Definitely reads as a YA. I thought the idea behind it was cute. I didn't find myself interested in the book as I started reading. I did read the first 20%, and if it continues as it did then solid 4 stars for high schoolers.

I absolutely adore Sliding Doors premises, so WHERE IT ALL LANDS by Jennie Wexler has been high on my to-read list all year. And it delivered 100 percent!

Stevie Rosenstein has just moved to another new town, and on her first day at band practice, she meets--and intrigues--best friends Drew and Shane. They both want to ask her out, and since they solve all arguments by tossing a coin, that's what they do. Heads: Drew asks her out. Tails: Shane asks her out.

Yes, it's awful for the boys to leave such a thing up to a coin toss, but it's a device for the story to flip. As readers, we get to see how life would play out either way, and Jennie Wexler does such an amazing job showing how the trajectories of these different relationships affect each character, and also how those ripples affect other relationships in their lives. I was completely riveted and, of course, had serious opinions about whether Stevie should be with Drew or Shane from very early on in the book. But the thing was, the stories were so well developed that there were some aspects that could only happen with one thread, and that just made it all the more difficult.

This book is plotting and character genius, and I will definitely read it again just to see how it's all done. It's also just a thoroughly enjoyable story of first love, friendship, and working through hard family stuff too. It's so good, and I will definitely be adding it to my permanent collection!

This was a cute story with an interesting plot. You can definitely tell it was written for a younger audience, since instant love, for me, usually a teen concept, which was very apparent in the story. I loved the Characters, especially the relationship between Drew and Shane. I also liked the concept of the parallel story lines, I did get confused a couple times forgetting which story I was reading, but overall it was okay. The ending was not my favorite but I could see where the author was going with it, my preference is for the ending to be complete and not leaving me wonder. That’s just my preference though.

This was a thoughtful, moving YA take on a Sliding Doors story—I understood and rooted for every character, and my heart swelled with emotions as I finished each new chapter. Innovative, masterful, and big-hearted!

Story consists of two separate time lines. The first part of the book is Drew winning the coin toss to ask the new girl, Stevie, out. Part two is if it came up tails and Shane won the chance. Interesting way to present the story which is basically the same plot, activities much the same but from a different point of view of the boys. Didn't care for part 3 where every other chapter changes from the Heads POV to the Tails POV. Each telling the story of the boys being in a car accident with different outcomes. Lesson learned, you have choices but you still don't have control over life. Live it!

3.5 I really wanted to like this book but it just didn't work for me. I got invested in the characters but when i reached the midway point, i didn't want to read the same but different story again. It was a good concept but just didn't work for me

I had to DNF this at 34% and thus my review is based on what I read.

Shane and Drew have been best friends since childhood and they both have respective daddy issues and they are struggling with it to date. They both fall for the same girl, Stevie, who is new to the school and also happens to have daddy issues as well! The best friends don't want to be at odds at one another just for the sake of 'girl' as they put it, so they decide to toss a coin that would ultimately seal their faith.

Now, as I mentioned above, I did not finish this book. However, I did get a chance to look at the chapters and from what I could make out of it, there were two stories, with two possible outcomes, which may or may not be the same. I have read books with similar structuring, so I sort of was keen to see where it headed. But alas, it never saw the light of the day.

So, first things first, this book has a MAJOR INSTA-LOVE trope, a trope that I particularly do not enjoy as much as others because it often feels very unreal if not forced. In here, both these guys fall for the girl literally a minute after they met her! Oh! I know all about love at first sights but this was anything but that. It felt very odd, forced and somewhat extremely silly to have both boys want literally the exact same girl at the exact same time without even making an effort to get to know her. And Stevie, mind you, is no different. She has also sort of fallen for one of the two based on which version you are reading.

Coming to the daddy issues. I am not surprised to see that the thread that connected all these characters were their dads because honestly, in today's world, having a dad who is compassionate, understanding, kind, respectful and sensitive whilst being protective is RARE TO FIND in most homes. So, I genuinely appreciated that aspect and I wish I read the full story to figure out what happened but Nah, I'd pass.

