Meg has a life that others envy: she stars in an extremely popular show, she is dating a well-known heart-throb, and she should be on top. When she breaks down at her 30th birthday party, she does something wild, she books a week long trip to Ireland, to the town she and her best friend swore they would live in together. But once she arrives something strange happens: everyone in town already knows her. And they don't know her by her stage name, but instead her true name. She has a life there, a life that started when she attended college in Ireland as planned. To make things even stranger, Aimee, her childhood best friend, is still alive in this town but they are not speaking. Meg is given a second chance to make things right with Aimee, but how long will this last? Navigating through her alter self's friendships and relationship, Meg learns what is really important in life.

Do not enter this book without a box of tissues handy. And do not mess about with a half-full box of scratchy tissues. You want the super soft ones and a lot of them. Paige Harbison is able to bring the grief out so strongly in this novel. I ugly cried, and then I cried some more. When I think about this book I tear up. The emotional depth is drowning. But I also laughed. The characters are funny and flawed and so very human. Every character felt real, every character felt like someone I could meet in real life.

I highly recommend this book. It was beautiful and wonderful.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC. All opinions are my own!

I totally adored this book even though it really destroyed me. Can you imagine waking up one day and discovering that the life you had lived up to that point was altered in such a way that you knew no one in the pictures in your phone and nothing about the life you are now living? That is exactly what happened in this book.

Meg is thrown into a life that would have happened if she had chosen a different path at a specific time. She meets a man that she obviously has a past with, but gets to fall in love with him for the first time all over again. That's the part that did me in. She also has the chance to repair things with her best friend.

This was such an emotional book. It would have taken me a while to shake it, but I loved it so much that I don't want to! I'll definitely be looking for more from this author.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the digital copy. All thoughts are my own.

3.75 stars

As teenagers, best friends Meg and Aimee dreamt of moving to Ireland and attending a performing arts school. Tragically Aimee died in an accident and years later Meg is now 30 years old and the star of a hit tv show. Wanting an escape from what on the outside looks like a picture perfect life, she books a trip to Ireland. And here is where things take an unusual turn, Meg has stepped into a bit of an alternate life situation. Here in Ireland, she’s just a local and not a Hollywood star. Sound confusing? Don’t worry, the story is easy to follow.

So yes, the whole alternate reality thing going on allows the author to explore the subject of grief. It’s not all sad though as a romance is thrown into the mix. Meg’s struggle to cope with her friend’s death at such a young age is really what sticks out and made it a good read. Some touching moments that pulled the heartstrings.

I love the premise of this story: Famous actress visits Ireland to escape the stress of daily life and ends up transported to a quaint village where everyone knows her! The setting was described so vividly that this truly felt like an escape.
Where it fell short was with the constant introspection and inner monologuing done by Meg. It started to get repetitive, and the writing in these sections left a lot to be desired.
I also felt like the ending was anticlimactic.
Overall, great premise, lacking in execution.

Wow, this book was such a pleasant surprise! I am not typically a fan of fantasy, but this one was so well written that it worked for me. To outsiders, Meg has everything - she is a famous actress, in a relationship with a famous actor, beautiful and surrounded by friends. But she is not happy. When she books a last minute trip to Ireland, she finds herself in a small town where everyone knows and loves her - including her best friend from childhood who passed away. Meg gets to see what life may have looked like if she made different choices along the way. The story flowed so seamlessly, the characters were amazing. Everything was well developed and well written. The story was incredibly engaging and I did not want to put this down. It was emotionally realistic and I enjoyed watching the characters grow and change. I got lost in Meg's world - and wanted to jump in and join her. Be prepared for an emotional rollercoaster ride - I grabbed the tissues often!

Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

I loved this book. Romance, friendship, fame, an exquisite Irish setting, and even a multiverse! This book had something for everyone and I couldn’t put it down. I was totally invested in the characters, relationships, and whether or not Meg was in some elaborate dream world.

