🌟Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
💧Drip-o-Meter: 💦💦
💗Something I Loved: Well I’d be remiss not to mention THE AMOUNT OF TITANIC REFERENCES! After the fifth one, I truly started to wonder if @pharbeaux wrote this for me because I was positively giddy that the FMC, Meg, was equally obsessed with it as I have always been (fun fact: I have a “Honk If You’d Rather Be Watching the 1997 Cinematic Masterpiece ‘Titanic’ Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet” bumper sticker proudly displayed on my Jeep). Anyway, I really loved the magical realism and alternate reality aspects. A take on Sliding Doors, TOSON follows Meg, an LA actress who is unhappy with her seemingly perfect life, as she takes an impromptu trip to Ireland and finds herself living in an alternate reality. One where she never became famous. One where she has great friendships and a man who adores her. And one where her teenage best friend, Aimee, is still alive (not a spoiler… the author has been very open about this). I recently read a book with a similar premise and did not enjoy it but clearly it wasn’t the premise itself because I loved this one. I was instantly sucked into this story of second chances, grief, and forgiveness, and was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen when her trip came to an end.
🫤Something I Would Have Changed: Nothing. There was a bit there at the end that had me a little nervous and even somewhat brokenhearted, but I’m glad I waited it out and didn’t throw my Kindle at the wall because… SPOILER?… we still got a happy ending and it was actually kind of perfect. I also don’t usually love so many pop culture references in books but because of her celebrity status (or maybe just the way Harbison wrote it?) this didn’t bother me like it usually does.
🥰Favorite Moment: The epilogue certainly. But also the play that Aimee wrote, directed, and ended up starring in alongside of Meg. I can’t say much without spoiling it, but just know that it’s emotional and beautiful and you WILL cry (but not in a bad way).
🌶️Spiciest Scene: Chapter 19. It wasn’t graphic or even very long but it was subtly sexy and perfect for this kind of story.
📚Standalone vs. Series: Standalone
📖Would I Recommend: Yes. I absolutely adored this book. I love magical realism when it’s done well (aka without technical jargon trying to explain things that I’ll willingly believe if you just let me… it’s about the why, not the how) and Harbison did it perfectly. I loved Meg’s journey of self-discovery and how this alternate reality forced her to face (and appreciate) the past she’d ignored. It was warm and magical, funny and emotional, and full of depth and meaning that will stick with me for a long time. A multilayered storyline, fantastic writing, and superb character development made this such a wonderful read and I HIGHLY recommend.
💬Tropes: Magical Realism, Second Chances, Grief and Forgiveness, Small Town
🙏🏼Thank you to the author, Paige Harbison, as well as NetGalley and St Martins Press for this ARC.

This was AMAZING. I've always loved a good alternate dimension/ sliding door story. Think Maybe in Another Life by TJR ( which I loved), and gave some Ashley Poston vibes with the magical realism.
The book starts off with Meg Bryan (not Meg Ryan) and her high school best friend Aimee going to a fortune teller. The fortune teller says Meg has 2 lines where normally there is 1- 2 possible lives. Then the fortune teller refuses to give Aimee her fortune after looking at her hand.
Skip ahead where Meg is a famous actress who goes by a stage name: Lana Lord. On her 30th birthday she decides to book a flight to a small town her and Aimee had wanted to go to for college. When she arrives, she steps into the life she may have lived if she made a different choice.
This was so well done. It entranced me from the start and really had it all. A little magical realism, a little romance, a little pop culture/ celebrity bits thrown in. It focused on grief- and was handled so well. I loved the characters- Meg, Kiera, Cillian, Aimee, the dogs... I could list them all.
Overall the messages are what stoof out: how one decision can change your life, finding happiness, the importance of true frienships, dealing with grief, not changing yourself for others... I could go on and on.

Absolutely 5 stars from me, and will likely be in my top books of 2025.

Everyone should read this gem ❤️

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the chance to read this one early. It releases in a few days on June 3rd!