Shane and Drew are really close and I am in for a good bromance, something that is again, hard to find in the YA genre. And much like all bromances, the bros can have certain unsaid issues with one another. The case here is also similar. However, that wasn't the issue. The problem was these two people who apparently knew each other all their lives and have been there for one another would simply go to look over their bond was not appreciated. I mean, I know such things happen. I know what jealousy or resentments from the past can do, however, the build-up was so so so quickly that it all felt so flat.

And that's pretty much it, the build-up was just too fast. The pacing was too fast. The characters were behaving as if they were operating at 2X speed.

I wish the author genuinely spent time exploring these characters in depth. I feel that this was, like so many books that I have read recently, a book that had a lot of potentials but it all went in vain.

I love dual/concurrent timeline books so this one intrigued me. Here are my pros and cons Where It All Lands:

Pros
1. I think it is very interesting to explore how our lives could change if a single, inconsequential decision or event had been different. What if I hadn’t gone to the store that day? What if I hadn’t ignored that voice mail? What if I had walked into the library 5 minutes earlier? What if I had gotten into that first taxi instead of the second? These are such small events and trivial choices, and we can likely never know how our lives might have changed if they had been different… but it is fascinating to read about the what ifs in a book.
2. It is also interesting to consider the concept that maybe we don’t actually have as much control over our lives as we think we do.
3. I loved the musical aspect of this story, including all of the references to songs and artists. A lot of the music referenced was from my youth, so it was fun to read.
4. Stevie moved and changed schools a lot because of her Dad’s job. I appreciated that the story explored the psychological impacts of that, particularly with regard to maintaining connections with people.
5. Shane was my favorite character. He isn’t the “typical” love interest guy and I really felt like I got to know him.

Cons
1. Dual timelines always suffer from repetitiveness, but for some reason this one felt particularly repetitive to me. I did find myself losing interest from time to time.
2. Ugh… insta-love and in multiple directions! I am not a fan of that trope.
3. I didn’t buy the angst over the coin flip. I honestly don’t understand what the big deal was, and the manufactured controversy felt forced and unrealistic to me. I wish the coin flip hadn’t even been part of the story.
4. The ending is ambiguous. I don’t always mind open endings, but in this case it bothered me. After investing so much time in both scenarios, particularly considering how one of the timelines ends, I wanted a solid ending regarding what really happened and I didn’t get it.

Summary
I really anticipated enjoying this book more than I did. I’m sad about that actually, because I love the dual timeline concept. But in the end, I think I needed more depth to the story. I wanted to know more about what changed in Stevie, Shane, and Drew’s lives due to the result of the coin flip, rather than just who was dating whom and an ambiguous ending.

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for a free eARC of this book, which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Where It All Lands is being marketed as a "Sliding Doors-esque" YA romance. I love Sliding Doors, so for me, it's great marketing. While the comparison is apt, the execution of this story didn't really work for me.

The story was basically written in two parts. A coin toss between two best friends determines who will step aside and let the other ask the new girl out. A girl they're both attracted to. The first half of the book was based on one outcome of the coin toss, with the second half, the other. There were also a number of chapters towards the end that go back and forth between both outcomes of the coin toss. Personally, I didn't like the way the story was divided in halves. I was at 50% on my Kindle when Drew's side of the story wrapped up, only to realize that the book jumped right back to the beginning for Shane's POV, when both boys met Stevie for the first time. Of course, in sharing the opposite outcome of the coin toss, there would be differences. Yet, I felt exasperated at the idea of reading from the beginning again, as well as encountering inevitable redundancies.

While I think the coin toss was a creative impetus for the what-if, "Sliding Doors" scenario, I felt it was too weak to be a continuous point of conflict in the story. It became repetitive and exhausting how often Shane brought it up. I also couldn't grasp why it was such a big deal. Two young guys toss a coin, instead of letting their mutual attraction to one girl come between them. The outcome wouldn't have been any different had one of them simply stepped aside willingly. Besides, the ultimate choice was never because of a coin toss. The choice to say yes or no was always in Stevie's hands. Also, I really liked Shane in the first half of the story, but his characterization in the second half felt completely different and I didn't care for him as much. The remaining characters felt consistent throughout.

In the end, a great idea, but I didn’t care for the redundancies and overall execution.

