I’ve written before about how much I hate rom-coms and their recycled plot lines, but for some reason, when they come in the form of young adult novels, I’m all for it.
So call me a hypocrite, but “Maybe in Another Life” by Taylor Jenkins Reid is one of the best rom-coms I’ve ever read.
Twenty-nine-year-old Hannah Martin sets out on a mission to get her life together after breaking up a marriage and labeling herself as somewhat of a failure, wondering if everything truly happens for a reason. She leaves New York to return to California — the closest thing to home after trying to find purpose in several states — and moves in with her now-married best friend, Gabby.
Not long after she arrives in L.A., Gabby organizes a night out with new and old friends at a local bar to celebrate Hannah’s homecoming.
Throughout the night, Hannah’s eyes follow her high school ex-boyfriend, Ethan. She’s unsure about starting up their former relationship again but enjoys herself regardless.
Hannah steps outside for fresh air before Ethan decides to do the same. The two talk briefly until Gabby and her husband, Mark, make their exit. When Gabby asks Hannah if she’s ready to head home, Ethan offers to stay back with Hannah.
Conflicted with which option to choose, Hannah, who can’t decide what her favorite movie or color is, wavers.
From this point, the effects of each decision play out in two concurrent storylines. She encounters love and friendship as well as pain and suffering in both scenarios, which is as indulging as it is nerve-wracking.
Hannah’s a true free-spirit. She lives a life of simplicity with a top bun practically glued to her head and a cinnamon roll almost always in hand. She’s witty, straight-forward and caring. This perspective shares an entertaining, relatable tale of a modern woman in a fast-paced world.
Reid’s writing encourages readers to reflect with Hannah at times. She includes this thought toward the end of the novel, digging into Hannah’s realization that “Fate or not, our lives are still the result of our choices. I’m starting to think that when we don’t own them, we don’t own ourselves.”
Taylor Wiley is a 20-year-old mass communication junior from Gonzales, Louisiana.