If you don’t cry at least twice while reading The Other Side of Now, then you have no soul and should probably get that checked out.

This book is a masterclass in emotional whiplash. One minute, you’re snort-laughing because our main character, Meg Bryan—sorry, Lana Lord (yes, really)—is spiraling at her own Hollywood birthday party like a champagne-soaked tornado. And the next minute? BAM—she’s in Ireland, casually quantum-leaping into a softer, sadder, realer version of her life where her skin isn’t airbrushed, her nose is original, and oh yeah—her dead best friend is alive but not speaking to her. Because trauma, baby!

Seriously, the emotional range of this book is bananas. One chapter you’re side-eyeing hot, grumpy bartender with a brooding past (standard literary requirement), and the next you’re clutching your chest, whispering, “I didn’t sign up for this level of FEELINGS.” The alternate reality angle is done so well you start questioning your own life choices. Should I have moved to a tiny Irish village? Should I have a dog I don’t recognize? Have I been emotionally neglecting my dead/not-dead best friend?? These are the questions this book makes you ask, all while somehow making you laugh through the heartbreak.

Meg is a mess—but in the best, most cathartic way. Watching her unravel the mystery of this alternate life is like peeling back the layers of an onion that’s been dipped in glitter and shame. She’s selfish, she’s flawed, she makes questionable choices with men and hairstyles—but she tries. And that’s what gets you. That, and Aimee. Oh Aimee. If you don’t cry at that scene—you’ll know the one—you might actually owe the universe a refund for your soul.

The writing is heartfelt without being sappy, funny without being forced, and just grounded enough that the quantum-leap premise doesn’t feel like a fever dream. It’s like Rebecca Serle, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and the ghost of your unresolved emotional baggage wrote a book together in an Irish pub.

By the time you reach the ending—an absolutely gut-punching, warm hug of a finale—you’ll be emotionally wrecked in the best way possible and ready to spiral into your own alternate timeline fantasy. Preferably one with a dog, a second chance, and slightly better life choices.

Five stars. Two emotional breakdowns. One magical trip to Ireland that’ll make you believe in friendship, forgiveness, and the power of a good pub.

I am in a real whimsical reading stage right now, and I do not hate it. And whew did this one get me in my feels... in all of the good ways.

Meg Brady, known to the world as Lana Lord, appears to have it all - she's the lead on a cult tv show. She's dating heartthrob and soon-to-be Marvel superstar Grayson. And yet on her 30th birthday she spirals and books an impromptu trip to the tiny Irish town, Avalon. Meg sees this as looking at the road not taken - studying theatre in Avalon ad been her teenage dream that she shared with her best friend, Aimee.

But once she arrives, it seems like everyone knows Meg. She can't wrap her head around it, and yet everything seems a bit better here.

Y'all know I keep these spoiler free so I won't share more - but I really enjoyed this one. Premises. like these often fall flat for me, but it worked so well here with author Paige Harbison's writing and character development. I truly wasn't sure how it was going to end, and I found myself both sniffling and smiling as I finished Meg's story. A lovely story of friendship, grief, growth and finding yourself.

Happy Pub Day, Paige Harbison!! And thanks to St Martins Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

Meg Bryan, hollywoods latest heartthrob, seems to have it all. But after a breakdown at her 30th birthday party, Meg books a ticket to Ireland, where her and her best friend Aimee had always dreamt of going. Through a cosmic twist, Meg has the opportunity to reconnect with her best friend and truly assess her life.

This is an alternate universe, magical realism book of friendship and second chances. Offering a heart felt look at what could have been, I loved that the deeper themes were wrapped in some humor and lighthearted moments. I enjoyed all the characters who were well developed and came across on the page as truly enjoying and caring about each other. I did this as an audio book and loved the narrator and the Irish and American accepts. Overall a great way to spend a long drive this weekend.