A path not taken novel about Meg, known in Hollywood as Lana and her BFF Aimee who may or may not be dead. Yep. Aimee died in a car accident when they were 18 but now years later when Meg has taken an impulsive trip to Ireland on her 30th birthday, she seems to be alive. In fact, Meg discovers that she herself has a whole different life and friends and romantic interest. How did this happen? Well know that how the parallel universe was activated is never clear but that doesn't matter. It matters only that Meg has a chance to reconnect with Aimee, who has built a life with a family, in Ireland. And as it turns out, nothing about Aimee was what Meg believed. As implausible as this might be, it's an engaging read with good characters (I'm a fan of Kiernan). There are some sly digs at Hollywood (Oh Grayson) that might make you chuckle. And it's fun. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

omg. I just finished this book and I loved it. I devoured it in 24 hours. I loved the sliding doors vibes. Meg Bryan has everything she ever wanted a hit tv, a fake-ish famous boyfriend. but things aren't as they seem. on a whim she books a vacation to Avalon, Ireland for 2 weeks. where she slips into an alternate universe where she lives after going to college in Ireland. she runs into her supposed best friend Kiera and her ex boyfriend. but she doesn't know them but they know her. this book is fantastic and I loved it so much. the characters are hilarious and lovable. the writing is fantastic. the story is heartwarming and I wish I could give this book a big hug.

Took me a bit to warm up to the main character, Meg, but once I did, I absolutely loved this book. Closer to the end I could tell something monumental was brewing - like either this book was about to change my life or it would deeply disappoint me - and I am here to say it was the former.

This will easily be a favorite of the year, I absolutely loved it!! This story has a bit of everything — emotional depth, magical realism, character growth, romance, friendships — it’s such a well-rounded story that sunk its claws deep into my soul.

I can’t wait to add this book to my shelves!

Thank you to @stmartinspress for this gifted book and the ebook via #NetGalley. #SMPinfluencer


While this story is certainly fantasy, its roots are in relationships and the choices we make. Meg’s time traveling is the device that allows her to see an alternative life, the path untaken. It's the life where her best friend is still alive and her Irish lover is still waiting for her.
I was drawn into Meg’s journey, as she navigated the process of healing from her “other” life. It was an emotional journey layered with friendship, the charm of amazing characters, and the endearing presence of lovable dogs.

One of the absolute best books I have ever read! Harbison goes the distance! This book takes you on an emotional rollercoaster ride. You root for Meggie as she tries to navigate life in the wake of a tragic accident that left her to live without her best friend Aimee. When a palm reader tells Meg as a young teen that she has two paths in life she could take, she finds it odd but keeps it in the back of her head. Years later when she takes a trip to reset and go to the place she thinks her other path would have led her to, she is brought to an alternate reality where she took the other path. I am always fascinated by these novels and Harbison took me on a journey that I could not have predicted the outcome. Best read of 2025 so far!!!!!!

This book completely swept me off my feet!!

Meg Bryan, a TV star tangled in fame and loneliness, escapes to Ireland and wakes up in a version of her life where she never became famous and her estranged best friend is still alive.

I truly was hooked from the very first page. The magical realism was done so well!

Watching Meg evolve from a burnt out celebrity to someone craving honest connection was so satisfying. Her growth felt real!

I loved that the story focused on her relationship with herself and with friends.

This was such a unique story, and the ending wrapped it all up in the best possible way!

If you love stories with a touch of magic, this one absolutely belongs on your shelf.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin for the ARC.

In her latest novel, "The Other Side of Now," Paige Harbison delivers a compelling blend of magical realism and emotional introspection, inviting readers to ponder the paths not taken.

The story centers on successful actress Meg Bryan, whose outwardly glamorous life hides a deep-seated dissatisfaction. While on a spontaneous trip to Ireland, she experiences a "Sliding Doors"-type of alternate reality where she never pursued fame, her best friend Aimee is alive, and a new, unfamiliar life unfolds before her.

