Review: The Other Side of Now by Paige Harbison

I received this book via the publisher St. Martin's Press. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

The Other Side of Now by Paige Harbison
Published by St. Martin's Press on 2025-06-03
Length: 311 pages
Reviewing eARC from the publisher St. Martin's Press
Rating:
Reading Challenges: #NGEW2025, 2025 New Release Challenge

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, her happiness is as fake as her stage name, Lana Lord. Following a tiny nervous breakdown at her thirtieth birthday party, she books an impromptu trip to Ireland. Specifically, to the village where she and her best friend Aimee always dreamt of moving.

When Meg arrives, the people in town don’t just recognize her, they seem to know her. She quickly—reluctantly—realizes she has somehow slipped into an alternate reality. One where she did move to Ireland as a teenager, one where she never got famous, and—most shocking of all—one where Aimee is alive and well.

She just wants nothing to do with Meg.

Despite her bewilderment, Meg is clear-eyed about one thing: this is a once-in-two-lifetimes chance to reconnect with her friend and repair what she broke . . . or else risk losing Aimee all over again.

The Other Side of Now by Paige Harbison is a contemporary women’s fiction about finding one’s self in the midst of grief. Meg Bryan appears to have everything she’s ever wanted in life: her dream job, fame, and beauty. But it’s all fake. Her life doesn’t bring her any joy. After wrapping her show up for the season and being told to lose a nonexistent ten pounds, Meg books a trip to a small town in Ireland, a place her and her best friend Aimee always wanted to go before a tragic accident changed Meg’s life. But once Meg gets there, the life she knew is a dream. In Avalon, Meg isn’t famous, she’s just broke up with a gorgeous barkeep, and, most important, Aimee is alive. Meg doesn’t know what the universe is doing, but she’ll do anything to have one more day with Aimee.

I adored this book. I could not sit it down. The book starts off with a Meg who is disenchanted with her life. She’s on the verge of a breakdown, just celebrated her birthday, and believes her boyfriend is cheating on her with his costar. The last one doesn’t really bother her too much. But everything else does. She isn’t happy. Meg believes it’s just stress and that some time away would do her good. Hence, the spontaneous trip to Ireland.

Meg’s life is flipped upside down. It’s like the universe is giving her a glimpse of what could have been if she’d chosen to go to school in Avalon instead of staying in Florida when Aimee didn’t get in to the college. It kind of reminds of me George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life. That one choice changes everything about who Meg is in her present. Now with no clue as to what is going on and who this Meg is, she’s got to pretend to be okay. Her phone offers a lot of clues from photos to her contact list. The fact that Aimee is alive and well in Avalon though is what Meg focuses on. What would her life be like if she’d never lost Aimee? Now she gets a chance to find that out.

The Other Side of Now is a beautifully written story about grief, friendships, and the everyday choices we make that shape our lives. For Meg, she’s not really been living, never admitting that Aimee is really and truly gone, and this experience forces her to evaluate everything she thought she knew. There are some wonderful side characters that Meg meets along the way, including an ex-boyfriend and a new bestie. I love the small town setting and how the author immerses you in Meg’s reality. If you are a fan of contemporary fiction with a touch of romance and magical realism, you are in for a treat. I highly recommend this one.

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