Taylor Jenkins Reid

A new novel about a young woman whose fate hinges on the choice she makes after bumping into an old flame

A Novel

Maybe in Another Life

One choice. Two different paths – with stunningly different results. From the bestselling author of Daisy Jones & The Six. At the age of twenty-nine, Hannah Martin still has no idea what she wants to do with her life. She has lived in six different cities and held countless meaningless jobs since graduating college. On the heels of leaving yet another city, Hannah moves back to her hometown of Los Angeles and takes up residence in her best friend Gabby’s guestroom. Shortly after getting back to town, Hannah goes out to a bar one night with her friend Gabby and meets up with her high school boyfriend, Ethan. Just after midnight, Gabby asks Hannah if she’s ready to go. A moment later, Ethan offers to give her a ride later if she wants to stay. Hannah hesitates. What happens if she leaves with Gabby? What happens if she leaves with Ethan? In concurrent storylines, Hannah lives out the effects of each decision. Quickly, these parallel universes develop into radically different stories with large-scale consequences for Hannah, as well as the people around her. As the two alternate realities run their course, Maybe in Another Life raises questions about fate and love: Is anything meant to be? How much in our life is determined by chance? And perhaps, most compellingly: Is there such a thing as a soul mate? Hannah believes there is. And, in both worlds, she believes she’s found him.

Maybe In Another Life

Sarah Campbell

“When you two have been married as long as we have," Carl tells him, "and your children are grown, and you're bored as hell, you're gonna want access to grandkids, too. Trust me. Do you know how much television I watch? It's shameful. I need a distraction."

AND THEY STILL MEET IN THE OTHER TIMELINE #soulmates (I’m clearly losing my sanity) 

I smile. Plus, if I didn't need this cane, I probably would never have met you. Although, who knows, maybe we could have met another way." 

“As a man who has been trying to run into you for months, let me assure you how rare it is that two specific people's paths will cross."

He’s literally the soulmate. Ethan would never. 

He kisses me then, and I realize I was wrong about the hand holding. It now feels teenager-ish and quaint. This is what I'd been waiting for. And as I stand there, in the middle of the city, kissing my night nurse, I know, for the first time in my life, that I have done everything right. After all, he tastes like a cinnamon roll, and I've never kissed anyone who tasted like a cinnamon roll.

 This is why Henry is the “soulmate” and not Ethan. He shows up in the future in both time lines. He’s meant to be there 👀

I’m just going to do my best and live under the assumption that if there are things in this life that we are supposed to do, if there are people in this world we are supposed to love, we’ll find them. In time. The future is so incredibly unpredictable that trying to plan for it is like studying for a test you’ll never take. I’m ok in this moment. To be with you. Here. In Los Angeles. 

Forget the boys in this, the true love story is Hannah and Gabby. 

And at that moment, I realize that if I have taken away a fraction of her pain, then I have more purpose that I have ever known. 

I’m not moving to London. I’m staying right here. 

I found my home. And it’s not New York or Seattle or London or even Los Angeles. 

You can only forgive yourself for the mistakes you made in the past once you know you’ll never make them again. And I know I'll never make that mistake again.

It doesn't matter if we don't mean to do the things we do. It doesn't matter if it was an accident or a mistake. It doesn't even matter if we think this is all up to fate. Because regardless of our destiny, we still have to answer for our actions. We make choices, big and small, every day of our lives, and those choices have consequences. We have to face those consequences head-on, for better or worse. We don't get to erase them just by saying we didn't mean to. Fate or not, our lives are still the results of our choices. Im starting to think that when we don't own them, we don't own ourselves.

Romanticizing everything, relatable 😂😭

He puts me down in my bed. I swear he holds on to me just a moment longer than he needs to. It is perhaps the most romantic moment of my life, and I’m in a hospital gown. Life is unpredictable beyond measure. 

When you sit there and wish things had happened differently, you can’t just wish away the bad stuff. You have to think about all the good stuff you might lose, too. Better just to stay in the now and focus on what you can do better in the future. 

Life is just a series of breaths in and out. All I really have to do in this world is breathe in and then breathe out, in succession, until I die. I can do that. I can breathe in and out. 

"When it hurts so bad you don't think you can stand it," I say, "squeeze my hand." I put my hand out for her, and she takes it. 

She starts crying again, and she squeezes. 

And I think to myself that if, by being here, I have taken away one one-hundredth of the pain that Gabby feels, then maybe I have more of a life's purpose than I ever thought. 

“Divide the pain in two," I tell her. "And give half of it to me."

Because that is truly all I want in this world. I want to try to do something myself, knowing that when I have nothing left, someone will take me the rest of the way. 

Nine billion choices I’ve made over the course of my life could have changed where I am right now and where I’m headed. There’s no sense focusing on just one. Unless you want to punish yourself. 

