Ugh I loved the audio I love the storyline I loved the characters. I think this is the first book that made me emotional this year!!! I love magical realism and this has such good deep messages. Really good 😭

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I didn’t know what to expect when I picked this book, but I loved it. It’s the story of childhood best friends, Meg and Amy, who as teens visit a Palm reader at a fair and Meg’s reading is that her life will split into two and Amy’s reading foretells a young death. Neither of them think much of it.

Fast foreword to Meg’s 30th birthday, in which she is a famous Hollywood actress living a life devoid of anything real and never dealing with the death of Amy. On a whim, she books a week long vacation to Avalon in Ireland, the place that she and Amy had dreamed of going to together. When she arrives, everyone knows her and she discovers that another self has taken the path here with Amy and she has a chance to rediscover herself before the it all ends.

With a story with hints of The Holiday, Sliding Doors, and Alice in Wonderland, and Cinderella, it’s a great one full of laughs, romance, tears, and thinking about the what ifs regarding the choices we have made.

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Thank you to Paige Harbison, NetGalley, MacMillan Audio, St. Martin's Press and Goodreads for both gifting me the audio book as well as the physical book from a Goodreads giveaway! I was lucky enough to be able to read and listen to this book, and both were great experiences.

Initially, I wasn't going to request this book, as magical realism and alternate reality tropes are not usually for me. There are a few rare exceptions and this just happens to be one of them!

In LA reality, Meg appears to be living the life as Lana Lord. In Ireland reality, she is the girl she used to be, back before her best friend was in a fatal accident. And the best part about Ireland reality is that Aimee is alive and well!

This book beautifully depicts heartbreak and hope. It draws on your heartstrings and sucks you into Meg's world and all the emotions she is holding. It is very much a story of friendship and growth with a touch of romance for good measure.

A bit of a heavier read, you will still want to check it out!

What a great story of multiple lifelines! It reminds us that it is never too late to consider your life's path.

I...don't really know how to give this book/audiobook the feedback it deserves. I'm afraid I won't do it justice, but I'll try.

I'll start with the narration...I began reading the arc on my kindle, but when I noticed it was also an audiobook, a format I've been preferring lately, I requested it. Once approved I plowed through it. Paige Harbison's narration was flawless. FLAWLESS. Hilarious, heartbreaking, and utterly unapologetic, Paige knew what she was doing when she wanted to narrate her own book. Her perfect Irish accent impersonation was spot on. And to have to master it for more than one character seems unfathomable. But she pulls it off wonderfully.

The most shocking thing about this book is that I didn't see it coming. I saw it on NetGalley, read the synposis, thought it sounded fun and requested it. Little did I know the book, the story, the characters, and the EPILOGUE would become my entire personality. This book is a sneaky bit of mastery! It is filled with friendships you wish you had, romance that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up (beautifully written), and perfectly placed humor. I cackled, cried, and gasped my way through this book.

I cannot stop recommending this book to anyone who will listen, and I will FOREVER recommend the audiobook.

Fantastic job, Paige! I look forward to all of your other books!

The Other Side of Now follows Meg Bryan, an actress on a hit TV show, with a megastar boyfriend. She appears to have it all. But underneath the glitz and glamour, she is deeply unhappy. After an epiphany at her thirtieth birthday, she impulsively travels to Ireland—specifically the village where she and her deceased best friend Aimee always dreamed of living. Upon arrival, Meg discovers she's somehow quantum slid into an alternate version of her life where she works retail, has a different appearance, and most shockingly, Aimee is alive but wants nothing to do with her. Determined to repair their friendship, Meg gets involved in a play Aimee is directing, leading to revelations about the past and an impossible choice about her future.

Time travel romances don't usually appeal to me, but the strength of the narration of this novel made the reading experience enjoyable for me. The author was able to emote effectively for each different character, and her Irish accent was quite good (though her English accent could be improved). I hope Paige Harbison narrates more audiobooks.

The book itself was charming and well-plotted. The specificity of the references was what I appreciated most—frank mentions of plastic surgery procedures and precise L.A. spots that contributed to a strong sense of place. I also appreciated that the protagonist in both timelines had real bite to her and faced relatable struggles with having to prioritize career over relationships, or vice versa. The complex nature of female friendships was also convincingly shown.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for a digital audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to @macmillan.audio and @netgalley for a copy of this ALC.

