me I never finish anything,” she says. “I wanted to finish this. For you.”
Tears rolled down my cheeks. I didn’t even know I was crying. “Bells,” I say. “It’s incredible. It’s beautiful. I could never. I would never—It’s home.”
“I know,” she says.
I want her to be here. I want us to cook in this kitchen, making a mess of materials, running to the corner store because we don’t have vanilla extract or cracked pepper . . .But I understand she will not be. I understand, standing here now, in this manifestation of both dream and nightmares, that I will be here, in this home she built for me, alone. I am here because she will not be. Because she needed to give me something to hold on to, something to protect me. A literal roof over my head. Shelter from the storm.
“I love you,” I tell her. Fiercely. “I love you so much.”
“Dannie,” she says. I hear her through the phone. Bella. My Bella. “Forever.”
(pg. 229)
Someone get me a bucket for my tears. Someone get you an umbrella to protect you from my tears 🥺😭. I felt beyond heartbroken.
Because gosh, this story was not about romance. It was not about Dannie falling in love with Aaron or Dannie and David falling out of love. It was about the strength of two best friends and the love of a chosen family—-Dannie and Bella, a sisterhood. This story was everything I did not expect in the best way. Absolutely. Because that, right there, what these two women had? That was love. True, honest, unfiltered love. And I loved how we see such a strong relationship between women because some stories depict older women in this competitive field of who has the best this or that, but it is so refreshing to see two strong women supporting each other and who love each other to put one another’s happiness first. I love Bella’s heart in how she wanted to make sure Dannie had somewhere to go when she . . .😢. And I loved how Bella finished something for her—-the true person she loved. I LOVED that. I loved how they both loved each other fiercely and it showed in everything they did. Everything.
“I’m scared of leaving you with this.”
(pg. 202)
Every moment felt beyond sweet, but I also felt really sad because . . . Bella was making her mark. She was saying her goodbyes. She was closing up ties. Bella 😢.
Do you hear that?
That is my SOBS.
But as Aaron would say:
“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.”
(pg. 183)
Well said.
Because love knows no bounds. You can love someone or something even if they are no longer with you because the love you have for someone or something lasts forever. It does not require a future. It’s kind of like the sentiment people say of when you lose someone, they are always with you as long as you remember them and continue to love them. I know Dannie, Aaron, and everyone who knew Bella would love her. That love would never fade.
It’s why Dannie and Bella said they would love each other forever. That is a promise they could keep 💛.
You can always choose to love.
I loved that moment between Dannie and Bella’s mom. The mom told Dannie about how she kept Bella and Dannie together and that was the one thing she ever did right. Got that right 😆. But even then, as little girls, the mom could see they loved each other and needed each other. Truly, who needs a man when you gotta best friend! I would have liked to hear more of Bella and Dannie’s backstory because I think that would have been really sweet. I found it simple how they met at a park. I do not mean simple in a way, but in the amazing way life can be to simply meet a pivotal person in your life at a place as mundane as a park. That is life’s magic. And I am happy the Universe brought them together.
“I’m sorry,” she says.
“No, Bella, please.”
“No,” she says. “I am. I wanted to be here for you for all of it.”
“But you have,” I say. “You’ve been here for everything.”
“Not everything,” she whispered. I feel her search for my hand under the sheets. I gave it to her. “Love,” she says. . . “You’ve never had it,” she says. “I want the real thing for you.”
“You’re wrong,” I tell her.
“I’m not,” she says. “You’ve never really been in love. You’ve never really had your heart broken.”
I think about Bella at the park, Bella at school, Bella at the beach. Bella lying on the floor of my first New York City apartment. Bella with a bottle of wine in the rain. Bella on the fire escape at 3 a.m. Bella’s voice on New Year’s Eve, cracking through the Parisian phone. Bella. Always.
“Yes,” I whisper. “I have.”
(pg. 237-8)
It has always been Bella—-been in love with her best friend and having her heart broken by her in the worst way.
Rip out my heart why don’t you 💔🥺.
Friendship is a powerful love. It truly is.
Dannie and Bella forever a beautiful friendship.
I loved how Dannie wanted to celebrate Bella because Bella was her life. She was someone full of so much love, joy, positivity, and creativity. Bella was someone of so much heart for others. She was so precious and special and that was the Bella they were celebrating. I loved the poem that was read at Bella’s celebration. The poem was about Dannie—-Bella’s one true love until the end.
I cannot say enough how much the friendship meant in this story. Cannot.
Love does not need a future 💛.
And then came December 15 and everything Dannie dreamed to never happen, happened. It was kind of weird and crazy to see the dream be a reality but to know everything that led up to it. It also felt like an out of body experience because I read it before. And it was kooky how everything Dannie said was the same thing she said in the dream, but in a different context. So weird (not in a bad way, but a creepy way). Then you know, Dannie and Aaron got it on as they did in the dream. But this time when I read this scene, I didn’t feel the passion or love I felt the first time around. I didn’t feel like that was what everything led up to.
Because, again, this wasn’t a story about Dannie and Aaron. It was about Dannie and Bella—their love. Aaron and Dannie only did it because they were in pain and they shared the grief of someone they loved. The passion Dannie had in the dream wasn’t passion or love, it was sorrow and frustration at the situation and she just wanted to feel connected to someone to forget all she went through In such a short amount of time. I have absolutely no judgement to that.
