Parallel by Lauren Miller

 

Blurb from Goodreads
Abby Barnes had a plan. The Plan. She'd go to Northwestern, major in journalism, and land a job at a national newspaper, all before she turned twenty-two. But one tiny choice—taking a drama class her senior year of high school—changed all that. Now, on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, Abby is stuck on a Hollywood movie set, miles from where she wants to be, wishing she could rewind her life. The next morning, she's in a dorm room at Yale, with no memory of how she got there. Overnight, it's as if her past has been rewritten.

With the help of Caitlin, her science-savvy BFF, Abby discovers that this new reality is the result of a cosmic collision of parallel universes that has Abby living an alternate version of her life. And not only that: Abby's life changes every time her parallel self makes a new choice. Meanwhile, her parallel is living out Abby's senior year of high school and falling for someone Abby's never even met.

As she struggles to navigate her ever-shifting existence, forced to live out the consequences of a path she didn't choose, Abby must let go of the Plan and learn to focus on the present, without losing sight of who she is, the boy who might just be her soul mate, and the destiny that's finally within reach.

4/5 stars
This was so much fun to read. Imagine the possibilities if just one little thing is different in your life. I would like to think that I would have ended up with my husband regardless of where our lives would have taken us. Abby doesn't have to imagine, she knows exactly what her life would be like if fate had dealt her a different hand. I thought the shifts in "reality" were believable, and I love how the ending brought them all together. Of course, I was routing for one particular guy all along so I am happy that things worked out that way. Fate is a fickle thing. I loved Dr. Mann and thought that his insights were funny and spot on. He said that circumstances change in our lives, but our destinies remain the same. I like that.

Just the other day, I was thinking of getting older and how I haven't really done big things with my life. But then I realized that I am content making baby splashes in the pool of life. I think Abby comes to that realization as well. I may not be President of the US or a relief worker in an urban area, but I do impact those around me even if it is giving someone a smile on a day that they really needed it. This book does a great job of exploring how we live and the impact that we can make. One little decision can make all the difference. We may not even know what the difference is, but our choices define us, and fate guides us. So who cares if I don't have an expensive car, I am living the life that I am meant to live.

I actually found this book to not only be a fun read, but also a thought provoking one. With implications around every corner, we get to see how Abby's reality is shaped by her choices. That's true for all of us, I believe.

There was no sex with the main characters, but there was an allusion to a hook-up from some minor characters.  A couple of swear words, but no f-bombs.