This title first piqued my interest when I saw it come up in the Modern Mrs Darcy Summer Reading Guide for 2025. But at the same time I had a feeling of deja vu, like I had seen it somewhere else before - and sure enough, I found that the publisher had given me access to a copy that just got buried in my emails and dove right in! It seems so appropriate that feelings of deja vu play a big role in this sliding-doors story from Paige Harbison. I thoroughly enjoyed it and think it’ll be a perfect summer escapist read this year!

The story follows Meg, the star villain on a trendy soap opera with a similarly famous boyfriend and life that seems almost too perfect. When Meg and her childhood best friend Aimee were growing up, they dreamed of attending the small arts college Avalon in Ireland, but a devastating accident left Aimee dead before any of those dreams could come true. On her 30th birthday, Meg starts to wonder if maybe this life of Botox, stage names and crazy diets is actually what she wants, and takes an impromptu trip to Ireland. Once Meg arrives in Ireland, she is confused at how everyone seems to know her, she feels a little different in her appearance and her phone is now full of evidence of another life that she doesn’t quite remember. Or does she?

I really enjoyed this unique take on the time travel/sliding doors theme that teaches our main character to cherish the life she has in the best way. It’s always been fascinating to me to think about the paths not taken and the lives we could have had if just one choice long the way was made differently, and this story is a great example of that. With a blend of magical realism and alternate reality, we get a heartfelt story more focused on friendship and redemption than pure romance (although there’s a bit of that too). Other themes of grief, loss, vulnerability, family relationships, forgiveness and more contribute to Meg’s growth throughout the novel. It’s one of those fantastic reminders that it’s never too late to live the life you truly want.

Fans of Ashley Poston will love this one, and I can definitely see it being a crowd-pleaser for a fun summer read! Thank you so much to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of this wonderful book, written and narrated by Paige Harbison. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

Meg Bryan has everything she has ever wanted - a leading role on a hit TV show, a relationship with a movie star, and plenty of money. But she feels as fake as her stage name, Lana Lord. After a breakdown at her 30th birthday party, she books a trip to a quaint Ireland village where she and her best friend Aimee always dreamed about living, a dream that dissolved when an accident claimed Aimee's life. When Meg arrives, everyone treats her as a friend. And when she looks in the mirror, she no longer sees the Hollywood version of herself but her real self. Just what is happening?

I thought this book was absolutely charming and the author's narration (something I usually don't like) was spot on, including all the Irish accents. This book had me feeling so much for the characters and I didn't want the story to end. The descriptions of Avalon, the Irish village, felt so homey and comfy that I just wanted to stay in those moments. While there was magical realism involved, nothing ever felt hokey or contrived; it was just a glimpse into another life. It was also a good commentary on the ideals that women in Hollywood must attain, and it was so refreshing to see the other side of that. This is a wonderful book about friendship, loss, grabbing onto that brass ring of life. Highly recommended!

• meg, a leading-lady on a hit tv show but deeply unhappy with her life, decides to take a list minute getaway trip to small-town ireland, a place she & her best friend aimee always dreamt of moving, before aimee died in a freak car crash ten years earlier. when meg arrives, however, she seems to have entered a version of reality where she & aimee did move here. and in this version, aimee is still alive... but wants nothing to do with her. seeing this as a second chance, meg does everything in her power to reconnect with aimee, and discovers things about herself in the process.
• a really great story of self-discovery & love, but this is also very much a story of grief, and about how we process the trauma that comes from losing someone we love. meg’s journey through her time in ireland & her time after she returns home is really well portrayed in this book.
• i do honestly wish we got more of a romance plotline in this, mostly because the scenes we did get between meg & cillian were great, but the ending did pay off in that regard!

An interesting story but sadly it just wasn’t for me. It was a fun twist on the concept of “how would your life been different” and hit all the right points of inspiration and heartfelt hope but it’s becoming a bit of a burnt out genre in my opinion. You can only hear “you can’t change the past so live a better tomorrow” in so many ways before the stories start blurring together. It’s a good book for someone who loves this genre or hasn’t read a lot of this type of story.

