The Five Times I Met Myself {Review}

The Five Time I Met Myself by James L. Rubart

Visit the Author's website HERE

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Publishing Date: November 10, 2015

Goodreads Summary:

What if you met your twenty-three year old self in a dream? What would you say?

Brock Matthews’ once promising life is unraveling. His coffee company. His marriage.

So when he discovers his vivid dreams—where he encounters his younger self—might let him change his past mistakes, he jumps at the chance. The results are astonishing, but also disturbing.

Because getting what Brock wants most in the world will force him to give up the one thing he doesn’t know how to let go of . . . and his greatest fear is it’s already too late.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Litfuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Buy a copy today!

My Thoughts:
'The Five Times I Met Myself' is the definition of a thought provoking book. Brock gets the opportunity to visit his younger self in his dreams. He tells Younger Brock to make one simple, life change, a change that should make his current troubles better. Yet, changing the past never seems to work out like we want it too. Sure enough Brock is now stuck in a world he doesn't know or understand, and everything is wrong.

The concept isn't entirely unique, but this book is well written. There are layers to peel back and thoughts to ponder. Nothing is straightforward. No explanation for how the dreams are working is ever really given, but that fits so well with the story. We don't get explanations for why life is the way life is, we just have to do our best with what we have. Which means accepting our mistakes and dealing with the consequences as well.

Some of the themes, or storylines, of the book weren't totally obvious. For example, I only knew he was competing with his brother because one of the characters first stated it. Only Brock's failing marriage was obvious due to Rubart's (apparent) understanding of a grumpy wife :) But still, they all come together in the end and we see how each piece is woven together.

Rubart's latest is hard to put down. I needed to know what was going to happen next. What was reality? Would things ever be made 'right'? Like I mentioned previously, it really is a book made for thinking. What would I tell my past self? Would I want to change anything? What idols am I creating? What am I not appreciating in my own life? And so on. 'The Five Times I Met Myself' would be an excellent book club read, or even a cold, winter night read. 4 stars.