“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.” – 3.25/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: bagels, black suits, pregnancy tests, engagement rings, Europe trips, wedding plans, lofts, cancer, lawyers, takeout food and fancy bagels.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

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.

I have mixed feelings about this book. It’s probably my fault for going into it with high expectations, because I’ve seen this book everywhere in the last few months and people kept hyping it up! So of course, I had to see it for myself.

So, here’s the thing about this book: the plot was (mostly) okay but it felt like a sob story. The main plot of the book was put in the background because of the main sad event. So it felt like that became the most important thing in the book instead of the main character’s life and the purpose of the book was lost.

So even though I was confused, I kept going because I was curious about the ending. And oh boy… I was disappointed. I think this book won the award for the most disappointing ending in a book (my own personal award, of course). So, let me try to explain what I mean: right at the beginning of the book, the main character has a dream (if you can call it that) where she sees herself in five years from the present – in a different house, with a different boyfriend, etc. This scene defines the tone of the book in the sense that you look forward to discovering if her dream would come true or not, and if it did happen, how she would even get there. Now, I can’t tell you more for spoiler reasons but I will say the ending was extremely disappointing. I was so curious the entire time, but when I finally got to the end I was really disappointed. Seriously, what was even the point of this book?

It’s a fairly quick read and you can go through it in one sitting, but if you are considering reading this, it’s important for you to know that this is not a love story. Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like this book was marketed as a romance, so if you’re looking for that I would recommend you to skip this one.

Still, give it a shot if you’re curious. I’ve noticed I have an unpopular opinion so… who knows, maybe you’ll find a new favorite. But don’t say I didn’t warn you!

xoxo,