Captivating after a slow start🤔

3.5-4.0🌟 stars
The latter chapters of this novel were poignant and profound, with a surprise ending that shattered then reinstated hope. I just found the beginning chapters stagnated in the attempt to set the scene. For me, I would rather have jumped into the meat of the action. I am glad I persevered, though. After about the 1/4 mark, the story picked up and by the second half I was truly caught up in Meggie's, Aimee's and Cillian's fate and anxious to discover how the author would resolve the dual timeline.

This is a novel about both forever friendships and romance that stands the test of time and strange manipulations of destiny. The magic realism gives Meggie, the narrator and principal character, two deviating lives: one bound for sudden success and stardom in Los Angeles and the other tied to a cozy life with close friends and a handsome bartender in a small town in Ireland. Truth be told, I would have enjoyed a bit more of Cillian and the romance.

The story, particularly her friend Aimee's role, is parts tragic and moving, with Meggie growing in self awareness while dealing with her profound sense of regret and loss.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

Review shared on 5/25/25 on Waterstones, Goodreads and Bookbub, and with Barnes & Noble and BAM. To be shared on Google Play and with kobo upon publication.

Book 26 of 2025-The Other Side of Now by @pharbeaux
Lana Lord is an actress on a hit tv show. She is burned out by Hollywood. On the night of her 30th birthday, on a whim she decides to book a trip to Ireland for a week. When she was younger, she had wanted to go to school there-but a tragedy changed her life and she wound up in Hollywood.
In the town in Ireland, she finds everyone is super nice like they know her. What she discovers is that in this town, she did go to school there, under her regular name, has a ton of friends and the tragedy that changed her life, didn’t happen.
What will happen in a week? Will she go back to Hollywood? Can she?

Thank you to @netgalley for the arc. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I went in pretty blind when I started this book and I think that was the right call. The premise was so interesting and unique which grabbed my attention from the beginning. The characters were really well-developed and added so much to the story with the exploration of what life really means. Although I know that the romance was not the main point of the book, I wish it had been more fleshed out. Additionally, while the premise was great, some of the logistics of the swap were unclear. Despite what felt like an abrupt conclusion, this book pleasantly surprised me and I am still thinking about it days after finishing the last page.

Lana is living a big life, with a lead role in a hit series in Hollywood and a movie star boyfriend. But she’s not happy. On a whim, she gets a last minute ticket to the town in Ireland where she and her high school bestie had intended to go to college. Upon landing, she’s on a parallel timeline, where she’s known as Meg, she and her friend had moved there together years before, and she has a sweet life.

Parallel universe stories can be tricky to pull off, as the author has to handle the effects of characters or settings being in one or both timelines. Another one I read earlier this year ended up as a muddled mess trying to balance these elements and it was all I could do to get to the end, feeling just as confused at the protagonist.

By contrast, this book was easy to follow. We got the backstory as needed, with an emphasis on Lana/Meg’s experience in her present time. That left plenty of room for an exploration of grief, youthful hopes and dreams, and the expectations we place on each other and ourselves as young people. This felt like a light read to me, one for any reader who has wondered what life could have been if a procurar moment had turned out differently.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars.

The Other Side of Now by Paige Harbison is a brilliant time travel novel.

Lead character Meg Bryan travels to Ireland and finds herself in an alternate universe where her childhood best friend Aimee is still alive. Meg is confused but thrilled at the prospect of renewing their friendship but to what end since she does not know if she will return to her “real” life as an actress? And what will happen to the relationships she is forming with Kiera and Cillian?

The Other Side of Now puts a new spin on the time travel novel. The characters are well-developed and likable. The storyline is engaging and tackles serious, true to life issues. Avalon, Ireland is the perfect backdrop for this captivating novel of friendship, loss, forgiveness, and outstanding character growth. Paige Harbison’s adult debut is pitch perfect and I cannot wait to read her next novel.

Meg is an actress on the soap "Brilliance" and living (and loving) Grayson Gable, Hollywood's leading man.

Underneath it all, Meg isn't happy. Her hair, her face, her name....everything was changed so she could BE Lana Lord, not Meg.

