Where It All Lands is a lot to digest. Three characters, two timelines, one coin toss that seals their fate. I'd like to think one coin toss, however misguided, wouldn't lead to such dire conclusions, but I suppose that's what made this a story worth telling. That said, there was something deeply dissatisfying about the way the Heads timeline panned out. Obviously, the death of a character - not a spoiler, the book opens at a funeral - isn't satisfying (unless it's Joffrey Baratheon or the like). I suppose it's part of what we're reading to find out. - who died? But, I think the story stood on its own legs - without that device. I was interested in the story of the characters, not in figuring out who died.
The characters were interesting, likeable, and complex. Sometimes when reading a story told from different perspectives, the voices blend into one and it's easy to lose track of which perspective you're reading. This wasn't the case with Where It All Lands so credit to Jennie Wexler for making Drew, Shane, and Stevie individuals with unique voices.
I'm really torn on this book. There was a lot I like about it, I just can't get over feeling like something was left on the table. Like the surface was just scratched but it never really dug deep into one thing that could really connect the reader to the book. It broaches a lot of subjects - child/parent relationships, hints at domestic abuse, male boy image issues, depression - but never latches onto any one thing. It's a little unfocused in that sense.

This book ended up being a pretty clear 3 star to me for a couple of reasons, which primarily came from the the way this book was organized.

First, I wasn't sure what to think about a book that was written in two different timelines. I was excited to see how things would play out, and it seemed like an interesting premise for a book. However, as I continued to read, it felt more like a gimmick than an actual premise as the book went on. Honestly, most of the issues I had with the book stemmed from the fact that this book was told in two different timelines.

Because each timeline only had so much time to be given in the book, it felt like a lot of the events in the book were rushed and we didn't get to really know any of the characters. I will give it to Wexler that she did a phenomenal job of presenting the same events/timespan in such different ways. That really ended up really pushing my rating up because I imagine that it is hard to frame the same event and still give brand new information, so for that I commend Wexler. Even with that in mind though, I wish I would have gotten more time with the characters and more aspects of them were explored.

I also was not a fan of the ending of either timeline. Without spoiling things, I felt that the drama and events of the ending were a bit too much. I didn't walk away feeling overwhelmingly satisfied either way.

I would still consider getting this book for my own classroom collection or recommending it to students who are looking for a music loving romance.

***I was provided with an e-ARC of this book from Wednesday Books Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions below are my own.***

This book lands in my top three of most uniquely written books! Without spoiling it, I'm not sure I'd call it a dual timeline, but it was perfection! A flip of a coin, one choice, one decision, but is that all it takes to change fate? Can you change fate? This will be a book that stays with me for a long long time!

From the first paragraph, I knew this book would be a good one. I immersed myself into the book from the first chapter and I cannot say enough good things about this book! Honestly amazing! The writing is incredible and the plot is just one to die for. I am absolutely obsessed with this book. My favorite part would have to be the character development throughout the book. Character development is something I look forward to and this book did not disappoint.

Some call it fortune, some call it fate. It’s neither. Every moment led to this, and this chance would lead to more moments, all stringing together a life. We chase every dream and reach for every imagined finish line. But it’s not about the end.


On Stevie's first day at her new school, she meets a pair of best friends who both almost instantly fall for her. Rather than fighting, the pair toss a coin to see who will get to ask her out. Where It All Lands follows both realities - one where the coin lands on heads for Drew, and one where it lands on tails for Shane.

If you can't tell by my ~overly enthusiastic~ synopsis of the book, I was NOT a fan. We start the first chapter in a flash forward to some tragedy - we don't know which timeline it's from - and we basically get 2 novellas about Stevie and her two possible relationships. We barely get to know the characters, so when the books comes full circle to that opening tragedy, it was hard to care.

The characters were bland and pretentious. Shane was the only decent one, honestly. All 3 of our MCs are music obsessed, and the author name drops a lot of older bands as if they have the monopoly on "good music". Wexler, you know you can write a book about music aficionados without insulting one of the most talented and respected female musicians in the world? I'm not here for the Taylor Swift slander. Also considering she was virtually the ONLY female musician other than Stevie Nicks that the author mentions in the book, it came across borderline misogynistic.

Let's not forget the worst YA trope in existence IMO - insta-love. Drew and Shane know within, like, 20 seconds of meeting Stevie that she's ~not like other girls~. They each have 1 conversation with her before they both know they want to ask her out. At least in Shane's timeline, we get some build up, but in Drew's, the pair literally get together after 3 days. And anything that was good about Shane's timeline was soured by his constant "oh she could never like me, she likes Drew, I'm such a fool, I'll always be in the friend zone!!"

