Reviews with content warning for Child death - Maybe in Another Life

4.5 stars

I myself have always wondered, "what if I did this one thing differently, how would my life have turned out"? That is the concept around the book Maybe in Another Life, by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I am a huge TJR fan and have read almost everything she has published. Maybe in Another Life is a good book, just not my favorite one by her. You can't blame me when other books like "Daisy Jones and the Six", "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo", "Forever Interrupted", and "One True Loves", have had a lasting impact on me. Maybe in Another Life centers around Hannah, who in her mid twenties is unsettled and doesn't feel like she has ever had a place to call home, not to mention she is currently running from a disastrous relationship. Hannah runs back to her home town and back in the life of her bestfriend Gabby. Once home Hannah runs into her old high-school relationship Ethan. But what starts off hopefully catapults Hannah into two sperate scenarios one being what happens to her if she leaves the bar with Ethan and one where Hannah leaves the bar with her best friend Gabby.
Taylor explores both lives through beautiful writing that stir all the feelings up in the reader. The only issues I had with Maybe in Another Life is how fast Taylor has wrapped up the story. It felt extremely rushed at the end, just trying to tie up both lives in a happy little bow. But it left me with questions. How did Hannah's life with Ethan look like, what about Henry her night nurse. I wanted those missing fast forward moments written out. I wasn't ready for the rush and in her other books there was never a feeling of it being rushed. I just needed more from Taylor. But it was still the classic Taylor Jenkins Reid book and I will continue to read whatever she publishes.

Content Warnings

cestnicka's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I am a huge fan of TJR, I read the seven husbands and have been going down her list of books ever since! This one didn't wow me, but it is one of her earlier books and you can tell. But it is really fun to see how far an author has come in their writing style and finding their voice as an author.

Maybe in another life follows a young woman named Hannah who moves back to LA and when asked by her love interest to stay or go with her best friend, the book takes us through two unique but parallel universe stories that both end up with a happy ending.

I really liked the concept. I've even thought what my life would be like had I made slightly different choices. Would I be where I am today? Would I have the same job? Be married to the same person? So I really liked that I got that feeling in this book.

The writing wasn't the greatest. Even though it was two different storylines, a lot of stuff did overlap and so it felt a bit repetitive at times, which I understand that it's showing it's meant to be, but it doesn't make for the best read. the middle of the book also dragged a bit for the same reasons. Her characters feel just a bit undeveloped for me, there was a lot of storylines going on and in such a short book it just didn't give time for great development.

Definitely not my favourite book by her, but it was an easy enough read and it does give you some feels and makes you think a bit!

Content Warnings

gabbynasty's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Content Warnings

kgentry's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Content Warnings

laurc's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

bookswithlauren's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Taylor Jenkins Reid is the queen of writing timelines and perspectives. I have nearly made my way through every book she has written and you can really see her writing improve with each book she writes. I definitely enjoyed "Maybe in Another Life" and 'One True Loves more than "Forever, Interrupted" and "After I Do" but every Taylor Jenkins Reid book I consume, draws me in and provides an experience so different to the last. So far nothing has come close to Evelyn Hugo for me. That book and woman will have my heart and soul forever.

The concept for Maybe in Another Life is really interesting. I have always found the idea of alternate and parallel universes equally fascinating and completely overwhelming, so to explore that concept played out in a book was really a fun and new reading experience for me. I really loved Hannah and Gabby's friendship. I really loved Hannah and Ethan's relationship and their friendship. I really loved Hannah and Henry's relationship. I loved Carl and Tina as parents and Gabby teaching her dad about the importance of feminism and equality. There was just so much to love about this book.

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