Maybe in Another Life: A Novel

Taylor Jenkins Reid is one of those authors that, when I see a new book of hers ready for pre-order, I instantly hit the button and then wait anxiously for it to arrive at my door. Her books are just that good! She has this way of making you really feel for her characters, she makes you internalize their pain and joy until you are just breathless watching their lives unfold on the page. For me, she also makes me look at relationships and their issues and successes in a different way than I necessarily did before. She mixes humor with heavy elements so that the stories are neither fluffy nor overly depressing and I always feel completely satisfied when I turn the last page. In other words, I'm a fan! In Maybe in Another Life, our main character Hannah has kind of drifted through life, never really putting down roots or committing to anything in particular. The more you get to know her you discover that her parents moved to London when she was a teenager while she stayed in L.A. and lived with her best friend's family and, since then, she has been trying to discover where and what "home" is for her. While I can't say I've experienced this same feeling or agree with all the choices she made by the time we meet her, she is charming and caring and a completely sympathetic character. She's the kind of girl I would want in my corner if I really needed someone to be there for me, good or bad, and tell me the truth when no one else would. The story really takes flight when Hannah and her friends go out to celebrate her return to L.A. and we begin to see how one tiny decision - whether to go home with her best friend Gabby or her ex-boyfriend Ethan - can spiral into two very different, yet in some respects very similar, life paths. I'm not about to give away how either story progresses because that would spoil too many surprises for anyone who wants to read it, but I will say that neither life is a smooth path and both are filled with the many ups and downs of any life. This seemingly small choice will have far-reaching consequences for not only Hannah but many other characters, and it was fascinating to see how the various characters experienced many of the same elements - infidelity, pregnancy, feeling alone, finding love - in both storylines even while they were presented or experienced in different ways. This brings up the whole fate versus choice debate and my mind was spinning back and forth as I tried to see which way the cards would fall for each of them. The end of the book presents a concept that I am completely in love with now and it is this: each choice we make fractures our life into alternative universes, and each of those alternate universes is another existence or life that we are living parallel to the one we are in now. With all the choices we make each and every day this gives us infinite, varied lives that we are living. There might be some similarities that remain across the universes but it would be impossible for them to be the same. I keep thinking about how, if I hadn't agreed to tag along with a friend one night in college, I might never have met my husband and might then never have had my son. However, it could be that we would have still met, just at a different time and under a different circumstance. Or, I could have met someone else and be living a whole different life. Who knows! I start getting emotional when I think about this too much as I don't really want to imagine my life any other way and I'm just glad I am living in this universe. What I end up coming away with each time is that, regardless of whether fate will have its way or not, we have to make the choices we think are right for us and let the world unravel the way it will. Taylor Jenkins Reid's novels are smart women's fiction, novels that make you really think about your life and how much you can relate to her character's experiences and feelings. I've read all three she's written so far and I've loved each one more than the last. I can't recommend her enough for those looking for an emotional, thought-provoking book that tests what you think about love and relationships and leaves you longing for more.

This was a very well-written and engaging story, just as I’ve come to expect from Taylor Jenkins Reid. I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator was absolutely phenomenal, which made the experience even more immersive. The concept was intriguing and kept me interested throughout. Taylor Jenkins Reid has a way of pulling you into her characters’ lives and making you care deeply about their choices. It was also very refreshing to see the beauty of true friendship portrayed so genuinely. Experiencing one of the main characters who is kind, sincere, and truly sweet in the way she shows up for her friends added a special warmth to the story. Overall, a compelling and enjoyable listen that I would definitely recommend.

Hannah Martin is a young lady who has lived in multiple places and held many dead-end jobs. She struggles to be content with her life, never feeling at home anywhere, particularly since her family lives across the ocean in London. So she decides to start afresh (again), and hauls herself back to LA where her best friend, Gabby, lives. She moves in for what is supposed to be a temporary period of time. It is here that Hannah decides to implement her version of growing up. She makes a plan with every intention of sticking to it. Then she runs into her old boyfriend, Ethan, and it is here that the universe divides, playing out various story lines depending upon what decision Hannah makes in that moment. In essence, the plot is a decision-tree of sorts. What decision will grow into what branch of her life, and on it goes. From chapter to chapter we see a different Hannah in a situation based on the decision she made she made at various points. Two lives of Hannah play out and the reader moves along wondering which life Hannah ended up with. It is an interesting concept to ponder and may create moments of self-reflection in the reader starting with, "What if I..." Hannah, herself, is a flat character. She is fraught with fear, indecision, lack of confidence, and parent issues that at the age of 30 she should have resolved or be very close to resolving. In this capacity she is insipid and from time to time very annoying. The reader may find herself saying, "Just get on with it." On the other hand, without these character flaws, there is no novel. Gabby, her best friend, is much better developed and more interesting in any universe we examine for Hannah. If you are hardcore romance reader, this book is not for you. The romance in this book is implied and not graphically depicted. Nevertheless, romantic tension does exist for both Hannah and Gabby. And there is happy ending, although one the reader may not expect. The parental subplot is predictable and boring and isn't necessary to the plot whether the parents live in LA or London or Paris or the moon. But it is a small part and not overly complicated or distracting. As far as writing ability, the author writes well. The pace is steady and I can imagine readers flipping pages at a pretty good clip to see what happens next. In that aspect, the novel itself is worth your time in escapism.