Like, no. Why couldn't the pair have wanted to be Stevie's friend without anticipating a relationship coming out of it? And it's clear at least Drew wasn't interested in only being friends, since he completely ignores her in the timeline where Shane wins the coin toss. A girl's friendship is not a consolation prize.

The melodrama of the last few chapters was laughable. It feels like the author was trying to say something about the importance of friendship, of choice, of fate, but she couldn't decide what. We barely see Drew and Shane's friendship since their parts are so fully about their respective relationships with Stevie.

1.75 stars.

I read this book of my own free will in exchange for a NetGalley review. Holy cow, this book was a roller coaster of emotions. There’s two sides to a coin and an entirely different future mapped out for each option. Stevie is the new girl in town and catches the attention of two boys- best friends. They decide to flip a coin to see who gets to ask her out, not because it’s a bet, but because that is how they always solve their issues without fighting. Two paths and the reader gets to see both sides of the coin. Shew. I need some chocolate and tissues after this one!

Any decision can change the future... and in this story told in dual time lines, one coin toss has two drastically different endings. Two best friends Shane and Drew toss a coin over who gets to pursue the new girl in town Steve... and soon first love, friendship, grief, family dynamics all mesh together to bring a story that is emotionally heart wrenching and just wonderful. I couldn’t believe that ending, and honestly I was surprised by how well the dual time lines worked. It was brilliant! Every choice we make can make a difference, like the butterfly effect, one choice could lead to anything happening and in this story you can see it.

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

"Do our choices even matter?" I think an age-old human question has to do with the juxtaposition between fate and free will. In Where It All Lands, Jennie Wexler expertly crafts a tale that wrestles with this exact topic. Stevie is new in town, but this routine is anything but new to her. As the daughter of a professional football coach, she's lived all over and rarely stays in one place long enough to put down roots. On her first day at marching band camp, she meets best friends Shane and Drew. Both boys are instantly drawn to Stevie. In an effort to keep their friendship intact, Drew recommends that they do their "head or tails routine" to decide who gets to ask Stevie on a date.

But the question remains, what if the coin had landed the other way? Would things have actually worked out differently, do we really have any say at all? Fortunately for us, Wexler tells the story from both sides of the coin. Will Stevie end up with Shane or Drew? Will these teens ever come to terms with their absent fathers? What actually "determines the trajectory of our lives?"

Be sure to mark your calendars for July 6th to pick up this amazing debut novel from Jennie Wexler!

My favorite quotes:
- "Nothing lasts. It's about living it all while it's happening, not stressing about when it's going to end."
- "If I don't start living the moments I have, I'm going to miss it all."
- "It's funny what the mind chooses to remember, what we tell ourselves."
- "Sometimes life just hands you a new plan."
- "Maybe it's not just one thing that determines the trajectory of our lives. Maybe it's a million decisions and twists and turns that lead us to where we are."
- "The happily ever after is in the living."

3.5 stars.

At the core of Jennie Wexler's upcoming YA novel, Where It All Lands, is the question of whether fate is the only thing that determines love, or if it will happen on its own.

Shane and Drew have been inseparable best friends for years. They’ve always been there to support each other—Drew was there when Shane’s dad was dying and he helped him through his grief, and Shane has helped Drew with his anger about his father moving out.

Nothing has come between them. And then Stevie shows up for the first day of marching band practice.

Both boys are drawn to her, and judging from their conversations with her, she seems interested in both of them. With some reluctance on Shane’s part, they decide to flip a coin—the way they always decide things. The winner gets to ask Stevie out.

Where It All Lands follows two paths—one where Drew wins the coin toss, and the other where Shane does. Would things wind up differently depending on who asked Stevie out? Do fate and luck play a hand in determining our future, or do we have control ourselves?

I enjoy when books take the Sliding Doors-type approach to a decision and explore the ramifications of both sides. There are familiar scenarios here and some less-familiar ones, and Wexler weaves them all together into a thought-provoking, emotional story.

NetGalley and Wednesday Books provided me with a complimentary advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!!

Where It All Lands publishes 7/6.

An interesting story, don't think I've seen a multi timeline done in this manner before and I did like it. Great characters, they felt a little too perfect though, especially in a story that had such emotion throughout.

I have had a hard time finding young adult books recently because everything is an overdone trope. I really liked that this wasn't a dystopian book and that this was real life. Really enjoyed the story and how it pieced together. Beautifully written.

DNF. I really liked the premise but the writing did not work for me at all. It wouldn't be fair to the book if I finished reading and gave it a low rating.

Loved the layers of complexity in this book from the plot to the depth of the characters. How certain events still happen but the slight twists based on several moments. Even though this was a romance it had elements of mystery and the male perspective made it so it isn’t just a chick romance novel.
I highly recommend this book as a great read.

