Loved. The characters are relatable and had me cracking up. There were also some heavy topics beautifully handled that I wasn’t expecting but loved

A really, really good book, but left me questioning so much. After visiting a Psychic with her best friend Aimee, Meg Bryan learns that she has two timelines. She brushes it off as nonsense, but is it? Years later, after a successful but soul sucking career in acting, Meg, now known as Lana Lord, decides she needs an escape. She heads to the town of Avalon...a town, she originally planned to visit to attend acting school. She never made it to acting school, but so many things about the town seem familiar and yet she's never been there, or has she? A lovely and reflective story about the life choices we make.

Wow! This book was amazing and I was so in love with this whole story and its characters ❤️ I’ve never read this author before but I will now be looking for their books in the future. An exceptional read!

This is a dual universe type book.We have our main girl Lana/Meg - Lana is a famous actress in Hollywood who has enough and she decides to spend a week after her 30th birthday. In Ireland she's always thought about wanting to go because she 4 went. I'm going to an acting college there. After graduating high school, so off she goes to get acquainted. Was Ireland and she ends up? In a world as Meg (her real name) who did go to Ireland right after high school to the acting college? And here we meet the people in her life, her best friends and her on and off again, love Cillian, in most of these tails, she finds out what could have been and would have been should have been and what she really wants and how she can get it and can she fix them? The wrongs they were made, leading to the decision not to go to Ireland it was a very good book, if you're into these alternate universe type books, definitely for you. But if you're new to them, this is a good one. Loved it

Thank you, net galley, for an arc in exchange for an honest review

Avery compelling story of when a What If becomes a reality for a tired of Hollywood actress. Meg is tired of the lifestyle and grueling days. She books a trip to Ireland a
where she was supposed to go for acting. An alternate reality becomes very real. The depth of the story is found in her failing to grieve her best friend’s death by creating a life as a star. She denies her friend’s very existence. Very moving story.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4.5 stars rounded up! I loved this book so much—I couldn't wait to see how it all ended, but at the same time, I just wanted to savor every page. THE OTHER SIDE OF NOW follows Meg Bryan (yep, that's her name), who's better known as the famous actress Lana Lord. As Lana, Meg has everything she could ever want, but she still feels like something isn't quite right. As a thirtieth-birthday present to herself, Meg books a spontaneous trip to Ireland; particularly, the charming little village where she and her childhood best friend Aimee dreamed of moving to attend acting school—a dream that was destroyed after a car accident took Aimee's life a decade ago. Only when Meg arrives, she looks exactly like her old self (before her Hollywood makeover, complete with cosmetic procedures, weight loss, and hair and makeup changes), everyone starts treating her like they already know her, from her bubbly best friend and her adorable dog to the cute bartender and...Aimee, who is alive and well, but wants nothing to do with Meg. Has Meg stepped into an alternate universe? Can she adjust to her brand-new life...and finally make things right?

THE OTHER SIDE OF NOW is a fabulous adult debut from Paige Harbison! I realized that I read her YA novels years ago (and really enjoyed them), so I was extra excited to read this one. The story is a perfect blend of fiction, magical realism, and romance, and I was hooked from start to finish, despite not usually being a huge magical realism fan. I loved the friendships, the love story, the dogs (of course!), the commentary on fame and celebrity culture, and, most of all, the bittersweet yet heartfelt exploration of the ups and downs of nostalgia, what it means to run away from your past, and how to know if you're on the "right" path in life. The story tackles some heavier themes, like coping with loss and healing from a painful past, but the tone is still lighthearted overall, and the characters add plenty of humor and fun to the seriousness of the narrative. I also enjoyed how vivid and well-developed the settings are, from Meg's Florida hometown to L.A. to Ireland. Even though this isn't strictly a romance, I would have loved to see a little more of the relationship between Meg and Cillian, but that's really the only "complaint" I can think of. Needless to say, I'd highly recommend this one, and I can't wait to see what Paige Harbison writes next! She's definitely an auto-read author for me now. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

4.5 ⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Paige Harbison for the opportunity to read this ARC!

