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Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Maybe in Another Life

by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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  • Published:
  • Jul 2015, 352 pages
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for Maybe in Another Life
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  • Nancy F. (Carmel, IN)
    Maybe for a different age
    From the cover description, I guess I expected a lot more sophistication of the subject matter. I felt the book was appropriate for a much younger reader. I finished the book only because I promised to review. This would be a good read for a junior high school student.
  • Linda S. (Arlington Heights, IL)
    Maybe In Another Life
    What if you could see the alternate life you could have lived just by changing one thing you've done? This book offers easy-to-read, parallel stories with likable characters that are fairly benign and a little boring. There aren't many surprises, it's all fairly obvious, but I did want to see how it ended. I truthfully thought the author was going to tie it up differently and I was a wee disappointed. Very good book for the summer. Too shallow for discussion.
  • Carol R. (Foster City, CA)
    Good Summer Chick Lit
    I liked this book and finished it easily in a weekend. The author writes well and the story is easy to follow despite the chapters switching back and forth between the two alternate stories. I often wonder about those moments in life (like choosing which college to attend) that play a big factor in how the rest of life goes. How might my life be different if I'd chosen another path? This book is all about one seemingly small decision and how it change Hannah's life forever. Good and light summertime reading.
  • Dorothy L. (Manalapan, NJ)
    Light Read
    I was looking forward to reading this book because the premise sounded interesting. It was a pleasant enough light read that I could see as a book for the beach or plane trip. But it all seemed very predictable when I was two thirds of the way through. I think the author could have done more with the premise. The book lacked depth for me and I wouldn't choose it for my book club because there is very little to discuss with a group.
  • Sarah H. (Arvada, CO)
    Creative story idea, ordinary delivery.
    I found the idea of two scenarios playing out in one novel to be quite compelling. Who hasn't wondered, "what would have happened if?" That approach could get a little tricky though, how do you know which scenario you're reading now? That wasn't the part of the book that fell flat for me though, even though it did get confusing now and again. What made this book very average for me was the characters and the story itself. It wasn't particularly compelling or engaging, I did care about the characters enough to finish the book, but that was pretty much it. There are characters who live on in your memory and when you think of them it feels like you're missing a friend, this was not that book. When you have what is essentially "chick lit" you either need a unique story or artful writing, ideally both. This book had neither.
  • Donna W. (Wauwatosa, WI)
    Maybe In Another Life
    This was a very interesting concept for a story: 2 different pathways for one person's life.The book was an exploration of the difference our choices can make on the outcome of our lives. It was written in such a way that it was really like reading two different books at one time.

    The character development wasn't very strong and the story lines were predictable, but I liked the book. It was an easy and quick read, and it kept my interest right through until the end.
  • Mary M. (Dallas, TX)
    Seesaw
    I like the the way the characters in "Maybe in Another Life" are developed and the way in which their flaws are viewed as just pieces of their identity but I am not a fan of the concurrent device.

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