Explore our new BookBrowse Community Forum!

Book Summary and Reviews of Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Maybe in Another Life

by Taylor Jenkins Reid

  • Critics' Consensus:
  • Readers' Rating:
  • Published:
  • Jul 2015, 352 pages
  • Rate this book

  • Buy This Book

About this book

Book Summary

From the acclaimed author of Forever, Interrupted and After I Do comes a breathtaking new novel about a young woman whose fate hinges on the choice she makes after bumping into an old flame; in alternating chapters, we see two possible scenarios unfold - with stunningly different results.

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 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 true 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.

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Reviews

Media Reviews

"Starred Review. Entertaining and unpredictable; Reid makes a compelling argument for happiness in every life." - Kirkus

"While this novel has its annoyances (e.g., the protagonist's cinnamon roll obsession grows old fast, and she comes off preachy at times), it redeems itself with genuine surprises, depictions of love, and fitting conclusions to both plotlines. Readers looking for a romance with a twist won't be disappointed." - Library Journal

"Taylor Jenkins Reid writes with wit and true emotion that you can feel." - Sarah Jio, New York Times bestselling author of The Violets of March

"A heartfelt, witty and scintillating journey from one parallel universe to another; Maybe in Another Life takes the concept of fate and makes it tangible and engrossing; I couldn't put this book down!" - Renee Carlino USA Today bestselling author

This information about Maybe in Another Life was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

Write your own reviewwrite your own review

Laurie H. (Stuart, FL)

Great read!!
I loved this book~~such a different approach to a story. I love the idea of what happens from a single choice. I think we always wonder "what would have happened if....." Both arcs were believable and satisfying. Well done!

Chris W. (Temple City, CA)

"the road not taken ..."
I'm so glad I was able to read this book and I enjoyed it very much. This book made me think about the many difficult choices we have to make in life and whether our lives would have been different if we went in another direction. I liked the alternating chapters dealing with the two choices, and the story lines were believable. It was actually a page turner because I cared about the main character and the consequences of her choices. Who hasn't wondered about a romantic partner from the past? The friendship between the two women was amazing and well developed. It was well written and much better than I initially thought from the story description. It would be a good book for a book club or for people who want to discuss relationships and "what ifs" and who are agonizing over life decisions. Is there a plan already written for our lives but there are different paths to get there? Are there parallel universes? For these discussions, I'll bring the cinnamon rolls. I now want to read more books by this author.

Karen L. (Chicago, IL)

Ethan or Gabby
This book was charming! It a stayed with me long after I finished reading it. It is cleverly written in alternating chapters of different, but concurrent story lines, causing the reader to ponder the question: Can one inconsequential decision change the course of your life? The characters are well developed, very real and easy to connect with. Hannah is representative of so many young women trying to discover who they are and what they want. It is a unique modern romance that offers a fresh perspective on friendship, choices and fate.

Susan B. (Rutledge, MO)

Well done, moving, engaging read
I was expecting the plot device (following two parallel stories branching out from a single decision a woman makes) to feel contrived or difficult to follow, but the author did a lovely job of it. I was engaged, interested, surprised, and moved. Excellent job with something that could have been horrid. Highly recommended, especially as a fun-but-deep summer read...

Marcie M. (Chantilly, VA)

Why has this author not been on my list
I have never read a book by Taylor Jenkins Redi before. Now I have another author to love. I've always wondered about the idea of if you could go back and make different decisions in life. Reading about the parallel lives gave me great insight in to those choices. I couldn't quite decide which love story I wanted to win in the end. Can't wait to read her other books.

Lori H. (Puyallup, WA)

A great book to spark discussion
I enjoyed the premise of this book immensely. The main character in this novel lives out the consequences of her actions/decisions in two parallel story lines. As a reader I found myself drawn into each scenario and wondered how each would play out in the end. I found both story lines believable and well written. I think this book would make for a fabulous book club pick as there is much to consider and ask what if? I have now read all of Taylor Jenkins-Reid's books and will anxiously await her next!

...29 more reader reviews

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Author Information

Taylor Jenkins Reid Author Biography

Taylor Jenkins Reid is the author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, One True Loves, Maybe in Another Life, After I Do, Forever, Interrupted, and the New York Times bestseller Daisy Jones and the Six. Her novels have been Indie Next Picks, chosen by Book of the Month, and featured in People, US Weekly, Entertainment Weekly, Good Morning America, and more. She lives in Los Angeles.

Author Interview
Link to Taylor Jenkins Reid's Website

Other books by Taylor Jenkins Reid at BookBrowse
  • Daisy Jones & The Six jacket

5 more...

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

More Recommendations

Readers Also Browsed . . .

more literary fiction...

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Top Picks

  • Book Jacket: Graveyard Shift
    Graveyard Shift
    by M. L. Rio
    Following the success of her debut novel, If We Were Villains, M. L. Rio's latest book is the quasi-...
  • Book Jacket: The Sisters K
    The Sisters K
    by Maureen Sun
    The Kim sisters—Minah, Sarah, and Esther—have just learned their father is dying of ...
  • Book Jacket: Linguaphile
    Linguaphile
    by Julie Sedivy
    From an infant's first attempts to connect with the world around them to the final words shared with...
  • Book Jacket
    The Rest of You
    by Maame Blue
    At the start of Maame Blue's The Rest of You, Whitney Appiah, a Ghanaian Londoner, is ringing in her...

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    Pony Confidential
    by Christina Lynch

    In this whimsical mystery, a grumpy pony must clear his beloved human's name from a murder accusation.

Who Said...

A library is thought in cold storage

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

F the M

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.