Do you ever wonder about the road not taken? For so many, there’s a single moment or a single decision that is so utterly profound that it is literally life changing. For Meg, when she’s had enough of her fame-fueled life in LA and finally decides to check out the quaint town in Ireland where she thought she would go to college but ultimately passed up, exploring that road not taken is exactly what happens when she wakes up in Ireland. She’s suddenly transported into the life of the Meg who DID decide to go to Ireland all those years ago. And the Meg that lives in Ireland isn’t the same person who lives in LA. Which is the real one?

I loved that this book explores the “grass isn’t always greener” premise and also the butterfly effect. I also loved Meg’s character growth, her self reflection, and the emotion that poured out of every page. It’s so easy to take our blessings for granted and The Other Side of Now was a beautiful reminder of just how green our grass is.

This one cannot be missed. Thank you to St. Martins Press for the copy!

I’m a person who’s obsessed with time and reality and the butterfly effect of everyday life decisions. This is what drew me to Paige Harbison‘s adult debut, The Other Side of Now.

Over a decade after losing her best friend, Meg Bryan is a successful actress, but she’s not happy. Nothing in her life is real, from her stage name to her face to her relationship with her boyfriend. When she turns 30, Meg abruptly books a trip to the village in Ireland where she’d once planned to go to school. But when she arrives, Meg quickly finds that she’s stepped into a different version of her life, one where Aimee is alive and they both still live in Ireland. And nearly as quickly, Meg realizes that she’s happier in her life here, if only she can figure out a way to stay.

What I Liked:
- Parallel universe. Look, I *love* anything related to parallel universes, alternate realities, and so on. In The Other Side of Now, Meg finds herself in a different life that’s fuller (friends, an on-again-off-again boyfriend), though more quaint than the life she’s been living (here she’s not a famous actress anymore). Despite the other Meg seeming to be dissatisfied with life in this Irish village, this Meg is much happier in this timeline she’s stepped into. But is she doomed to be unhappy whichever timeline she’s in? Always missing something?
- Focus on friendships. Late in the book, one of the characters makes the rather meta comment about wanting to write a story about friendship because there are already so many romances. Indeed, although this book has a cute love story on the side, it’s primarily about two friends who were each other’s worlds but have now lost each other. Meg’s friendship with Aimee is the core of this novel, but friendship overall is a vital theme. Kiera is certainly a worthy friend, too!
- Grappling with grief. The other core theme is grief. In the “real” life that Meg’s been living, they both stayed in Florida and Aimee died all too young. Meg shut down after that. Upon finding Aimee alive and well in this alternate Ireland, she fears what losing her best friend again will do to her. This aspect of the story will probably bring some tears to your eyes.
- Cillian. The romance isn’t the main point of the book, but it’s a good runner-up! I love Cillian and his relationship with Meg, troubled as it’s been up to this point. Thankfully, they aren’t problematic to each other; the issue lies in Meg’s bigger goals.
- Longing for more in life. In both timelines, Meg wants what she doesn’t have. She has fame and fortune, but longs for connection. Or she has a life filled with loving people, but longs for an acting career. Some people are hard-wired to want big things in life. At what point do we take stock of what we do have and find contentment? These are big questions I think about a lot, and they’re discussed so well here.
- Ireland and small-town community. I loved getting to know the group of friends Meg has in her Irish life. Especially after what Meg had gone through, it was such a wholesome change of pace that did a world of good for her.

Final Thoughts
The Other Side of Now was such a fun yet emotional book that made my whole world slip away while reading it. With the alternate reality theme, I knew the story was hurtling toward something that would rip my heart out, but I loved how everything came together in the end. This has been one of my favorites books so far this year, and I’m excited to read more from Paige Harbison.

Lana Lord has it all. She has a leading role on a hit TV show, is in a relationship with Hollywood’s latest heartthrob, the body people pay a lot of money for, and the money to have anything else she wants. Except, that her real name is Meg Bryan and what she wants most is for her best friend to still be alive and for life to have gone differently! Mid-breakdown at her thirtieth birthday party she decides to take a small hiatus from life and visit the small Irish village where she almost went to college, with her friend Aimee. Once she arrives she steps into a strange alternate version of her life where she did in fact come here for college and hasn’t left. Now she has a whole life with genuine friends, a semi-stolen dog from her long term on again off again relationship, and her best friend, Aimee, is still alive. But even in this alternate life, things aren’t all rainbows and roses! As she gets to know these new people, and herself, she must take a good look at who she has become, and how she got to where she is.

