“You’re not on the outside of your life looking in. Everyone isn’t off having some perfect moment and you’re left out of it. You’re alive right now.”

What would you do if you had the chance to take a different path? Meg Bryan has the perfect life; or so it would seem to the average bystander. But underneath the fame and fortune, she’s a restless soul trying to outrun the grief of an earth shattering loss. So when she unwittingly stumbles into an alternate reality— one where her best friend is still alive— she realizes that facing her painful past head on may be the best way to move forward.

This was such a warm and fuzzy read! Think “13 Going on 30” if Jenna had unprocessed grief to deal with. I think this book did a good job of portraying all of the messy and beautiful complexities of real friendship. I loved the characters. They were all relatable in their own way. Meg and Aimee’s relationship was the glue of the story, but the unexpected friendships she made along the way were so heartwarming. Kiera— with all her Irish sass— deserves her own book! And Cillian may just be my new book boyfriend; he was absolutely perfect.

A big thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this ARC! All opinions are my own. Expected publication date is June 3, 2025.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for review.

I knew this last name was familiar, and it turns out her mom is author Beth Harbison! This was an easy read about a famous actress who is losing sight of herself and is still reeling from the death of her best friend in college. She travels to Ireland on a whim and is suddenly transported to a village where she has been apparently living another life with a boyfriend, a career, and where her best friend is actually alive. (And her actress self does not exist.) This is one of those 'alternate realities' types of books, and it took me a bit to feel invested, but I eventually came around to it. I found the ending to be emotional in a good way, so I'd say this is 3.5 stars.

*+:｡.𝓝𝓸𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓪𝓼 𝓼𝓲𝓶𝓹𝓵𝓮 𝓪𝓼 𝓯𝓪𝓶𝓮 𝓬𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓰𝓲𝓿𝓮 𝓶𝓮 𝔀𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓘 𝓷𝓮𝓮𝓭. 𝓦𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓘 𝓷𝓮𝓮𝓭 𝓲𝓼 𝓽𝓸 𝓫𝓮 𝓪𝓻𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓭 𝓹𝓮𝓸𝓹𝓵𝓮 𝓘 𝓬𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓪𝓫𝓸𝓾𝓽. 𝓣𝓸 𝓵𝓮𝓽 𝓹𝓮𝓸𝓹𝓵𝓮 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝓶𝓮. 𝓣𝓸 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝓼𝓶𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓶𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓼, 𝓴𝓷𝓸𝔀𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝔂’𝓻𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓫𝓲𝓰𝓰𝓮𝓼𝓽 𝓸𝓷𝓮𝓼, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓲𝓰𝓷𝓸𝓻𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓶 𝓫𝓮𝓬𝓪𝓾𝓼𝓮 𝓘’𝓶 𝓽𝓸𝓸 𝓫𝓾𝓼𝔂 𝓵𝓸𝓸𝓴𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝔀𝓪𝔂 𝓸𝓯𝓯 𝓲𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓭𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓪𝓷𝓬𝓮, 𝓮𝓲𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻 𝓯𝓾𝓽𝓾𝓻𝓮 𝓸𝓻 𝓹𝓪𝓼𝓽, 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓼𝓸𝓶𝓮 𝓲𝓶𝓪𝓰𝓲𝓷𝓮𝓭 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰. 𝓘’𝓶 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮 𝔀𝓪𝓲𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓵𝓲𝓯𝓮. 𝓘’𝓶 𝓲𝓷 𝓲𝓽. 𝓘𝓽’𝓼 𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓹𝓮𝓷𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓷𝓸𝔀!.｡.｡:+*

4.5 ⭐

I finished this book in one freaking sitting and don't we all know what that means?!! It was AMAZING, chef's kiss. It was like "The Holiday" meets "The Unmaking of June Farrow". I couldn't simply put it down. It has friendships, love, found family, trauma, and healing. The character development is so good; the whole experiment is so unique; it absolutely deserves your time. Mind you, I'm new to this genre and 5his types of books. It's mainly about friendships rather than romance. The ending also made me over the moon.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𝕮𝖑𝖔𝖘𝖊𝖉 𝕯𝖔𝖔𝖗 𝕸𝖔𝖉𝖎𝖋𝖎𝖈𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓𝖘˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

SKIP CHAPTER: 19

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𝕻𝖗𝖊-𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

Someone said that this was the best book they'd read in 2025 so I trusted them and requested it so thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for approving my request 💋🫶🏻

I love a great story of deep friendships between two best friends. This story was both uplifting and heart breaking. I am reminded of how deeply and long lasting the feelings of friendship, grief, and love truly are.

I adored the magical realism aspect and how cathartic it would be to be relieved of feelings of guilt and to know that your lost friend is ok in an alternate universe.

The ending swept me away! I was at first sad that Meg couldn’t stay in Ireland but then it ended in the best possible way that made me happy for her!

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC. The opinions expressed are my own. I appreciate the opportunity to review this adult debut!

Megan misses her best friend that passed away. But what if Aimee didn’t… what would her life have really been like. We all have that one person that keeps us sane LOL.

