Definitely a "Sliding Doors" meets "The Holiday" kind of book, and it was sweet and enjoyable to read. Great for an escape like on vacation or lazy weekend. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

This book! Have you ever finished a book and felt the need to give it a big hug at the end? That is exactly how I feel about this one. What a treat! THE OTHER SIDE OF NOW follows main character, Meg Bryan, currently working as an actress in Hollywood, as she takes a 30th birthday trip to Ireland, a place she’s always wanted to visit. Once she gets there, she notices things are not as they seem. She looks different, and she feels different, yet she quickly realizes this place in Ireland is not a place she’s always wanted to visit, but a place she’s made her home. Part magical realism, part time travel(ish) with love and friendship and what ifs. Truly LOVED this book so much!!!

I know this book won’t work for everyone, but it worked for me. It’s more women’s fiction than romance with plenty of introspection and growth. What would you do if you suddenly ended up on the path not taken? Would you have regrets? That’s exactly what this story looks at.

The story revolves around Meg who attained her dream but at a cost that she didn’t fully understand. As events unfold she has the opportunity to look at her life through a different lens. Meg learns about friendship, loss, love, and second chances. She learns what she truly wants out of life and what’s most important to her.

If you go into this expecting it to be a funny romance, you’ll be very disappointed. There was a romance but it occurred late in the book and was more of a sweet side note. I did love the romantic interest. He was thoughtful, kind, and patient.

One of my favorite parts of the story were the friendships and the realistic portrayal of how people can grow apart but also come together.

Read this if you want a story with depth and character growth. This isn’t a light rom com so go into it with appropriate expectations.

This book contains scattered strong profanity and has explicit intimate scenes.

I love a book with a Sliding Doors concept, so I was intrigued by the concept of Paige Harbison's The Other Side of Now. This book exceeded my expectations, and it's been one of my favorites of 2025. Plus, I love her connection to Beth Harbison - such a talented family!

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

The Other Side of Now by Paige Harbison is a heart-tugging, mind-bending journey of grief, identity, and second chances—with just enough magical realism to keep you guessing. Meg Bryan, known to the world as glamorous actress Lana Lord, finds herself burned out, broken, and suddenly… in Ireland? In an alternate version of her life, complete with a scruffy dog, a handsome bartender, and most shockingly, a living, breathing version of her long-lost best friend Aimee.

Harbison beautifully blends emotional depth with a clever speculative twist, offering readers a story that’s not just about what could’ve been—but what still could be. Meg’s emotional evolution is compelling as she peels away the persona she built to survive fame and confronts hard truths about friendship, regret, and forgiveness. While the plot sometimes leans into the fantastical without full explanation, the emotional core is strong, and the ending lands with a satisfying mix of warmth and melancholy. A touching, introspective story about the life you build when you finally face yourself.

Ooo that was emotional. I get worried about books with the whole alternate timeline plot, because I feel like the endings can be so hard to land. So at the start of this book, when I saw where it was going (with the whole dead friend in the original life) I got really nervous. But Harbison really delivered a story and ending thay was both heartbreaking, hopeful, and satisfying.

One thing I super appreciated about this book is the focus and emphasis on friendship and friendship love. It could have been more of a romance-and thay still would have been good-but the focus on our platonic relationships and the ups and downs, and continued love despite those, was just so good.

In conclusion, I loved it. Highly recommend for people who love books with the vibes of an early 2000s movie.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for thr e-ARC.

Add this to your beach bag right now. You wont regret it.
Top 5 books of 2015 for sure
This was so good!! Delightful story with some realism alternate time lines will keep you interested all the way to last page.

My thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. I like that it got right to the point of the feeling of 'holy heck, what's going on?'

I found the writing style very easy and multiple times I'd get further than anticipated because I stopped realizing I was even reading.

The ending was so perfect and emotionally driven and gripping. I love how they incorporated it into the story and it didn't feel like it was just put in for the sake of it.

This was my first from the author but it won't be the last!

A heartfelt concept with a dose of magical realism, The Other Side of Now asks what it might be like to get a second chance at friendship, fame-free. I really liked the premise—slipping into an alternate life where the things you lost might still exist—but the execution didn’t quite grab me the way I’d hoped. The emotional beats are there, especially around grief and regret, but overall it felt a bit uneven. A solid read for fans of “what if” stories and second chances, just not one that fully pulled me in.

Not your typical Summer Read read, but a perfect addition for Women's Lit Era for its emotional depth and sense of self-discovery. This sliding doors-style novel explores alternate life paths with a focus on friendship, grief, and the quiet magic of second chances.

Meg Bryan, a soap star with a fractured past, wakes up in a version of her life where fame never happened—but her best friend Aimee is still alive. What follows is a heartfelt journey through memory, regret, and healing. Romance takes a backseat here, making room for something quieter and braver.

