I really enjoyed this book. I got an Advanced Reader's Copy through NetGalley, choosing this one because I thought the cover was catching and the story sounded interesting. It was reminiscent of The Midnight Library, however the female main character Lena, didn't get to choose where she'd wake up next. Each 'adventure' only lasted one day giving her a glimpse into a day in the life with different men from her past. All those times we ask ourselves 'What if?, Lena got to actually see what if she'd ended up with that person instead.

I didn't know how many different stories we were going to get, but I did think the ending was pretty obvious, but not in a bad way. It was a great cozy little read, and adds to my list of reasons Seattle is on my bucket list of places to go someday!

Overall, I enjoyed this book and found the concept of revisiting past relationships intriguing. What didn’t click for me was how easily she adapted to each new “life” without having much background. I also found it to be a bit repetitive and kept hoping I would *finally* get to the last new life so I could learn more about that person. That said, it was a good read and it made me think about people I’ve encountered in the past.

Sliding Doors vibes but make it Sara Jio, who has written a few of my favorite reads. Lena is a control freak who relies on stability and the known. After her heart is broke, she runs away - only to keep waking up each day in a new location, married to a different former ex. This is a story of not only the what if’s we all have about our past, but it’s also a story of learning to let go, to let the unknown guide you sometimes.
Wonderful new Jio release!

Thank you to Harper Collins’ imprint for the digital ARC.

I really loved that this book is unique and it was a fresh idea. I enjoyed the creativity and it was well-written. I also feel that it is an easy read and it could attract readers who may want to pick up something light and fun (perhaps for a beach day or plane ride!).

It gave a fun romcom vibe as the POV of the main character was quite comical. She started as a career woman seeking love and desiring marriage. She was given a crystal with magical elements that allowed her to wake up every day married to many of the guys she tried to go on a date with in the past. It made for some funny moments! Who wouldn’t want a preview of how marriage would look like with different people? It sure could help a person pick the right one!

The character starts as a busy career woman who doesn’t want kids. But she has a character arch later on and in one marriage, she has a step kid that she adores. And then in another marriage, she had a kid whom she really loved. She seemed to change and it was nice to see her character arch change. She also got to travel all over the world through her different marriages and that was fun to read. She “married” so many different types of men and it was interesting that the author wrote her in different careers with each husband—which makes sense. I imagine the person you marry (and the location in which you live) would greatly affect all aspects of your life including your career.

She eventually does decide on one guy after all her days married to different guys.

Overall, I recommend the book for people who like romcom books. I do see this being a script and being made for a film. I saw the author has some CAA agents so perhaps that could happen in the future! I think it would translate to a script really well with the way it is written and I think it would fit in with audiences who have enjoyed Sex and the City and 13 Going on 30 among others.

Here is my TikTok/booktok video review:
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8JANj4b/

Thanks!

Lena is a very goal oriented and ambitious women. She approaches everything in her life , whether it is her career or finding a romantic partner with the same methodical precision. When her long term boyfriend breaks up with her, it sends her into a tailspin. She returns home and becomes stuck in a bizarre alternative reality time loop situation. Every morning she wakes up with a new husband and gets to experience a different life if she had made a different choice in the past.
It’s an interesting read. I enjoyed the book and plot line.

A fascinating story about the various crossroads of our lives, lost loves and all the what-ifs. Our protagonist Lena went on a wild ride through her past lost loves and missed connections, but it was an important journey of self-discovery as well. If you're into magical realism, missed connections and time loop type tales, Insignificant Others will work for you! 3.75 stars!

I was captivated with the plot to this story but by the 11th alternate reality I had enough and could not finish the book. Less alternates, more character development would make this a great book.
Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the privilege of reading this book before its release.

After breaking up with her boyfriend, Lena travels back home and becomes stuck in a time loop-situation. Every morning, she wakes up in a different version of her life with a different partner. She gets to see where life takes her in all these different versions of time and who she ends up with (for better or worse).
I really enjoyed this book. It's a very entertaining premise, funny and emotional, and more complex than I expected. The self-reflection that Lena goes through along this journey felt pretty beautiful. I also really appreciated how complicated many of Lena's relationships were and the deep connection she makes with some of her lives. I was fully immersed in the story and her journey, and think other readers would find it an enjoyable, low stakes read as well!