4.5/5

What a delightful read. I loved Meg's character and her time in in small village of Ireland was my favorite part of the book. The cast of characters were just lovely. But was her time in Ireland real? Was it a dream? Or was her life back in Los Angeles as a famous actress her real life or was that all a dream? This had all my emotions going at times and I was really rooting for Meg to find peace and happiness. This was a story about friendship, forgiveness, love, and just doing what is best for oneself no matter what others may say is best. The ending had all the feels for me. I really enjoyed this book.

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

The Other Side of Now follows Meg "Meggie" Bryan, a successful soap opera actress living in LA, who seemingly has it all: money, fame, an actor boyfriend, and her beloved dog. However, beneath the glamorous surface, her career is uncertain, her relationship rocky, and the pressures of Hollywood are suffocating. On a whim, she flies to Avalon, Ireland, the place she once planned to attend college but never did. When she wakes up after a nap, she finds herself in an alternate timeline where she has lived in Avalon for years, complete with friends, an on-again, off-again boyfriend, and the unexpected twist of her former best friend Aimee is there too, but despises her.

This novel is an emotional and reflective read, covering themes like grief and self-discovery without becoming overly heavy. The idyllic countryside setting enhances the story, making Avalon feel like a paradise. Fitting, given its legendary roots in Arthurian lore. As Meg navigates her new life, she learns to slow down, embrace the present, and redefine what happiness means beyond the fast-paced world of LA.

While marketed as romance, the book leans more toward contemporary fiction, focusing on Meg’s personal journey rather than romantic relationships. Some elements, like her dynamic with Cillian, felt chaotic rather than heartfelt, and a particular scene involving Aimee’s husband adds a layer of discomfort. The ending, while effective, transitions abruptly, leaving some readers wishing for a smoother conclusion.

Overall, The Other Side of Now is a compelling and heartfelt read, offering a refreshing take on self-discovery and second chances. If you’re looking for an engaging summer novel, this one is worth picking up!

I love the uniqueness of a good time travel book now and then. How you have to suspend belief to be fully entertained, almost like a fairytale. But this book is not about time travel forwards or backwards as much as it is parallel lives or alternative realities. It is a creatively structured story about friendship, loss, grief, love, forgiveness, and acceptance. The characters are all likeable, the dogs are lovable, and I needed a tissue or two to get me through several scenes. This recipe definitely worked for me.

I was baffled by how this was going to turn out but pleased with the ending. This story reminds us that life is not always one job, one house, one group of friends, or one love. Things change. Sometimes we can control that and sometimes we can't. There are infinite possibilities.

The author, Paige Harbison, has written three YA novels from 2011-2014. This is her first foray into adult fiction, and I think that she has hit a home run. I look forward to what she writes next.

My sincere thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a digital ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

A captivating blend of contemporary romance and alternate reality, Paige Harbison's "The Other Side of Now" follows Meg Bryan, a successful actress grappling with inner turmoil. A nervous breakdown leads her on an impulsive trip to Ireland, a place holding significant sentimental value. There, she unexpectedly finds herself in a parallel universe where her life took a drastically different path, one devoid of fame but potentially richer in genuine connection. The novel explores themes of self-discovery, friendship, and the choices that shape our lives. Harbison masterfully weaves a compelling narrative, leaving the reader questioning the nature of reality and the importance of second chances. While the alternate reality concept is intriguing, the emotional core of the story lies in Meg's journey of reconciliation with her estranged best friend, Aimee. The book offers a thoughtful exploration of regret and the possibility of redemption.

The Other Side of Now was my first book by Paige Harbison and it is easily one of my favorites for 2025! I was immediately drawn to the characters and felt connected to everything Meg (aka Lana Lord) was experiencing. When the paths of LA and Ireland cross, Meg is torn between the life she knew and the life she is living. Aimee and Meg have a friendship that is connected by grief and loss. One that goes deeper than Meg realizes. One that will make her look deep inside herself and question what fate has chosen for her.

