Maybe in Another Life

I am not sure what to say about this book. It would be easy to be a spoiler… times two, literally. This book is about second chances and what-if\’s. It\’s about things we think about from time to time.. What if I did this instead of this? What if I chose the opposite that one time? How would things have worked out? Would my life be better or worse? Would I still end up where I am now? In life, we always have a choice resulting from more than one option. We always chose what we either want more or what we think is best. Who are we to know that that particualr decision, no matter how insignificant it seems, is the right one? Does every decision we make set off a separate chain of events… sending our lives into a completely different path? This story is equally heartwarming and heartbreaking. You will find yourself so full of emotions, you won\’t know what is up and what is down. You may see up as down and down as up. The story is written with such great talent, you won\’t be able to decide which path was the correct path or incorrect path. Reid has such a talent for messing with your head and emotions, you will be equally mad and pleased with this book. I was equally pleased and displeased with this book… I didn\’t know which story was the better of the two. One minute I was begging for the pain to stop, then the next minute I was smiling with a full heart. This is not like any other book you have read. It is so well written, there is no way you can\’t fall in love with this story. You will need a box of tissues and a stiff drink to make it through this one.

I bought this book because I wanted to believe in something more. More than fantasy fiction, more than just another novel I cant get past the second chapter on. I found it, I found my something more. I read this book in 5 days and as a mother with 4 children and a full time job that\’s impressive. I was hooked from the minute I started reading it. I have since ordered every books Taylor Jenkins Reid has ever written. Her writing spoke to me. It made me happy and sad all in the same chapter. It also made me think about life and love and all the choices that we make that lead us down different paths. Could stand to be my favorite book of all time but we\’ll see.

I picked this book up because I fell in love with Taylor Jenkins Reid from some of her other books and I instantly fell in love. This book reminded me of Sliding Doors in book form. What would you do if you had just accepted that drink or just gone to class that day? I really enjoyed all the characters in this novel. Hannah was a lost twenty something that just needed to get her life together. The plot all hinges on one night. What is Hannah\’s life like if she goes home with Gabby and her husband? Or what is her life like if she goes home with her ex? Taylor Jenkins Reid really brings these characters to life. You feel for them. You are even shouting at the book what you think Hannah should do. I loved this book. I will say that I don\’t think TJR can do any wrong. Pick up this book! It is a super fast read. I read it basically in a day.

\”Life is long and full of an infinite number of decisions. I have to think that the small ones don\’t matter, and I\’ll end up where I need to end up no matter what I do.\” 3.5*** Hannah is a 29-year-old woman on a flight back to LA to live with her married, high-school best friend, Gabriel (AKA Gabby), after Hannah\’s affair with a married man ended terribly. Hannah has moved around a lot since she has gotten out of high-school, and hasn\’t really been able to call anywhere home. With no clear direction on her life, or where it is headed, she decides to get back in touch with her roots by moving back to LA. This begins like any of other contemporary, with best friends and parties. Gabby sets up welcome home party for Hannah at a local restaurant where she invites Hannah\’s high school sweetheart, Ethan. As the party wears on, there is a decision Hannah has to make: does she stay out with Ethan and dance the night away or does she go home with Gabby? This divergence create a parallel time line where we see both decisions made and played out long term, and are balanced by alternating chapters. This book reminded me of a 1998 movie with Gwyneth Paltrow called Sliding Doors, where the overall concept is the same. The story is slightly different as Gwyneth\’s character\’s fate is decided for her after she makes the Subway home to her apartment in one reality, and misses it in another. This determines whether he catches her lying, cheating boyfriend in the act. The plot in this book is completely different, but the concept is exactly the same. I am something of a romantic, and in romance I would like to believe that no matter what decision I make I will end up with the same person. To me, that is the definition of a soulmate. This book approaches this concept similarly within the context of each diverging story line; but as a reader, this really messes with my concept of what it means to be someone\’s soulmate as I see both versions of her differing realities play out. This book would have been more enjoyable if I had approached it as a book about the long term effects one small decision can make on the rest of your life, instead of approaching it like a romance. While this book was well written with a very compelling concept, this was definitely not one of my favorite Taylor Jenkins Reid books.

This was my first book by Taylor Jenkins Reid and after reading it, I can definitely see her appeal! Her writing is simple, emotional and before you even know it, it sweeps you along for the ride! This story was told in such a unique way, with two parallel storylines and I wasn\’t sure about it when I first picked it up, but I ended up really enjoying it! This story definitely had me feeling all the feels. Maybe in Another Life not only questions whats meant to be in this life and who were meant to be with, but it also makes you think about where and what home really is. Its so easy to think that only the big decisions you make affect the course of your life, when in reality all the decisions you make have an effect and you cant simply just wish the bad away, because from the bad eventually comes good. This book has everything to satisfy the romance reader; it certainly thrilled the hopeless romantic in me and left me feeling oddly nostalgic, hopeful, and very satisfied with the HEA!

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