This isn’t something I would usually pick up, but I’m really glad I gave it a chance. It was different from my usual reads, and I genuinely enjoyed the experience. While there were moments when it felt a bit too slow, which is why I’m giving it 4 stars instead of 5, overall, it was a great read. I’d definitely recommend it to others!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Wow just WOW. I started this book at 5 pm and didn’t put it down until it was done. The journey this story took me on is why I love books.

The Other Side of Now is an “alternate realities' type of book. It took me a while to get into it, but I eventually became invested. There’s a slow burn romance, friendship, forgiveness, and grief. Centered around Meg who hasn’t accepted her best friend’s death from 15 years ago. Time travel stories can be tricky because you can become invested in the “new” location though you know it can’t end there. Probably my favorite part of the story was how it wrapped up - the ending was fantastic.

I received a free DRC of this book through Netgalley. What if your life line diverges and you have a chance to live your other life? A fascinating concept especially if this life is pretty unsatisfying. Meg gets to see where the other path would've led. I enjoyed (and was a bit envious) of the female friendships in this book at times. No relationship is perfect, but a second chance is fun to imagine in this book.

WOW!!! I was not expecting such an emotional roller coaster, but I would wake up early to read and start my day off sobbing. Harbison writes with such startling clarity and strong character development, I felt truly immersed in their world. Not only did I love following Lana/Meg through her journey, but the Irish background in which the story takes place made me want to jump on a plane and be there in the flesh. I know this story will stay with me for a long time. I highly recommend it to anyone who liked The Midnight Library by Matt Haig.

The Other Side of Now completely pulled me in from the first page—I couldn’t put it down.

This was my first book by Paige Harbison, and it definitely won’t be my last. The story blends magical realism, alternate realities, and a touch of nostalgic longing in a way that feels both fresh and deeply comforting.

Without giving anything away (because this is a journey best taken with as little context as possible), I’ll just say that sometimes it takes the unexpected to help us see what really matters. This story is full of heart, healing, and the kind of quiet magic that lingers long after you finish.

If you're in the mood for something thought-provoking, emotional, and just a little bit extraordinary—read this book.

This one is a heartfelt and hilarious novel that blends humor with deep emotional growth. If you're a fan of Rebecca Serle or Taylor Jenkins Reid, you'll love this one.

Meg Bryan seems to have it all—a hit TV show, a Hollywood heartthrob boyfriend, and fame. But when she has a breakdown at her thirtieth birthday party, she escapes to Ireland, a place she and her best friend Aimee had always dreamed of moving to—before Aimee’s tragic death. What happens next is unexpected: Meg finds herself in an alternate version of her life, where Aimee is alive and well, but doesn’t remember her.

What I loved most about this book is its exploration of personal growth. Meg’s journey to reconnect with Aimee, work through her grief, and rediscover her true self is inspiring. It’s a powerful reminder that healing often means letting go of who we think we should be and embracing who we truly are.

The friendship dynamics were so well done, and the romance with a cute bartender was sweet and added just the right touch. The “time travel” aspect of the story, with Meg slipping into a different version of her life, was a unique twist on the sliding doors/time slip genre.

Overall, it’s a beautiful story about second chances, self-acceptance, and the importance of true friendships. It’s both fun and meaningful, and full of depth.

Meg is a famous actress who is at once living her dream and deeply unhappy. One day she decides to take a trip to Ireland, somewhere she was supposed to go with her best friend before she got swept up in the rush of Hollywood. However when she gets there she seems to be in an alternate reality where her best friend is still alive and they both live in the same town. The only problem is they’re apparently estranged and she has more than one complicated relationship in this life.

What follows is an emotional and reflective book centering on how one choice can change your life. Meg learns to unpack her many years of struggling to be enough and running from her past while learning to open up and let new people in. This book handles grief both for people and for a life you didn’t live so incredibly well. It talks about finding the balance in letting go of and holding on to your past in a way that I think will resonate with a lot of readers.

The relationships between Meg and her friends is so well done and realistic. Her reflections on what she loves in this “new” life and what she loved in her own are thoughtful reminders that it’s important to be grateful for what we have.

In the end I would HIGHLY recommend this book, especially if you are someone who stays awake at night wondering what your life would look like if you took another path.

Two lives.... One chance to get it right
The Other Side of Now by Paige Harbison is officially in the "top books of 2025" for me!! This magical realism/contemporary fiction novel follows Meg - better known by her stage name, Lana - as she packs a bag at the end of her 30th birthday party and leaves LA for a week in small town Avalon, Ireland, after a mini-Hollywood-breakdown. Only when Meg arrives in Avalon, everyone seems to know who she is...not as Lana, but as Meg, the girl who should have come to Ireland for college with her best friend Aimee. This definitely felt like a "right time, right read" for me - I don't know how else to explain it. But as we are getting to know Meg, we see how big her grief for Aimee is and how hard she blamed herself and pushed her emotions aside. Ireland Meg had some tough realizations and it was empowering to watch her handle those head on and try to learn from them instead of hiding away again. As with most alternate timeline/speculative fictions, I was extremely nervous how this one would end. I was a wreck of emotions myself, worrying about how and when and if Meg's two lives would come together after she put in all of this work on herself. That being said, I don't think the epilogue could have been any better.I loved this story about friendship and forgiveness, thank you thank you thank you to St. Martin's Press for the free advanced copy. I'm going to cherish this one!

