I have to say reading this book was a great way to end the week! I went into this book expecting a light summer beach read, but I got more than I bargained for. A refreshing, thought-provoking, and enjoyable read.
Do you believe in fate? What if your whole life, your happiness, your successes, your failures, your heartaches, your triumphs hinged on a single choice? Do you believe in the possibility that there is more than one version of yourself out there? One version of yourself goes toward point A and the other goes toward point B. Both points of your life go in different directions, but somehow everything is connected and life is just as it should be.
For Hannah Martin, her life is a mess. At 29, she has no real career to speak of. No major achievements in her life. Her parents and little sister, Sarah, have long since relocated to London. Hannah could have gone with them but chose to stay behind in Los Angeles to finish high school, living with her best friend, Gabby, and her parents. Gabby Hudson has been the one constant in her life. Gabby has been there for the good and the bad. Even when Hannah broke up with her high school boyfriend, Ethan. No matter what Hannah has done in her life, she has always thought about what could have been with Ethan. Would her life have been better if they were married with a family? Would her life have been worse? After college, Hannah has bounced from job to job and city to city. Now after a tumultuous affair with a married man, Hannah is returning to Los Angeles. She's returning to her roots in hopes of getting her life back on track.
To celebrate her return, Gabby and her husband, Mark, take Hannah for a night on the town. As luck or fate would have it they run into Ethan. All of the old feelings come rushing back. At the end of the evening, Hannah has to make a choice. Does she wander the streets of L.A. reminiscing with Ethan and potentially spend the night with him? Or does she go home with Gabby and Mark? Neither choice is without consequences. In alternating chapters, author Taylor Jenkins Reid explores both scenarios.
At first, I thought Hannah's decision not to go with Ethan was wrong. But as each chapter went along, I started to change my mind. If she and Ethan were meant to be together, life would have found a way to bring them together much sooner. Maybe she's meant to forge her own path and meet new people. Maybe Ethan is meant to forge his own path and meet new people. Maybe they are better off as friends. Then on the other hand, Hannah does go home with Ethan. They pick up where they left off, but a life-altering circumstance could derail their chance at happiness.
Which path is better for Hannah? There is no right or wrong answer here and I believe that's the whole point of the book. Both decisions come with good and bad outcomes. Whether one chooses point A or point B, life will always end up just as it should. After reading this book, I have to search through my piles of books for Taylor Jenkins Reid's first book, Forever Interrupted. I know I have it, but I have yet to read it. Clearly I missing out on very good author!
Rating: O.M.G.!!!
Note: I received an e-galley from the publisher (Atria) as part of a blog tour.
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