Maybe in Another Life

Okay, so the first few pages of this book all I could think was "chick-lit," and only the excellent reviews it received kept me reading past the first few pages. Boy am I glad I did! The story just sucked me in and I pretty much could not put the book down.

The novel follows the main character, Hannah, a woman in her late-20's who has sort of drifted from city to city, job to job, never finding what she is looking for. In the first chapter she is moving back to her hometown of Los Angeles, where she will stay with her BFF Gabby and Gabby's husband Mark until she finds a job and gets her life together. One night right after her arrival, Gabby arranges for a bunch of old friends to get together at a local bar, including Hannah's high school boyfriend Ethan. At the end of the evening, Hannah has to decide between staying out with Ethan, or going home with Gabby and Mark. And when she decides... this is where the story gets interesting.

The author, Taylor Jenkins Reed, presents us with alternating chapters outlining what happens if Hannah makes each of these decisions - so basically, two different realities. As time progresses, we see how one little, seemingly mundane, decision can change just about everything. It's a pretty deep, philosophical, even cosmic discussion, dressed up as an entertaining novel about a young woman making her way in the world. And I loved it!

Maybe in Another Life