3.75 out of 5 stars

I did enjoy this sliding doors story. I think the romance is secondary to this story. The main story is our MC Meg, learning to move forward after tragedy and learning to love (and find) herself after changing who she is for so long. I wasn't the biggest fan of Meg in the beginning but she did grow on me. I really enjoyed Cillian and his character. He seemed to truly care for Meg.

I thought the author did a great job narrating the story.

🔮For my friends who love “Sliding Doors” stories with heart and humor.

THE OTHER SIDE OF NOW by Paige Harbison (Narrated by the author)

🎧 Thanks, @stmartinspress, for the e-book review copy via #NetGalley and @Macmillan.audio, for the audiobook review copy. #macaudio2025 (Available 3 Jun 25) 10 Hours, 22 Minutes

Meg, a famous actress with a more famous boyfriend and a fabulous (if food-limited) life in Hollywood, books an impromptu vacation to the Irish town where she planned to go to college for theater. To her surprise, everyone there knows her by her real name (and real nose), including a hilarious coworker friend, a handsome pub owner…oh, and her childhood bestie who died when they were both 19 years old.

If you’re okay with magical realism, this was an immersive, fun, funny, yet thought-provoking read featuring one of the best explanations/executions of an alternate reality plot I’ve seen. I didn’t know how it would end, but I was invested in Meg’s emotional journey and the resolution of her story. (Have no worry about the ending. The author stuck the landing.)

As added catnip, her friend Kiera is hilarious (with a spectacular Irish accent in the audiobook) and is one of my catnip character types, a #3SBFF: Strong-willed, Supportive, and Smart-Mouthed (I was going to just say smart, but realized I need her to be lippy) BFF.

The author narrated the audiobook (!), which is a #FiveSpongeAudiobook (a book so engaging you’re willing to clean to keep listening) 🧽🧽🧽🧽🧽 However, I should warn you. While I laughed hard and often, I’m not exaggerating when I tell you I sat down in my kitchen and sobbed at one point. Sobbed. But the author pulled me through it, dusted me off, and delivered a satisfying ending.

“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.

Really enjoyed this unique premise and its characters. The pacing moved along just right and had a satisfying conclusion.

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 was such a good book!!! i have never read any work from Paige but would absolutely love to see more from her after this! :)

I was not emotionally prepared for this book. Meg is a TV star actress living in LA and questioning her life. She spontaneously decides to head to a small town in Ireland where she and her childhood friend, Aimee, had always dreamed of going. A dream that never happened of several reasons, not the least of which is that Aimee has passed away. When Meg arrives, she finds that she has woken up to an alternate reality where Aimee is still alive an Meg is not a movie star, but a local in the small town of Avalon.

I fell deeply in love with Avalon and its characters. Both Cillian (Meg's on and off boyfriend in this different life) and Keira (Meg's best friend) made me laugh and swoon with their friendship and goodness. There is a ton of wit and humor to this right along with true grief and nostalgia. Harbison does a wonderful job of interweaving the two and made me wish for my own alternate reality where I could revisit friends and relatives lost to me. Meg experiences real growth as a character as she faces realities from both her past and current lives. I loved watching her change while both Cillian and Keira supported her no matter what she said or what decisions she made. It was so dang heartwarming. I was admittedly nervous when I heard that the author was doing the audio recording, but she does a wonderful job. She was able to handle all the characters and accents well and made the emotion and humor come through as she intended.

I highly recommend this book to fans of Rebecca Serle, Ashley Poston, or anyone who enjoys romance, magical realism, and depth to their stories.

Meg Bryan always wanted to be an actress. Now she's the famous Lana Lord. But something is still missing. She booked a vacation to Ireland, where she and her friend, Aimee, were going, until Aimee was killed. Now Meg finds a door that opens to the past...and Aimee is still alive.

This was a sweet book about grief that manages to be light-hearted and funny. I loved the small-town Irish setting with the requisite pub.

This book came highly recommended by Modern Mrs. Darcy, and I enjoy a good alternate-reality story in the vein of Sliding Doors or The Husbands. It’s a heartwarming story about a woman who is still grieving the loss of her best friend in a tragic car accident. Harbison does a nice job of balancing the story so the sadness doesn’t feel overwhelming. I received an audio version of the book from NetGalley, which is read by the author.


