"I have five words for Rebecca Serle's The Dinner List wistful, delicious, romantic, magical, love." --Gabrielle Zevin, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry and Young Jane Young "We've been waiting for an hour." That's what Audrey says. She states it with a little bit of an edge, her words just bordering on cursive. That's the thing I think first. Not: Audrey Hepburn is at my birthday dinner, but Audrey Hepburn is annoyed." At one point or another, we've all been asked to name ...
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"I have five words for Rebecca Serle's The Dinner List wistful, delicious, romantic, magical, love." --Gabrielle Zevin, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry and Young Jane Young "We've been waiting for an hour." That's what Audrey says. She states it with a little bit of an edge, her words just bordering on cursive. That's the thing I think first. Not: Audrey Hepburn is at my birthday dinner, but Audrey Hepburn is annoyed." At one point or another, we've all been asked to name five people, living or dead, with whom we'd like to have dinner. Why do we choose the people we do? And what if that dinner was to actually happen? These are the questions Rebecca Serle contends with in her utterly captivating novel, THE DINNER LIST, a story imbued with the same delightful magical realism as One Day , and the life-changing romance of Me Before You . When Sabrina arrives at her thirtieth birthday dinner she finds at the table not just her best friend, but also three significant people from her past, and well, Audrey Hepburn. As the appetizers are served, wine poured, and dinner table conversation begins, it becomes clear that there's a reason these six people have been gathered together. Delicious but never indulgent, sweet with just the right amount of bitter, THE DINNER LIST is a romance for our times. Bon appetit.
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Add this copy of The Dinner List (International Edition) to cart. $2.23, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Brownstown, MI, UNITED STATES, published 2018 by Macmillan USA.
Add this copy of The Dinner List (International Edition) to cart. $2.23, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2018 by Macmillan USA.
Add this copy of The Dinner List (International Edition) to cart. $18.02, new condition, Sold by Your Online Bookstore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Houston, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2018 by Macmillan USA.
About half-way through this book, I realized that the author was the same woman who wrote Famous in Love (which I shamelessly adored). This felt like a huge revelation, since this particular book seemed like a huge deviation from her former releases. The writing style and mature story line are almost unrecognizable, and I really appreciated this aspect. It showed me the diversity of her skills as a writer, which makes me even more excited for her future releases!
But onto the actual book review...
Though this book is short, there is a lot of info and emotion packed into the 288 pages that are given. Rather than reading a story from start to finish, the book's short chapters made me feel like I was taking brief sneak peeks into Sabrina's life. The timeline is as befuddled as her emotions, and though it seems as though it would be confusing to understand, it somehow works. I felt the emotions of the characters in all their anger, resentment, and denial. Audrey Hepburn's inclusion on the dinner list is truthfully what initially drew me in, but I definitely stayed for the characters and their tangled relationships. While there were some relationships that I felt deserved more of a spot light, I did feel like everything was successfully wrapped up by the story's end. Though the ending did feel slightly depressing, the book delivers a nice message that will leave an impression on readers. All in all, a good read that feels memorable! 3.5 stars!
