Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid

"At the age of twenty-nine, Hannah Martin still has no idea what she wants to do with her life. She has lived in six different cities and held countless meaningless jobs since graduating college. On the heels of leaving yet another city, Hannah moves back to her hometown of Los Angeles and takes up residence in her best friend Gabby’s guestroom. Shortly after getting back to town, Hannah goes out to a bar one night with Gabby and meets up with her high school boyfriend, Ethan.

Just after midnight, Gabby asks Hannah if she’s ready to go. A moment later, Ethan offers to give her a ride later if she wants to stay. Hannah hesitates. What happens if she leaves with Gabby? What happens if she leaves with Ethan?

In concurrent storylines, Hannah lives out the effects of each decision. Quickly, these parallel universes develop into radically different stories with large-scale consequences for Hannah, as well as the people around her. 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." (goodreads)

 

 

Go home with Gabby? Or stay out with Ethan?

 

Going into this book you know this is the moment where Hannah's life splits into two universes and you get to witness both play out. When I got to this part, very early in the book, I sat there trying to decide what Hannah should do, I actually tried to pick the best path for her life. And I couldn't. I felt her reasons for both situations were thought out and reasonable decisions. But I fell for Ethan, so it wasn't long before I found myself rooting for his storyline even though I really did enjoy both.

 

My fiancé and I met/started dating while I was in my senior year of high school and thinking back to when Hannah and Ethan were that age, my life so easily could have ended up the same way. Young love is fragile and it takes a lot of certainty to commit to another person for your whole life at such a young age. But being with Adam is the only decision in my life I know is right. Everything else in my life is kind of a mess, which is why I loved Hannah so much, I really understood her and her fears that her life would never click into place.

 

This book was so beautiful and I really felt I could connect to Hannah in a lot of ways. Being in your mid to late twenties is a strange age where you can feel the pressure to have your whole life figured out. Reading Hannah's story helped calm a little bit of that anxiety in me that my life isn't on track. Of course it isn't, I'm still so young even though at 27 I feel so old and my time is running out to decide my life. This book helped me realize that things will just work out. My life doesn't have to be neat and perfect, it is messy and there are endless possibilities for me out there, that there are literally hundreds of paths for me to follow and find happiness. This story made my heart swell and Hannah and Gabby will be two people I remember when I start to panic about the timeline of my life. Hannah and Gabby taught me to remember that when life seemed so terrible and unfair and gut wrenchingly painful, it's ok. You're life doesn't end because of a few bad choices, it brings a new light.

 

Sometimes the stories overlapped which made it a little bit repetitive at times, but that was to be expected with this muiltuniverse story. In reviews I read on goodreads, some people found this to be a bit annoying, I didn't though. I liked seeing that some moments crossed over into both universes it felt like it kept a connection. I also liked seeing that even though she made two totally different choices, she was still Hannah to the core, she didn't lose herself but yet still grew into the same version of herself.

 

Since reading Daisy Jones and The Six last month all I've wanted to do is read more by Taylor Jenkins Reid. This is my third read by her since falling for Daisy Jones, which I binge read on the release day. Her characters seem so real and her stories strike me right in the heart. I never expected to fall in love with her books the way I have, it just isn't what I usually read. But I can't stop, and it's nice to have a new favorite author that I can devour when I need to clear my head from all the spooky books I normally read.

 

I can totally relate to Hannah and her bun. I love when I have my hair down but it stays perfect for about 10 minutes then is constantly just in my face and annoying me. I live for my donut bun, it just seems more me.

Also, I have never wanted a cinnamon roll so badly in my LIFE.

 

 

 

4.5/5 Stars