Meg is turning 30 and she’s attained the life she always wanted. She’s Lana Lord, a famous actress on a soapy TV drama and is living with her movie star boyfriend. But life in the spotligh comes with a lot of costs, including being constantly expected to lose weight and have plastic surgery. Her show might be canceled and her boyfriend might be cheating on her.

She makes a spur of the moment decision to treat herself to a vacation in the place she always wished she’d gone to college – an arts school in Avalon, Ireland. But when she gets there, everyone already knows her; she’s lived there over a decade and her life as Lana Lord no longer exists. And Aimee, her childhood friend who died in college, is alive and living in Avalon.

Meg doesn’t know why her life has been switched and she doesn’t know if she’ll be yanked back at some point. But for the moment, she has to figure out how to function in a small town where everyone knows her, but she knows nothing. She needs to reconcile with her friend and figure out her relationship with the hot-but-sensitive Irish bartender.

What I really liked about this book is how much Meg has to explore her own insecurities and limitations. Compared to Los Angeles, Avalon seems perfect (the name “Avalon” is a bit on the nose). But the alternate version of herself wasn’t happy there. Meg has to look at her friendship with Aimee, her childhood, and herself in a new light – and it isn’t a simple, straight line. She wasn’t as good a friend to Aimee as she thought she was; but Aimee wasn’t perfect either. In one life, she’s scarred by grief; but in the other life, she doesn’t know how to fight for what’s important to her. She’s always looking for something else rather than appreciating what she has.

I liked the contrast between Los Angeles and small-town Ireland. I love California, but I also found myself, with Meg, falling in love with the town of Avalon. Is Avalon too “small” for Meg or is LA too big?

It’s a story that had me thinking about how many alternate worlds are out there, and how our lives have been impacted by the paths we’ve chosen. I liked that there’s romance but that isn’t the main story. It’s about a chance we never get, to compare two lives and figure out which parts matter most.

If you’re looking for subtlety you won’t find it in this book. It’s campy and loud and often predictable, much like Meg’s TV show. But those aren’t dealbreakers, if you’re looking to escape into a romantic, emotional story. That’s what makes it a great summer read.

Note: I received an audio version of this book from NetGalley and publisher Macmillan Audio. This book was published June 3, 2025.

I was pondering at about 70% into The Other Side of Now how I was going to write a review as this book was unfolding contrary to my expectations. I can honestly say now that I am both happy and sad that my dilemma disappeared. Early in the book, Meg is told by a fortune teller that her palm's life lines are unusual. Meg will have two distinct lives, she says. Only many years later does this prediction apparently come true when Meg goes on vacation to Ireland, falls asleep, and wakes up in another life--one where her childhood best friend is still alive. Meg's two lives are different in many ways, and the author subtly shows how seemingly minor decisions can have momentous consequences. The bulk of the book takes place during Meg's newly discovered "other" life, where the setting (a great Irish village), the colorful characters, the beautiful friendship between two female friends, and the gorgeous guy who seems a lot like a soulmate, make her question/regret the choices she's made since her friend died just as they were graduating high school. I'm not 100% delighted with the story's resolution, but I greatly enjoyed Ms. Harbison's writing and the skill with which she grabbed my attention and refused to allow it to wander. I'll happily read more of her work in the future. The author narrated the audiobook herself and did a fabulous job.

The Other Side of Now by Paige Harbison (book cover is in image) tells the story of an actress with the screen name of Lana Lord gets the opportunity to experince an alternate life where as Meg Byran(Lana's given name), did not experience the loss of her childhood best friend Aimee. Using magical realism to facilitate the movement into the alternate life path, the author takes the reader on Meg's journey of self-reflection, growth and healing.

The author does a great job with the narration and is able to easily give each of the characters their own voice. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to this ALC, All opinions are my own.

Rating: 4 Stars
Publication Date: Jun 03 2025

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Rating - 4.5 stars rounded off to 5

Magical yet so realistic, hopeful and life-affirming!

Basically my kind of read!

Thanks NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC!