3.5: I wanted to be totally hooked by this story, but I struggled with it a little. The balance of magic in the magical realism was off for me personally. I do feel like the book was well written, but it just wasn't my favorite.

A discontent Hollywood actress gets a magical chance to see how an alternate version of her life would’ve played out if she’d made different choices as a teen, leading her to new understanding about grief, friendship, independence, fear, love, gratitude, fame, ambition, family, and living the life she has rather than mourning missed chances or closing herself off to meaningful relationships. The blurb’s mention of Rebecca Serle is apt, as this story centers a female friendship with deep trauma to work through, includes a magical set-up for internal exploration, and delivers its life lessons in bold strokes. A perfect read for Serle’s fans, with a charming Irish small-town setting, a hint of dreamy romance, and a few fun nods to the power of the live theatre.

I am a sucker for a book if anything Irish is involved. I loved how Paige Harbison used a kind of other dimension/Sliding Doors style story to understand and reconcile with trauma. I could not put it down!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

‘The Other Side of Now’ was thought provoking and had me reflecting on my life and the things I take for granted. The main character Meg achieved her dream of becoming a famous actress but feels a gap in her life at the loss of her childhood best friend… until she books a trip and ends up in an alternate universe where her friend is still alive (but dislikes her). Meg is forced to face the hard realities of her life and her own behavior. I appreciate Meg’s journey and the self-reflection opportunity it provided for myself. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC.

I liked thebudea of this book. It was mostly enjoyable but at times became predictable and hawkish. The ending was goofy and oh-so-expected. But a good light read for a rainy weekend.
I received an ARC from netgalley in exchange for an honest review

This BOOK!!! I thought I was in for a cutie little romance, but oh my gosh, it was so much deeper than that. This is genuinely a story of friendship, grief, and healing trauma.

Meg Bryan (actress Lana Lord) is at a crossroads of her life, as a psychic had told her many moons ago. Unsatisfied and deeply unhappy with her life, Meg decides to take a super spur of the moment trip to Ireland, to visit a college she almost attended with her best friend, Aimee. Things get weird when everyone in Ireland seems to know the real Meg and there’s no trace of Lana Lord. Meg explores this version of herself, allowing her to grow, change, and heal in ways she never thought possible in the famous version of her life.


The epilogue really made this for me, I was genuinely sad the last few chapters before it wrapped up. I so hope there’s a sequel!!Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for this ARC!

This one had a good plot to it. The characters were well thought out and very relatable. I was almost disappointed with it until I got to the very end. This one makes you reflect on being more appreciative of the things you have and holding those close to you in your heart. It also shows the rawness you experience when losing someone close to you and how to try and cope with that loss.

When this automatic arc approval showed up in my inbox I had never heard of it or the author. But I read the description and it sounded like it would be right up my alley…and boy was I right! It ended up being one of my favourite reads from February. Give me a small town Irish setting, some magical realism, heartbreak, and a sprinkle of romance and I am a happy camper! This book kept me guessing the whole way through. I loved it! What a lovely surprise.

The Other Side of Now: 5 Stars 🎭🇮🇪💔

Holy emotions! This book hits you right in the heart.
From chapter one, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Being introduced to Lana Lord’s world through name-drops of real celebrities wasn’t my favorite—I tend to prefer my fiction to stay fully fictional. I was nervous I was heading into something super light and overly cheesy, maybe a rom-com I wouldn’t vibe with.

Boy, was I wrong!
First off, this isn’t a romance in the typical sense. It’s more women’s fiction, with a strong emphasis on friendship and navigating grief. The story explores the idea of whether the grass is truly greener on the other side—or maybe, more importantly, what it means to water the ground you’re already standing on.

We follow Meg (aka Lana Lord) as she copes with the loss of her best friend Aimee in an unconventional, magical way. The use of magical realism to navigate grief was beautifully done and added a fun, unexpected element to a difficult topic.
And as a former theatre kid myself, I loved that their world revolved around acting!

A truly moving story—so well done!

I really enjoyed this one! I loved Meg waking up in an alternative world so opposite of her Hollywood life. It was so enjoyable her getting to be reacquainted with herself, and people no longer around. This was a great book of self discovery.

When disillusioned TV Star Meg goes to Ireland for some time off, she finds herself landed in an alternate reality where her childhood best friend is alive, but they're no longer friends at all.

This was a very engaging, bittersweet tale about the roads not taken, female friendship, and life (dis)satisfaction.

While there are definitely some heavy, emotional moments, they were balanced well with the moments of levity found in the book's humor and romance subplot.

I wasn't sure how things were going to wrap up, but I was happy with the direction the author took it.

I've read a few 'sliding doors' books, and I think this one might be my favorite! This was not necessarily my usual kind of read, but I'm really glad I picked it up.

Thank you to SMP & NetGalley for letting me read and review this!