Submitted By: Raya Thompson
Profession/Background: Event Planner, Dreamer, and Perpetual Overthinker
Book Title: Maybe in Another Life
Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Before reading the Book:
Before I stumbled upon “Maybe in Another Life“, I was at a weird crossroads in life—one of those strange in-between seasons where you’re doing all the “right” things, but none of them feel right. I had recently turned 30, broken off an engagement I convinced myself was “good enough,” and moved back to my parents’ house to get my bearings.
Everyone around me seemed so sure of their path. Marriages. Promotions. Babies. Mortgages. Meanwhile, I was sitting in my childhood bedroom surrounded by fairy lights, wondering if I had completely missed the boat. I kept thinking, “What if I had taken that job in New York? What if I hadn’t broken up with Ben in college? What if I had said yes instead of no?”
Regret had started to feel like a second skin. I was constantly haunted by the choices I didn’t make.
Discovering the Book That Changed Everything:
It was a rainy Sunday afternoon—the kind that demands warm socks and a hot cup of tea. I wandered into a local bookstore, more for comfort than to actually buy anything. I was aimlessly thumbing through titles when “Maybe in Another Life” caught my eye. The cover was simple, but the title? It felt like it was asking me a question I hadn’t been able to answer myself.
Without reading the synopsis, I bought the book and headed home. Something about it felt personal—like it knew me before I knew it.
That night, I started reading. And I didn’t stop until 3 a.m.
After the Book:
This book didn’t just entertain me; it found me. It was like Taylor Jenkins Reid cracked open my brain and heart and spilled the contents onto the pages.
The story follows Hannah, a 29-year-old woman who, like me, is feeling lost and untethered. After moving back to her hometown of Los Angeles, she’s faced with a seemingly small decision: whether or not to go home with her old flame, Ethan. From there, the book splits into two parallel timelines, showing how her life unfolds based on each choice.
It blew my mind.
Every chapter made me think about how delicate our lives really are—how one choice, one moment, one conversation can pivot us in a totally new direction. But more than that, it made me realize something I hadn’t dared to believe: that maybe there’s no right path. Maybe every version of our life has beauty, heartbreak, and purpose.
The Transformation:
After finishing the book, I started to view my past differently. I used to carry my regrets like stones in my backpack, heavy and ever-present. But “Maybe in Another Life” helped me realize that for every “what if,” there’s a possibility that things would have been just as complicated or even worse.
It didn’t erase my pain or doubts, but it gave me perspective. I stopped obsessing over whether I’d missed the “right” path and started thinking about how to make the current one meaningful.
I also started journaling—something I hadn’t done since high school. I began writing letters to the other versions of myself: the one who stayed with her ex, the one who moved to London, the one who never quit that corporate job. I gave them each permission to exist in their own parallel universe while choosing to be fully present in the one I was living.
It’s not that I suddenly figured everything out. But I became softer with myself. Kinder. I stopped beating myself up for things I couldn’t change and started celebrating the fact that I still had choices to make.
My Favorite Line & How It Helps Me Every Day:
“Life is long and full of an infinite number of decisions. And I have to believe that, no matter what, the road I’m on can lead me to somewhere good.”
I wrote this quote on a sticky note and put it on my bathroom mirror. Every morning, I see it when I brush my teeth. It reminds me that no single moment defines the entirety of my life. If something doesn’t work out, there’s still more road ahead. I’m still becoming. I’m still allowed to pivot, restart, explore.
It keeps me grounded and open-hearted, especially on the days when the uncertainty creeps back in.
To Anyone Considering This Book:
Read it. Not just for the love story (which is beautiful), and not just for the clever structure (which is brilliant), but for the way it holds a mirror up to your soul and whispers, “It’s okay not to have it all figured out.”
If you’re someone who lies awake wondering if you made the wrong choices… if you carry regrets like silent baggage… if you’re at a fork in the road or just feeling lost—this book will speak to you.
It won’t give you all the answers, but it will remind you that no matter which road you take, you have the power to create a life worth living. And sometimes, that’s exactly what we need to hear.