Synopsis-

The leading Hollywood TV show actress Lana Lord (original name Meg Bryan) has the most perfect life she could ever wish for. But she knows deep down that her glittery, glamorous life is shallow, fake like her name and just a facade created by her world. On impulse to getaway, she books a trip to a quaint little Irish Village of Avalon, a place she and her childhood best friend Aimee, always dreamt of moving to. But the ground beneath her seems to have shifted, time just warped, as she’s no longer Lana, but Meg in this new reality of hers and everyone strangely seems to know her. What’s more she isn’t a stranger to Avalon but a resident, who has been living a very real life here. What’s happening to Lana and how will she decipher everything the universe seems to be throwing at her?

Review -

The author herself narrates the audiobook and certainly no one could’ve done justice to this book but her. Her seamless rendition of authentic Irish accent and smooth voice adaptation adds so much charm, bringing the story to life.

Typically, I am someone who struggles with magical realism/time travel concepts in books. But the transition of Lana’s life into Meg’s happens so naturally, that I didn’t bat an eyelid or flinch at the sudden shift of direction the narrative was headed in. It also helped that I went in blind into the book.

As we get to know Meg in her Irish life, we realise there is so much backstory and events from her past to unpack. The storyline delves into her difficult experiences and struggles, the beautiful friendship she shared with Aimee - inseparable as they were as teens, Meg’s loss, grief and how she buried her trauma deep within to build herself a new life, using pretence as her weapon.

I loved the author’s use of the ‘sliding doors’ concept as she transforms Lana into Meg. I was completely rooting for Meg, while she tried to grapple with her new existence, her history unfolding, discovering one of the hardest truths of her own life which she wasn’t able to perceive as Lana, finding her true calling and most importantly learning to live, love and grow.

#TheOtherSideOfNow is a thought provoking read that brims with hope, creates a glimmer of joy albeit bittersweet, fills the reader with positivity, possibility, love and upliftment with its tenderly, delicately crafted ending.

Highly recommend if these themes with a hint of magic and fantasy are your cup of tea!

Teenage Meg and her friend Aimee visit a fortune teller who refuses to tell Aimee her future but tells Meg that her life will have two paths. Aimee tragically lost her life in an accident. Meg, now known as famous actress Lana Lord, decides to go to Ireland for her 30th birthday. When she arrives, she quickly realizes everyone knows her, but not as Lana Lord. As Meggie, a resident of the town with connections to everyone. But most importantly, Aimee is still alive.

The idea of a Sliding Doors type of story, where a parallel timeline can exist, is one of my favorite tropes. I love the way the author did this one. The characters and setting were so fun and memorable. Meg's journey back to herself was one that I'm glad I experienced. The author narrated the audiobook, and I think that made the experience even better because she lived and breathed the characters. This is a great read!

TW/CW: Language, drinking, drug use, eating disorder, fat shaming, death of friend, grieving, graphic sex scenes, mourning, depression, anxiety

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:
With a leading role on a hit TV show and a relationship with Hollywood's latest heartthrob, Meg Bryan appears to have everything she ever wanted. But underneath the layers of makeup and hairspray, her happiness is as fake as her stage name, Lana Lord. Following a small breakdown at her thirtieth birthday party, she books an impromptu trip where she knows the grass is greener: Ireland. Specifically, the quaint little village where she and her best friend Aimee always dreamt of moving—a dream that fell apart when an accident claimed Aimee’s life a decade ago.

When Meg arrives, the people in town are so nice, treating her not as a stranger, but a friend. Except for the (extremely hot) bartender giving her the cold shoulder. Meg writes it all off as jetlag until she looks in the mirror. Her hair is no longer bleached within an inch of its life, her skin has a few natural fine lines, and her nose looks like… well, her old nose. Her real nose.

Her phone reveals hundreds of pictures of her life in this little town: with an adorable dog she doesn’t know; with the bartender who might be her (ex?) boyfriend; and at a retail job unrelated to acting. Eventually, she comes to accept that she somehow made a quantum slide into an alternate version of her life. But the most shocking realization of all? In this life, her best friend Aimee is alive and well…but wants nothing to do with Meg.