In general, I find that when you are doing something you are not supposed to be doing, the best course of action is to act as if you are absolutely supposed to be doing it.

How weird is that? How absolutely insane is that? The difference between life and death could be as simple and as uncomfortably slight as a step you take in either direction. 

Which means that I am here today, alive today, because I made the right choices, however brief and insignificant they felt at the time. I made the right choices. 

“From experience, I can tell you that if you go around trying to figure out what’s fair in life or whether you deserve something or not, that’s a rabbit hope that is hard to climb out of.” 

It's entirely possible that every time we make a decision, there is a version of us out there somewhere who made a different choice. An infinite number of versions of ourselves are living out the consequences of every single possibility in our lives. What I'm getting at here is that I know there may be universes out there where I made different choices that led me somewhere else, led me to someone else.

"I think as long as you' re happy and you're doing something good with your life, it really doesn't matter whether you went out and found the perfect thing or you chose what you knew you could make work for you."

Chloe Heisserer

Wow, her writing improved with time. If I had read this book first, I wouldn’t go near the author again. This was trite and characters were laughably one dimensional (main character’s obsession with cinnamon buns mentioned every other page)

Sarah Erle

Interesting rom-com esque book that followed the very different lives that could happen from one small choice. Liked the style choices in the two timelines 

Paige Paul

Bria

I might need a reread on this bc I started over a million times

chateau

ngg.. well.. i'm dragging up reading this, i totally hated the main character, hannah, she is so rude, annoying, and some other things that also doesn't fit with me. there was a time when i truly hated how rude she is at her parents, and that suddenly be my turn off of this book.

Isabella 

I have always been interested in parallel universes, fate, and destiny, and I have been looking for a book that talks about it. This book presented a compelling story, and I loved it so much!! It has a very interesting concept, and TJR, once again, created another beautiful story out of it. The dual story lines ended beautifully, and it perfectly conveys the message of the story. It's somewhat comforting to see that everything will still work out in the end, and there will always be more than one way to have a happy ending. I also liked how big events happened in both story lines even with different circumstances which shows that things that are supposed to happen, will happen no matter what you do. While I enjoyed the romance in the story, the best relationship in the story is the friendship between Gabby and Hannah. I love them so much, and reading this felt like I was friends with them too. It's a very quick, light read that is also thought-provoking. Definitely one of my favorite romance books.

Paulina

Will I ever find a book that is not a 5☆ Read by TJR? I guess not.

I loved this book so much, you basically got to read two stories in one book, with such lovely characters, which was genius. The emotions were described so precisely, and realistic, especially with Gabby, who made me cry so much because she was just a wholesome and sweet person

"We were Gabby and Hannah, Hannah and Gabby, one name rarely mentioned without the other in tow."

The friendship between Gabby and Hannah was such a cute and enjoyable one, loved the message of the book which got me rethinking about it over and over.

Overall perfection, would recommend and reread always!!!

Margaret Stacy

Girly needs to learn about OT… those hospital scenes were inaccurate and hard to read lol😪

I'm at certain points in my life where I question what I'm doing and the decisions I'm making. So reading this really calm my nerves and help me to see life so differently. I gave 4 stars because in the life where she kept the baby her parents not giving her that heart to heart or them not really being as active I still wanted her to have that,but I see she got it when she needed it most which matters. Other then that. It was beautifully written!

Kyra

Karissa

I would rate this a 2.5 honestly. 
I really thought I was going to love this book because I do enjoy TJK. I felt that the main character “Hannah” was SO annoying and hard to be around. Also, she had no depth to her and seemed childish. 
WE GET IT. Your entire personality is that you have a high bun and are obsessed with cinnamon rolls. And that you are angry with your parents…. Ughhh girl! Like, why?
I also found the ending very repetitive (literally the same sentences over and over) and annoying as well. Like HEAVY on the cheesy factor.

Honestly I don’t know what it is but  Taylor Jenkins Reid could write about anything and I know that I would enjoy it, She has this way of writing Books that leave you physically unable to put them down and if you need to put them down for something then you will be unable to stop thinking about it & This book is no exception to that rule at all. This is a beautiful story that leaves you thinking about past decision that you have made in your own life and realising that you made them for a Reason!

Hannah Martin is a twenty-nine-year-old that has no job, no real place that feel like home and she is running away from a disastrous relationship. She heads back to her hometown of Los Angeles, meets up with her best friend Gabby, and then finds herself in a bar and facing her high school boyfriend, Ethan They were the perfect couple until life separated them, and now Hannah has 1 choice to make; Should she stay out with Ethan or go back home with Gabby. This book will give you the answer and show you what happens next and what each choice leads to.

