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!

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.