I LOVED this book! It's a Sliding Doors-The Holiday type of story that I adored. I loved the characters! This is about friendship, about grief, about following your dreams, and I cried at the end. I know I'll be thinking about this story for a long time.

This book was such an enjoyable read for me. I’ve been in such a reading slump, and so when I was lucky enough to be sent a copy for review, I dove into it headfirst with hopeful expectations. This exceeded all of them! It was heartwarming, emotional, funny, and so unexpectedly deep and thoughtful. I’m always a sucker for stories that involve alternate timelines, because they really make you take stock of your life, and (for me, at least) make you so appreciative of the life you have. If you’re looking for an absolutely fantastic, 5 star read that will give you all the feels, look no further!!

SYNOPSIS: At her thirtieth birthday party, actress Lana Lord (née Meg Bryan) finds herself stuck in a midlife crisis of sorts. Stunningly beautiful, wildly popular, and surrounded by Hollywood’s most successful A-listers in her boyfriend’s giant mansion, she’s never been so unhappy. She reflects on a childhood dream she shared with her best friend Aimee, one where they both attend an art school in Avalon, Ireland, and one that was waylaid when Aimee tragically died. On a whim, she books a solo flight to Ireland, and when she lands, finds herself in an entirely different life. Here, she is simply Meg, running a sundries shop in a small village, dealing with the latest fall-out with her on-again, off-again boyfriend, and entirely free from the paparazzi of LA. Oh, and living down the street from Aimee, who, in this timeline, never died. Scrambling to make sense of it all, Meg uncovers truths about her life, her past, and herself that were never meant to be buried.

*cue “And I’ll still see it until I die, you’re the loss of my life”*

This book finished me. 😭 My heart is even hurting at the moment.

I went into this book not expecting much, never imaging to have such a visceral reaction to it, but it’s now in my top favorites ever, right alongside The Midnight Library.

This story has a certain lightness throughout that it easily overshadows the heaviness of what Meg is going through, which was surprisingly a good thing. Honestly, I related so heavily to her because Meg would throw jokes in the middle of a cry-fest, and I do the exact same. So when the lightness began to fade—like the yellow of a sunset fades into orange and in the blink of an eye, the sun is gone—the true intensity of the story fell heavily on me.

The topic of grief and loss are present, but just as the narrator is pushing those emotions aside, I neglected them as well. And gosh, I wasn’t ready—they hit me like a freight train.

Amidst all of what’s going on, there’s also the sense of finding oneself, and I won’t say more to prevent spoilers, but it really is beautiful to see outcome for Meg and how she found her place in the world.

Yes, my review is all over the place. I just finished sobbing and wiping my eyes while typing this. If there’s anything you need to take away from this review is to go read it!

The Other Side of Now is an interesting and intriguing story.
Ask yourself this:
What would I do if I walked through a door into a different life?!?!
That is what happens to Meg Bryan.

Time travel
Slow burn
Loss
Magical realism
Humor
Friendships
Family
Dogs

Definitely a unique and engaging book!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martins Press and the author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

The premise of THE OTHER SIDE OF NOW is so intriguing (and that cover!) that I was excited to pick it up. I love exploration of lost lives and second chances, and any story that balances romance and female friendship is right up my alley. Unfortunately, the writing in this one did not work for me. However, I think anyone looking for a lighthearted beach read with some harder-hitting underlying themes should still check out this novel.

This was such an emotional rollercoaster. Such a beautiful and tragic story. It was heartbreaking being in Meg’s perspective, her not being satisfied and wanting to run away from her current life was so relatable. Dealing with your best friend’s death is so traumatic, I can imagine it is such a hard thing to move on from, I felt her character in such a deep level, it felt like I was going through the same thing. I’m so happy she was able to find peace despite all the pain she’s been through. I’m glad she got what she was looking for in Avalon. Finding people like Kiera and Cillian and building a beautiful relationship with them was what she needed. The experience and wisdom she gained from Avalon is something you can’t ever take away from her. I’m glad she got closure with Aimee, got to know her best friend a bit more in a different perspective and was able to mature as a person. The ending was not as satisfying as I hoped but it did not take away how incredible this book was. - Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced e-galley copy. All thoughts are my own.

