It’s entirely possible that every time we make a decision, there is a version of us out there somewhere who made a different choice. An infinite number of versions of ourselves are living out the consequences of every single possibility in our lives. What I’m getting at here is that I know there may be universes out there where I made different choices that led me somewhere else, led me to someone else…And my heart breaks for every version of me that didn’t end up with you.” The second, and more important thing is the idea that even if destiny is a real thing and we choose to believe in fate, that does not excuse us from taking responsibility for our own actions. This part of the book spoke deeply to me, because it was a recognition that we all make mistakes, and maybe we’re meant to do so, but that that ownership of blame, responsibility and choice still matters. TJR makes it clear that this is the only way we can take hold of our own lives, whether we believe in destiny or not. It’s painful and sometimes not very nice to learn, but learning it and owning it is what makes us better adults, better humans, and better able to move forward with our lives.

Now Gabby grabs my hand for a moment and squeezes it, keeping her eye on the road. “I’m proud of you that you’re taking control of your life,” she says. “Just by getting on the plane this morning, you’re getting your life together.” Instead, I go to sleep soundly, believing I will do better tomorrow. Things will be better tomorrow. I’ll figure this all out tomorrow. We lost our virginity to each other a year and a half later. We were in his bedroom when his parents were out of town. He told me he loved me as I lay underneath him, and he kept asking if it was OK. Author Taylor Jenkins Reid based this idea on her love for the movie Sliding Doors. Unlike Sliding Doors Reid wanted this story to explore that there could be different decisions that lead you to different places and that maybe there really is not one person that is your soulmate. Maybe in Another Life is an examination on faith, choices, soulmates and that there are many ways that we can be happy.

Books Multibuys

The 1998 movie Sliding Doors (starring Gwyneth Paltrow) takes a similar premise as Maybe in Another Life, and examines how one woman’s life differs based on whether or not she catches a train. Watch the film as a group, and discuss how its portrayal of two possible outcomes for one woman’s life differs from Hannah’s story. Are the two projects making the same point or contrasting ones? I shrug, because it’s an impulse. It’s always my impulse to ignore the bad, to run toward the good. In Maybe in Another Life, our main character Hannah has kind of drifted through life, never really putting down roots or committing to anything in particular. The more you get to know her you discover that her parents moved to London when she was a teenager while she stayed in L.A. and lived with her best friend's family and, since then, she has been trying to discover where and what "home" is for her. While I can't say I've experienced this same feeling or agree with all the choices she made by the time we meet her, she is charming and caring and a completely sympathetic character. She's the kind of girl I would want in my corner if I really needed someone to be there for me, good or bad, and tell me the truth when no one else would.

Don’t be silly,” she says. “Live in my guest room until we’re both ninety years old, as far as I’m concerned.” She gives me a hug and heads to her room. “If you wake up before we do, feel free to start the coffee.” In 2022, it was confirmed Netflix would be adapting the novel into a feature film. A lot of readers are keen for Jessica Chastain to take on one of the roles and she has even said she’s on board with the idea. Related stories recommended by this writer:After I Do is Taylor Jenkins Reid’s second ever book and is her sixth highest rated book on Goodreads. Taylor described this book as a “love story about what happens when the love fades” and tells the story of a couple “caught up in an old game – and searching for a new road to happily ever after.”