I have really enjoyed stories with multiverse concepts within it. The whole, what if, has always been a curiosity in my own life. This is the perfect one for you if wonder as well!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Paige Harbison for an advanced reader.

The Other Side of Now is a mesmerizing, thought-provoking novel that explores the weight of choices, the lives we might have lived, and the meaning of second chances. With a unique blend of speculative fiction, emotional depth, and a touch of romance, this book is both heart-wrenching and uplifting.

Meg Bryan, better known to the world as Hollywood star Lana Lord, seemingly has it all—fame, a hit TV show, and a high-profile relationship. But beneath the surface, she’s unraveling. A spontaneous trip to Ireland, the place she and her late best friend Aimee once dreamed of moving, takes a surreal turn when Meg finds herself in an alternate reality—one where she never became famous, where she runs a local shop, and most shocking of all, where Aimee is alive. But this Aimee isn’t thrilled to see her, and Meg is left questioning everything she thought she knew.

The novel beautifully captures the nostalgia of “what if” moments, blending themes of friendship, grief, self-discovery, and the pursuit of happiness. Meg’s journey is deeply relatable—who hasn’t wondered how life might have unfolded had they taken a different path? The writing is immersive, the emotions raw, and the characters layered and real.

While the premise leans into magical realism, the heart of the story is grounded in human connection and the realization that happiness isn’t found in fame or success, but in the choices we make and the people we hold close. Fans of Sliding Doors and The Midnight Library will love this captivating, heartfelt re

What a lovely surprise this book turned out to be! It has a strong sliding doors vibe to it. On the surface, Meg Bryan (known professionally as Lana Lord), has everything going for her - she is an actress on a hit show, her boyfriend is a a Hollywood hunk, and she lives in a beautiful home. But after her 30th birthday party, she decides to hop on a plane and head to Ireland to the village that she and her best friend Aimee; who died tragically years earlier, dreamt of moving. When she arrives, everyone acts as if they know her. Meg is a different person there. Not the bleached blond glammed up actress but the meg who runs a shop and has not altered her looks. Plus, her friend Aimee is alive!!!

This was a joy to read and had me smiling and feeling all kinds of good feelings. This book was like a breath of fresh air. Who hasn't looked back on their life and thought "what if". This book had a little bit of everything, friendship, loss, romance, being happy with yourself, relationships, forgiving, following your dreams, etc.

When I started this book, I had no idea just how much I would enjoy it. I found it to be such a wonderful surprising in all the right ways book. Wonderfully written, well thought out, and gripping!

Just wow!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy and the honor of reviewing this book. The cover and synopsis immediately intrigued me, and I couldn’t wait to dive in. The sliding doors trope can be tricky to execute, but Harbison did it flawlessly! What might initially seem like plot holes turn out to be carefully placed details that beautifully come together in the end. Something that I adore when an author can pull together like a nice bow for us readers.

While the cover may give the impression of a lighthearted rom-com, this story is much deeper. Though there is a romantic subplot, the heart of the novel lies in Meg’s journey through an alternate universe—one where a single, life-altering choice led to an entirely different path. It’s a poignant exploration of decades-long grief, regret, and self-discovery.

A truly captivating read that will take you through the full spectrum of emotions. Highly recommend!

Really great comfort book. The lead is a hate-to-love antihero who is completely dissatisfied with her life as a famous actress in LA (stereotypically pressured to lose weight and matched with a vapid actor for publicity). The book opens with a glimpse of her formative childhood friendship with bestie, Aimee. Then it cuts to her LA life which is hardly lovable at all. In a nervous breakdown move, she books an Irish cottage and vacation as takes off the next day. When she arrives, she realizes something is very off- she doesn’t recognize her life in Avalon. It appears she’s is in an alternate reality where she moved to Ireland with her bestfriend Aimee who, in this reality, is alive and a married mom of two. And is not speaking to Meg. Meg also discovers she has fumbled her relationship with what seems like the hottest, most patient guy in Avalon. He sounds TOO perfect and the author did the characters a disservice by making him so awesome and her a self-sabotaging, wish-washy drag. I liked the book overall, but this is the 2nd one I’ve read in a few months where a fickle woman lives in an alternate reality in which she is blowing up a perfectly good life with a hot, golden retriever energy dude to explore if she could’ve had it better. I wish there was more struggle or strife in the “happy timelines”.

3.5 rounded up. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. An enjoyable “sliding doors”-esque novel. I was surprised by how touching I found this story but I am still thinking about it and appreciated the ending

Even though Meg has found fame in the entertainment industry, there's part of her past that's always stayed with her. For her thirtieth birthday, she decides to take a trip to Ireland - a place she and her best friend were supposed to move after college. Upon arrival, she finds her friend is there - here's the thing, she's supposed to be dead. From there, the story is one of "what might have been" and also "what was" but also told through the lens of Meg knowing this is an alternate timeline, but everyone else doesn't. I really liked the way this book explored the topic of "What if?" in a unique way and how it used the past and the present to reveal what happened back then and also helped Meg figure out what she wanted now. It was an intriguing read and one I quite enjoyed. Thanks to NetGalley for the early look at this June 2025 release.