I enjoyed the characters of Killian and Kira and how they intertwine with Meg's life in Ireland. Two lives, two paths, and a fate that I didn't see coming.

Time travel and fantasy are not my normal genre, but The Other Side of Now is a must read!
I look forward to seeing what Paige Harbison writes next!

I listened to the audiobook in conjunction with reading the book. Paige did an amazing job narrating! Her pace and fluctuations were wonderful and made listening so easy.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an ARC of this book and audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

The Other Side of Now by Paige Harbison is a story of how love and lives are never truly lost. Meg Bryan, as Lana Lord, has the leading role on a hit TV show and is living the life of a Hollywood star and appears to have all she ever wanted. However, underneath the layers of her onscreen persona, she feels empty. After a meltdown at her thirtieth birthday party, she takes a trip to Ireland, a place she and her best friend, Aimee, dreamed of going until a tragic accident claimed Aimee’s life. When Meg arrives, the townspeople are so nice and treat her as a friend. Confused and blaming jetlag, she looks into the mirror and sees her old face and on her phone, there are pictures depicting a life completely opposite of the one she has been living. Not sure how or why it has happened, Meg recognizes her chance to reconnect and repair what she broke.
This story is the first book by Paige Harbison that I’ve read. Tagged as a “hilarious and heartfelt novel,” I was looking forward to a second chance story to lead a different life. The prologue was great and set the scene of Meg and her friendship with Aimee and adds a sense of mystery as it ends. Unfortunately, the story fell flat and I was bored and confused. I didn’t care for Meg. The constant name dropping as if Meg needs to remind us that she’s famous was annoying. I liked how grief was discussed and weaved throughout the story. However, the story is way too long and just bogged down. Overall, I didn’t like this story and I felt it wasn’t as hilarious and heartfelt as I expected. However, if you are a fan of the film Sliding Doors (1998) or stories with magical realism and a what if aspect, you may enjoy The Other Side of Now.

The Other Side of Now is available in hardcover, eBook and audiobook

There’s something so special to me about parallel universe plots and diving into the intricacies of “what ifs”… although not in the same capacity as this story, I completely understood the grief of losing such a close relationship with your best friend. This was a story not as much about romantic love, but platonic and self love. Meg had to dig deep to learn who she really was and wanted to be as well as the relationships she wanted to invest in. The only minor issue I had with this is how long it was; but the writing was so well done and the characters were very strongly developed. I would definitely read another book by this author in the future! Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for this ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley, Paige Harbison, and St. Martin's Press for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Meg "Meggie" Bryan, popular soap opera actress under the stage name of Lana Lord, has it all. She lives in LA, has enough money in her bank account, has an actor boyfriend, and her dog, Dido. However, not everything is as perfect as it seems on the surface. Her show might get canceled, she has her suspicions of her boyfriend cheating on her, people are telling her to get more work done on her body, and frankly, she needs a vacation. On the night of her thirtieth birthday, she decides to take a flight to Avalon, Ireland. It was the place she was supposed to go to for college, but didn't because of her best friend Aimee not getting into the same college as her back in high school. When she falls asleep in the Uber on the way to her Airbnb, she wakes up only to realize that she's woken up in an alternate reality timeline where she's lived in Avalon for years, complete with an on-and-off boyfriend, Cillian, close friends, and the plot twist? Aimee lives in Avalon too...but she hates her.

This was such a heartfelt read. Some heavier topics get covered in here, like grief, but it's not done in a way that overwhelms you and makes it a super heavy read. I loved seeing Meg try to adjust to her new life in this alternate timeline and how she starts to live life in the slow lane. I loved the small town and countryside vibes Avalon gave me; the setting and the way Paige Harbison set everything up just reinforced why I would love to travel to Ireland one day if I ever get the chance.

