One choice is all it takes to change your life.
Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid is about Hannah Martin. Despite being in her late twenties, she seems to have no set goal for her life. After years of constantly moving across the country, she returns to her childhood home of Los Angeles. Her best friend Gabby is there to help her back on her feet and lets Hannah stay with her in the meantime.
At a homecoming gettogether, she reunites with the one that got away. Ethan is just as charming as he was back when they were together. Later in the evening, Hannah is given a choice. Go back home with Gabby now or stay out with Ethan. Little does she know that this one choice will change everything.
I found Hannah to be a very relatable protagonist. As a twenty-something myself, I could see myself in her. I also have no idea what to do with my life, so reading about someone else feeling the same way made me feel better. She has made mistakes and has little to no faith in herself at the start of the book. Watching her grow from adversity was inspirational.
I will be honest at one point I did think that it would make more sense if Hannah and Gabby would get together, only for the next page to make that very joke!
The constant flip-flopping works better than I thought it would. Each couple of pages is one timeline, and then the narrative switches to the other side. There is a fair amount of repetition, which I thought was a great way to show similarities and highlight differences between the two Hannahs and their experiences.
It is fascinating to see how different her life ends up being. How one seemingly small choice one night sets off a domino effect. In a way, Maybe in Another Life is an exploration of the ideas of fate and destiny. A reminder that every choice we make will have a consequence in one form or another. Life is made up of choices, it’s how we respond to the consequences that dictate how it all plays out.
Maybe in Another Life is the third book by Taylor Jenkins Reid I have read. How does it fare compared to the others? Well, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is still my favourite without question. I would put it on the same level as Daisy Jones and The Six.
I couldn’t put it down. To paraphrase a line from Jack Edwards, Taylor Jenkins Reid must lace her books with straight crack. Her work is addictive. I would say that the message of the novel might be a bit simplistic, but otherwise, it is a great read. It was reassuring to read, akin to a hug in book form. A touch overly dramatic but I liked that.
Maybe in Another Life is a heartfelt story with gut-punching moments that leave you gasping for air. While at the same time tender and soft. I highly recommend it!
Nerd Rambles 