I was so excited about this book, and what I read was great. However, it’s hitting a little too close to some of the stuff going on in my life, so I had to “NRN” it (not right now)…. It’s lie DNF, but with the plan to come back later

“The truth is, we live.”
That line hit me straight in the heart. This book was unexpected in the best way. I picked it on a whim through NetGalley and ended up finishing it with tears in my eyes and a full heart.

It gave me The Midnight Library vibes with that Rebecca Serle x Taylor Jenkins Reid emotional punch. But it still felt unique, grounded, and quietly powerful.

🎧 The audiobook? Chef’s kiss. 💋 The narration made Meg feel like a close friend telling me her most vulnerable story. I LOVED IT 🙌

⸻

💭 This book reminded me of life’s messy, magical little moments — and how we don’t always realize we’re living the “good stuff” until it’s gone. It rearranged something in me.

I’ll be thinking about this one for a long time.

I have never really liked a time travel/magical realism/ sliding doors type book, but this book had me swooning. What a great surprise to connect with this story on so many levels. I loved the characters. Meg, her best friend Aimee, her love interest, Cillian and her Irish friend, Kiera all made this story real and poignant. This book was so original and funny but pulled at my heart strings at the same time. This was a five star read for me and I am so glad I gave it a chance!
Thank you to the author, the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review!

What I enjoyed:
Good narrator - great Irish accent
Funny
Theme of friendship

This book was just ok for me. Magical realism/time travel stories are hit or miss for me. I did enjoy the character development and their journey to learn important life lessons!

I am usually not super big on magical realism but after hearing raves about this, I decided to give it a go. So glad I did! It was very sweet and heartfelt.

This book has landed on my favorites of the year list. It has 2 of my favorites themes in books fictional celeb and time travel/in a different life type thing. I went back and forth with the ebook and audio. And I really preferred the audio and the narrators /authors voice. It made me feel like I was in the story. I felt the small-town feels I would definitely read from this author again

This is Paige Harbison’s debut adult novel, following her previous work in young adult fiction—and what a debut it is. The Other Side of Now is a moving story about a young woman rediscovering herself, reclaiming joy, and learning to forgive herself for the tragic loss of her best friend twelve years earlier.

Without giving too much away, this novel definitely gives Sliding Doors vibes. It’s Meg’s 30th birthday, and after an emotional breakdown at her party, she decides to escape the chaos of her celebrity life. She heads to Avalon, a small town in Ireland where she and her best friend Aimee once dreamed of attending art school together.

But when Meg arrives, things get strange—everyone in town seems to know her, even though she’s never met them before. And when she discovers that Aimee is not only alive, but living in Avalon with a complicated shared history between them, Meg begins to realize she may have stepped into the life she would have had if Aimee had lived.

I absolutely loved this novel and can’t wait to read more of Harbison’s adult fiction. She’s well on her way to becoming one of my favorite authors.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and SMP for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. The Other Side of Now by Paige Harbison is a playful romp through the lush Irish countryside, full of wit, charm, and local color. The characters are loveable and the romance heartwarming. However, a few pacing issues slow the momentum mid-story. Despite those lulls, the warm humor and vivid setting make this a fun and engaging read. For me it was a 4/5.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I normally do not like time travel books, but this one was so well written that I did enjoy it. I loved the storyline and thought the characters had great growth. This is the first book I have read by this author and it will not be the last. I would definitely recommend this book.

The Other Side of Now explores what could be happening in our alternate life. Meg (aka Lana Lord) suddenly finds herself in the town she meant to go to college in at 18. She still remembers her life in LA as a famous actress but the people in Ireland swear she has been there living a totally different life. Even her Facebook memories are different. Honestly I loved her alternate life and really hoped she would stay there. But Harbison wraps it all up in a different but beautiful way. A very unique story that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Meg Bryan, a TV star hiding behind the glamorous persona of Lana Lord, escapes to a small Irish village after a breakdown—only to find herself in an alternate version of her life. In this reality, she’s a local with a simpler life, her best friend Aimee is alive but distant, and she may have a second chance to fix what went wrong. As she joins a play Aimee is directing, Meg begins to question her memories and faces a life-altering choice between two very different paths.

I absolutely adored this book. From the very beginning I was hooked and I couldn't put it down. I was not prepared for the way this book made me feel all the things, but I finished it and immediately wanted to reread it. This was such a magical read for me. I loved the way Meg evolved throughout the book. I didn't like Hollywood Meg in the beginning, but as the book progressed it made sense why that version of Meg (or Lana) was the way that she was. Grief is real and hard, but can also be so beautiful when given the chance to heal from it, and Paige Harbison captured that beautifully.

The plot of this book fit so well with all of the emotions happening, and the pacing was good throughout. I loved the side characters- especially Kierra and Cillian. I was so scared to finish the book because I really didn't want Meg to go back to her "real life", but the ending was perfect. I cannot wait to read more books from Paige, as this one is likely to become one of my all time favorite reads. Highly, highly recommend.

Rating: 5/5
Spice: 1/5

Tropes:
Second Chances
Slow burn
Friendship
Found family
Small Irish Town
Forgiveness & Grief

Thank you so much Paige Harbison, NetGalley, and St. Martin's Press for this eARC. All thoughts are my own.

The Other Side of Now totally pulled me in. It’s got this emotional sliding-doors twist where Meg wakes up in a version of her life where her best friend is still alive—and wants nothing to do with her. The friendship storyline hit me hard, and the mix of second chances, grief, and growth was done so well. I loved Meg, adored Cillian, and was fully invested the whole way through. The small-town setting, the emotional unraveling, the second shot at healing—it all worked. It’s funny, heartfelt, and meaningful in all the right ways. I highly recommend this one.

