Title: The Other Side of Now
Author: Paige Harbison
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Release Date: June 3, 2025
A hilarious and heartfelt novel about how loves and lives are never truly lost, for fans of Rebecca Serle and Taylor Jenkins Reid.
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.
Magical realism at its best!
I expected to smile, but I wasn’t prepared to cry!
What a story Paige Harbison has created! It’s truly unforgettable. The idea of walking through a door into a different life—the life you could have chosen if things were different—has been done before, but Paige Harbison’s spin on this novel felt unique. I fell deeply for the characters in Avalon. I wanted to visit and meet these fabulous, normal, lovely people.
So, what is The Other Side of Now about?
Meg Bryan, now a famous actress known as Lana Lord, stars in a hit TV show called Brilliance. She’s recognized by most but isn’t truly happy. After a difficult thirtieth birthday, she decides she needs a break from Hollywood and her famous actor boyfriend. She books a trip to Avalon, Ireland, a place she and her best friend Aimee once dreamed of attending college. In reality, that never happened—Aimee died a decade ago.
When Meg arrives in Avalon, she feels at home. The locals, especially Kiera, are kind to her. No one treats her like a Hollywood star, but when she asks for a drink, the bartender, Cillian, seems upset. When he calls her Meg, she senses something is off. Everyone acts like they know her, and when she looks in the mirror, the “improvements” Hollywood forced on her are gone. She sees her former self and likes it. The strangest revelation comes when she discovers that, in this reality, Aimee is alive!
The last third of this novel had me so worried. I didn’t want Meg to lose her Avalon friendships. I hoped she could keep Cillian, Aimee, Kiera, and, of course, the dogs in her life!
I won’t reveal what happened, but I felt content with the epilogue.
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the audiobook, narrated by the author. She did a great job!
Cliffhanger: No
5/5 Fangs
A complimentary copy was provided by Macmillan Audio in exchange for an honest review.
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