Harbison's narrative deftly navigates this alternate world and reveals its nuances through Meg's eyes. Through her well-balanced pacing, she allows readers to immerse themselves in Meg's journey without feeling rushed, and the gradual unveiling of this new reality keeps the story engaging, with Meg confronting the complexities of her relationships and the choices that led her to this point.

A standout aspect of the novel is characterization, and Meg's transformation from a disillusioned celebrity to someone seeking genuine connections is portrayed with authenticity. The supporting characters are richly drawn and add depth to Meg's experiences as she navigates this new world.

At its heart, "The Other Side of Now" is an exploration into the concepts of grief, friendship, and the idea of parallel timelines. Harbison inspires readers to consider how different choices might have led to different lives, and whether it's possible to find contentment in unexpected places. The emotional resonance of Meg's journey, coupled with the novel's imaginative premise, makes this a thought-provoking and enjoyable read.

i'm sorry but I DNF"d this one at 25%.

i felt that it came off very YA and I can't do YA anymore. the FMC felt slightly immature and like she was trying to hard to be funny. I just wasn't in the mood for that kind of read right now and may come back to it. i thought more should have happened in the first 25% as well -- when i realized i was a fourth of the way through it and nothing really had happened, I decided to throw in the towel.

I should also note that I did the audio version and I wish the author had not tried to narrate it herself. it was ok, but not great. her voice took me out of the story at times.

I've read a lot of books lately that do the whole "what might have been" trope. Books at give the protagonist a glimpse of how their life might have gone if they'd made a different choice at some crucial point in the past. Most of them are pretty predictable - the main character walks away secure in the knowledge that they needn't worry - their life has turned out just the way it was supposed to. Just about the time that I started to question how many more books I could take that ended like this, The Other Side of Now came along.

Harbison gives readers a really good story, farfetched as it may be, of a tv star who needs a break from her life and winds up swapping places with an alternate version of herself on a trip to Ireland. While there, she encounters her childhood best friend - the one who died when they were 19. The Other Side of Now is funny and sad and romantic and... it's just good.

I really liked this one.

Mmm. Delicious, delicious chick lit (complimentary). It can be really hard these days to find true chick lit that isn’t straight up romance or that is geared towards an older audience and has a somber, serious vibe with no shenanigans. A funny, whimsical, lighthearted but moving book that has fully developed characters and focuses on the protagonist’s relationship with herself, not with her love interest. I feel like the marketing barely exists for such books these days, making it all the harder to find them.
But here’s one! Right here! Every time I thought it was going to fall into some tropey trap, I was pleasantly wrong. The romance is not the main story! There is more nuance to Meg’s life choices than just “big city celebrity vs small town girl”! I gobbled it down in just a few days and am already looking forward to Paige Harbison’s next novel. Howeeeever, I’ve dinged it half a point in the rating for being excessively heterosexual. Just a bit of queerness would have made this perfect - and no, that one scene doesn’t count (sadly, it’s not foreshadowing like I hoped it was)

Liked, didn't love. Couldn't get into the concept so well and hated how they handled the friendship story in both worlds.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review. Did I have to suspend all the disbelief for this book? Yes. Did I thoroughly enjoy it anyway? Absolutely. This was my first Harbison novel, but it wont be my last. I truly loved these characters and the way the author was able to weave serious trauma/grief in with the more lighthearted aspects of the book. I will be recommending this one for sure.

2.5 rounded to 3

I liked the idea of this book, but found there to be too heavy a hand with the "Had I but known" theme; I think I've read too many of this trope (a different life, with the lesson live well with the life you have) for this one to catch my interest. The repetitive emotional notes an circumstances didn't help.

Achingly tender, earnest, and funny, I read this in a day.

Lana Lord is a famous but miserable TV star who fled her small town in Florida after the death of her best friend, Aimee. When she books an impromptu trip to Ireland, she's shocked to wake up as Meg Bryan, her birth name, and discover that she's slipped into an alternate reality - one where Aimee is still alive.

