Maybe in Another Life

Reid always writes entertaining fiction that forms a mental platform for deeper considerations. This book is not one of the ones that has gone viral online, but, in my opinion, is the one most deserving of the fanbase and may be the best of the oeuvre.

A woman who cannot seem to set down roots moves back to her childhood hometown and goes to a welcoming cocktail party. Her ride home needs to leave early and she is confronted with the seemingly minor choice to either depart or get a later ride with an old flame. From there, the story splits and carries on in parallel realities pursuing the aftermath of both choices simultaneously. One small decision results in drastically varied outcomes.

This book will keep the reader thinking on every show more minor life decision and how little things can have huge ripples and how things could easily have ended so differently. show less

Do you believe in fate? Chance? Do the decisions you make change the path of your future or is that path set so that no matter which choices you make or free will you exhibit you'll get to the same place because you were always destined to be there? And what about multiple universes? If you believe that your decisions drive your future, can there be alternate realities where you chose differently and ended up living a different life? Taylor Jenkins Reid's newest novel, Maybe in Another Life, asks just these questions.

Hannah is 29 years old and after a lifetime of moving around and feeling rootless, she is moving back to LA. She'll live near her best friend Gabby again and maybe even reconnect with Ethan, the high school ex-boyfriend show more she's always thought might one day turn out to be "the one." On her first night back, she goes out to see a bunch of friends, including Ethan. When Gabby and her husband are ready to go home, Hannah must decide whether she's going to go with them or if she wants to stay out a little longer and pursue what she suspects could in fact happen with Ethan. And in the pivotal moment of making a decision, the universe splits and her life spirals outward from both options, radically changing the trajectory of her life in unexpected ways.

Oddly, both choices are the right one and lead to vastly different outcomes in her life. Both choices also include aspects that must have been fated as well because they happen regardless of her chance decision at the bar. But as the narrative flips back and forth between the two realities that she is living concurrently, her decisions have altered almost everything. The flipping back and forth between the different lives is a little bit confusing and difficult in the beginning but adjusting to the back and forth becomes easier as the novel progresses. And the chapters start to end just when the reader wants them to continue, just when a situation needs resolving or Hannah is on the verge of making another decision, giving the narrative pacing a breathless and anticipatory sort of feel all the way through.

There are echoes from one life to another, especially in the dual endings, that ask us to question whether we could be happy in more than one reality. Is your soul mate the only person out there for you? Is your profession the only one that can be fulfilling? Reid seems to argue that we make our own lives and our own happiness and that we can construct it differently, but no less contentedly, based on chance and our choices. The novel is a fun and quick read with an interesting and quirky concept. Hannah's choices, in both of her lives, will resonate with readers who have probably wondered "what if?" more than once in their own lives. This novel makes is delicious to contemplate those endless possibilities for ourselves. show less

I thought this might be a little gimmicky, but is actually quite well done. Our lives are a series of choices and like a choose-your-own-adventure, we never know what path each choice ultimately leads to. In this book, the author explores two alternate paths for Hannah Martin, following where one simple choice would lead her. Hannah has been a restless soul, seeking more to get away from something than to find something. Finally at age 29, she is coming "home" to Los Angeles, after a failed relationship with a married man in NYC. "Home" does not entail her parents and sister, Sarah who left for London to pursue Sarah's ballet career when Hannah had 2 years left in high school. Instead, "home" is her best friend Gabby, Gabby's parents show more (the Hudsons) who took her in for 2 years, and an old flame/first boyfriend/lover Ethan. On her second night back in town, Hannah faces a choice: go home with Ethan or go home with Gabby. The book then offers alternating chapters of what each option would entail. Going home with Ethan involves re-kindling the relationship, finding out if he really is the "one," determining just how strong the bond can be when unforeseen situations from Hannah's "past life" intrude, finding a job, putting down roots - all of which she has been incapable of to date. Going home with Gabby involves an unexpected accident, a long recovery, a chance to face her real family, a challenge to overcome lots of obstacles, a variety of new people in her life, not least is her night nurse, Henry. Reid balances both options deftly, develops Hannah into a full character and has some worthwhile insights: "It doesn't matter if we don't mean to do the things we do. It doesn't matter if we think this is was an accident or a mistake. It doesn't matter if we think this is all up to fate. Because regardless of our destiny, we still have to answer for our actions. We make choices big and small, every day or our lives, and those choices have consequences....Fate or not, 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." (274) A variation of this appears in each iteration, which is clever and ultimately the two Hannahs arrive at the same destination a couple years later: Gabby's 32nd surprise party, with 2 completely different lives, and even a different one for Gabby than she started with. Her husband gives a speech: "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. An infinite number of versions of ourselves are living out the consequences of every single possibility in our lives....and my heart breaks for every single version of me that didn't end up with you." (318) Pleasant read, with something to think about and the friendship between the 2 women is very authentic and definitely makes this worthwhile. Good concept to start the year with! show less

This review was originally posted on Bookish Things & MoreReview
I was immediately drawn into Maybe in Another Life. Reid shows us the different paths we can take due to our choices.

I absolutely loved Hannah. She may seem flighty at the beginning but certain events help shape who she is. She's never really felt like she belonged anywhere until she moved back to L.A. with her friend Gabby. What I love the most is the friendship Hannah and Gabby have. No matter the choices made, or what happens, they are there for each other 100%. Gabby is the one constant in Hannah's life, and she begins to realize that maybe home is where her friend is.