I really liked the idea of the "alternate" life aspect of the story. I think it's always interesting to see what life would be like for someone on the other side in an alternate universe, and I think Meg took a lot away from that in the story. She learned to enjoy life, appreciate the people she had in her life, and figured out what she truly wanted from her life away from her Lana Lord persona and her life in LA. She slowed down, took a deep breath, and learned to live in the moment, and I think that's such a wonderful message to have in this day and age where our society is all about hustle culture and moving up in your career.

Something interesting to note: while drafting my review, I was curious and looked up Avalon, Ireland, to see if it was an actual city there. While it's NOT an actual city that exists, I did find it VERY interesting that Avalon is known to be a mystical island in Arthurian legend, and it's known to be a sort of paradise and utopia. I found it quite interesting that Paige Harbison chose that name for the setting of the story because Meg slowly grows to love Avalon, which is the magical place of where her alternate timeline takes place, and the life she's created for herself there. Even if she doesn't fully remember everything that's happened to her leading up to the parallel lives switch, she learned to give into the circumstances and live her life there. Soon enough, she comes to love her life and it becomes her utopia in a sense, and while I have no idea if this was intentional by Paige Harbison or not, I thought it was a subtle, nice touch to the story.

I think the book being tagged as "romance" on Goodreads is doing it a disservice, because if you're going into this expecting romance to be the main portion of the plot, you'll be severely disappointed. Personally speaking, I think this is a really good contemporary fiction book! I think this is a trend I've been seeing overall in the romance genre lately, where contemporary fiction books that don't have romance at the forefront of the plot are primarily being marketed as romance, perhaps to appeal to a larger audience. I don't think it's the author's fault, but I did want to make this point known to other readers so they don't walk into this with the wrong first impression. I didn't really feel the chemistry between Meg and Cillian, and while we do get backstories on their relationship through Meg's friend, Kiera, in the story, I feel like their on-and-off relationship was too chaotic for me to believe they liked each other. It was like seeing "Hot and Cold" by Katy Perry personified in a fictional relationship in a book.

Additionally, there was a scene that went down in the book that genuinely gave me the ick. It involves Meg and Aimee's boyfriend-turned husband, Theo, and while I don't want to go into the details (because spoilers), I can see why Meg has so much hatred for him. Aimee's on something else if she knew what went down and she still wanted to marry him.

Last, but not least, I felt that the ending was somewhat abrupt. I can see how and why it ended the way it did; I believe this is one of the very few alternate timeline/time jump stories that I've read where everything has a solid beginning and ending, but given the events leading up to the ending, it was kind of a sudden switch from one scene to the other.

Overall, for Paige Harbison's adult debut, I think she did a stunning job! I can't wait to see what she has in store next. If you're looking for a heartfelt summer read to read this year, I highly recommend you pick up The Other Side of Now.

so i was sadly not able to finish and review this book by pub date but i have seen nothing but glowing reviews and would love to potentially get to it in the future!!

Meg is a successful actress with fame, money, and a celebrity boyfriend, but her life feels so empty that she runs out on her own thirtieth birthday party - and winds up in a different version of her own life. In this new reality, she lives in Ireland and she's not famous or wealthy - but the central trauma of her adolescence, her best friend's death, has been undone. As Meg explores her other life, finding friendship and meaning in a life nothing like the one she's worked so hard for, she learns difficult truths about her past, her real aspirations, and the power of finding her own path.

<i>The Other Side of Now</i> is absolutely spellbinding, combining engaging writing, a cozy setting, and a quietly suspenseful plot. The magical setup and bittersweet life lessons is perfect for [author:Rebecca Serle|3192845] readers; the LA-to-Ireland swap will appeal to repeat viewers of The Holiday.

Meg Bryan has achieved her TV star dreams and is even living with her PR arranged boyfriend (the hottest star going). On the night of her birthday party, she realizes that her life is just an illusion of happiness. She decides to get away from it all and visit the town where she had desperately wanted to go to college.

