Books don't make me cry. But something about Serle's work makes me tear up every time. She finds the perfect way to show how platonic, familial & romantic love affects us while intertwining the past & the present. I don't know how she does it, but she succeeds in capturing the raw human experience.
— AsiaA Bustle Book Club Selection
This poignant and romantic novel from the New York Times bestselling author of One Italian Summer and In Five Years answers the question: If you could have dinner with any five people, living or dead, who would they be?
“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.
“Imagine that you could gather the people you’ve loved - dead or alive- at one table, for one night, with a chance to heal yourself once and for all. The Dinner List is a heartbreakingly romantic book framed by such an evening. It’s Serle’s unflinching investigation into the triumph and failings of love that makes this book one of a kind. A touch magic, a touch tragic, and absolutely compelling from beginning to end.”
— Stephanie Danler, New York Times bestselling author of Sweetbitter
"I read The Dinner List in a single day, unable to tear myself away from this unconventional dinner party. Rebecca Serle draws you in with this clever and delightful story and then (when you least expect it) offers up some of the sharpest insights on first loves, friendships and family. This book is completely original and wildly entertaining."
— Jennifer Close, New York Times bestselling author of Girls in White Dresses and The Hopefuls
“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
"This fun book will make readers reflect on friendship and lost love and how we remember the past."
- Real Simple
"Best Books of September" (NewsWeek)
"A bittersweet tale of love, loss, and living with the memories."
- Kirkus
"Themes of love, loss, and forgiveness weave through this intriguing mix of the real and the fanciful."
- Booklist
"Best Books to Curl Up With This Fall" (PopSugar)
"The result is a fun meandering through time that also touches profoundly on the many different types of love we feel for others."
-The Betches
" The Dinner List offers a menu of keen-eyed, compassionate insights about the relationships that nourish us." - Shelf Awareness