Despite her bewilderment, Meg is clear-eyed about one thing: this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to reconnect with her friend and repair what she broke. She finagles an opportunity to act in the play Aimee is writing and directing and as the project unfolds, Meg realizes that events as she remembers them may not be the only truth, and that an impossible choice looms before her.
Release Date: June 3rd, 2025
Genre: Magical Realism
Pages: 320
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

What I Liked:
1. Love writing style
2. Funny parts
3. Kara - can she be my friend?
4. Ending was beautiful
5. So many great quotes to live by
6. Audiobook narrator did a fantastic job reading book

What I Didn't Like:
1. More man focused than friend focused at times
2. Women aren't allowed to eat on books

Overall Thoughts:
{{Disclaimer: I write my review as I read}}

I hate when books over state that women don't eat. What's the point? This coming after Meg is told she needs to lose more weight after already dropping weight. Things like this in books are what tell women that eating is bad. You never read in books about men not eating and people pointing it out as much as it is pushed in books about women's pov's. Oh, but luckily we have a man that knows her better so she is given permission to eat. *rolls eyes*

Oh my goodness there were parts of this book that made me laugh so hard.
“In my life, my real life, I weigh like twenty pounds less and I’ve had some work done. Not a lot. But enough that I can say with one hundred percent certainty that this is not the face I had when I woke up yesterday.
”She laughs. “In my real life, I too am about twenty pounds thinner.”She then shakes her fists at the heavens. “God, won’t you wake me up from this nightmare?”


So Meg finally gets another chance to see Aimee (at the party) and she walks off with the bartender. I thought Meg would went to visit more with Aimee since she missed her so much but I guess one coffee hang out and 10 minutes talking at a party is all she needs for her friends death in another world. Meg has no idea how long this will last that she is here and able to see Aimee, but instead she is choosing to hang out with this man. Sigh.

God, of course Killian is perfect. From head to head *wink wink*

Loved this!
“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. Whether your real life is back in California, or it’s here, or if it’s on Pluto, it doesn’t matter. You’re here right now. I wish you didn’t feel like things were such high stakes. You can be happy, you know. Look, let’s say you’re right, that girl there is on the outside, yeah? Everyone’s inside enjoying the film, and she’s in the hall.”He shrugs against me. “She could walk in. And maybe the happiness is closer than she thinks.”

That's how I feel at times.

Look I was 100% team Aimee until Aimee starts being so mean to Meg for no reason. We then find out she's mad because in the other world that she does not believe that Meg is from she is dead. Um okay. She then confessed that she actually got into the art school and lied to Meg. So Meg did not go to her dream college because Aimee wanted to stay with her boyfriend. Aimee was worried she would make fun of her for not going and rather deal with that small thing she totally uprooted Megs life. So, I'm over here confused how Aimee has the gall to even be mad at Meg.

Great now I am crying at work.

The scene where Meg has to admit outloud that Aimee is dead tore my heart apart. Seriously... My god. I was crying so hard.

Awe poor Meg maybe it was good that she admitted that Aimee was dead because it got her out there living. I mean was Meg even living before or just existing. Now she is having a life and it seems like the universe is rewarding her by giving her Killian and Kara back into her life.

Final Thoughts:
From the moment I started this to the moment I finished it I was invested and loving the book. It deals with some heavy subjects and really punches you in the gut with facing your fears of losing someone.

I wanted so much for Meg to have a happy world where Aimee lived with a husband and kids. Where Meg got to see her alive and loved not dead in hers.

I'm telling you that scene where they were on stage and "acting" out the part of Aimee being dead made me ugly cry at work. The author did a fantastic job at dealing with grief and the way we can just keep moving on pretending it never happened. If we pretend doesn't that mean it's not real? That is the problem Meg had when she won't admit Aimee is dead. She took off and never even stayed for the funeral.

I only had one issue. The relationship with Killian muddled the message for me on this book about friendship. Not every book needs a romance. I wanted the book to be about a lost friendship and not about a found love. The message at the end when Meg finds Killian made it almost feel like you can replace the grief and death of that person with the love of another one and I don't think that's always right or healthy. Couldn't Meg just work through some stuff and that he the ending? Why the romance?

All and all though this was a gut punching story that I freaking loved. It was beautiful. The quotes in it about having to move on were so good. You can't let death hold you back but moving on doesn't mean forgetting someone either.

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Thanks to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, and St. Martin's Press for this advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own