"Insignificant Others" by Sarah Jio is an enchanting and imaginative novel that swept me off my feet. Lena's journey through a series of time-looping relationships is a beautifully woven tale of love, choices, and second chances. Jio masterfully blends romance with thought-provoking "what ifs," transporting readers to stunning locations across the globe. Each chapter left me eagerly anticipating the next twist in Lena's story. It's a perfect blend of heart and adventure, making it a must-read for anyone who has ever wondered about the road not taken.

I love Sarah Jio books! A fresh premise that will warm your heart and maybe even make you stop and smell the roses! I wish it was longer and continued the story!!

Definitely preorder this one. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This was a pretty fun rom com that I enjoyed due to the different and interesting premise. Reading about Lena going through all these alternate realities with different men was funny. The book's theme of enjoying the moment and finding who you are is prominent, I thought.

Thanks to HarperCollins and NetGalley for this arc. Insignificant others is a Groundhog Day style romcom story about a woman struggling to find herself post-breakup. She has to navigate tough relationships from her past and learns about the value of being present in love and about what she appreciates in partners & friends. This was fun in a Hallmark-style way. I think it would’ve been excellent with fewer, but longer, repeat days. Some of them felt a little underdeveloped to me, but most were great. Solid choice for a beach read kind of vibe!

Insignificant others arc review I received the advance reader copy though net galley. I was so excited to read this one it was so magnificent and interesting concept. What if you had to chance to see how each relationship or interaction with the men in your life would work out. That is the case for Lena after breaking up with her boyfriend who she thought would propose to her. She returned home to Seattle to deal with this and her feelings of what if she chose a different road. Until she gets to find out what if . She wakes up Married to a French man in Paris. She realize he was date that didn’t work out years ago or did it . She the realize every day she wakes up with a different man from her past, whether it be a miss connection or change meeting she get to see how Life plays out from a farmer wife in Pennsylvania or a Irish man in Ireland or a businessman or different walk of life and different circumstances. While dealing with the knowledge of what might have been she have decided what choice to make and hopefully get back home to find her right path in life. Will she figure it out you have wait to see. This was fun fast paced read i enjoyed this novel it was a great idea. I love the magical realism aspect. It was a great way to show what life could be like if we chose one road or the next and we never really know what going to happen we just have to hope for the best. I highly suggest you check this one out it was a lot of fun journey to take.

Lena, struggling to move on from a difficult breakup, decides to spend a weekend at her Aunt’s house in hopes of finding some peace. But when she wakes up the next morning, she's startled to find herself in bed with a man who claims to be her husband, living a life she has no memory of. The situation grows even stranger when, every day, she awakens to a new husband and an entirely different life, each one more unfamiliar than the last.

As Lena navigates this bewildering series of alternate realities, she begins to confront the rigid expectations she’s held about love and what makes the perfect partner. It dawns on her that her uncompromising standards may have been the very thing keeping her from experiencing genuine happiness. This journey through multiple lives forces her to reevaluate what truly matters in a relationship and what she really wants from life.

While I found the book enjoyable and thought-provoking, I couldn’t help but wish for a deeper exploration of Lena’s life once she returns to the present. Seeing how these surreal experiences influenced her choices moving forward would have added an extra layer of depth to the story. My thanks go to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a review copy of this intriguing novel.

When Lena wakes up next to a man she doesn’t recognize, it isn’t after a bad one night stand. No, something is going on—every time she goes to sleep she wakes up next to a different man, and in a completely different life, with only faint memories of their past together.

So what is happening to the protagonist in Sarah Jio’s Insignificant Others, is she stuck in bizarre marriage meta-verse that she can’t escape? Or is this getting her closer to a future she could only imagine?

Insignificant Others is a cute, whimsical story about finding who’s decidedly wrong for you, and, ultimately, finding yourself. The book is upbeat, enjoyable, and a quick, easy read. I recommend it if you’re looking for a ‘finding the right one’ type story or just something light and fun to read.

I received this free advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and feedback.

I'll start out by saying I LOVED this book. I devoured it in 2 days. That said, I browsed some other reviews and can see why this book may not be for everyone.