This was definitely a really wonderful premise. I too have longed to know what would’ve been if…. It was ramping to be a 4star then just got a bit boring and developed flat for me.

I’ve always loved the movie The Family Man so I immediately downloaded The Other Side of Now and I’m so glad I did! This book is definitely 5 stars and my favorite book this year!

On paper, Meg Bryan has it all. She plays the lead on a popular tv show and has a hot movie star boyfriend. But she finds herself turning 30 and still not happy with life. As she tries to think back to when she was last truly happy, she remembers the small town in Ireland her and her best friend Aimee always wanted to move to. She books a last minute flight and once she arrives, she finds that the town and its people are not what she expected.

I loved this book so much! Once I picked it up, I read it in a day. The author did a great job writing Meg’s character. Meg was very relatable (minus the movie start part lol) and her character experienced so much growth from when she first arrived to the end of the book. I really liked everyone in the Avalon. It’s a cozy, small town where everybody knows everyone. Cillian and Kiera helped Meg through so much and I absolutely adored their characters.

This is a book on grief, relationships, and forgiveness. I loved making the journey with Meg as she confronted her past and finally came to terms with what had happened. I was afraid of how this would end but the ending was perfect! There were so many laughs in this book but also a few scenes I bawled through as if they were old friends of mine. This is one of the few books, I actually didn’t want to end. I could read many more books on Meg’s life in Avalon.

Overall, I could not have loved this book more. If you’re looking for a book with a ‘what if’ or alternate reality that takes place in a cozy small town, I highly recommend The Other Side of Now. I will definitely be checking out more books by the author in the future!

What I thought was going to be a flighty romance novel turned out to be a deeply moving, funny, and hopeful story about loss, grief, and (re)discovering one’s path in life.

Meg, an actress, flees to a small Irish village after a public breakdown, only to stumble into an alternate version of her life. As she navigates this second chance at a life she once dreamed of, Meg is forced to confront old wounds, buried regrets, and the possibility of redemption in a world where nothing is quite as it seems.

I am not a crier, but this story squeezed out a few small tears! This was intimate storytelling at its finest on grief and how we deal (or choose not to deal) with guilt, regret, and their repercussions. Despite its heavy themes, Harbison manages to add lighthearted and laugh-out-loud moments that left me smiling. And who can resist a pup named Maureen?!

I highly recommend this book if you want a sweet and salty journey, and some overall comfort and happiness!

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

Whew this was a world wind book for me. I can’t believe I put off reading this arc for so long!? But also happy that I may have waited because I listened to the audio and LOVED the voices! This book was full of suppressed memories/trauma to be worked through after over a decade. The friendships/found family, chefs kiss! Going back to work on her family and aimee family was perfectly timed! I hurt so much for her when the realities kept changing and felt like I was grieving along side Meg. Going to the ending and even more resolution/ working through her grief was a great way to wrap it up and the ending, ugh, yesss! Only sad part for me was wanting another epilogue with a flash forward a few years to see how Megs relationships have panned out. Thank you to netgalley and st martins press for the arc in turn for my honest opinion! Recommending to anyone who reads and listen to my nagging to just READ THE BOOK!

I absolutely LOVED this book! The characters were written so well with distinct personalities, backstories, and feelings that felt so relatable I wanted them as my friends! This story really pulled me in and I didn't want to put it down. I enjoyed the magical realism of this and how everything played out.

I found "The Other Side of Now" to be a compelling read. The writing was exceptional, making it a true page-turner, and the ending was unexpected. The narrative resonated with the themes of time travel and alternate realities, similar to "Sliding Doors," which I found particularly engaging and right up my alley! It was a medium-paced read (for me) and took me a few days to finish, but I am definitely wanting now to read more by this author!