I enjoyed the way this story progressed. I think it made some great points with having Meg have similar issues in both storylines, they just manifested differently. Once she was able to pick up on those and work through them, we saw a lot of growth in her. She did take a while for some, but then again, she was thrown into a crazy experience! As the story progressed I really wasn’t sure how I wanted it to end, or how the author could even end it well. But somehow, she did!

This book was published today! If you like fun love stories with twists you won’t see coming, with growth, and genuine friendships, pick it up today at your favorite book buying location!
Thank you to @netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my review!
#NetGalley #TheOtherSideOfNow

As a giant fan of This Time Tomorrow and Sliding Doors-esque books, I adore it when an author gets it exactly right. And that's what happens here.

At the same time a testament and examination of grief, trauma, and choosing a path for yourself, The Other Side of Now broke my heart and then pieced it back together again.

It's the story of Meg Bryan, working as an actor in Hollywood under the name of Lana Lord. On her 30th birthday, she decides she is going to go visit Ireland, the place where she and her best friend Aimee had long planned to attend drama school before tragedy struck and Aimee died. When Meg gets there, things are a bit odd as everyone seems to know her, but not as Lana. She has a strange sense of deja vu, and realizes that she's not the same person she was when she left LA, she's entered some sort of parallel life. And in this life, Aimee is still alive.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by the author, who infused the story with so much warmth, humor, and heart. The magical realism is perfectly portrayed in this novel, it's a part of the narrative but only as a framework. I laughed, cried, and connected fully with the characters.

If you're looking for an emotional, heart filled read, then this is an ideal choice.

If you don’t cry at least twice while reading The Other Side of Now, then you have no soul and should probably get that checked out.

This book is a masterclass in emotional whiplash. One minute, you’re snort-laughing because our main character, Meg Bryan—sorry, Lana Lord (yes, really)—is spiraling at her own Hollywood birthday party like a champagne-soaked tornado. And the next minute? BAM—she’s in Ireland, casually quantum-leaping into a softer, sadder, realer version of her life where her skin isn’t airbrushed, her nose is original, and oh yeah—her dead best friend is alive but not speaking to her. Because trauma, baby!

Seriously, the emotional range of this book is bananas. One chapter you’re side-eyeing hot, grumpy bartender with a brooding past (standard literary requirement), and the next you’re clutching your chest, whispering, “I didn’t sign up for this level of FEELINGS.” The alternate reality angle is done so well you start questioning your own life choices. Should I have moved to a tiny Irish village? Should I have a dog I don’t recognize? Have I been emotionally neglecting my dead/not-dead best friend?? These are the questions this book makes you ask, all while somehow making you laugh through the heartbreak.

Meg is a mess—but in the best, most cathartic way. Watching her unravel the mystery of this alternate life is like peeling back the layers of an onion that’s been dipped in glitter and shame. She’s selfish, she’s flawed, she makes questionable choices with men and hairstyles—but she tries. And that’s what gets you. That, and Aimee. Oh Aimee. If you don’t cry at that scene—you’ll know the one—you might actually owe the universe a refund for your soul.

The writing is heartfelt without being sappy, funny without being forced, and just grounded enough that the quantum-leap premise doesn’t feel like a fever dream. It’s like Rebecca Serle, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and the ghost of your unresolved emotional baggage wrote a book together in an Irish pub.

By the time you reach the ending—an absolutely gut-punching, warm hug of a finale—you’ll be emotionally wrecked in the best way possible and ready to spiral into your own alternate timeline fantasy. Preferably one with a dog, a second chance, and slightly better life choices.

Five stars. Two emotional breakdowns. One magical trip to Ireland that’ll make you believe in friendship, forgiveness, and the power of a good pub.