This is a Dual TimeLine book that explores both decisions; What Happens because of going home with Gabby and what happens if she stays out late with Ethan!  Drastically different events occur, and throughout Hannah constantly wonders whether her life is dictated by the choices she has made, or something bigger. The fate vs. free will debate is hardly a new area for exploration, and yet Reid's take on it is refreshing and uplifting.

This is a beautiful book with the ending message really hitting home “So I have to think that while I may exist in other universes, none of them are as sweet as this”.

Ian Brakspear

Honestly I don’t know what it is but  Taylor Jenkins Reid could write about anything and I know that I would enjoy it, She has this way of writing Books that leave you physically unable to put them down and if you need to put them down for something then you will be unable to stop thinking about it & This book is no exception to that rule at all. This is a beautiful story that leaves you thinking about past decision that you have made in your own life and realising that you made them for a Reason!

 

Hannah Martin is a twenty-nine-year-old that has no job, no real place that feel like home and she is running away from a disastrous relationship. She heads back to her hometown of Los Angeles, meets up with her best friend Gabby, and then finds herself in a bar and facing her high school boyfriend, Ethan They were the perfect couple until life separated them, and now Hannah has 1 choice to make; Should she stay out with Ethan or go back home with Gabby. This book will give you the answer and show you what happens next and what each choice leads to.

 

This is a Dual TimeLine book that explores both decisions; What Happens because of going home with Gabby and what happens if she stays out late with Ethan!  Drastically different events occur, and throughout Hannah constantly wonders whether her life is dictated by the choices she has made, or something bigger. The fate vs. free will debate is hardly a new area for exploration, and yet Reid's take on it is refreshing and uplifting.

 

This is a beautiful book with the ending message really hitting home “So I have to think that while I may exist in other universes, none of them are as sweet as this”.

Kate B-L

I’ll read this woman’s grocery list man. Although this was a bit of over backlist it was SO good and the plot was so interesting. Also HENRYYY but then also ETHANNNNNN and the way she had such a nice family dynamic and like just everything in this book was so perfectly written and placed. The plot could’ve reached many places but I love where it took me 🩷🩷

Anushree Taparia

I really liked it, it was exactly what I expected and Hannah was my favorite character. She was truly amazing and at moments really relateble. 

Ellen

Isabella

i swear taylor jenkins reid laces her books with crack... i binge read this in one sitting. there's something so enthralling about tjr's writing— the way she finds a way to suck you into the worlds she creates. i found it rly sweet and heartfelt :D

also i don't think i can ever get over this quoteI know there may be universes out there where I made different choices and they led me somewhere else, led me to someone else. And my heart breaks for every single version of me that didn't end up with you.

Krystyna 

I love Taylor Jenkins Reid and this is another one of her books that I adored. Her writing is just perfection! I thought the cover was cute and the synopsis sounded intriguing. This is definitely a great summer read. I really enjoyed the premise of this book and the thoughts presented in this book that really stay with the reader long after you finish reading the final page.

I liked these characters a whole heck of a lot. I really liked Henry and I loved Gabby, everyone needs a friend like her. I loved seeing the friendship between Gabby and Hannah. I really liked seeing all of the difficult situations that these characters are presented with and how they deal with tough decisions. 

I really liked how this story was told. I loved how it presented the concept of fate and how some things are just meant to happen no matter what decision you make and, on the flip side, I really liked how some decisions can definitely affect the outcome of your life in different ways. 

The pacing of this book was pretty quick in my opinion. The chapters are pretty short and they are told in alternating perspectives, depending on what decision was made. The prallel timeline may sound confusing but I caught on really quick. It's such a good book that you should definitely pick up if it sounds interesting to you. I totally think that it's worth it. 

I really loved this book and recommend it, especially if you enjoyed her other book, One True Loves, or if you love reading stories that deal with "what if" scenarios, because it's told in parallel timelines/universes where a different decision affects the outcome of her life. This was such a thought-provoking story that stayed with me after I closed the book. 

This book was another one of TJR's that I can mark off of my checklist. I plan on reading, buying, owning, and loving all of her work. I am about halfway through all of her published works to date and I have enjoyed everything I have read by her.

Kat Rector

Only rated 4 instead of 5 because the different time frames were confusing to me

maddie harris

not my favorite by her but still well written and i loved henry and ethan.

CLAUDIA VALDES

** spoiler alert **
           This was definitely an interesting take on the multi-verse. I enjoyed deeply how it didn’t entertain the idea of (1) soulmate, or (1) partner for the protagonist. It was relieving and comforting to see her end up with two incredible kind, loving and caring partners and her still find happiness in these 2 completely different yet similar parallels. I know life never ends with a happy party but it was nice to see it come full circle; the story lines come almost so long to touch yet be so far from each other. 

It was a nice novel, you can tell it was TJR’s earlier work but still highlights her talent. Jesse’s speech left me in a gasp, I love it so much. 

