Five Million Moments

by Goldie Williamson

What's Mine is Yours. And What's Yours is Mine.

It's the 1990s—the decade that brought us Singles, Reality Bites, and Friends—when young women believed they could have the career, the love, and the life they'd always imagined. Shannon, Melissa, and Amy meet during sorority rush and become instant confidantes, the kind of friends who share everything: favorite sweaters, late-night confessions, and a sacred blue notebook where they record their wildest dreams.



Shannon is fiercely ambitious and determined to shatter every glass ceiling. Melissa believes in the fairytale—the soulmate, the sign, and the happily ever after. Amy is certain she can balance it all: the journalism career, the family, and the life she's carefully planned. Together, they're invincible.



As the years unfold—through the dot-com boom, first jobs, relationships that don't go as planned, and a world forever changed by 9/11—their friendship stretches and bends but never breaks. Until a long-buried secret surfaces, forcing them to confront what they're willing to forgive and what friendship really means when the fairytale falls apart.



For anyone who watched Beverly Hills, 90210 religiously, stayed up too late analyzing the message a crush left on an answering machine, or still has a friend who knew you when—Five Million Moments is a warm, propulsive love letter to the friendships that shape us. It's perfect for fans of Firefly Lane, Tell Me Lies, and Elin Hilderbrand.

405 pages, ebook

Published February 3, 2026

Reviews

[ManyLives Live · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Five Million Moments by Goldie Williamson is engaging from the start. It revolves around three young women that develop a friendship in college. I believe the book is appropriate for 18+.

Williamson does a good job drawing you into the era and the characters are relatable. The characters are not stagnant and continue to evolve through different stages of life. The notebook serves as a symbol within the plot. Dreams, disasters, choices, secrets, and unconditional love are interwoven in the prose which is easy to follow. There are multiple lessons and truths, often forgotten, found in the text.

"Your girlfriends are the greatest loves of your life. You'll see."

[Emily Harp · Rating 5 out of 5]

86 Merrimac is where it all began.. Five Million Moments by Goldie Williamson gives the reader a peek into the lives of three college sorority sisters in the 90s. They forge a bonded friendship over bar nights and mixers, classes, hobbies and weekly 90210 episodes. This triangle of friends lasts over the five million minutes of the next 10 years. Despite the deep contrasts in the girls' upbringings, motivations, lifestyles and futures, the girls have a rich undercurrent of acceptance and unconditional love. Williamson takes us on a journey of their ups and downs, through their hopes and dreams, failures and self-discoveries. She does not shy away from the tough topics many young adults face like navigating marriage, pregnancy, cheating, finances, working moms, health and a little substance abuse. Williamson sprinkles in enough current events, fashion, TV shows and music that I felt a literal stepping back in time to my sorority sisters and the paths we walked. It was a big, warm hug of nostalgia! Five Million Moments was a beautiful story that I could not put down - Highly Recommend, Five Stars

Thank you BookSirens for the advanced ebook!

All of these thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are times you pick up a book and you can't put it down. Where the characters in the book/the story will stick with you for a long time. This is one of these books.
I heard about this book through an Instagram ad when i was in a reading slump. I am so glad I did.
This is the story of Amy, Shannon and Melissa who met in college and were sorority sisters. The story follows their lives from the 1990's through 2002 with the people, careers and changes they face along the way. A secret forms during the story that could tear their friendship apart.
I found this story to be very relatable and engaging. I found myself rooting for the characters and sometimes feeling frustrated about their choices along the way. None of the story is sugar coated, tied up with a bow now is it toxically positive which I appreciate. I even found myself engaged with the stories of some of the supporting characters too. I pored through this book in one day which is rare for me. It is one of my favorite reads of 2026. I understand this is the first book from this author and i really hope some comes out with more reads in the future.

[Cassandra Gore · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing and I truly enjoyed it. The three main characters all had their own unique personality, story, and development and were very well rounded. You got to know them, love them, and feel for them. This book made me, laugh, cry, smile, and reflect on my own life. I felt like I could relate to so many parts of it and it shows the growth and power friendship has in your life. I genuinely loved this book and it was so real, it accurately portrayed the hardships and messiness of life and why you need people by your side to get through it.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Susanne Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read that sucked me in. It was slightly different to my normal read but I soon found myself drawn into the lives of Shannon, Melissa and Amy.

I really enjoyed following them all through their college years and into adulthood and facing all the relationship and friendship issues. We get snippets of their lives, sometimes interwoven with each other and sometimes just seeing their life through their own eyes. The twists that are also woven in really kept me engaged. The timeline is also familiar to me and it was really moving reading the chapters about 911 and how it affected the lives of the girls.

This is a lovely story, and once you start you won’t be able stop.

[Jacob Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This novel has everything and then some — sex, secrets, and scandals (not to mention an incredible list of 90s references that make me nostalgic for my youth). But it’s so much more than all that — Five Million Moments is a story of sisterhood, motherhood, friendship, loss, grief, renewal, and forgiveness. I couldn’t put it down and didn’t want it to end. What a phenomenal debut novel… We need a sequel!

[Kim Territo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I always enjoy reading stories about lasting friendships and this a good one. It follows three very different women with very different paths they are following. Things do not always go smoothly, but you will find yourself rooting for them to get to the other side.