The Other Side of Now is the perfect uplit read for my adventurous spirit that also craves comfort. This book has it all - a found family (yes, please), hope, slow burn romance, and forgiveness. It's a little bit magical realism and a little bit alternate reality, and ALL a beautifully written story that captured my whole heart.

Perfect for fans of Sliding Doors, small Irish towns, and long term friendships, this story has a heavier plotline but is written with grace, hope, and tenderness. It made me reflect on how each decision I make could affect my life, and I enjoyed the journey alongside Meg to see this possibility in action. I found this story more unique than I was expecting, which made the plot a bit unpredictable for me in the very best way. Overall, this is a lesson about appreciating WHAT IS while still being able to quietly wonder WHAT IF.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this beautiful book prior to its publication in exchange for my honest review.

I was so appreciative to get a chance to have a look at this book. I know it takes so much time and endless effort to create another world for people to live in momentarily, so on a base level I applaud the author for creating a book with two realities within it. However, I did have a hard time getting into this book. I love magical realism and “time travel” novels, but I think this fell a little flat for me. The beginning of the book hooked me in, especially the carnival scene, but after that I didn’t gravitate towards the book and want to read it all the way through. A great concept but just didn’t really speak to me.

Sometimes I wish I had a best friend that would rip my heart to shreds like the characters in author Paige Harbison's work The Other Side of Now. But then again, reading it is safer. She threw in a little magical alternate universe antics to give us the perfect weekend read. Thoroughly enjoyed!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

I deeply enjoyed this novel, and I, generally, don't enjoy magical realism in books. Fans of Ashley Poston need to flock to this quirky, sliding doors story featuring successful television actress Lana Lord as she explores "what might have been" in an alternate timeline.

Lana's REAL name is Meg Bryan--hence the stage name. Meg has achieved success but is burnt out at the helm of her 30th birthday. She's forced to be eating disorder thin by her studio, she had a new nose but is constantly pressued to persue more "work", and it's evident that her PR boyfriend is making her feel ick.

She makes the rash decision--exiting to Scotland. She was accepted into acting school there, but deferred because her best friend was waitlisted. Her friend died that summer in a freak accident and her whole world pivoted. Upon arriving, it's as if her entire world has revolved around this town since that fateful summer. Her friend is alive! She has another best friend and she has an unbelievably hot guy. (It seems they are currently on a break--but who's counting?)

This gorgeous, hearfelt romance will be so loved. I enjoyed seeing Meg's growth and I think you will as well.

Thank you St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

I loved this right up until the ending. I'd still recommend it, and I will be watching for Harbison's next book.

*Thanks to Edelweiss, Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advance reader copy of The Other Side of Now by Paige Harbison.

Meg Bryan, known as Lana Lord in Hollywood, remembers days when her and her late friend Aimee made dreams of a future where they live abroad in Ireland. Meg decides to plan an impromptu trip to the place they’d always dreamed of and when she arrives, people already seem to know her. Meg learns that she is in an alternative timeline and has to put the pieces together of her other life. She discovers her friend Aimee is alive and with a family but that the two are no longer in contact with each other.

I really love time travel/alternative timeline elements in stories so when I received a copy of this book I was intrigued by the presence. I was immediately drawn in by Meg and Aimee's friendship. The Other Side of Now is a beautiful story about friendship and grief. The last third or so of this book is going to stick with me for a while.

Thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this title.

Meg is a tv actress that escapes LA and falls into another life in Ireland. One that she doesn't remember. One where she hasn't had that nose job or starved herself to meet the caloric requirements of a size 0. As Meg tries to make sense of her new surroundings, she realizes both worlds leave her feeling inadequate and restless. One life took her to the path of stardom, but stark loneliness. The other led her to being fulfilled emotionally but feeling like she was meant for more.

This book really explores the choices we make, the paths we take, and the moments that define our lives. The grass isn't always greener on the other side.

The pacing of this book was a bit slow as Meg tries to understand her alternate universe. I could have used more of her and Irish bartender, Cillian.
As is the case with all magical realism books, the best and worst parts of the story make little to no sense. It's best to just enjoy the ride and try not to understand the magic behind it all.

I loved this magical realism Sliding Doors-esque story about Meg, a Hollywood actress who goes on a trip to Ireland and wakes up to a different life—the life that could have been. This is a story of friendship, the choices we make and the things we take for granted, and how the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. I loved the small town Ireland setting and also loved how real all the characters felt. This was bittersweet and heartfelt—and that ending just gave me goosebumps!

4.5 stars. LA actress Meg impulsively leaves her life for a long-awaited vacation to Ireland. On arrival in the picturesque town of Avalon, everyone seems to know her and she realizes that she might be in a Sliding Doors multiverse situation, where she made a different choice as a teen and someone from her past is still alive.

I was expecting an emotional punch from this book, but wow, what a wallop. Harbison has created a vivid world of fully realized characters, and I’m genuinely sad not to see them anymore.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.