I'd like to personally introduce you to my absolute favorite book -- my number one read. There are infinite reasons as to why this book has taken the top spot on my list of favorites, but having a best friend character who completely embodies what it means to be a best friend is my favorite reason why I fell in love with MAYBE IN ANOTHER LIFE. "We were Gabby and Hannah, Hannah and Gabby, one name rarely mentioned without the other in tow." It's said that when you like or love something, it's usually because you can see yourself in said thing. When something is relatable to a certain degree, you're more than likely going to love the familiarity that it brings. I think that's why this book completely consumed me -- it felt so familiar; it felt like home. "Life is long and full of an infinite number of decisions. I have to think that the small ones don't matter, that I'll end up where I need to end up no matter what I do. My fate will find me." Taylor Jenkins Reid created a story in which the main character, Hannah Martin, lives out two versions of her life in alternating chapters. It may sound confusing and hard to keep up with, but I assure you it's not. Hannah decides to move back to L.A. to live with her best friend, Gabby, while she figures out exactly what she wants out of life. One night, she goes out with Gabby and Mark, Gabby's fiance, and meets up with her ex, Ethan. You can say that Ethan was the one that got away -- Hannah's first love. The story splits up into the two different lives that Hannah will lead if she decides to stay out with Ethan as the night comes to a close, or if she decides to go back home with Gabby & Mark. "It's entirely possible that every time we make a decision, there is a version of us out there somewhere who made a different choice." I loved this story because it touched on a subject that I rarely think about, but am entirely fascinated by: fate. Is fate something that could be considered inevitable? Do we have any sort of control within our lives? Hannah's two decisions play out and create two lives that are polar opposites. I loved that there were certain things and people that spilled into both of Hannah's lives because it brought back the idea that some things were bound to happen to us, things that were completely out of our control. "Life is unpredictable beyond measure." One constant in both of Hannah's lives was Gabby, Hannah's best friend. Their friendship was exactly the kind of friendship I needed to read about -- she was exactly like my best friend, Katie. Seeing that familiarity, that sense of "wow, Gabby and Hannah are honest-to-god best friends" was amazing. I've said this before, but seriously, Reid can write one helluva best friend. "Our lives are still the results of our choices. I'm starting to think that when we don't own them, we don't own ourselves." This story isn't just a love story, nor is it just a story about lifelong friendship. It's a lesson that teaches you about life, the decisions we make every day, both big and small, and the effects they have on our future. It brings to light the topic of destiny and how we play a part in something that is so entirely out of our reach. I laughed, cried (a lot, sorry) and was filled with this tremendous amount of hope. Do yourself the ultimate favor of reading this story. You are more than likely fated to fall in love with it. "You never know what you're ready for until you have to face it." Side note: that last scene made the entire story for me. Beautifully executed and something I will never forget!

This book is great, it doesn’t drag and captures your attention quickly. The authors excessive use of the word “OK” bothers me but otherwise I’m loving the book and the different outcomes of each path.

This book is simply amazing... Actually beyond words. I'm sure the concept of fate, soulmates and the consequences of our actions has been explored by different authors; but I find this story crafted by Taylor Jenkins Reid to be simply amazing. I love how each scenario plays out... The way, even if each "universe" is crafted differently all because of that pivotal decision Hannah makes that one evening, that some events are still the same-- the car, the job, Gabby and Mark, etc. - and it's just the timing of each one happening in Hannah's life that is different and yet... Boom! I love the ending. I guess what I am trying to say is that the author was very thoughtful on how, even if each universe was framed differently, she managed to keep their connection so that though different they are still cohesive... Taylor Jenkins Reid, in my opinion, is a great storyteller; she is able to breathe so much life in her characters. Every emotion, thought, action...each scene comes alive. And even though each chapter alternates between the 2 universes of Hannah's life, the author manages to hold your attention and gets you so excited to find out what happens next. You don't get lost. Every chapter will either break your heart, get you excited, make you happy, make you frustrated or surprise you and all the more get you excited to keep going until you reach the end. Maybe In Another Life is not your usual love story, in fact the love story is just the background I guess. The bigger picture here are the choices we make and how much of the consequences of our actions is fate and how much of it is just the result of our choices? As a reader, by the end of the story, I have to admit I started to recall and reflect upon the actions and thoughts of the main character and to ask again"what if?". And then, I started to do the same with mine, but then I remember what Hannah said: "it's sort of absurd, isn’t it? How we grab on to facts and consequences looking to blame or exonerate ourselves?... Nine billion choices I’ve made over the course of my life could have changed where I am right now and where I’m headed. There’s no sense focusing on just one. Unless you want to punish yourself." That said I totally recommend this book to anyone, everyone. It's a "must-read".