I am in a real whimsical reading stage right now, and I do not hate it. And whew did this one get me in my feels... in all of the good ways.

Meg Brady, known to the world as Lana Lord, appears to have it all - she's the lead on a cult tv show. She's dating heartthrob and soon-to-be Marvel superstar Grayson. And yet on her 30th birthday she spirals and books an impromptu trip to the tiny Irish town, Avalon. Meg sees this as looking at the road not taken - studying theatre in Avalon ad been her teenage dream that she shared with her best friend, Aimee.

But once she arrives, it seems like everyone knows Meg. She can't wrap her head around it, and yet everything seems a bit better here.

Y'all know I keep these spoiler free so I won't share more - but I really enjoyed this one. Premises. like these often fall flat for me, but it worked so well here with author Paige Harbison's writing and character development. I truly wasn't sure how it was going to end, and I found myself both sniffling and smiling as I finished Meg's story. A lovely story of friendship, grief, growth and finding yourself.

Happy Pub Day, Paige Harbison!! And thanks to St Martins Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

Meg Bryan, hollywoods latest heartthrob, seems to have it all. But after a breakdown at her 30th birthday party, Meg books a ticket to Ireland, where her and her best friend Aimee had always dreamt of going. Through a cosmic twist, Meg has the opportunity to reconnect with her best friend and truly assess her life.

This is an alternate universe, magical realism book of friendship and second chances. Offering a heart felt look at what could have been, I loved that the deeper themes were wrapped in some humor and lighthearted moments. I enjoyed all the characters who were well developed and came across on the page as truly enjoying and caring about each other. I did this as an audio book and loved the narrator and the Irish and American accepts. Overall a great way to spend a long drive this weekend.

4.5/5

What a delightful read. I loved Meg's character and her time in in small village of Ireland was my favorite part of the book. The cast of characters were just lovely. But was her time in Ireland real? Was it a dream? Or was her life back in Los Angeles as a famous actress her real life or was that all a dream? This had all my emotions going at times and I was really rooting for Meg to find peace and happiness. This was a story about friendship, forgiveness, love, and just doing what is best for oneself no matter what others may say is best. The ending had all the feels for me. I really enjoyed this book.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the review copy.

The Other Side of Now follows Meg "Meggie" Bryan, a successful soap opera actress living in LA, who seemingly has it all: money, fame, an actor boyfriend, and her beloved dog. However, beneath the glamorous surface, her career is uncertain, her relationship rocky, and the pressures of Hollywood are suffocating. On a whim, she flies to Avalon, Ireland, the place she once planned to attend college but never did. When she wakes up after a nap, she finds herself in an alternate timeline where she has lived in Avalon for years, complete with friends, an on-again, off-again boyfriend, and the unexpected twist of her former best friend Aimee is there too, but despises her.

This novel is an emotional and reflective read, covering themes like grief and self-discovery without becoming overly heavy. The idyllic countryside setting enhances the story, making Avalon feel like a paradise. Fitting, given its legendary roots in Arthurian lore. As Meg navigates her new life, she learns to slow down, embrace the present, and redefine what happiness means beyond the fast-paced world of LA.

While marketed as romance, the book leans more toward contemporary fiction, focusing on Meg’s personal journey rather than romantic relationships. Some elements, like her dynamic with Cillian, felt chaotic rather than heartfelt, and a particular scene involving Aimee’s husband adds a layer of discomfort. The ending, while effective, transitions abruptly, leaving some readers wishing for a smoother conclusion.

Overall, The Other Side of Now is a compelling and heartfelt read, offering a refreshing take on self-discovery and second chances. If you’re looking for an engaging summer novel, this one is worth picking up!

I love the uniqueness of a good time travel book now and then. How you have to suspend belief to be fully entertained, almost like a fairytale. But this book is not about time travel forwards or backwards as much as it is parallel lives or alternative realities. It is a creatively structured story about friendship, loss, grief, love, forgiveness, and acceptance. The characters are all likeable, the dogs are lovable, and I needed a tissue or two to get me through several scenes. This recipe definitely worked for me.

