The Dinner List

Although not exceptional, somehow still managed to find its spot in the list of books I’ve read recently that are all finding me at very specific times for very specific reasons.

basta ang alam ko manatili na lang single habang buhay.

THIS BOOK. THIS. BOOK. It was my first adventure with Rebecca Serle and I think I did it the wrong way because I started with what the fans (Rita da Nova) think is her best book. What a way to start the year. This book ate me up and my boss wouldn't be very happy to learn that I took multiple breaks just to fit in another chapter. I highlighted the hell out of this book, even entire paragraphs at times. I won't shut up about this anytime soon, sorry absolutely not sorry at all.

I don’t even know what to think of this book. The plot twist in the middle was good but the ending wasn’t satisfying. I feel like I had to suffer through a lot of stuff, hoping it was going to eventually lead somewhere good and it never did. I even tried looking at the recommended reading group questions to see what I was supposed to get out of this book and I still have no idea. Not the worst book I’ve ever read, but definitely not the best.

This book was just so-so for me. I didn't hate it...but I didn't love it. Kinda like how I feel about green beans, I eat them, but I don't love them. I found myself very frustrated with the end. Sabrina seemed to come to a god place regarding two of the characters, but left gaping holes where two other characters were concerned. I felt like leaving things in limbo with how Sabrina moved forward, especially with those two characters, killed the story as a whole. What was the point of that damn dinner? I couldn't stop thinking about a single sentence where Sabrina was talking about drinking margaritas and eating free chips and guac. NOBODY gives out free guacamole! This one sentence stuck with me the entire book.

Librarian: This doesn't fit the collection needs of my particular library. However, if I was an adult services librarian, I would consider it. It reads easily, and provides a very intriguing premise. I would recommend this book to readers who like contemporary fiction with a slight fantastical twist (though not those who tend more towards contemporary romance. This isn't their book.) Reader: As a reader I found this book to be oddly intriguing. It really shone a spotlight on the way that we can be impacted by the people in our lives, and even by people we never meet in person. It spoke to the power of forgiveness, and the importance of cherishing those we love. This book is not my preferred genre, but I can say that it's one dinner party I'm glad that I attended.

This book gained an unreflected half-star in the last 15 pages - solid 2.5. Sabrina and Tobias are both millennial twerps. Sorry but yes. It was sometimes physically painful to continue he reading about their extremely self-involved relationship as the narrator made her 200th attempt to describe, alternating between bad cliches and overwrought descriptive paragraphs, their immense, consuming connection that NO OTHER HUMANS IN THE WORLD COULD POSSIBLY UNDERSTAND OR FATHOM! Get. Over. It. You, Sabrina, have absolutely no sense of self or identity outside of your moody boyfriend who leaches off your savings, you are wasting away opportunities at a job where your peers are shooting up 10x faster than you because you spend all your mental energy on your lame relationship, and you whine about how no one understands you. Your boyfriend has no work ethic, routinely disrespects anything and anyone in your life that does not meet his specific needs, and he is somewhat emotionally manipulative, by the by. I could not stand listening to this train wreck of an immature relationship drone on for 240 pages, and Sabrina’s “friend” Jessica was both unbelievable as a character and a total a-hole. Also, why was that professor at dinner!? What? We got like 2 paragraphs of back story on that dude. Redeeming factors: I really appreciated and enjoyed the exploration of the father daughter relationship and where it got to, especially with how the end of the book rolled out. This should have been more central to the story, not idiot Tobias and Sabrina’s Instagram love story. I also liked Audrey Hepburn being at dinner even though I thought I wouldn’t. It ended up working for me like almost thing else did. And lastly, again the last 15 or so pages made me cry despite my best efforts. Not because of Tobias, but because of Sabrina’s dad and family she never got to know and what might be possible next after the story is over. That’s all I got, need more coffee.

I loved this book from start to finish. The story, the writing, the character development....all of it. It did take some depressing turns but I thought it was beautiful.

Heartbreaking and hopeful, I loved this book from beginning to end.

This book sounded so fun and I remember really wanting to read it when it came out. I feel sad that I didn’t enjoy it. I found the conversations awkward and forced. It made it seem like everyone on the main character’s list should all mesh well together but why would they? I like that she had to learn a lesson from each of them. I think it would have worked so well if she got it have dinner with each person on a separate night instead of all at once. Also I clearly cannot remember the main character’s name so it was not a very memorable read for me.

This book is not what I thought it was going to be, but I loved it. I thought the writing and pacing was superb. Also, how the author unraveled the twist was heartbreaking and beautiful. I also liked how there wasn't a reason given as to why this dinner was possible. Highly recommend.

Charming, sweet, sad. I cried. Somewhere between a love story and a breakup story.

A cute and moving story that I enjoyed for the most part. However, there were characters I didn’t enjoy and while the premise was really cool, I felt like more could be done with it. I enjoyed it but felt a little bit let down.

1.5

I didn’t give this book a rating initially because I didn’t know how I felt about it. But as time has passes I keep thinking about it and how wonderful it was. The concept of the dinner was so unique and interesting. There was a little too much drama, which is not really my thing, but the ending made up for it.

3.5/5 stars I was initially going to give this book 3/5 stars, but the ending was absolutely, heart-wrenchingly, lovely. I spent about 70% of this book feeling detached and disengaged from both the story and our narrator. As such, I was absolutely shocked when I began sobbing in the final act of the book. And when I say sobbing, I'm not being dramatic--I was genuinely sobbing. As in, shoulders heaving, nose honking, puffy eyes, sobbing. That I had this strong of a reaction speaks to Rebecca Serle's writing abilities. While I didn't necessarily connect with the story or with our protagonist, I absolutely adored Serle's writing style and think that, with the right story, I could see being a favorite author of mine. Check out more of my reviews on my Instagram | Blog

“To any woman who has ever felt betrayed by fate or love. Hang in there. This isn’t the end of your story.” 4.5 stars. A very precious and simple story with a deeper message. It felt all too real at times, and though it’s fiction, relatable. Definitely worth a read.