Upon her arrival in the small Irish village, she quickly realizes that something is up. Everyone knows her, and her best friend who died in college, is suddenly alive and well. She has arrived in an alternate life where she chose to go there to college instead of staying home.

What a great premise! This book lived up to what was promised. Meg is truly searching for what she wants out of life and she takes advantage of the opportunity to learn from what she experiences. The characters are great in this story and it really makes you want to book a flight to a small Irish village.

This would be a great pool read that will even make you think, maybe a good pick for your summer book club. It will make you raise some questions about the choices you made!

Happy Pub Day to this PHENOMINAL read!

This will DEFINITELY be one of my favorites of the year!

I loved the premise, the characters, how it ended, just ALL OF IT! I really will miss Meg, Kiera, Cillian, and Maureen so very much.

I was also very pleasantly surprised by @pharbeaux's narration! She really, really brings the story to life and does accents very, very well!

I really don’t want to give much away with this one but…if you are a fan of magical realism and stories with love, loss, and healing as its cornerstones, read this one!

5 stars

This was a sweet magical realism story! Meg (whose stage name is Lana) goes to Ireland on a whim, unhappy with her LA actress life, where she is met with her alternate reality; a reality in which her best friend is alive, and other magic awaits.

Meg was an FMC to root for and Cillian, Kiera, and Aimee made the book that much better. I was engaged throughout the book and loved the author’s writing. I felt satisfied with the ending as well.

The heaviness of loss, strife, and difficult growth was offset by humor, hopefulness, and heartfelt moments. It was the perfect balance of light and dark, rendering the book sweet and endearing while also providing a good message.

Also: dogs are the absolute best, and I’m so glad their unconditional love was intertwined in this book 🐶🐾

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I needed a book that would keep my attention during a hectic time and The Other Side of Now did that. I flew through the beginning where I was immediately pulled into the story. Then the middle slowed down a little for me, but then picked up toward the end.
I thought Harbison's writing was well done. She set up the sliding door premise well, especially the arrival to Ireland. I liked how the characters were fleshed out. However, I thought the descriptions of Lana's life in LA were trying too hard, and I needed to google all the brands and places that were written in every other sentence. And I loved the ending!
I think this is a great summer read that will catch your attention at the beach or poolside. Many thanks to #StMartinsPress for providing me with an early copy in exchange for my honest review.

THE OTHER SIDE OF NOW left me incapable of writing a simple review. So here are some thought fragments popping into my head:

➛A favorite of the year
➛Deep, heartfelt, poignant, emotional
➛BUT also funny and joyful
➛Beautifully written and perfectly executed

Have you ever wondered what life would be like if you’d made one choice over another? Taken a different path at one of life’s crossroads? Said yes to something scary? This story takes this premise and runs with it in an unforgettable, relatable, totally believable way.

I listened to the audiobook, which is narrated by the author. Honestly, that made me hesitate. It’s rare for an author to narrate their own novel, and even rarer when they do it well. No worries here. Paige Harbison absolutely nails the performance. Seriously, how does one person have so much talent? I highly recommend the audio experience.

*Thanks to Macmillan Audio (#MacAudio2025) for the free audiobook download and St. Martin's Press for the free eARC!*

The Other Side of Now is a beautifully written, emotionally resonant novel that explores love, loss, and the power of second chances. Paige Harbison crafts a compelling narrative with authentic characters and heartfelt moments that linger long after the final page. It's a moving, hopeful story that reminds us it's never too late to start again.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this digital e-arc.*

Meg Bryan/Lana Lord is unsatisfied with her life. As Hollywood star Lana Lord she’s missing a real personal connection and her long ago best friend. As Meg Bryan she needs a big life and is unhappy with the everyday mundane. This sliding doors story is completely satisfying, Lana waking up to a different life and realizing the pros and cons of what she’s been missing. It’s a good romance but also very much about friendship and human connection. Does she get to choose or what will fate decide? Totally recommend. Thank you Netgalley and St Martins Press