Asked for this ARC ages ago and honestly don't really remember why because it's kind of not my thing. I think others will like it but just wasn't the best for me!

The Other Side of Now, a story of friendship, grief, healing, and finding yourself, was a solid 4⭐️ read for me for most of the book.

I absolutely loved the premise about how different choices can lead us to drastically different lives. And I even loved how getting a glimpse into a different version of her life helped Meg to finally grieve after ten years. But what I didn’t love was how I felt like the rug was pulled out from under me towards the end. There was an unexpected and jarring scene that left me feeling completely unsatisfied.

Despite feeling unsatisfied with the way the ending played out, I still enjoyed the story. Meg’s grief journey had really stalled until she came into this alternate reality where her best friend is still alive. I loved how magical realism allowed Meg an opportunity to work through her trauma, with an older version of her late friend.

3.5 out of 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to St Martin’s Press for an early NetGalley. The Other Side of Now is out now.

3.5
This was an ode to friendship. Meg is a famous movie star. Things quickly change overnight as we get a wink of magical realism and Meg now lives an alternate life that she may have actually lived. We then see how she traverses this life, how she interacts with those around her, the connections she makes.

This was a fun book, but also a contemplative book about the precious lives we each have and live. Love those you have in your life.

I felt like it had a little bit of a slow down in the middle with not a lot of surprises for the reader. I feel like I've read this story before (similar to an Ashley Poston book).Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the gifted e-arc of this book.

Thank you to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the gifted e-arc of this book.

4.5 stars

I loved this book. This was the most creative and intriguing story. Our FMC gets to see what her life would have been like if she made a different choice in life. I love books with magical realism in them. The way it was used in this book was so good. I highly recommend reading this one.

Thank you to Macmillan publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

After reading the Prologue which completely hooked me I was surprised that the following chapters took a bit of work to get involved with this story. Present day - it feels all wrong - where are Meg and Aimee, the kids I cared about because I really don’t care a whit about what is going on in Hollywood with Lana Lord and her entourage. But Meg is another story and her landing in Ireland, while a bit off, is what I want to know about. Everything is never as it appears and in Avalon, this quaint Irish village, where everyone knows everyone and their background and business, where gossip is around every corner, you just soak up the atmosphere, relationships and friendships. But is it real? Can you hold the connection? Can you put aside the dissatisfaction and want for a bigger life and hold what is truly meaningful?

There are lots of questions and requirements that you suspend total belief and be open to possibilities and the probability that you are going to rediscover hurt and heartbreak. Can’t we believe that’s there are alternate realities on those paths not taken? This was really well told and lingered past the last page.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Publishing and NetGalley for a copy

The book was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed the magical realism. This book was funny in parts sad in others. The characters were wonderful. I highly recommend.
Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Due to medical reasons, I was unable to fully read this book but I throughly enjoyed what I did read, however I cannot write a proper review due to this. I apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your understanding.

I am a sucker for a Sliding Doors type novel and this one was so fun. (just know there is no logical reason for her to have 2 lives lol). Lana Lord is the stage name of Meg Bryan. She is living the life she always dreamed: living in Hollywood, on a popular tv show and living with her actor boyfriend. though she is not happy. On a whim she travels to a small village in Ireland where she also seems to be having a life as Meg, working in a cute little shop, with a best friend and a very attractive on again/off again boyfriend. Meg learns more about this other life she is having and a lot about her relationships, life goals and happiness. I adored the time in Ireland, with a great sense of place and characters. I liked that though there was an element of romance, it was not the main focus. This was the perfect blend of light, fun with some trauma and grief, and humor. I was worried about how she would make it all come together in the end and happy to report she did it. Loved the ending. Highly recommend for a lighter book with substance. Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy. 4 stars.