I liked the idea of going back in time and seeing how changing one small thing changes everything, and I also like how the book managed to not be repetitive at all. I didn’t like that it was about musicians and they don’t talk like musicians, rather like fans of music. The wording gets really strange when they start talking about playing instruments. Overall, it was just okay. I think it would be good for fans of Sarah Dessen who can’t find anything else to read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC copy. I really enjoyed this book. It was coll how the author used a coin toss to partner two sides of the story together. Great writing and believable characters.

Wexler's novel is all about testing the odds. There's a Sliding Doors-adjacent story taking place as we see how one fateful day can change everything. We get to see each logical iteration and how the odds of success change. It helped that each chapter was told from a different point of view, helping the reader see how the small things that can shift on a given day can lead to much bigger changes. While the story has its interesting points, this type of story has been done before and to a stronger effect.

Drew, a popular boy at school, and Shane, a quieter and a music prodigy, have been best friends for years. Stevie, the new girl in school, has trouble connecting with friends due to consent moving high schools due to her father’s coaching career. But she meets up with the two boys and they all connect over their love of music.

Both of the boys find themselves crushing on Stevie, and instead of fighting over her and ruining their friendship, they allow fate to make the decision on who will date her…by flipping a coin.

The story is told in a parallel timeline, almost like two stories with Stevie possibly dating each boy. Stevie and her relationship with Drew in the first half of the book and Shane in the second half. It plays out showing us that just one change can alter things tremendously. Seeing both sides of the story was interesting and kept you reading, the characters felt real and their emotions played well into the story.

The one thing I really disliked about the story was the instalove of the boys and Stevie. I really feel a relationship should grow, but this did not happen here. One of my favorite things about the book was the music of course, which plays a big part in the story.

There were triggering points in the book…infidelity, divorce, death of a character, etc. so if those bother you, take heed, they are in the story.

Where It All Lands is Jennie Wexler’s debut book and will certainly make you think. It is about first love, second chances, and friendship. If you take anything from this story, let it be that the choices we make matter in so many lives, so make good ones.

This book was a different kind of read for me! I haven't read a dual storyline book in a long time.

Drew and Shane have been best friends since they were young and when Stevie moves into town they have to make a decision - who gets to ask her out? They decide to flip a coin which results in being told the story from both Drew winning the coin toss and Shane winning the coin toss.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading both storylines and the ending was beautiful. I recommend this book to any music nerd as well because there are a lot of mentions of Springsteen, Grateful Dead and Pearl Jam.

This book was not a good fit for me. I'm incredibly picking about contemporary novels and then even more so when it's a contemporary romance. So take my rating with a grain of salt as I'm not a typical reader of this genre.

I knew that the premise revolved around a coin toss, but I still didn't love how two dudes, minutes after meeting a girl, decide she is a prize to win with a coin toss. The author, through the characters' dialogue, even notes that Steve isn't a prize and that it's gross to treat her like one. And yet... they still do the coin toss. Go figure.

Then, early on in the book, Steve describes one of the boys as having a larger stomach and looking like he ate one too many slices of pizza. I didn't like this phrasing and feel like there are much better ways to describe body size than implying someone has no self-control around pizza. Besides, there are plenty of reasons for people's body sizes besides food consumption.

This book also has one of my least favorite tropes: insta-love. I'm a slow burn girl - the slower, the better. So I will note that someone who actually likes insta-love will probably love this story.

My last main gripe is the ending. I hate ambitious endings and want definite answers. I just can't live with the unknown!

Beyond those 4 gripes, the writing is solid, if a little bland, and the novel strikes a lot of those notes that fans of the genre will enjoy. I did relate hardcore to Stevie over how hard it is to move all the time, especially when you're young. I am a Navy brat, so I know exactly what she was talking about when she mentioned friends and proximity and how hard it is to remain friends with people hundreds of miles away.

If you especially like stories involving music, this has lots of music references and affection for making music.

I recommend this novel to fans of YA contemporary with a music theme and insta-love or of parallel timeliness and/or open endings.

If not, steer clear! Not the novel for you.

Content warning: grief, abandonment, death, car accidents, bullying.

