Taylor Jenkins Reid delivers an emotionally riveting exploration of parallel lives in Maybe in Another Life, a novel that masterfully interrogates the fundamental questions that keep us awake at night: What if? Could everything be different with just one choice? And most tantalizingly—do soul mates truly exist?
The Premise That Changes Everything
At twenty-nine, Hannah Martin embodies the quintessential millennial crisis. Six cities, countless meaningless jobs, and zero direction have left her adrift in Los Angeles, crashing at her best friend Gabby’s place after yet another failed relationship. When a night out leads to an unexpected reunion with her high school boyfriend Ethan, Hannah faces a moment that will fracture her reality.
The setup is deceptively simple: just after midnight, Gabby asks if Hannah is ready to leave. Ethan offers to drive her home later if she wants to stay. Hannah hesitates. In that pause, Reid splits the narrative into two parallel universes, each exploring the profound consequences of a single decision.
This premise alone elevates Maybe in Another Life beyond typical romantic fiction into something more ambitious—a meditation on fate, free will, and the infinite possibilities that branch from every choice we make.
Two Lives, Two Loves, Infinite Complexity
Hannah’s Journey Home
In both timelines, Hannah’s character development remains Reid’s strongest achievement. Whether she leaves with Gabby or stays with Ethan, Hannah grapples with the same fundamental need for belonging and purpose. Reid crafts a protagonist who feels authentically lost without being frustratingly passive. Hannah’s journey toward self-discovery unfolds differently in each universe, yet both paths feel equally valid and emotionally satisfying.
The beauty lies in how Reid demonstrates that finding yourself isn’t about making the “right” choice, but about embracing the choices you do make. In one timeline, Hannah builds a family with Ethan and his daughter Gabriella, becoming the stepmother she never expected to be. In the other, she recovers from a devastating car accident and finds love with Henry, her nurse, while pursuing her own nursing degree.
The Men Who Define Nothing
Reid deserves praise for creating two genuinely appealing love interests without falling into the tired trope of making one clearly superior. Ethan represents comfort, history, and the seductive pull of the familiar. He’s grown into a devoted father figure and successful businessman, offering Hannah stability and a ready-made family. Henry embodies growth, challenge, and the electric thrill of the unknown. He pushes Hannah toward her better self while supporting her dreams of becoming a nurse.
Neither man is perfect, and both relationships require genuine work. Reid resists the temptation to make Hannah’s choice easy, instead demonstrating how different types of love can be equally profound and life-changing.
Where the Magic Happens: Gabby’s Supporting Arc
While Hannah’s romantic entanglements drive the plot, Gabby’s parallel journey provides the novel’s emotional backbone. In both timelines, she faces the dissolution of her marriage to Mark, but her path toward healing takes dramatically different turns. In one universe, she reconnects with Jesse Flint, her high school crush whose own divorce opened new possibilities. In the other, she navigates single life with Hannah’s support.
Gabby’s storyline demonstrates Reid’s understanding that love stories extend far beyond romantic partnerships. The friendship between Hannah and Gabby anchors both narratives, proving that some connections transcend the boundaries between parallel universes.
Reid’s Writing: Accessible Yet Sophisticated
Reid’s prose strikes an impressive balance between accessibility and depth. Her dialogue captures the natural rhythms of contemporary conversation without sacrificing emotional weight. She has a particular gift for small moments—Hannah’s obsession with cinnamon rolls, Ethan’s nervous habit of calling to check on Gabriella, Henry’s terrible morning breath—that make her characters feel lived-in and real.
The alternating chapter structure could have felt gimmicky in less capable hands, but Reid manages the dual narratives with remarkable skill. Each timeline maintains its own momentum while contributing to a larger thematic conversation about destiny and choice.
The Deeper Questions That Resonate
Maybe in Another Life succeeds because it refuses to provide easy answers to its central questions. Jesse’s wedding speech about multiverse theory—”Everything that is possible happens”—becomes the novel’s thesis statement. If infinite versions of ourselves exist across parallel universes, what makes any single choice meaningful?
Reid suggests that meaning comes not from the choices themselves but from how we embrace the consequences. Both versions of Hannah find love, purpose, and fulfillment, but through completely different paths. The novel argues that we are not defined by our circumstances but by how we respond to them.
Critical Considerations
While Maybe in Another Life largely succeeds in its ambitious premise, some elements feel underdeveloped. The car accident that defines one timeline, while traumatic and well-handled, sometimes feels like a plot device rather than an organic development. Additionally, Reid occasionally relies too heavily on coincidence to align her parallel narratives—both versions of Hannah end up at the same party, for instance, which strains credibility.
The novel also struggles with pacing in its middle sections. While both timelines maintain reader interest, the constant switching can create emotional whiplash that occasionally undermines the deeper emotional connections Reid works to establish.
The Emotional Verdict
Despite its minor flaws, Maybe in Another Life delivers on its central promise: it makes you believe in the power of love while questioning the nature of destiny. Reid has written a novel that honors both the pragmatic and romantic views of relationships. Some readers will root for Ethan’s familiar warmth; others will champion Henry’s challenging growth. The brilliance is that both camps will be right.
The novel’s emotional climax doesn’t come from discovering which path is “correct,” but from understanding that both paths lead to genuine happiness. In a culture obsessed with finding the “one right choice,” Reid offers the radical suggestion that multiple paths to fulfillment exist—we just have to be brave enough to fully commit to the one we’re on.
Perfect for Fans of Contemporary Romance
Maybe in Another Life will particularly appeal to readers who enjoyed:
- Sliding Doors meets The Time Traveler’s Wife—parallel narratives with emotional depth
- Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman—character-driven stories about finding belonging
- Beach Read by Emily Henry—contemporary romance with substance
- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid—if you’re already a Reid devotee
- Me Before You by Jojo Moyes—love stories that challenge conventional expectations
Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Growing Legacy
Maybe in Another Life represents Reid’s evolution from her earlier works Forever, Interrupted and After I Do. While those novels explored love’s complexities through more traditional structures, this book demonstrates her willingness to experiment with form while deepening her thematic concerns. Readers familiar with her later successes like The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones & The Six will recognize the seeds of that acclaimed storytelling here.
Final Thoughts: A Universe Worth Exploring
Maybe in Another Life succeeds as both an engaging romance and a thoughtful exploration of life’s fundamental questions. Reid has crafted a novel that entertains while challenging readers to consider their own choices and possibilities. In a literary landscape often divided between literary fiction and commercial romance, Reid creates something that bridges both worlds successfully.
This is a book that will have you calling your friends to discuss favorite timelines, debating the nature of soul mates, and perhaps most importantly, appreciating the choices that led you to your own life. In Reid’s capable hands, Hannah’s story becomes everyone’s story—a reminder that every ending is also a beginning, and every choice opens as many doors as it closes.
For anyone who has ever wondered “what if,” Maybe in Another Life provides both comfort and challenge: comfort in knowing that multiple paths to happiness exist, and challenge in choosing to fully embrace the path you’re on. Sometimes, that’s exactly the kind of hope we need.