3 1/2 Stars!! Parallel universes? Yes, please! I have always been intrigued with stories about the path not taken. The blurb of MAYBE IN ANOTHER LIFE intrigued me and made me think of one of my favorite movies, Sliding Doors. While this book was not all that I had hoped for, it is nonetheless a well-written, thought-provoking story about the consequences of our actions, fate and destiny. Taylor Jenkins Reid brings a unique and fresh voice to the idea that our soul mates are out there, and that our choices lead us to our own realities. Both parallel stories in this book were engaging, REAL, and very original. The characters are all very relatable and some of their stories more poignant than others. “I know there may be universes out there where I made different choices and they led me somewhere else, led me to someone else. And my heart breaks for every single version of me that didn’t end up with you.” Our heroine Hannah takes two widely divergent paths, as does her best friend Gabby. I did feel an overriding sense of sadness while reading this book, which, happily, was replaced by joy by the end. MAYBE IN ANOTHER LIFE is a very thoughtful and interesting book, which will make you think about your choices in life, and whether fate ever really plays a part in our lives. Is everything all mapped out, occurring anyway no matter what our choices might be? There’s lots to chew on here and I will say that I was totally surprised by the ending of this book. I would have like a little more detail about some of the more meaningful events in this book. However, much of this story seems aimed at twenty-somethings who will very much enjoy Hannah's journey. I did feel that some important details were missing, but overall, both the writing and the story were very intriguing and fresh. I read this in one sitting and I will definitely grab the author’s other books now. Love, loss, family, friendship, loyalty — they are all covered here and I think this is the perfect summertime read.

This book was a really good idea, if not somewhat derivative - very Sliding Doors. Started off well enough. I always read the first page or two before purchasing a book and this seemed to be well- written and compelling. Easy reading, which is nice now and then. The main problem for me began with some badly written dialogue and incredible overuse of cliche after cliche, which cheapens the reading experience. Poor character development as well. And then the long-winded “life lessons”, shallow yet wordy paragraphs of supposedly deep and meaningful ponderings which were almost laughable. I finished the book because I truly liked a few of the main characters but honestly, if the first chapters were indicative of what was to come, I would have skipped this one. I have been meaning to read another of her novels for a while but I think I’ll pass.

Thought provoking about life, about our choices... I don’t read romance! But this man blew my mind! No cheesy romance scenes so don’t worry. So good! So good!

This was a lovely 'what if' book, where we alternate between two storylines based on different outcomes to an event. Hannah returns to LA after ending a relationship. Moving in with her best friend Gabby and her husband, she's in search of 'home' and family, not knowing what she wants out of life. At the end of a night out catching up with friends, old and new, Hannahs ex boyfriend- the one that got away - asks her to stay out longer with him. Here, the timeline splits. In one Hannah stays, the other she goes home with Gabby. I always find this is an interesting storyline, particularly as it's something I and many others often think about. 'What if I'd done this?' or 'what if i said that'. Taylor does a great job of this, and I loved that I constantly kept changing my mind over which timeline I wanted to be real. I spent so much time thinking about it that at the very end, I still found myself thinking,'I wonder if?' There are quite a few big life changes the characters have to face throughout. There's serious accidents, divorces, pregnancy loss, and even the difficulties you can face over telling family how you feel, even when you know it may hurt them. This seemed like it could be a lot for one book, but it actually worked well with the dual timelines. I loved how this book shows that not all families are flesh and blood. Sometimes, there are friends that we choose to promote as family. The relationship between Hannah and best friend Gabby is so lovely to read about, I was pleased to see that no matter what direction the timeline headed, their relationship shone brightly in both! The way they both boosted each other in times of difficulty, building each other up, really made my heart happy.

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#spoilerAlert I really loved that the story build . It’s basically telling you a girl’s life and her choices in life but in multi-universe. Like how our life is based on our choices but there are certain catalyst that act as the X factor or the unknown variable in the equation of life. It’s truly a great story where one can also relate to themselves and retrospect their life. This is my second book from Reid and I think I am now on a quest to read all the books written by her.

Loved the story. The book is a pocket size and good quality.