Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

In Five Years by Rebecca Serle

80 reviews

lucyatoz's review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

"This is a love story...but not the love story you're expecting" and it really was. 

In Five Years is the story of Dannie Kohan who appears to have it all sorted with her life. She has the perfect fiancé, David, an investment fund manager, the perfect apartment, in New York City, the wonderful, yet flighty best friend, Bella, and the perfect job, as a corporate lawyer at a top firm. But does having it all mean that she is truly happy? Soon tragedy strikes and it is about to test the boundaries of her friendship, engagement and outlook on life.

This novel is an emotional read and really pulls at the heartstrings. It will make you laugh and cry, in equal measure.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Death, Sexual content, and Cancer

Moderate: Child death, Car accident, Toxic relationship, and Grief

Minor: Vomit and Cursing

erica_reads_things's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

A great, heartbreaking read. I liked the twist and where the story lead to. A different take on a love story, but a heartfelt love story nonetheless. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer and Terminal illness

Moderate: Alcohol, Death, Grief, Medical content, and Sexual content

Minor: Vomit, Pregnancy, and Child abuse

addyisnothere's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

3.25

It was good. I was bored in the beginning, but it got better in the middle section.

Cancer always breaks my heart because of my grandpa’s fight with cancer. So when Bella was getting her affairs in order and telling Dannie that she was ready to go, I was crying a little.

Other than that, the book was alright.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness

Moderate: Medical content and Vomit

Minor: Death

elisalasater's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Grief, Terminal illness, Cancer, and Medical content

Minor: Vomit

nym1013's review

sad

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer and Death

Moderate: Grief and Medical content

andromedawashere's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

While this book had a decent set of characters and good representation in the form of female friendships, the ending lacked any meaning. It was as if the author remembered what the story was supposed to be about and knew she had to wrap it up.  Initially, it was predestined that Dannie would sleep with a new man in a new apartment in a part of the city she never would've considered living in. Yet throughout the rest of the book, that premise kept getting lost. We, as readers, were constantly reminded of the fact that Dannie and David were a solid couple, Aaron and Bella were deeply in love with one another, and Aaron would never do anything to hurt her. In the ending, there was no indication of anything but passing sexual tension between Aaron and Dannie. But in no less than 30 pages, the author was able to make Dannie and David break up (after just one fight and no reasonable conversations between the two afterwards. We don't even see David after that!), Bella was killed off (deeply expected all things considered, but it was still able to feel rushed), and Dannie and Aaron sleep with each other with no rhyme or reason. Personally, I felt like the author only included the ending so she could A) wrap up the story quickly and B) so the ending matched the premise of the book, even though we know the characters (Dannie, not so much anybody else) have changed and developed and the ending would manage to make no sense. After all we have learned about the characters, I can truly say that Aaron would never cheat on Bella, especially with her best friend. We know that David would never break off his seven-year-long relationship with Dannie after just one conversation, because since it is in his nature to reason things out, he would most likely sit her down and look through options of where their relationship could go after realizing that Dannie doesn't want to marry him (after this, he would probably break up with her because of her lack of commitment and love for him, but it would not happen after just one heated conversation). Overall, I truly did like this book; the pace, the conversations and the micro observations of life and love were all exceptional. But the rushed and out-of-character ending messed up my perception of the book. So to preserve the wonder of the first part, but also make known how the ending was awful, this book very much deserves 3.25 stars.

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Terminal illness, Cancer, Infertility, Death, and Grief

cielo's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

Not a love story about romance, but a love story about friendship. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Grief, Medical content, Vomit, Cancer, Chronic illness, Infertility, Terminal illness, Car accident, and Death

daniellekat's review against another edition

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

This wasn't my cup of tea. Easy to read and a somewhat engaging plot, but I hated all the characters. Dannie was obnoxious, selfish and a terrible friend. I had no personal investment in her outcome and felt emotionally unattached to the story as a whole. I appreciate what the author was attempting and this led to some interesting discussion, (I read this for a book club) but I think the author was trying too hard to do something 'different'. I respect the conclusion and can see how others might really enjoy this, but it's a pass for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Medical content, Terminal illness, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Grief and Death

Minor: Car accident, Sexual content, and Pregnancy

kyleethecatlady's review against another edition

emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I had to read this in one sitting because I needed all the information. I loved this book.

I always love a non-romantic love story, and I am heartbroken for Dannie.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer and Death

Moderate: Medical content and Sexual content

read_with_riley's review against another edition

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer and Terminal illness

Moderate: Child death, Death, Medical content, Medical trauma, Vomit, and Alcohol

Minor: Abortion and Pregnancy