Romance | Book Chatter

Maybe in Another Life
By Taylor Jenkins Reid
Atria, July 2015, 352pp.

The Short of It:

Romance with a twist.

The Rest of It:

At 29 years old, Hannah Martin is still trying to figure life out. She moves from city to city, always convinced a fresh start is exactly what she needs. But before long, she settles into what’s comfortable, starts feeling restless, and finds herself wanting more. She’s unhappy, far from successful, and her latest breakup with a married man has her packing up once again.

The one constant in her life is her best friend, Gabby. Gabby encourages Hannah to come home. For Gabby, the answer is simple. For Hannah, the bigger question is, what does “home” even mean?

After moving in with Gabby and her husband, yep… awkward, Hannah goes to a party where she runs into an old flame. Back in the day, she and Ethan were a great match, but Hannah’s inability to stay in one place ended their relationship. When he asks her to hang out after the party, she’s torn.

Should she go with Ethan? Or should she get in the car with Gabby and head home?

This is where the story takes on a Sliding Doors premise. Told in alternating chapters, one storyline follows Hannah if she chooses Ethan, while the other follows what happens if she goes home instead.

Both storylines are compelling and surprisingly easy to follow. As the novel progresses, the timelines begin to pick up, and there were moments when I had to stop and remind myself which version of Hannah I was reading about. You’re never quite sure if something supernatural is happening or if Hannah’s emotional state is creating these alternate realities.

Without giving anything away, I was satisfied with the direction the author ultimately took, even if it wasn’t one hundred percent believable. That said, I still think Daisy Jones & The Six is Taylor Jenkins Reid’s stronger book, and I’d recommend that one first. Even so, this was an interesting take on a story concept that’s been done before.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.

Writers & Lovers
By Lily King
Grove Press, February 2021, 336 pp.

The Short of It:

When it comes to love, do you go with the guy that feels right or the one that you can’t stop thinking about?

The Rest of It:

Blindsided by her mother’s sudden death, and wrecked by a recent love affair, Casey Peabody has arrived in Massachusetts in the summer of 1997 without a plan. Her mail consists of wedding invitations and final notices from debt collectors. A former child golf prodigy, she now waits tables in Harvard Square and rents a tiny, moldy room at the side of a garage where she works on the novel she’s been writing for six years. ~ the publisher

Lily King has a knack for writing characters who are quite messy, but also extremely likable. Casey is a mess. She’s a “creative” working on a novel. A novel that is going nowhere because every time she sits down to write, she’s overcome with doubt. She’s just not good enough. She will be living in her old, moldy apartment forever and will always be that server at the restaurant who does things in a half-assed way and kind of gets away with it. Kind of.

The one thing Casey has going for her is that people tend to want to help her. Whether it’s bringing meals to a table she’s neglected or introducing her to something she’s never really had of her own—a family. After the death of her mother, she just drifts from place to place until she falls in love with two men, at the same time.

One man, a widowed dad with two adorable boys. The other, a writer like her, good but needing the motivation to get out there and in turn, someone who understands her hesitation when it comes to her own work. One seems like a guarantee for a happy life, the other less so but more tempting.

What do you do? She grows close to the single dad and yes, his kids but she sees the writing on the wall and he’s very clear that he wants her there. All of her. How do you balance your desire for a normal family life over what you believe you were meant to be?

The other guy, is elusive. The chemistry is there but there’s a push-pull thing that confuses her. Sometimes he’s fully present and then he’s not. She goes along, making both relationships work for a little bit, but eventually she has to make a choice.

This book has everything. An endearing protagonist, inner-conflict, messy and wonderful bits about being in love, and the art of writing. It’s a perfect package.

I am becoming a huge Lily King fan. I adored her most recent book, Heart the Lover so as soon as I finished it, I found this one and I re-read passages over and over again, took screenshots and just lingered in the writing. If you want a book to make you feel things, I highly recommend King’s work.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.

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