The Dinner List
Ratings10
Average rating3.7
15
Ratings10
Average rating3.7
For fans of Me Before You and ONE DAY comes a wondrous novel of first love, loss, and the dinner of a lifetime.
When Sabrina Nielsen arrives at her thirtieth birthday dinner she finds at the table not just her best friend, but also her favorite professor from college, her father, her ex-fiance, Tobias, and Audrey Hepburn.
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 Sabrina contends with in Rebecca Serle’s utterly captivating novel, The Dinner List, a story imbued with the same delightful magical realism as Sliding Doors, and The Rosie Project.
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, and as Rebecca Serle masterfully traces Sabrina’s love affair with Tobias and her coming of age in New York City, The Dinner List grapples with the definition of romance, the expectations of love, and how we navigate our way through it to happiness. Oh, and of course, wisdom from Audrey Hepburn.
Delicious but never indulgent, sweet with just the right amount of bitter, The Dinner List is a romance for our times. Bon appetit.
Reviews with the most likes.
This was pretty good. Definitely an interesting idea. I didn't really care for Sabrina though, and only kept reading because I wanted to know what happened, which I guess means I liked it? I know not everyone has to be likeable, but... she seemed very young and trying too hard for someone turning thirty.
Another unexpected story set out in such an interesting way. Although i find the layout of the past/present to be slow moving, i deeply enjoyed this book. The focus on loss/grief in it's many different forms is presented so well. Rebecca Serle always has me tearing up
I was expecting more out of this. I feel like the revelation that Tobias was dead happened too soon. I can't keep rooting for a couple if one of them is dead, especially if they aren't really that great of a couple to begin with. I think if this book wasn't marketed as romance, I would have liked it more. The setting of the dinner with the 5 different people was interesting. The little sister's letters and deciding to have a relationship with her at the end was the only redeeming plot point. I just didn't like much else.
Where to start, where to start ..
I heard a lot about this one over the years and managed to snag a copy from a used bookstore about two years ago. It's since been sitting on my BOTM bookshelf and I finally decided to pick it up.
In the beginning, I was really loving this one. I was so caught up in everything Sabby and Tobias. It seemed like the perfect love story and maybe a chance dinner to try and rekindle their lost connection.
Over time, however, it started becoming more of a this may not really be a “meant-to-be” love story and the dinner became sad and sometimes redundant. As the evening progresses I started to care less and less about where Sabby and Tobias would actually end up.
I did love the overall theme of the book, and also loved the game that they played with each other. The game of ‘five'. Five words to say what they were feeling at that exact moment, always ending with the word love.
I am sure a lot of readers will, or have, enjoyed this one. Overall, it was an enjoyable read but nothing to rave about.
