Maybe in Another Life
by Taylor Jenkins Reid
4 stars
I highly recommend this book to fans of the 1998 movie Sliding Doors (if you like romantic dramas, you should definitely watch it!). Two different versions of your life branching out from one decision or moment. In Sliding Doors, the main character gets fired and runs for the subway. In one version of her life she makes the train and gets home in time to catch her boyfriend cheating on her, in another she misses it.
Maybe in Another Life is based on a similar concept. After a particularly nasty break-up, Hannah moves back to LA and goes to a party with her best friend. When she bumps into her high school boyfriend at the party, he offers her a ride home if she wants to stay, rather than leave with her friend. In one version of her life she leaves with her friend, in another she stays.
This book is a little more solidly in the ‘chick lit’ genre than I normally read, but I really liked the concept. One decision in Hannah’s life, to stay at the party or leave, effects every part of her life from then onward. While there is some romance, in bother versions of Hannah’s life, the main story was about Hannah figuring herself out and her relationship with her best friend, Gabby. I admit, at the end of the story I had strong opinions on which version of Hannah’s life I liked better!
Read-alikes
The Bookseller by Cynthia Swanson
The One That Got Away by Leigh Himes
Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