In her adult debut, Paige Harbison writes The Other Side of Now from the POV of Meg, a TV actor that goes by the name “Lana Lord”. Meg needs a break from Hollywood life and ends up booking a trip to Ireland, a place she’s been wanting to go to for over a decade because of a dream she had to move there with her best friend Aimee, who tragically died in a car accident. When she arrives in Avalon and checks into her Airbnb, she ends up going to a pub where people are treating her as more than a stranger, like they know her. She figures out she is living in an alternate reality, one where she moved to Ireland for college and one where Aimee is still alive! She has a best friend, Kiera, and an (ex?) boyfriend, Cillian. As she works to wrap her head around this alternate reality, she finds out that Aimee and Meg are no longer best friends, and Aimee wants nothing to do with her.

This book focuses on mending relationships of all kinds, healing yourself, and how there may be more than one path in your life. Harbison takes you on a journey throughout this book as Meg navigates her alternate reality in Avalon. I wanted to rush so I could see how it ended, but I also wanted to take my time and savor it because I loved the story. This book was beautifully written, and I really enjoyed reading it!

The Other Side of Now will be released on June 3rd, and I highly recommend that you add it to your TBR list! ✨

Meg Bryan is a B-list soap star who is treading water to stay afloat in the cut-throat Hollywood lifestyle. She finds herself alone at her own birthday party, questioning everything about who she is and her life. She books a trip to Ireland and a cottage and decides to take off and escape her life. However, she escapes far more than she planned when she finds herself in an alternate reality. This reality forces her to confront the grief she has tried to run from her entire life.

This book was pure magic. If you loved the Seven Year Slip, this book will be right up your alley. The story deals with heavy themes surrounding guilt, grief, and how to manage the death of a friend and the death of your childhood. The writing style is lyrical and poetic without feeling too heady and out of touch. The plot is page-turning with twists and turns that I didn't expect. I absolutely devoured it and loved every moment of reading it!

I really enjoyed this story and the sliding door concept. The beginning started off really strong and then the middle felt a little repetitive just with the talk of guilt so much in regards to her friend. I absolutely adored the ending and it made me tear up. Beautiful story! Thank you so much!

The Other Side of Now by Paige Harbison was just amazingly written and put together! The story is about a woman named Meg Bryan aka stage name Lana Lord. Meg is a famous and basically looks like she has everything she could want on the outside but is actually insanely unhappy on the inside. So she books a flight to Ireland. The exact place that her and her best friend Aimee always dreamed of moving to. Paige actually somehow ends up in Ireland but in an alternative reality where she is young again and her best friend Aimee is still alive. This book caught my attention from the very beginning and never let go. I enjoy most books that include magical realism and/or self discovery. This book had it all! It actually reminded me a little of one of my favorite books from last year called "A Novel Love Story" by Ashley Posten. This book was about the impact on the choices that we make in life and how if we had the choice would we choose to live our lives differently. This book beautifully blends humor, romance and emotional discovery in a way that was just effortless. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and to Paige Harbison for allowing me to read this ARC for my honest review. Happy reading y'all!

Loved absolutely loved this book and I did not want it to end! I could picture each life so clearly and found myself rooting for Meg to stay in her Avalon life - how I wish it was real! I love magical realism so much and I hope Paige continues to write in this genre! Outstanding

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.

The Other Side of Now is a really great read! The concept of the story of "Am I living the right life for me, or should I be doing something else?" is something so universally relatable as I think everyone feels that way at least once in their lives.

It's set in the irish countryside, has a dog, found family vibes, and deep connections too. There's a lot packed into this book and I would highly recommend picking it up!

Thank you to the author and publisher for the advanced copy.

“The Other Side of Now” by Paige Harbison is a romantic magical fantasy that is heartwarming and heartbreaking all at the same time. The story opens with two teenage girls visiting a Palm reader at a small town summer carnival. One of the girls palms shows a dual lifeline that suggests living two lives while the other girls lifeline is so short the palm reader users them outside. Now as an adult and a famous TV soap opera star our heroine is turning 30. She is terribly unhappy with her life and she is still suffering the tragic loss of her best friend which she totally blames on herself. On a whim she books a ticket to Avalon Ireland, where she planned to attend an arts college along with her best friend which never came to fruition. Upon arriving in this very small town it seems everyone knows her, not the TV personality, but her true self!
In this sliding door novel her choice to live this second life forces her to see and deal with the past choices she made, the opportunities she has missed, and the possibilities that could have ensued if she had chosen a different path.