On her 30th birthday, she knows that she has to change her life. She books a last minute trip to Ireland, a place that once held so many of her dreams. Meg and her best friend Aimee were going to attend the Avalon School of the Arts, however, Aimee was killed in a tragic accident.

When she arrives, Meg walks into another universe. In this one, she still has her face, her own nose, and everyone seems to already know her. When Meg takes a look at her phone, its full of photos of her life in Ireland, with a little dog, and with the hot bartender who isn't so nice to her now. Most importantly, Meg sees Aimee, she's still alive! Except Aimee doesn't want anything to do with Meg.

Is Meg in an alternate universe? How can she connect with Aimee again?
----
Sliding Doors! This is a Sliding Doors kind of book and I LOVED it. The idea of what if is always in the back of everyone's mind and Meg/Lana has the opportunity to see exactly that. This book is a little deeper than just alternate universe, it's also about the truth and memory. It's about what was lost and what should have stayed the same.

It's a fantastic book and story.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

4.5 stars

✨At its heart, this is a story of love – romantic love, friend love, familial love, dog love, love of place and even self-love. But it’s also a story about the road not taken, about loss, grief and healing.  It’s a beautifully crafted blend of romance, drama and magical realism, and I was thoroughly taken in by the storytelling. 
 
✨There is a strong message of hope and healing in these pages – and there is absolute laugh out loud humor in the mix as well.  I love a good mix of depth and wit, and this book does it so well. 
 
✨The cast of supporting characters is so charming and delightful.  I just fell in love with Kiera, Cillian and Maureen. 
 
🌿Read if you like:
✨Magical realism
✨Alternate realities/parallel universes
✨Sliding door tropes
✨Ashley Poston books
✨Loveable casts of characters
✨Irish village settings
✨Second chances
✨Found family
✨Open door romance
🐾Dogs

Unfortunately this books was overflowing with too many pop culture references. It made the book feel dated even though it’s not even out yet.

4.5

Wow, this was so much better than I was expecting. It's been a long time since I've gotten through something so fast. I ready about half one night, then finished the next day. I thought it was going to be a basic Hallmark style romance with a little bit of heart thrown in. But it is so much more than that.

The story revolves around Meg, who goes by the stage name Lana Lord. She seems to have it all - a starring role in a tv series, a gorgeous Hollywood boyfriend, a huge house and lots of money. But she's miserable. After a meltdown, she books an impromptu trip to Ireland to see the town where she might have lived another life. Instead of going to college in Ireland where she was accepted, she went to California to live out her acting dream. But when she gets to Ireland, she seems to actually be living that life. People know her, she has a job, and her best friend is still alive. She begins to piece together what is going on - a sliding door life, where she had gone to Ireland for college after all. Meg was warned about this once, when her and her best friend visited a fortune teller many years ago. Back then she didn't give it too much thought, but it comes back to haunt her in the most unexpected way. It sounds like there is a lot of mayhem and confusion, which there is, but there is also a lot more.

Meg slowly realizes how much she hates her Hollywood life and wants nothing more than to stay in Ireland living out a quaint, simple life. But while realizing this, she has to contend with dealing with the choices the Meg in that life made. As she living there, it is assumed the Meg from there ended up in California. There are so many things she doesn't understand - such as why her best friend is alive and why she hates Meg, why she seems to have given up on a great relationship, why she'd want out. You get to see Meg dealing with each of these issues while coming into herself. There is a lot of growth, heartache, and laughs. The ending made me sad, but hopeful at the same time. I really wouldn't have minded this being longer. It was just so well put together.

Definitely recommended for anyone who likes sliding door stories, or a bit of magical realism with their romance.

Oh I love this book!!

What if!? That’s the question a lot of people ask what if we go this way what if we go that way. Well in this story we find out what would happen if Meg did things differently would her best friend Amy have not died and she gets that answer. We follow Meg who goes by Lora who is a while known actress. She takes a trip to Ireland and she is transported in to a life the life she would have taken if Amy didn’t die and she went to her dream school.

This book was so good… just read it and take those chances in life it’s life to live not play it save.