Hannah has a choice, does she go home with her high school sweetheart, Ethan, or does she go home with show more Gabby. We see how each story unfolds based on both decisions. I loved the parallel lives between the two choices. In both circumstances she can run from her mistakes, or she can own them and try to be better for herself. With each decision Hannah faces hardships and some unthinkable situations.

I love Reid's writing. It's beautiful and pulls you into the story. Her characters are believable, and you feel their emotions right along with them. There are moments of happiness, sadness, and despair. But you cheer for Hannah the entire way. One thing is for sure, family isn't necessarily who you're related to by blood. Family is based on those you surround yourself with, and who have your back through thick and thin. show less

This was such a unique novel. It starts off with Hannah having to make a simple choice: who to get a ride from at the end of the night? From here, we are taken to parallel universes where we see the outcome of each option she could choose. Vastly different things happen in each, but one constant is the inner growth and development of not only Hannah, but other characters as well.

Hannah's character is relatable on so many levels. She's a single 29 year old with no solid career, no city she calls home, and no idea what the future may hold. Even though many aspects of her differ from mine, a myriad of her inner thoughts reflected mine, that at times it was like looking into a mirror.

Much of this reads like a coming of age tale, which I show more loved, because so often we fixate on college as being that time in our lives where everything will figure itself out, but in reality, many of us are hitting 30 and still wading through the waters, trying to find something to hold on to.

As Hannah's alternate realities play out, I couldn't decide which scenario I enjoyed more. Both had heartache and difficulties, but there was also excitement, love, and laughter. It makes you think that one choice made may alter your future but in no way ruins it. You can always adapt, change, and still find a way to be happy even if it didn't turn out exactly like you planned. show less

Do you believe in fate? Do you believe that everything happens for a reason? Do you believe that one little choice can change the course of your life? In Maybe In Another Life, Taylor Jenkins Reid explores these questions. Twenty-nine year old Hannah Martin returns to her hometown of Los Angeles to try to figure out her life. She’s held a bunch of different jobs in a bunch of different cities and has never really felt at home. She moves in with her best friend, Gabby and her husband and makes a new plan for her adult life. Shortly after arriving in LA, she reconnects with her high school boyfriend, Ethan – the one that got away. A single decision changes the course of her life: should she go home with Ethan, or should she go home show more with Gabby? From that point on, the book is told in alternating chapters following both threads of her life after making that small decision. Is there only one true love out there for each of us or is it possible that there’s a happily ever after possible no matter what we choose?

I think my favorite part about this book is how real it felt. These characters are all people that I might know or meet. There are no cliches or stereotypes. The dual plot-lines were both engaging and the romance was not overdone. One of the reasons I don’t read many romance novels is because everything is always so over the top. There’s always just a little too much drama and passion for it to seem real to me. Here, Hannah is just a real girl, dealing with real girl problems and trying to find her way in the world. She could be my friend, the girl next door, or the girl I stand in line with every day while I’m getting my coffee. Her man problems are the same problems many women of her age have. There’s no over-the-top drama, no ridiculous circumstances, just real life, and that made this book so refreshing to read. I felt like I could relate to Hannah and got much more invested in her life that I usually do in a fictional character.

That’s not to say that there’s not any drama at all. There definitely is! Real life has plenty of drama and there’s enough here to keep the book interesting without taking it too far. I could not decide which version of Hannah’s life I liked better. After each chapter I’d say to myself, “this is definitely the life I’d want if I were her,” and then change my mind after the next one.

I really loved the alternating timelines. I was concerned that I would feel confused or disconnected because of the alternating chapters but I’m happy to say that that was not the case. There were lots of little details that were the same in each and there were also topics and conversations that were repeated between the timelines, although with slightly different circumstances. There’s not enough repeated to make the book feel redundant or boring, just enough to show that Hannah’s personality is the same regardless of her choices and to make the book as a whole feel cohesive.

Overall, I really enjoyed this. I love the way the author played with these rather philosophical questions. Maybe in Another Life is a fun read with some food for thought. The message I took away is that maybe we are as happy as we allow ourselves to be and that no matter what decisions we make, we have the ability to have a happily ever after – even if it’s not exactly the one you always thought it might be. This would be a great beach read and could easily be finished in one or two sittings once you get hooked. There are well-rounded characters with personality, an interesting plot and realistic romance. This is at the top of my list of recommended summer reads for this year.

I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. show less

Have cinnamon rolls handy when you read this book. I'm warning you now :)

This book is much more interesting than it even sounds based on the book description.

Two stories are told they both begin with Hannah moving back to her hometown and running into her old boyfriend, the one who got away.
In one scenario, Hannah leaves a club with him.
In another scenario, she leaves with her friend Gabby.

Here's where it gets really interesting, when Hannah decides not to leave with her life of boyfriend she gets into a terrible accident.

So, the course of her life is significant different in each scenario. It's not just about whether Hannah winds up with her ex. It's about everything that happens based on one decision she makes.

Very enjoyable story show more and I honestly don't think you can predict the endings with full confidence. I liked that. You don't know whether Hannah is fated to wind up with the same man regardless of the choices she makes. show less