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Quick answer: If you liked In Five Years, read Rebecca Serle's Expiration Dates, then One Day, Maybe in Another Life, The Midnight Library and The Time Traveler's Wife. All are emotional novels about love, fate and the lives we might have lived.
Rebecca Serle's 2020 novel follows Dannie, a driven lawyer who has a vision of her life five years in the future, with a different man and a different ring, and then must live through the years to find out how it happens. It is romantic, sad and surprising. The books below offer similar stories of love, time and choices.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expiration Dates | Rebecca Serle | Adult | more Serle |
| One Day | David Nicholls | Adult | readers who like long love stories |
| Maybe in Another Life | Taylor Jenkins Reid | Adult | two possible lives |
| One True Loves | Taylor Jenkins Reid | Adult | love triangle |
| The Midnight Library | Matt Haig | Adult | what-if lives |
| The Time Traveler's Wife | Audrey Niffenegger | Adult | readers who like inventive romance |
| Me Before You | Jojo Moyes | Adult | readers who want tears |
| Beach Read | Emily Henry | Adult | readers who like banter |
| Happy Place | Emily Henry | Adult | readers who like second-chance romance |
| Book Lovers | Emily Henry | Adult | workplace sparks |
| Seven Year Slip | Ashley Poston | Adult | magical romance |
| The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue | V. E. Schwab | Adult | love and memory |
| Before the Coffee Gets Cold | Toshikazu Kawaguchi | Adult | gentle time travel |
| Bid Time Return | Richard Matheson | Adult | time-travel romance |
| The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo | Taylor Jenkins Reid | Adult | readers who like glamour and heartbreak |
1. Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle
A woman is given a name on a slip of paper each time she begins a relationship. Light and magical.
Best for: more Serle.
2. One Day by David Nicholls
Dex and Em meet on one day in July and the book checks in each year for twenty years. Bittersweet.
Best for: readers who like long love stories.
3. Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid
A woman's life splits in two on the night she returns to Los Angeles. A light, romantic what-if.
Best for: two possible lives.
4. One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid
A woman remarries after her husband is presumed dead, and then he returns. Emotional and quick.
Best for: love triangle.
5. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Nora explores the lives she could have lived. Gentle and hopeful.
Best for: what-if lives.
6. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Henry travels in time uncontrollably, and Clare waits. Romantic and sad.
Best for: readers who like inventive romance.
7. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
Lou becomes the caregiver for Will, a man paralyzed in an accident. A bestselling tearjerker.
Best for: readers who want tears.
8. Beach Read by Emily Henry
Two rival writers swap genres for a summer. Funny and moving.
Best for: readers who like banter.
9. Happy Place by Emily Henry
Harriet and Wyn, a broken-up couple, pretend to be together at their friends' vacation. Full of friendship and ache.
Best for: readers who like second-chance romance.
10. Book Lovers by Emily Henry
A hard-edged literary agent and a book editor keep running into each other in a small North Carolina town. A smart play on small-town romance tropes.
Best for: workplace sparks.
11. Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
A woman finds a strange connection with a man living in her apartment seven years apart. Tender and cosy.
Best for: magical romance.
12. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab
A cursed woman is forgotten by everyone, until someone remembers her. Lush and romantic.
Best for: love and memory.
13. Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
A cafe lets customers visit the past, but only while the coffee is hot. Quiet and moving.
Best for: gentle time travel.
14. Bid Time Return by Richard Matheson
A man wills himself back in time to meet an actress. The inspiration for the film Somewhere in Time.
Best for: time-travel romance.
15. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
A Hollywood legend tells the story of her glamorous life and her great love. Emotional and entertaining.
Best for: readers who like glamour and heartbreak.
How to Choose
For more Serle read Expiration Dates. For love across time choose One Day, The Time Traveler's Wife or Bid Time Return. For what-if lives pick Maybe in Another Life or The Midnight Library. For modern romance read Beach Read or Happy Place. In Five Years is short and emotional, so these picks suit readers who like a twist. The twist in In Five Years is best experienced unspoiled, so avoid reading reviews before you start. A film adaptation was released in 2021 as a different version of the story.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is In Five Years about?
A woman dreams of her future five years ahead and then lives toward it.
Who wrote it?
Rebecca Serle.
When was it published?
2020.
Is it a romance?
It is a love story, but also about friendship and fate.
Is it sad?
It has sad moments.
Is it a quick read?
Yes, about 250 pages.
Is there a twist?
Yes, a notable one.
What should I read next?
Try One Day or The Midnight Library.
Which book here is best for love triangle?
Try One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid, which suits readers looking for love triangle.