The Well-Read Woman Book Club discussion

Our Contemporary/Popular Pick for May 2020 is In Five Years by Rebecca Serle.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

When Type-A Manhattan lawyer Dannie Cohan 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.

Who's planning on joining in for the read this month? Has anyone read this prior to it being our book club pick? Give us a quick shoutout below if you plan to join the read! I saw the below in another group and thought it would be a good way to get us set up!

Here are some questions to break the ice!
1. What are you looking forward to with this book?
2. What kind of book format are you using? Hardcover, e-book, audiobook?
3. Have you read anything else by the author or plan to?

I finished this book in about two days, so I'm a little ahead! However, I was originally looking forward to a juicy turn of events for the type-A lawyer. I love when a book takes what the character takes what they think they want and flips it upside down with a perspective shift.

I used the Scribd app this month because I knew I didn't want to buy this book, and I can never justify buying an e-file! You can try out the Scribd app for free for a month, and read any books you'd like without any commitment.

I haven't read anything by Rebecca Serle yet, and I was surprised to see she already has a good amount of books, and a TV series adaptation from a set. I normally don't pick to read contemporary best-sellers, so I'm glad this group has set me up to read things I wouldn't have so far. I may check out her screen adaptation, but I hadn't heard of any of her books before this!

1. Interested in Type A successful women and their plans.
2. Hardcover, so lucky. I love the feel of a book and filling my beautiful home library with pretty covers.
3. Rebecca Serle is a writer/producer for Famous in Love...She's amazing....her writing is fast paced, descriptive and engrossing

How do you guys feel about Rebecca and her main man's relationship so far? Are you more interested in her second life or her current one?

When I was reading this, I preferred the spontaneity of how she was going to meet the unknown man! I kept flipping the pages waiting for something scandalous.

Inés wrote: "Hi! I thought since the beginning that her life with her boyfriend was so planned, even boring, there was no room for improvisation.
I read half of the book thinking about how that unknown man was..."

I thought the same thing! I suppose some people do enjoy a planned life like that sometimes? I think it's interesting we don't see or hear much from her fiancé throughout the five years beyond their routine actions.

For those who are in the latter half of the book, did you see where the book was headed?

(view spoiler)[I thought from the book was going to be a hot and heavy romance from the opening chapter, but I was obviously completely and 100% wrong - even after reading from multiple reviews that no one saw what was coming and left them surprised. I felt almost hoodwinked in the second half of the book because I didn't know what kind of book I was getting into, but c'est la vie. (hide spoiler)]

I found a reading supplement from the author, Rebecca Serle, with walking guides of NYC and even a menu from the book. https://static1.squarespace.com/stati...

How did you guys like the book?!

Just got the audiobook from the library today! It seems fairly short, so hopefully I’ll be able to finish by the end of the month and catch up.

I finished it in two days! I loved it. I don’t know how to remove spoilers from my post via my phone so I’ll just leave it at that. I really could not put it down.

I feel like a lot of people settle in relationships and the picture perfect facade of Dannie’s relationship made me so eager to see who the mystery dream guy was.

I read it on Scribd, they had the ebook and the audio book so I could listen and read.

Just finished this evening...did anybody else think the ending was kind of stupid and pointless?? I was not a fan, but I am aware that this seems to be an unpopular opinion...

I love that I'm seeing so many different opinions about this. I'm interested to see what type of reading the majority of the people who have a strong opinion about this are reading, as to compare if the specific genre I think this book resides in is a favorite or non-favorite to the reader.

I think those who read more contemporary novels most of the time seem to really enjoy this, and those who read mostly other genres felt this was a bit emotionally jumpy and then tied up with a bow? I know that Rebecca Serle writes for TV and also has a book series that is adapted for television, and it does seem to me like something that might be better on screen? Does anyone else feel this way?

I also seem to come from an unpopular opinion where I don't think there was much character development in the friendship between the women, it felt told to me in a very dry, factual way where I didn't emotionally invest. I thought that the emotional arc didn't make sense in any way but an idealistic sense, but moreover I truly didn't understand why Dannie slept with her best friend's guy. But alas, people are all different and perhaps it does make sense, but just extends beyond my own worldview or capacity of action? Do you find truth or solace in Dannie's actions here?

I enjoyed the book, I finished it in two days because I wanted to know what was going to happen, but my eyes crinkled about halfway through because it felt like multiple stories to me.

I'd love to hear a drastically different opinion than my own - this is why I love book clubs! Anyone else with a strong opinion? Neutral opinion? Did you agree or disagree with how the beginning of the novel tied in after the death of her friend?

I have a different take on Five Years. I did not find it stupid or pointless. I liked the love between the friends that was always there just not manifested. Dannie was too caught up being perfect to really see that Bella was really invested in life and a true friend. Dannie felt that Bella needed saving when in fact Dannie was the one living kind of a shitty life. Bella saw how unfulfilled Dannie was in love. It was really touching how far she went to be sure Dannie fulfills her true potential as a human being and seek fulfillment in true love rather than a superficial mold. I also liked that I was expecting a romantic triangle, but instead got a deeper story between the friends. I enjoy Serle's writing because she makes light of very heavy issues. I really did not like Dannie's character as I do not like uptight people who are always judging others. So the 180 her character takes in the end is really purposeful and inspiring. Bella was there all along supporting her and living an authentic life and tapped into a universal transcendence and higher love. Romantic love is itself very beautiful, but love for love sake is stellar and magnificent and Bella embodied this. BTW...I had a Chris Hemsworth in my mind as the hunk. So in the end it is very say that death is what resulted with Bella, but that's life. Death sucks and I really would have wished that it was not so for them. In a way it ties in with the realism in Madame Bovary. Enjoying the discussion and thanks for reading.