My fav author does it again. 

7/10

kinda cute and easy read.. very predictable tho, nevertheless it was a feel good book so i do recommend it :)

Kayleigh Vermeij

Victoria

I could have given this 5 stars if it weren't for Hannah constantly being annoyed at her sister for using British colloquial words as if said sister hasn't lived in the UK for more than a decade.

I believe in soulmates, but I also believe in finding love and soulmates from proximity. 

I couldn't help but feel like the "soulmate" in this book was Henry, and she just didn't meet him in time before Ethan wife'd her up in the one timeline.

I happened to like Henry's timeline best because Ethan was a little boring. He didn't have much of a storyline, and I didn't like how he was able to find love so easily, as if she weren't that important to him. I looked forward to reading about Henry and the serendipity of their meeting in both timelines was special (and the meet up in the bakery at the end, and her rolling around in the wheelchair to find him was so romantic and grand gesturey).

In the storyline with Henry, Ethan not only hooks up with someone the night he sees Hannah again, but he also finds his happily ever after and is truly happy with Ella. In the storyline with Henry, he just gets a new job and isn't with anyone. They meet in this storyline while she's already wife'd up, but they meet after hearing a soulmate's speech, bond over living near Austin, and their love of cinnamon buns. 

Hannah states that Ethan doesn't love cinnamon buns, but he'll eat them to please her, and Henry talks about being addicted to them. She literally states around the end "he kissed like a cinnamon roll, and I've never kissed anyone who tasted like a cinnamon roll", just confirming my soulmate's idea. I know that it doesn't scream soulmates in a normal world, but in this novel, it does.

They also state near the end that people come into your life for a reason, and that it is rare for two specific paths to cross (page 310), and I just found it soulmatey that while Ethan is from the past so of course he's going to be there, she still encounters Henry in the future in a separate timeline, bonds with him, and talks about his eyes. It was so random and out of the blue that out of everyone in the world, she'd still meet him three years later in a separate timeline. This screamed soulmate. 

Nonetheless, the true love story was the one between Gabby and Hannah, and we all know it.

I believe in soulmates, but I also believe in finding love and soulmates from proximity. 

I couldn't help but feel like the "soulmate" in this book was Henry, and she just didn't meet him in time before Ethan wife'd her up in the one timeline.

I happened to like Henry's timeline best because Ethan was a little boring. He didn't have much of a storyline, and I didn't like how he was able to find love so easily, as if she weren't that important to him. I looked forward to reading about Henry and the serendipity of their meeting in both timelines was special (and the meet up in the bakery at the end, and her rolling around in the wheelchair to find him was so romantic and grand gesturey).

In the storyline with Henry, Ethan not only hooks up with someone the night he sees Hannah again, but he also finds his happily ever after and is truly happy with Ella. In the storyline with Henry, he just gets a new job and isn't with anyone. They meet in this storyline while she's already wife'd up, but they meet after hearing a soulmate's speech, bond over living near Austin, and their love of cinnamon buns. 

Hannah states that Ethan doesn't love cinnamon buns, but he'll eat them to please her, and Henry talks about being addicted to them. She literally states around the end "he kissed like a cinnamon roll, and I've never kissed anyone who tasted like a cinnamon roll", just confirming my soulmate's idea. I know that it doesn't scream soulmates in a normal world, but in this novel, it does.

They also state near the end that people come into your life for a reason, and that it is rare for two specific paths to cross (page 310), and I just found it soulmatey that while Ethan is from the past so of course he's going to be there, she still encounters Henry in the future in a separate timeline, bonds with him, and talks about his eyes. It was so random and out of the blue that out of everyone in the world, she'd still meet him three years later in a separate timeline. This screamed soulmate. 

Nonetheless, the true love story was the one between Gabby and Hannah, and we all know it.

Another great read from TJR!

I wish I liked this one better because the concept is interesting - where do our choices lead us, are things meant to be, etc etc, but this is probably my least favorite TJR book. I found the main character to be irritating and quirky but in that annoying pick-me-girl way (we get it!! you like cinnamon rolls!!), and after a while I was over the waxing on about fate and choices. It sort of felt like I was being spoon fed the ideas the whole time instead of coming to the point on my own and I kind of just read as fast as humanly possible to get it over with.

Rachael Bahr

Janessa Tolpa

I couldn't relate the character at all so it wasn't very interesting.

Alexa M

i literally contemplated knocking off an ENTIRE star for the obsessive use of the words "cinnamon roll". WE GET IT HANNAH UR THE QUIRKIEST CINNAMON ROLL LOVER ALIVE. 
the reason this is 2 stars and not 1 is because i can see why people might like this but no no no ma'am this was not for me. i'd be hard pressed to give TJR another try :/

Maybe in Another Life A Novel

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