There's a romance, and Cillian is dreamy. But I think friendship is at the real heart of this story, and it shone. Everyone was imperfect and flawed but also so well-meaning. It's a tribute to the ways that we change and the ways that we don't. I loved Meg, Aimee, Kiera, and Cillian, and the way they navigated their lives together. It was funny and heartfelt.

One of the things I love about magical realism is that it's not about the how, it's about the why. How did she time travel? Who knows, and who cares. Why did she time travel? Now that's worth figuring out.

If this was a movie, I'd watch it in a heartbeat. I'm looking forward to reading more of Paige Harbison's work .

Thank you Netgalley & St. Martin’s Press for an eARC ❤️

Meg Bryan has it all—fame, a picture-perfect relationship, and a glamorous Hollywood life—until a meltdown on her thirtieth birthday sends her fleeing to a tiny Irish village, the one place she and her late best friend, Aimee, once dreamed of calling home. But when she arrives, something is… different. Her hair is darker, her nose is her own again, and the locals greet her like an old friend—except for the brooding bartender who acts like she’s broken his heart. Even stranger? Her phone is filled with photos of a life she doesn’t remember: a scruffy dog, a retail job, and, most shockingly, Aimee—alive, well, and furious with her.
What follows is a story so rich with humor, heart, and raw emotion that it feels less like reading a book and more like stepping into another life yourself. Meg’s journey—part self-discovery, part love letter to lost friendships, part cosmic do-over—will make you laugh, ache, and question every "what if" you’ve ever wondered about. The chemistry between Meg and the mysteriously frosty bartender crackles, but it’s her desperate, clumsy, and deeply moving attempts to reconnect with Aimee that will leave you reaching for tissues. 🥺
The brilliance of this novel lies in its quiet revelations: that grief and guilt can rewrite memories, that second chances don’t always look how we expect, and that the people we love—and lose—never truly leave us. By the end, you’ll be torn between hoping Meg stays in this softer, messier, more real version of her life and longing for her to find peace in her own. 💔
Perfect for anyone who’s ever wished for a do-over, this book is a reminder that while we can’t change the past, we can always choose how to carry it forward. Unputdownable, unpredictable, and utterly beautiful.❤️❤️❤️❤️

Thank you St. Martin's Press, Paige Harbison and NetGalley for the ARC!


I LOVEDDDDD this book!! One of my top reads of the year. The book follows Meg Bryan aka Lana Land who is a famous TV star who realizes she hasn't been happy for a long time. She realizes she hasn't been happy since hanging out with her childhood best friend Aimee and turning down a prestigious Art School in Avalon, Ireland. On her 30th birthday, Meg decides to book a trip to Avalon to try and find her happiness again. However, once arriving she realizes something crazy has happened and everyone knows her. She realizes she has stepped into a reality where she did go off to Avalon to school and more incredibly her best friend is still alive (although mad at her).

I love these kind of alternate reality books and liked how from the very beginning Meg tries to convince her new BFF Kiera that she is in a new reality. I feel like for most of the books like this, the main characters just try to wing it and fit in, but I appreciated that she was honest about having no idea who anyone is and shares what her reality was like previously (famous TV star). I liked seeing the stark difference between her TV star life and the cozy life she had in Avalon. She learns that neither version of herself is happy with their lives and feel like they are missing out on something. I loved how she tried to fix her friendship with Aimee and the play the created was HEARTBREAKINGLY AMAZING. This book is all about healing, friendship, and love. I would definitely recommend this book to others!!

This was so cute!! But like, so sad???

I feel like the last few time travel-y, magical realism-ish romances haven’t worked for me but this was great!! A Hollywood actress flies to Ireland on a whim to find that she has woken up in a different life. Although I might say this is more women’s fiction than romance, it is a wonderful heartfelt story.

This dealt a lot with the loss of a friend, healing, and accepting help. I really loved the idea that hard things in our lives shape us sometimes for the better and make us better people. Meg is very relatable at times and it’s a classic story of always wanting something you can’t have.

A really quick, sweet read about second chances and friendship! Pick this up!