Yet another new Author discovery for me, Fiona Harper, and boy of boy what a gem! The Other Us is akin to the theme of the movie Sliding Doors. If you had the chance to go back and change your life’s path would you? Knowing that everything you knew and had lived would change and even may not exist.

With a lovely set of characters, Fiona makes the reader care about Maggie almost from the first page, we can relate to her issues, the mundane everyday slump that can happen in most marriages. When life becomes set in a routine and we forget that like all things, marriage does take work. Whether it be day one or day one thousand, communicating and caring, have to take priority.

Fiona Harper makes so many important, thought provoking situations in The Other Us, That I had to stop and think about my life and how and what I would do if I were in them. At first, you think yes that would be super, I could make right all my bad choices. But then you see clearly that x wouldn’t happen if B hadn’t happened and then you wouldn’t have a b c in your life. So on and so fourth. So maybe all the crappy moments, make us who we are and we are destined to go down a certain path.

This will be my first of many of Ms. Harpers novels, it was funny, emotional and extremely absorbing. One of those books, that you stop reading and put on the nightstand and then for 10 – 20 mins you are sitting thinking about it the book and dissecting the characters choices. That was me and it was thoroughly enjoyable.

I really enjoyed this unusual read. Reminiscent of films like Sliding Doors, it tells the story of Maggie, a mid 40s wife and mum who is thoroughly disillusioned with her life. A snap decision to attend a college reunion where she knows she will see her 'one that got away' unlocks two alternative timelines exploring the 'what if' that most people occasionally wonder.
It's a beautifully written book which explores the mundanity of both sides of her two lives. There aren't really any dramatic plot twists, instead we accompany Maggie on her complex journey to find peace, in whichever life she ends up in.

As a fan of time travel and alternate reality type movies/TV programmes, I was really looking forward to this book. Sliding Doors and When Peggy Sue Got Married were some of my go to movies years ago so I was interested to see how the author brought her story across.

I found myself instantly drawn into the story. Maggie is at a time in her life where she feels she should have made better choices when she was younger. She didn't dream that she would be thrown back there overnight in an attempt to try and make those choices again.

Ask yourself this, is there a time in your life where you know you made a wrong choice? Would you really want to go back and change something to try and make the eventual outcome different? I know I would change more than one thing in my past. But what if by changing something you didn't actually make it better? What if the choices you make, regardless of the order you make them in, still point toward the same final outcome? Would you still want to change things then?

This story answers all of those questions and more. I loved the fact that Maggie finds herself jumping back and forth between time zones, having to figure out what has gone on while she has been 'absent'. It means that we, the reader, get to see how each time she finds her way back to the different realities she is living things have changed. Or have they?

This is a well written story which I was instantly drawn into. I recommend this to fans of the films I mentioned, and those who like stories of second chances.

A roller coaster of an experience as Maggie tries to find the life she truly belongs in, I think this story is definitely worth a read.
Maggie's journey of character development as she finds the best version of herself is truly eye-opening. I always love a good time travelling story, and this one was perfectly authentic.
With no flaws to comment on, if you're reading this I recommend!

I am a sucker for a good romance and I loved this book. The author nailed the ‘second chance’ trope but also executed the alternate timelines so eloquently. The characters that I became quite attached to by the end of the book were funny yet relatable. It was very eye-opening to see Maggie mature and amusing to see her try to navigate this unique situation.

This was a great light-hearted read, perfect to get you out of a slump!

“It was never about who I loved. It was always about how I loved. That’s what made the difference.” What a fun, summer read! Romantic, iconic allusions to the 90’s, and a great reminder that we should never lose ourselves in a relationship if it’s a good one :) It’s a fun time-travel read to explore what would happen if Maggie chose a different path in college. I would give it a 4.5, overall. I adored the characters and found Jude to be a lot like Jay Gatsby & Dan reminded me of Pacey from Dawson’s creek. “I had to see different sides of myself before I knew who I really was, what I really wanted.”

I didn't think I would like this as much as I did! Such an easy read which I flew through. It made me feel so many different emotions. I liked the lessons the main character learnt and loved the way it ended.

Book reviews on www.snazzybooks.com

This is a book that really makes you think about life's 'what if' moments, and though it's not something I think about a lot, The Other Us did make me think that, if one thing changed in your life, things could be so different - but would they be any better?

The Other Us is an enjoyable, sweet and, at times, poignant read which follows some great characters. It centers around Maggie and shows her complex relationships with Dan, Jude, Becca and others as she navigates life, relationships, family and kids, careers... all whilst wondering what if? Maggie isn't really happy at the start of the novel, and always wonders how things would be if she had ended up with 'the one that got away', Jude. When she begins to experience an alternative reality in which she had got together with Jude, it shows her how happy she could have been - and also how some elements in her life also change as a result.

The themes in this novel aren't just about Maggie's marriage/ relationship but covers her friendship with Becca, her choice of career, whether she has children... it's a great novel for making you, along with Maggie, wonder whether she's really 'messed up' her current life or not. The story itself is fairly light-hearted and fun, though at the beginning I did find it quite upsetting, if I imagined being in the same situation myself. There are parts which are quite predictable but I think you often expect that with novels in this genre and it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story. The different timelines really drew me in - I love novels that do this (as long as it's done well, of course!), and it wasn't too confusing to follow.

I found Katie Scarfe to be a great narrator for this; her voice didn't get on my nerves (I sometimes find audiobook narrators' voices can grate!) and she presented the story really well. I'd definitely recommend The Other Us in both a readable or narrated format - it was enjoyable and really kept my attention throughout!