Where It All Lands gripped me so much, I was up all night reading, past 5AM, and finished the rest the same day.
I'd rate it somewhere between a 4 and 4.5 and I have a lot to say about it! This might be the longest review I've ever written.

This book is about Stevie, who starts at a new school, and captures the attention of two best friends, Drew and Shane. Not wanting to lose their friendship over her, they decide to flip a coin to decide who gets to ask her out. Two possible outcomes, two possible timelines, and we get to read about them both.

There was so much in this book that I loved, but also a lot that I got mad at, as you'll see I have some mini-rants below. But in the end, none of those points took away from how good and poignant the book was. And the fact that I felt so much and had such strong feelings while reading the book is also a testament to how good it is.

On a high level this book was about appreciating what you have, especially knowing that nothing is guaranteed, including tomorrow. This theme was woven in throughout the book, and you saw how the different characters embraced or ignored this reality.

My heart broke a lot while reading this book, I came close to tears various times. And believe me when I say it's heartbreaking! The story was told beautifully with nuanced characters (even the bullies). Even with alternating character chapters as well as the dual storyline, I never felt lost, the voices were distinct and strong enough that you could tell whose perspective it was, even if you ignored the chapter title.

Also, dual storyline/alternative timelines can be very difficult to do well. But in this book they were done VERY well, You got enough time with each storyline to be fully invested. There was no repetition between the two even though you're reading the same timeline, The small differences of the butterfly effect were easy to see. I think the format of splitting the book in half and only leaving last bunch of chapters to interleave was a brilliant way of delivering this story.

I can easily say, there wasn't a second that I was bored while reading this book, I felt invested in the characters, the storyline. I felt their struggle, and all the feelings felt very real.

Now onto the parts that I disagreed with:

I felt like the author had a clear winner in their head. And the main issue was that I disagreed with it. One man, challenges her, makes her feel alive, makes her do things she would never usually do. While the other is more comfortable, she can talk to him about anything, they have similar tastes and interests. To me, the first one was clearly better for Stevie. While everyone deserves love, not every story has to be about the always-friend-zoned (a term I despise btw) kid finally finding love.

The biggest issue I had with the book was how important the coin toss became in terms of the drama between the three characters. I didn't think what the two boys did was wrong, but it was exaggerated so much and it generated so much unnecessary drama, for something that I wasn't sure why I should care at all.


All in all, this is truly a beautiful story, and it will stay with me for a while.

Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review

Not a bad book, just different than I was expecting. Something just missed the mark for me but I’m particular about my parallel life stories. I don't know if it was because it was brothers and I knew they were brothers the whole time or because I didn't particularly feel Stevie belonged with either of them, I'm not sure. All I know is in the end it was an okay book, but didn't feel all that special.

I’m not particularly sure exactly how I feel about this. A lot of this story interested me and kept me curious and a part of it just made me wish they’d answer all my questions faster. I don’t think a coin toss should impact lives quite as intensely as it did in this book, but it makes me think of one of my favorite movies, Sliding Doors. It holds a lot of similarities to it for me, which I think is part of why I read it and why I pushed myself through it.

I think the story is worth reading, but I also think it’s a toss up (see what I did there) with who’ll truly enjoy it.

ARC provided by NetGalley.
I waited a bit to start reading this arc because I was scared about the love triangle plot, in general im not a huge fan of love triangle.
I was really suprised in a good way!
The plot is really cool and I loved how the book was divided!
It's not just about the love triangle but also about fate and how our choice can influence our life.
Among the three main characters Shane was my favourite, he deserves better!
I could definitely picture this book having its own movie adaptation. The concept of time and fate really brung such a nice dynamic to the story!

Drew. Shane. Stevie. A flip,of a coin sets their lives on a chain of events that will be be inevitable. The narrative shifts between the three. They are typical teenagers with angsts and foibles. The story was sad. I was really hoping for a different outcome even when I knew what the end was. The tossing of the coin plays an integral role in the book, almost to the point of being beaten into the ground. However, it symbolizes the whimsical nature of chance and life. I did like what Stevie’s father said “there are no what if’s, just what is.” I think Where It All Lands is very appealing and will do well with young adults.