I really did not expect to fall in love with this book the way I did. Once I started I couldn't put it down!

On the surface this seems like it'll be a fun, zany romp about the road not taken. And it can be that, but it's also a wonderful exploration of friendship and grief, a call to live your life to the fullest and build a life that makes you happy. The characters are all so lovable and their relationships with each other are so realistic. The friendships are real, the romance is beautiful, and the dogs are adorable. I really really loved this book. It cracked my heart wide open and made me so so grateful for my life and the people in it.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Book Review

📖📖📖

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this advanced readers copy, due out June 3rd!

This one just wasn’t my cup of tea. I’m not a paranormal, supernatural fan. I did find the storyline to be cute, but I struggled the entire way through with my main character having two different lives. I also struggled with the other characters in the story just being ok with that. Oddly enough, I embraced the ending.

Sorry, not for me.

#imalreadyhungry

To be honest, when I opened this book, I expected a fluffy, simple, cheesy, sliding-doors-ish maaaaaaaybe 3 star (if I’m lucky) read. I was not expecting a beautifully written story about grief, friendship, the road not taken, and learning to be content and create moments where you are. After the death of her best friend, our main character, Meg Bryan, ran off to L.A. to avoid her grief, started going by the name Lana Lord, and created the “perfect” life for herself as a famous actress dating Hollywood’s “IT” guy. Only it wasn’t so perfect. Realizing she’s unhappy, Lana books herself a trip to Ireland, where she was supposed to attend acting college with her best friend, Aimee, but never went. The strange thing is, when she gets there, everyone seems to know her, but not as Lana like the rest of the world, as Meg. Everyone in town knows her, swears she’s been there since she went to college there, and oh yeah, Aimee is there and alive. Meg then has to navigate her relationships with these strangers who know her so well, confront some harsh truths about herself, and, thanks to the appearance of Aimee, finally deal with the grief she’s been avoiding for so long. The relationships are so well-written and, even though she’s just getting to know these people, the chemistry jumps off the page and you instantly believe in the deep friendships she has with Kiera, the love for hottie bartender Cillian, and the very complicated childhood friendship of Aimee. This book made me laugh out loud, but also had some very intense, emotional moments that gripped me. The Other Side of Now was so much more than I ever expected. It turned out to be a really great read with elements of magical realism, found family, and the age old question of “what if?” Thanks so much to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me an e-arc in return for an honest review.

STOP! Immediately stop whatever you’re doing and pre-order this RIGHT NOW!

Oh my word - I absolutely love alternate lives, Sliding Doors, “what if I made this choice and not that” type books. And of all the ones I’ve read so far, this one is HANDS DOWN the BEST, my absolute favorite!

I’m just speechless and blown away by how very much I enjoyed this!

I felt so many emotions while reading this and connected with the characters very easily. I’m happy the book ended in a way that I wished for.

I was able to read and listen to the book and both versions were absolutely phenomenal. The author, Paige Harbison, narrated the book and I love it when authors read their books because you get to know the true voice and tone of the characters.

I adored Meg, Kiera, Cillian, ans Aimee - I would be ecstatic if I could travel to a town like Avalon myself. I’d also be so happy to return to that universe to see what happens with the characters after the end of the book.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Paige Harbison, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for the supreme privilege to read and listen to this 5 star gem ahead of its proposed release date of June 3rd!

Let's start with the bad. I just finished the book and now I'm in a book hangover. Can't start a new one because I'm still in this book's world. I enjoy a good time travel (or whatever this is considered) trope, and this one didn't disappoint. Meg ends up living in another version of her life, where she has good friends and a dreamy boyfriend. In this version of her life, she is able to work through some things. I won't spoil how the book ends, but it wasn't what I was guessing. However, ultimately enjoyable ending, if not disappointing because I wanted to see more. This book was a pleasant surprise, very enjoyable and hard to put down!

This was one of my favorite reads of the year!
I absolutely loved the story, the endearing characters, and the heartfelt ending.
I highly recommend The Other Side of Now to anyone who enjoys a good story about friendship, loss, healing, and a renewed love for life.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advance reader’s copy.