Accountant Dannie Kohan has the perfectly planned controlled outlook on life that only the young can afford. She has everything planned out, especially the next five years. On the night of her by the book marriage proposal she falls asleep only to wake up in the future lying in another man’s bed with a wedding ring on. Shook by the vision, she forgets about it until she runs into the man four years later.
I really like Dannie, our number loving main character. She is an authentic and clever protagonist for this brilliantly crafted story. Fantastical but believable, I was hooked immediately! Dannie believes one must sacrifice to achieve their dreams. Refreshingly, her best friend Bella is the opposite of Dannie’s non carefree existence. Bella is spontaneous, fluid, carefree, artsy, wide open. Serle beautifully and descriptively captures big emotions – “I feel as if all the air on the sidewalk has been sucked back into the sky. We’re going to suffocate out here.” And this book is full of big emotions. Heartbreaking and physically moving, this book wrecked me. I had to put sunglasses on to hide my tears.
In Five Years is NYC in a book. There are such vivid descriptions of NYC; especially all the super fun restaurants and their delicious entrees. I can’t wait to recreate some of the dishes mentioned!
I wished that there had been more development for supporting characters. I felt attached to Dannie and no one else in a very egotistical way.
Audiobook Review Megan Hilty is a perfect fit for Dannie. I found her performance to be lyrical and soothing. Though there was very little character definition, I still enjoyed listening to the book.