Thank you @stmartinspress and @pharbeauxfor the #gifted ebook arcs. All opinions expressed are my own.

Meg takes a break from Hollywood to visit a quaint village in Ireland. She doesn't know what happened, but she has a very hot on-again, off-again boyfriend, a dog they share, a best friend and a job in a shop with her, and her best friend from childhood is alive and well there with her own family. Meg spends the time adjusting to her "alternate" life and finding she really enjoys this version of herself, without having an assistant and the people she works for tell her what to do/eat/wear/etc. She's able to reflect on her Hollywood life and recognize that much of it is wrong. As she spends time with Aimee, she realizes she stopped caring about things after Aimee died, and the time in Ireland helps her start healing.
I really enjoyed this book, watching Meg rediscover herself, and the ending was positive.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Released June 3rd, already out now!

What if Sliding Doors was written by a woman with a trauma therapist, a deep desire to escape Instagram, and a very complicated ex-best friend? This book is Fleabag Season 2 energy meets the early 2010s Tumblr dream of moving to a small European town to “find yourself,” except it’s actually about grief, regret, and how the stories we tell ourselves can quietly ruin our lives.

Meg Bryan, stage name Lana Lord, America’s hottest emotional disaster is spiraling. Thirty, flammable, and famous in the way that makes you Google “how do I cry less,” she’s got a hit show, a glittering PR relationship, and absolutely no idea who she is. So she does what any of us would do with a platinum Visa and a dissociative episode: books a flight to Ireland.

Except she doesn’t just go to Ireland. She quantum-leaps into another version of her life—one where she never became famous, never lost Aimee, and (terrifyingly) maybe never self-destructed. Her nose is un-snapped. Her highlights are gone. She owns cardigans. She has a dog. And most haunting of all? Aimee is alive… and wants nothing to do with her.

This is an existential audit disguised as commercial fiction. It’s about the permanence of shame, the myth of reinvention, and what it really means to say “I’m sorry” when the person you’re apologizing to has absolutely no obligation to let you try again.

I loved it.

TLDR:
If you’ve ever rehearsed an apology you’ll never get to give, if you’ve ever been haunted by the life you almost lived, if you’ve ever looked in the mirror and thought, “God, I miss who I was before I started performing myself,”, this one’s for you.

Big thanks to St. Martin’s Press for the ARC. Still emotionally hungover.

I great beach read and tale of “what if”. It grabbed my attention from the very beginning. Would recommend it.

✨ Imagine waking up in a cozy Irish village with your OG nose, a mysterious new boyfriend, and a second chance with the best friend you lost ten years ago…
💫 Reasons to Read
Alternate Timeline
Meg wakes up in a parallel version of her life where she’s not famous—but her best friend Aimee is still alive, and nothing is quite what she remembers.


Past vs. Present
The contrast between Meg’s glamorous Hollywood persona and her simpler Irish village life forces her to confront who she’s really been all along.


Emotional Healing
Through theatre, memory, and reconnection, Meg starts to unearth truths about her grief, her identity, and what she’s willing to sacrifice for love and friendship.
If you think this book sounds a lot like the movie Sliding Doors, then you are right. In fact they make mention of this in the book itself. While my reasons make it sound like it’s really heavy, it’s not - for most of it. I love the characters in the irish village of Avalon, so much so that when we are in the part of the story that does not include them, I am a little devastated. Without giving away the ending, let’s just say it hit me very solidly, but satisfying.

I absolutely loved this book. Time travel stories are always a favorite for me, and this one pulled me in right away. What starts as a vacation to Ireland quickly turns into something so much more, as Meg finds herself dropped into an alternate version of her own life.

As she begins to live out the path she almost took years ago, Meg is faced with everything that could have been—the love, the loss, and the quiet moments of joy she didn’t know she was missing. I loved the way this story explored the idea of second chances and what it really means to feel content in your life.

The characters were easy to root for, the message really landed for me, and the Irish setting made it even more immersive. also alternatedI listening to the audio version and the accents added such a great layer to the story.

This book had me from start to finish. I’ll definitely be recommending it to anyone looking for a thoughtful, heartfelt, and slightly magical read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my review copy.

The Other Side is a heartwarming story about love, friendship, loss, and second chances. I loved the nostalgic feel and all the fun pop culture references. The different settings — LA, Ireland, Florida, and London — added so much charm and depth.

It beautifully explores the idea of how one choice can change everything and how it’s never too late to be happy. The story is touching, thought-provoking, and full of quiet magic. The ending gave me goosebumps — a perfect finish to an unforgettable journey.

3.5 stars
Thanks to Net Galley and St Martin's Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book dragged a little bit in some places but overall this was a very enjoyable and emotional read. The story focuses on Meg who in a moment of realizing she is very unhappy decides to take a trip to Ireland and winds up in an alternate reality where she is living through the road not taken. The book has a bit of everything, it's both emotional and humorous, and while dealing with some heavier subjects, the story kept building with an interesting pay off at the end. Looking forward to other books from this author.

"Do you ever get dejà vu?" What would your life be like if you'd taken a different path? That is the premise of this creative and surprisingly enjoyable read. The main character, a famous actress, takes a trip to Ireland, where she had planned to attend college years ago. That plan never came to fruition after the death of her best friend. When she wakes up and looks in the mirror, all the 'improvements' she had made to herself were gone. Even more odd, as she explores the town, everyone greets her by name. She soon learns that her best friend is alive and living in the town. I would have liked a little editing in the middle of the story--it got a little slow--but otherwise this was such an entertaining read!