Insignificant Others by Sarah Jio Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Magical Realism
Published by HarperCollins on April 1, 2025
Also by this author: Always
Format: Audio/eBook (304 pages) • Source: Libby
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From New York Times bestselling author Sarah Jio comes a romantic, escapist novel following a young woman stuck in a time loop of one-day relationships with romantic partners from her past that asks, "what if you had a chance to say 'yes' to the one who got away?".
“An ingenious and heartfelt love story. I absolutely adored this novel!” —Emily Giffin, #1 New York Times bestselling author
Lena Westbrook, a perfectionist and workaholic, has carefully planned and orchestrated every detail of her life. So when her boyfriend of two years breaks up with her on the night she expects him to propose, she’s heartbroken and confused. Lena flees to her beloved aunt’s home on Seattle’s picturesque Bainbridge Island to lick her wounds but when she awakens the next morning, she is shocked to find herself in Paris—in bed with a handsome French man who seems to think that Lena is his wife.
From the elegant neighborhoods of Paris to the charming landscape of Kinsale, Ireland, to the sparkling skyline of New York City, and many other unexpected destinations in between, each time Lena awakens, she finds herself somewhere else with someone else. In each experience, she’s given a glimpse of what life might have looked like had she chosen the “road not taken.” And as she becomes more clear-sighted about her past decisions, Lena begins to wonder, were any of these former romantic encounters actually...significant?
Enchanting and surprising, Insignificant Others is a lively, heartfelt novel that explores the relatable and resonant “what ifs” of life, but most especially, love.
My reading slump is slowly getting busted by really addicting, fun reads! This was no exception. It’s been a long time since I was this engaged in a book/romance where I just wanted to keep reading. I added this to my TBR completely on a whim when I saw it involved my favorite topic – parallel/time loop/Groundhog Day kind of things, then requested both formats on Libby.
When Lena and her boyfriend break up instead of getting engaged, she heads back to visit her aunt off the coast of Seattle, falling asleep in her guest house. When she wakes up, she’s in Paris with a man claiming to be her husband. The next day, the same thing – new city, new husband. She recognizes all of these men from casual encounters at parties or on a train or from high school so she quickly realizes that this is a taste of what her life would be like if she had taken a different path or gone out on that date she declined.
I would say that this is a bit more on the literary side because the romance part is honestly kind of minimal despite what the plot may suggest. There wasn’t enough time to get to know each man or feel much chemistry, though some days were better than others. She learned a lesson from each dude and then moved on the next morning to the next person, trying to find a way back to her life.
The moral of the story was a little heavy-handed, especially because she would reflect on each guy and think about what was important to her in a future husband as a result. The writing was sometimes cringey, especially at the beginning, but I definitely got used to it as the book went on. I felt like it verged on having too many different lives/men and found myself wondering which guy was going to be “the one” in the end, assuming we got a true romance book ending.
Overall, this concept probably won’t work for everyone, especially those looking for a real romance novel, but I super enjoyed it. I love a parallel life, “what if?” kind of story so much.
The Measure by Nikki Erlick Genres: Adult, Literary Fiction, Magical Realism
Published by HarperCollins on June 28, 2022
Format: Audio/Physical (368 pages) • Source: Everand, Owned
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INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - The Read With Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick!
"A story of love and hope as interweaving characters display: how all moments, big and small, can measure a life. If you want joy, love, romance, and hope—read with us." —Jenna Bush Hager
A luminous, spirit-lifting blockbuster that asks: would you choose to find out the length of your life?
Eight ordinary people. One extraordinary choice.
It seems like any other day. You wake up, drink a cup of coffee, and head out.
But today, when you open your front door, waiting for you is a small wooden box. The contents of this mysterious box tells you the exact number of years you will live.
From suburban doorsteps to desert tents, every person on every continent receives the same box. In an instant, the world is thrust into a collective frenzy. Where did these boxes come from? What do they mean? Is there truth to what they promise?
As society comes together and pulls apart, everyone faces the same shocking choice: Do they wish to know how long they’ll live? And, if so, what will they do with that knowledge?
The Measure charts the dawn of this new world through an unforgettable cast of characters whose decisions and fates interweave with one another: best friends whose dreams are forever entwined, pen pals finding refuge in the unknown, a couple who thought they didn’t have to rush, a doctor who cannot save himself, and a politician whose box becomes the powder keg that ultimately changes everything.
Enchanting and deeply uplifting, The Measure is an ambitious, invigorating story about family, friendship, hope, and destiny that encourages us to live life to the fullest.
This book is super popular and well-regarded in the bookish community – I’ve been wanting to read it for a while but just never made space in my “schedule” or TBR. I was looking for a book from my physical TBR to read and was really following the mood reading vibes that have worked so far in May. This one just jumped out at me.
This reminds me of REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES in the sense that it’s a very quiet book – you don’t really feel the emotional punch as much as you’re reading, but by the end all of a sudden you feel everything. I don’t think a lot actually happens in this from a plot perspective and at first I thought there were too many characters. It got better and easier to read as it went on, but still not a lot of “action.” I feel like I struggle with literary fiction sometimes as a romance and mystery/thriller reader mostly. I expect twists and turns or surprises too much haha.
The concept is incredible and really makes you think about what you’d do or how the world would react – it feels realistic how it was portrayed here. Corrupt, gross politicians capitalizing on people’s fears and rising to power (of course), people breaking up because they don’t want to be with someone who will die sooner, etc. Just a lot to unpack and really think about!
I was expecting a five-star favorite and it almost got there but I think I expected a little more oomph or crying lol. The one or two twists at the end were things I had predicted but it still hit me like a ton of bricks when it happened.
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