I was baffled by how this was going to turn out but pleased with the ending. This story reminds us that life is not always one job, one house, one group of friends, or one love. Things change. Sometimes we can control that and sometimes we can't. There are infinite possibilities.

The author, Paige Harbison, has written three YA novels from 2011-2014. This is her first foray into adult fiction, and I think that she has hit a home run. I look forward to what she writes next.

My sincere thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a digital ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

A captivating blend of contemporary romance and alternate reality, Paige Harbison's "The Other Side of Now" follows Meg Bryan, a successful actress grappling with inner turmoil. A nervous breakdown leads her on an impulsive trip to Ireland, a place holding significant sentimental value. There, she unexpectedly finds herself in a parallel universe where her life took a drastically different path, one devoid of fame but potentially richer in genuine connection. The novel explores themes of self-discovery, friendship, and the choices that shape our lives. Harbison masterfully weaves a compelling narrative, leaving the reader questioning the nature of reality and the importance of second chances. While the alternate reality concept is intriguing, the emotional core of the story lies in Meg's journey of reconciliation with her estranged best friend, Aimee. The book offers a thoughtful exploration of regret and the possibility of redemption.

The Other Side of Now was my first book by Paige Harbison and it is easily one of my favorites for 2025! I was immediately drawn to the characters and felt connected to everything Meg (aka Lana Lord) was experiencing. When the paths of LA and Ireland cross, Meg is torn between the life she knew and the life she is living. Aimee and Meg have a friendship that is connected by grief and loss. One that goes deeper than Meg realizes. One that will make her look deep inside herself and question what fate has chosen for her.

I enjoyed the characters of Killian and Kira and how they intertwine with Meg's life in Ireland. Two lives, two paths, and a fate that I didn't see coming.

Time travel and fantasy are not my normal genre, but The Other Side of Now is a must read!
I look forward to seeing what Paige Harbison writes next!

I listened to the audiobook in conjunction with reading the book. Paige did an amazing job narrating! Her pace and fluctuations were wonderful and made listening so easy.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an ARC of this book and audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

The Other Side of Now by Paige Harbison is a story of how love and lives are never truly lost. Meg Bryan, as Lana Lord, has the leading role on a hit TV show and is living the life of a Hollywood star and appears to have all she ever wanted. However, underneath the layers of her onscreen persona, she feels empty. After a meltdown at her thirtieth birthday party, she takes a trip to Ireland, a place she and her best friend, Aimee, dreamed of going until a tragic accident claimed Aimee’s life. When Meg arrives, the townspeople are so nice and treat her as a friend. Confused and blaming jetlag, she looks into the mirror and sees her old face and on her phone, there are pictures depicting a life completely opposite of the one she has been living. Not sure how or why it has happened, Meg recognizes her chance to reconnect and repair what she broke.
This story is the first book by Paige Harbison that I’ve read. Tagged as a “hilarious and heartfelt novel,” I was looking forward to a second chance story to lead a different life. The prologue was great and set the scene of Meg and her friendship with Aimee and adds a sense of mystery as it ends. Unfortunately, the story fell flat and I was bored and confused. I didn’t care for Meg. The constant name dropping as if Meg needs to remind us that she’s famous was annoying. I liked how grief was discussed and weaved throughout the story. However, the story is way too long and just bogged down. Overall, I didn’t like this story and I felt it wasn’t as hilarious and heartfelt as I expected. However, if you are a fan of the film Sliding Doors (1998) or stories with magical realism and a what if aspect, you may enjoy The Other Side of Now.