This book is a great reminder to appreciate all we have while we have it, the value of true friendship and family. This is an engaging story about healing and forgiveness and I highly recommend it.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Paige Harbison’s The Other Side of Now is a captivating blend of magical realism and self-discovery. The novel follows Meg Bryan, a successful actress with a seemingly perfect life—fame, fortune, and a romance with Hollywood’s latest heartthrob. But beneath the glamour, she is deeply unhappy. Following a breakdown at her 30th birthday party, Meg impulsively travels to Ireland, a place she and her late best friend, Aimee, once dreamed of moving to. Upon arrival, she finds herself in an alternate version of her life, one where she never became famous, her best friend is alive, but distant, and she has a completely different set of relationships, including a history with an attractive bartender. As she navigates this strange but familiar reality, Meg is forced to confront the consequences of her past choices and question which version of her life is truly the one she wants.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Harbison strikes the perfect balance of magical realism, using the alternate reality not just as a plot device, but as a way to explore the long-term impact of the choices we make. The story raises thought-provoking questions about success, happiness, and whether the grass is truly greener on the other side. The writing is engaging, and Meg’s journey is both heartfelt and fun to follow. The novel blends humor, romance, and emotional depth in a way that feels effortless, making it a highly enjoyable read. I would absolutely recommend it to anyone who enjoys character-driven stories with a touch of the extraordinary.

This book was freaking perfection!! I waited what felt like forEVERRRR for the ARC to come through (or was I just that impatient for the title? Ha!) and happy to report it was worth the wait. So many different angles to explore, and I am a huge sucker for the 'two different avenues' way of story-telling.

4.75/5.0

I sped through this one in a day. I couldn’t put it down! I truly loved this story and flew through it. Love the details of how it was told. Must read!

A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lana Lord aka Meg Bryan is a famous Hollywood actress with a hit show but she feels empty and unfulfilled inside. At her thirty birthday, she decides to book a trip down memory lane and head to Avalon, in Ireland where she and her best Aimee were to go to college before Aimee died. When Meg lands in Avalon, she realizes she is living the life she would have had she gone to college, is this the life she is supposed to be living? When she sees Aimee alive, she knows she is here for a reason, to make amends with Aimee sure, but maybe a whole lot more too!

First, let me say I couldn’t read this book fast enough, I wanted to absorb this book, find out what was happening with the characters. The author did a fabulous job of connecting the past and the present. There are tears and laughter, there is eye opening “holy crap” moments, and at the end I was reading with a goofy grin on my face. Delightful absolutely delightful, can’t wait until I can read another from Paige Haribson. Love, love, loved it!

This book was an ARC that I am very grateful to have received from NetGalley. I would rate it as a 4.75. Paige Harbison has 3 YA books under her belt, starting when she was 19. This was her first adult book, I was not familiar with the YA novels, and I couldn't put it down!

Meg aka Lana Lord is a well-known tv actress in Hollywood. She has not returned to Florida since the death of her best friend Aimee 10 years earlier. Now, the show that brought her fame is possibly facing cancelation, Meg is increasingly unhappy and feels like her boyfriend is cheating, and just needs a break so she leaves her 30th birthday party, books a flight and air bnb in Ireland then sneaks out of the house and is on her way. This is where a predictable rom-com trope morphs. When she arrives in the small Irish town where her dream college was located, everyone in town seems to know her, but she doesn't know them. Even Aimee is alive and well living in town with her husband and kids, although Aimee and Meg haven't spoken in several years. As Meg tried to figure out what was real and what was not after her past no longer came up on Google, although her show, other shows and her favorite music were still known by everyone around her. I was reminded of Brigadoon without the music or The Truman Show as she keeps mentioning. Every time I thought I had figured out which life was real and which was an alternate life, something would happen that would change my mind. I was glued to the book until the end. If you are looking for a fun read, I recommend The Other Side of Now.

This book is about choices you make and then add some déjà vu in. In this book, you will find the following:
Friendships, great loss/grief, new love, life-changing events, travel, knowing what you want in life, romance, and many more things.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Paige Harbison's team for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.