“Now, on the other side of midnight, we do not yet know what is moving.
So be it. So let it be.”
(pg. 251)
Dannie’s whole journey reminds me that you never know what happens in five years. You really don’t. You can plan it, you can create goals, heck, you can dream about it, but you never know what happens. And you never know the journey that leads to that. Because Dannie thought she was preventing this future where she and Aaron moved in together, they were engaged, and in love. Dannie worked so hard to ensure it did not happen. But it did. However, the journey was not at all the reason or the path she thought she would take to get to where she was on December 15. Sometimes we do not understand how things happen or why, but there is a journey. Dannie never thought her life would be what it was in five years. Not even in her wildest dreams.
Live in the moment. Enjoy the present. It is a gift. Enjoy and cherish the time you have with the people you have. Mend relationships. Go after that job you always wanted because life is too precious to spend it doing a 9-5 you hate. But do not work yourself so hard that you forget to have a life. Your life is so much more valuable than how much you get paid or how much you work. When you look back, you will not think about all the time you worked or how many hundreds or thousands of dollars you made. You will think about the memories and time you spent on loved ones. Trust me. Put yourself and your relationships first. Work does not matter.
Do not plan too far ahead to the point you lose sight of the present. Things change. People change. Let’s stop expecting everyone to know where they will be in five years? Not everyone knows, and not everyone should know. Instead, ask someone what are they doing in the present? What are they doing today? Be with that person and enjoy it.
It is so hard when something huge happens in your life where it feels like everything has changed. You feel like everyone should stop because everything is different. But things go on. Time goes on. Grief goes on, and then we heal. We carry the pain and loss forever, but we heal and carry the loss and love forever.
So be it.
So let it be.
I loved that.
I do not see a future for Aaron and Dannie to be honest. I think they will be friends who have the occasional drink or rooftop scream. But nothing romantic. I think that would be too weird. Oh, and the ring on Dannie’s finger was Bella’s engagement ring she gave to her. Dannie gave it back to Aaron to keep.
But things went on. Dannie didn’t have David. She wasn’t married. She lived somewhere she had no clue she would live until the dream. But hey, you know what, Dannie was growing. She was evolving as her life changed. I would say it was about time Dannie did something different for herself—had a positive change. Not a drastically sad change, you know. But Dannie’s life did change in a very hard and rough way. But like grief, I knew Dannie was going to be okay. She had Bella’s love in her heart forever.
And let’s not forget that Dannie is a FREAKING BOSS BEACH!!! 👏🏼 She can be my partner anyway 😆. This woman worked day and night and was by Bella’s side the majority of the time and she still slayed her professional goals!! If that isn’t a boss beach move, I don’t know what is! I loved how Dannie trusted her gut with the QT brand or something like that (they honestly sounded like the Cuties orange brand 😂). I loved how the QT brand was run by two BOSS WOMEN as well. Like calls to like because they liked Dannie’s finesse and trusted a woman to represent their company. Honestly, their search engine sounds pretty cool! Giving other search engines a run for their money! But I have so much respect for Dannie in how she flew to California to follow her goals. That had to be hard for her—leaving Bella, even if they were fighting. But Dannie had to do what was right for her. I also respected that Dannie took her work to the hospital.
Because you know . . . Dannie met a cute doctor 😏.
I loved the moment when Dr. Shaw saw Dannie doing her work in the lobby and then he took her to the secret Starbucks cart outside. Very cute. And I liked that he was very understanding and calm with Dannie. He seemed really nice. I wrote in my book notes that Dr. Shaw seemed like a good man 😁. Good enough to date 😏.
“You’re here. One thing I’ve learned is that you can’t try to make this experience above the simplicity of humanity, it won’t work.”
(pg. 187)
Then she saw him near her new building and I screamed like the school girl I am 😆
I am sorry, Dr. Shaw, or should I say Mark and Dannie sound promising to me 💛. I hope that Mark and her work out. I think they would be good together because they can bond over their love of numbers, routine, or loss.
But who knows. Honestly, all I know is that a doctor and a lawyer?! Talk about rich rich 🤪.
What a power couple would that be.
Overall, I enjoyed the heart and story telling of In Five Years. I felt gripped from the start and was thrown for a with each page. But I valued the friendship in this story and the message. If there is anything to take away from In Five Years, it is to live in the now and remember that love knows no future and no bounds. Love is powerful.
Anyway, what was your favorite part of the book? Least favorite part? Anything I mentioned that you want to discuss more about? Let me know below in the comments as I love hearing from you all 💕
Question of the post: What are you doing today or right now?
I hope you have a beautiful day whenever and wherever you might be reading this 😊.
And as always, with love,
Rating
5 Full Bloom Flowers
Characters: Each character built the story into the beautiful creation it was.
Plot: In Five Years was everything I did not expect in the best way.
Writing: A beautifully written story filled with so much love and reflective messages. I loved how the story wasn’t too long because it was just right to get a powerful story across.
Romance: Who cares about the romance?! I was here for the true love (iykyk) 😉