Ideal for buddy reads—the kind that spark “what would you do?” debates during those chilly late-night s’more sessions around a quiet fire.

Thank you for the free earc @stmartinspress

“𝘛𝘰 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥. “

I absolutely adored 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗡𝗼𝘄. It definitely was an emotional, yet beautiful read that left me needing to acquire a physical copy for my shelves! I really enjoyed how Paige Harbison wrote the alternate reality where Meg’s best friend is still very much alive and the navigation of her new life, where she never made it to Hollywood. Definitely a lovely and relatable plot for me, having lost my own best friend, with magical realism elements that I really enjoyed!

I did not expect to love this book as much as I did, as it is a debut from a YA author. When Lana decides to take a break from her unhappy life, leaving LA and her actress role behind, she books an Airbnb in Ireland on a whim. Lana’s real name is Meg, and as a teenager, she lost her best friend, Aimee in an accident, burying her feelings since that time. In Ireland, the magical realism kicks in where she enters the rental and awakens to an alternate reality, where Aimee is still alive, she is in a long term loving relationship with Cillian, and has a best friend Kiera. The story is so well told, with a lot of emotion as well as humor. I highly recommend this wonderfully written novel. Thea is to NetGalley for the ARC.

A wonderful premise with a wonderful ending. I did find the middle a little mushy and there were way to many name brand products throughout. Ultimately, it was story that was well told and brought some great things to think about.

Just over a decade ago, Meg Bryan made a choice that changed her life forever. As a high school senior, she got into her dream college, a tiny but prestigious arts school in rural Ireland, but chose to stay home in Florida with her best friend instead.

Now she’s living her dream life as the star of a hit TV show—only it turns out not to be so dreamy. She has no real friends, she’s on a starvation diet, and she’s pretty sure her movie star boyfriend is cheating on her. Several glasses of wine deep and feeling impulsive, she books a trip to Avalon, the Irish town she could have called home.

Avalon is just as charming as she imagined, but something seriously weird is going on. Everyone there seems to know her. They’re not treating her like a celebrity—they’re treating her like a beloved friend with a shared past. Except for the gorgeous guy behind the bar at the village pub, who seems to hate her. Meg realizes she has just stepped into the life she could have had if she’s gone to school in Avalon. And it turns out she likes this reality more than the one she’s been living. But is the choice hers to make?

This was a super charming and cozy book. It felt like a 2000s rom-com in the best possible way, with a cute small-town setting and a delightful cast of characters. But there were also parts that were completely heart-wrenching, so be sure to go into this one emotionally prepared!

I adored this book! Magical realism is one of my favorites and this book did it right! When people say "all the feels" that is what this book delivers! Paige is now an auto-buy author for me!

The Other Side of Now by Paige Harbison is a delightful read. What if's are a normal part of many people's lives and Harbison gives those people a voice with this story. This reminded me of the movie Sliding Doors but with more depth. Meg Bryan is a multi-faceted character and I loved getting to know her. Magical realism has to be done right to keep my attention and this was one of the best that I have read.

Do you ever wonder what your life would be like if you made a different choice along the way? Went to a different school, married a different person, moved to a different town? Meg is a television star and dating a popular media darling. When the hustle and bustle of Hollywood gets to be too much, she runs off the a town where she had intended to go to college before fate stepped in. Upon arrival, she awakens to her alternate life. She experiences what her life would have been like if she had chosen to move their after high school. Can she stay in her new life? Or is she destined to return to fame and fortune. Paige Harbison creates a world the reader would love to join Meg in as well.

Alternate reality is typically not my bag, but this one wasn't that bad! I enjoyed the characters, and that always helps.

This is my first book by author Paige Harbison and I truly enjoyed it! I’ve read this is her adult debut and I think definitely a strong debut to adult books!

Loved the FMC, Meg, and her chance encounter with a road not taken! I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline/plot and the exploration of love and loss and all we would do just to see a loved one again.

This books falls into many genres that I enjoy….romance, magical realism, time travel, fantasy, and contemporary fiction and the author does all of this exceptionally well!

A definite ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me! Would absolutely recommend this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review and opinion.

Meg and Aimee are high school BFFs dreaming of studying theater at a college in Ireland. At a local carnival, a palm reader tells Meg that she has two distinct life lines. What Aimee's palm foretells isn't clear but it upsets Aimee.

Fifteen years later, Meg is now Lana Lord, star of a popular soap opera. All her dreams came true but she's unhappy with her career, her boyfriend, her life. She always wondered what would have happened if she did go abroad to study. So during her birthday party, she books a rental house and a plane ticket and heads to the airport without telling anyone her plans.

Without giving any more away, the story is a enjoyable ride of what ifs and how about and possibilities of one decision having many possible outcomes. I really liked how the ending was crafted. Such a satisfying read.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advance reader copy.
#TheOtherSideofNow #NetGalley