The Other Side of Now is available in hardcover, eBook and audiobook

There’s something so special to me about parallel universe plots and diving into the intricacies of “what ifs”… although not in the same capacity as this story, I completely understood the grief of losing such a close relationship with your best friend. This was a story not as much about romantic love, but platonic and self love. Meg had to dig deep to learn who she really was and wanted to be as well as the relationships she wanted to invest in. The only minor issue I had with this is how long it was; but the writing was so well done and the characters were very strongly developed. I would definitely read another book by this author in the future! Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for this ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley, Paige Harbison, and St. Martin's Press for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Meg "Meggie" Bryan, popular soap opera actress under the stage name of Lana Lord, has it all. She lives in LA, has enough money in her bank account, has an actor boyfriend, and her dog, Dido. However, not everything is as perfect as it seems on the surface. Her show might get canceled, she has her suspicions of her boyfriend cheating on her, people are telling her to get more work done on her body, and frankly, she needs a vacation. On the night of her thirtieth birthday, she decides to take a flight to Avalon, Ireland. It was the place she was supposed to go to for college, but didn't because of her best friend Aimee not getting into the same college as her back in high school. When she falls asleep in the Uber on the way to her Airbnb, she wakes up only to realize that she's woken up in an alternate reality timeline where she's lived in Avalon for years, complete with an on-and-off boyfriend, Cillian, close friends, and the plot twist? Aimee lives in Avalon too...but she hates her.

This was such a heartfelt read. Some heavier topics get covered in here, like grief, but it's not done in a way that overwhelms you and makes it a super heavy read. I loved seeing Meg try to adjust to her new life in this alternate timeline and how she starts to live life in the slow lane. I loved the small town and countryside vibes Avalon gave me; the setting and the way Paige Harbison set everything up just reinforced why I would love to travel to Ireland one day if I ever get the chance.

I really liked the idea of the "alternate" life aspect of the story. I think it's always interesting to see what life would be like for someone on the other side in an alternate universe, and I think Meg took a lot away from that in the story. She learned to enjoy life, appreciate the people she had in her life, and figured out what she truly wanted from her life away from her Lana Lord persona and her life in LA. She slowed down, took a deep breath, and learned to live in the moment, and I think that's such a wonderful message to have in this day and age where our society is all about hustle culture and moving up in your career.

Something interesting to note: while drafting my review, I was curious and looked up Avalon, Ireland, to see if it was an actual city there. While it's NOT an actual city that exists, I did find it VERY interesting that Avalon is known to be a mystical island in Arthurian legend, and it's known to be a sort of paradise and utopia. I found it quite interesting that Paige Harbison chose that name for the setting of the story because Meg slowly grows to love Avalon, which is the magical place of where her alternate timeline takes place, and the life she's created for herself there. Even if she doesn't fully remember everything that's happened to her leading up to the parallel lives switch, she learned to give into the circumstances and live her life there. Soon enough, she comes to love her life and it becomes her utopia in a sense, and while I have no idea if this was intentional by Paige Harbison or not, I thought it was a subtle, nice touch to the story.

I think the book being tagged as "romance" on Goodreads is doing it a disservice, because if you're going into this expecting romance to be the main portion of the plot, you'll be severely disappointed. Personally speaking, I think this is a really good contemporary fiction book! I think this is a trend I've been seeing overall in the romance genre lately, where contemporary fiction books that don't have romance at the forefront of the plot are primarily being marketed as romance, perhaps to appeal to a larger audience. I don't think it's the author's fault, but I did want to make this point known to other readers so they don't walk into this with the wrong first impression. I didn't really feel the chemistry between Meg and Cillian, and while we do get backstories on their relationship through Meg's friend, Kiera, in the story, I feel like their on-and-off relationship was too chaotic for me to believe they liked each other. It was like seeing "Hot and Cold" by Katy Perry personified in a fictional relationship in a book.

Additionally, there was a scene that went down in the book that genuinely gave me the ick. It involves Meg and Aimee's boyfriend-turned husband, Theo, and while I don't want to go into the details (because spoilers), I can see why Meg has so much hatred for him. Aimee's on something else if she knew what went down and she still wanted to marry him.

Last, but not least, I felt that the ending was somewhat abrupt. I can see how and why it ended the way it did; I believe this is one of the very few alternate timeline/time jump stories that I've read where everything has a solid beginning and ending, but given the events leading up to the ending, it was kind of a sudden switch from one scene to the other.

Overall, for Paige Harbison's adult debut, I think she did a stunning job! I can't wait to see what she has in store next. If you're looking for a heartfelt summer read to read this year, I highly recommend you pick up The Other Side of Now.