Maybe In Another Life

Moving ahead in my quest to read the entire Taylor Jenkins Reid canon, Maybe In Another Life.

Goodreads Stats

Why I Read This Book/How I Heard About It

I have a sick fascination with reading all of Taylor Jenkins Reid now, for some reason. Is it because she's a great writer? No. Not really. I think it's just a sister thing, between Rachel and I. We just like her easy, fun, carefree way with stories. No stress or moral lessons or deep philosophical meaning...just a fun, quick read. That's what TJR is going to give you every time.

Basic Summary

This story is just like the old movie, Sliding Doors, which was certainly not a Hollywood blockbuster success by any means, but I just love the idea of seeing how very small choices can alter the course of our lives going forward. I loved that movie so much. Who doesn't wonder if everything would have been different if they just would have made one choice differently? So, in that sense, this book is really two stories. TJR flips between "realities", based on a choice that the main character makes and shows what would happen in both alternatives.

The main character, twenty-nine year old Hannah Martin, is at the point where she needs to figure out what she wants to do with her life. She has bounced around to different cities and different jobs throughout her twenties and has moved back home to live with her best friend, Gabby, in Los Angeles, so she can figure out her next move. One night, Hannah and Gabby go out for drinks and run into Hannah's high school boyfriend, Ethan.

Just after midnight, Gabby is ready to go home and, at the same time, Ethan asks if she wants to go out with him. The two stories are born of Hannah's choice. One story tracks her future if she heads home with Gabby. The other shows what life would be like if she goes with Ethan.

"As the two alternate realities run their course, Maybe in Another Life raises questions about fate and true love: Is anything meant to be? How much in our life is determined by chance? And perhaps, most compellingly: Is there such a thing as a soul mate? Hannah believes there is. And, in both worlds, she believes she’s found him."

First Impressions

When I realized this was going to be like Sliding Doors, I was giddy. I am fascinated with alternate realities...up to the point of total confusion a la Loki's Timekeeper. That and Dr. Strange Multiverse of Madness have ruined this idea for me. Marvel has pushed it so far beyond what my brain can understand or comprehend. And when I can't understand it, I get pretty upset. But, this dual storyline was just right. Enjoyable and entertaining, and not so far off in left field that it twists your mind into a pretzel.

Final Thoughts

The most interesting part of this was the through lines in both stories that were the same: an overall belief in love, in friendship, and in life and how it works out the way it's supposed to in the end. I love that view of things.

As readers, we see Hannah make different choices with different people in each story. In both, there are great moments of joy and extremely difficult moments of struggle and fear and doubt. You know, like in real life.

But the beautiful ending to the book is that Hannah finds happiness in both realities, even though they couldn't be more different. There is something very comforting about that. And it's true...our choices don't lead to the right thing OR the wrong thing. It's just the next thing. We deal with whatever comes at us and move on to the next thing. That is life. And it's up to us whether we find the good in our current circumstances or not. I truly enjoyed this one!

Rating on Goodreads

I rated this book 4 out of 5 stars.

My rating method:

• I rarely rate books 5 stars. I save this for the absolute best books I've read. You know the ones...the ones that you can't get out of your head, even after you've finished them. The ones you think about for weeks afterwards.

• If a book is really, really good, I'll give it 4 stars. If you see a 4-star rating from me, I'd definitely recommend it to you to read.

• If it's just OK, it gets 3 stars. Basically, it means I could take it or leave it. I'd probably read it again because it wasn't terrible. But not like a favorite or anything.

• If I rate it 1 or 2 stars, I would not recommend anyone read it. It either didn't hold my interest or I couldn't relate to the characters/plot.