Quick summary - think Groundhog Day... but not exactly. To me, this was more in the vein of "The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano," or "The Midnight Library" but not quite as literary. (Which doesn't have to be a bad thing.) It's an exploration of how the small choices we make can change the course of our lives, an exhortation to not follow the pre-determined path, but to brave and consider what makes us happy, what does life look like if we think outside the box or follow a path that is more than check boxes.

Some other reviewers have mentioned they dislike the main character. I could see this. She is rather self-centered. I would argue that she grows and changes throughout the book. There is a hypocritical moment where she criticizes one of her romantic partners - (possible spoiler, skip if you don't want specific details, go down to the next paragraph).... she meets one person twice. In one version they end up together, in another version he ends up with someone else. His priorities are different and she is disappointed in him and how he is blown about like the wind... when, in reality, she is the same across the different timelines she inhabits.

That said, I loved all the different realities, the exploration of not only the different men but the different careers and families and paths. If you also love exploring the "what if" of the path not taken, I would recommend. Again, not a heavy exploration. The book shares copyright with a screenplay author, and there is a cinematic feel to the book. It would adapt easily to the screen. This is a shallow dip into each life, not a long exploration.

Insignificant Others is a Groundhog Day of romance showing the main character what her life would have been like if she had married different men she had met throughout her life. The concept is great and the author is skilled at building characters. The FMC in particular was flawed in a way that was both incredibly frustrating and real. Some of the most interesting aspects of the books were sadly the things that were the least developed. The main character, for example, seemed to be a completely different person in each setting, including key goals and feelings. Is the because she's completely different in each reality or is she that totally influenced by the men she stays with? If it's the latter, what does that say about her sense of self? By completely ignoring this insight into the character and instead making her simply exist in the different worlds the ending feels hollow.

Pros:
Magical Surrealism
Variety of Settings
Characterizations

Cons:
Fatphobic
Way too many title drops within in the story
Romance not developed, which would be fine except this is also marketed as a romance

CW: miscarriage/loss of child, emotional abuse, cheating (by the MFC but in past/off page)

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC in an exchange for an honest review.

PUB DATE: March 31, 2025

Thank you again to NetGalley for the ARC of this novel!

Overall, I enjoyed this book and the multiple ways that the story veered off as the FMC experienced different “lives” everyday. Having a story about someone who puts everything in order in their life, only to find that it’s not what they want at all, is always a huge sense of comfort. The story reminds us that one small decision can change our lives, but also— what we think we want isn’t always what’s best for us.

The drastically different storylines made this novel unique, but slightly hard to follow. I lost a sense of Lena’s character when she woke up to some of her alternate lives, struggling to find the parts of her that would’ve gotten her where she landed.

Overall, I truly enjoyed the creativity of each chapter and the messages that it held.

Sarah Jio is one of my all time favorite authors so I was super excited to get an ARC of this book. This book has all the feels. It makes you realize that life isn't perfect but you need to savour the little moments. The settings and sentiment of this book is perfect. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Imagine waking up everyday married to a different man from your past. A single day to live the “what if” of all the men that got away.

When workaholic Lena is dumped on the same night she thought she’d be getting engaged, she flees to visit her Aunt on Bainbridge Island. That night she falls asleep in the guesthouse, but the next morning she wakes up in Paris next to a man who is calling her his wife.

For the next 11 days Lena wakes up in a different place, with a different man in this groundhog day-ish magical realism novel.

I love a good time hop magical realism story and was pretty excited about this one. Unfortunately this fell flat for me. I love the concept and was really looking forward to a book with a little magic and a lot of self-exploration.

It delivered on the magic and pretty much nothing else. I found the FMC to be insufferable, a cardboard cutout of “perfectionist city girl” with a major lack of likable traits. Given the nature of the plot I expected to dislike the FMC at the beginning of book and then fall in love with her - that did not happen. I disliked her throughout the entire book and found her self-discovery journey to be more of a journey of what kind of guy she is into.

I am also very confused how some of these “what-if” husbands qualify as “romantic partners” - half of them were random guys she met one time…

Overall I couldn’t see the point of this book. Maybe I’m asking too much but I would have really liked a little character development.

This felt like a women’s fiction novel that would have been popular in the early 2000s, not a book published in 2024.

3⭐️ because it wasn’t horrid and the writing was decent, I was just bored and it lacked substance.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for sending this book (eARC) for review consideration. All opinions are my own.