This book involved magical realism in a sort of a young adult sliding doors.

Longtime best friends Big Man on Campus Drew and the reserved musical Shane both fall for the same girl and agree to flip a penny over who asks her out.

Told in dual storylines, the book offers two stories reinforcing that love is more than the luck of the draw.

Overall, I think teen romance fans will love this interesting take on romance and fate.

I was trying to give some more y.a books a spin. I guess I was interested in the love triangle type trope. But also being y.a it was a little young for me I was excited for a romance novel. But I was it was told a bit differently I liked how the last third of the book or so was written and wished the whole book was written that way. The book is about Two best friends, Shane who live next door to each other. They share everything but when the new girl, Stevie, shows up. They both want to date her. To settle the question about who can ask Stevie out, they boys flip a coin and that one small decision changes everything.

Chapters are told in alternating points of view for the characters: Shane, Drew, and Stevie. Chapters also change perspective between whether the coin flip was heads or tails.

I feel like i would have loved this book when I was say 16. But now being much older I guess I am just not into y.a as much. Not the authors fault. Would recommend to young teens. Knocking a star off for the way it was written. If it was laid out better like alternating perspectives the whole way through it would be 5 out of 5 for me even though the writing was a bit young for me.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Tw: grief, car accident

When I read the premise I was expecting something different, more dual perspectives and less like: here's half of book from one perspective and the other half from the other. I'll admit it, romantic comedies aren't really my thing (unless they are queer lol) so maybe that was my first mistake but I was intrigued by the premise and by the fact that it was a Wednesday Books one!

Stevie is the classic manic pixie girl who has two guys falling for her, Drew and Shane, so the two of them decide to toss a coin to decide who gets to ask her out. The coin lands on Drew's favor so Shane has to back down. And like the first part of the book has nothing special, it's just 50% their romance blossoming and 50% the two of them that keep saying they need to tell her because it's so important. Seriously, they talk about this in every chapter, and I get it, it's the premise of the book but I don't see it as so fundamental? Like I completely agree that it's sexist to view Stevie as a prize, but they just tossed a coin because that's their way to solve conflicts, I liked that idea better than creating an unnecessary love triangle. dk, it felt weird that the coin toss was the big problematic thing that broke them apart. Because of course, when Stevie finds out she goes on a rampage and like, dramatic much?

Then we get to the second part of the book and it's essentially the same but with time Shane wins and again, nothing special and they keep saying they should tell her.

The third part of the book is probably the only part that I enjoyed because with every chapter the perspective changes and that was what I was looking for! I wish the author did this back and forth with the perspectives for the whole book because I think it would make it more intriguing and enjoyable!

This is not a bad book and I think lovers of romantic comedies will really enjoy this one!

I just wasn’t a fan of this book. I think it has more to do with my reading taste than the actual book itself. I’ve been trying to branch into more YA contemporary, but the writing and the characters just fell flat for me.

I picked up Where It All Lands after being sold on the premises that it was a YA version of the movie Sliding Doors. That's all I really knew going into it. And it was exactly that. In reality, and in my opinion, these types of stories work better as movies. They're already confusing to begin with. In book form, the story confused me even more. And I don't like open endings. I like the idea that the littlest things in life can set a chain of bigger things in motion. Kind of like The Butterfly Effect. I didn't like the mysognistic 'who gets to be with the girl' thing. I may not have enjoyed this book very much, but I'm sure others will. At the end of the day it's about the choices you make.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy. All opinions are my own.

Coming of age stories are a dime a dozen, so you have to have something to set you apart or else your book winds up being just mediocre. Thankfully, author Jennie Wexler imbues this story with a lot of heart. Also, a lot of heartache, so beware, you WILL need some kleenex before you start reading this review. I knocked off one star because I feel like Drew and Shane and even Stevie all go through a lot, maybe a tad too much. They don't have to have quite so much tragedy in their lives for us to relate! But, the way that Drew and Shane see each other through all these tragedies, especially at such young ages and with far more emotional maturity than people their ages should have, will keep you reading. It almost makes you question whether your family and friends got enough support from you when they were going through their own tragedies. But despite the tragedies and tears, this is still very much a life-affirming book, finding some extra sweet in the bittersweetness.

Two best friends, Shane and Drew have grown up tigether and even live next door to each other. They share everything and have each other's backs. Nothing gets in the way of their friendship, until the new girl, Stevie, shows up. To settle the question about who can ask Stevie out, they boys flip a coin and that one small decision changes everything.

Chapters are told in alternating points of view for the characters: Shane, Drew, and Stevie. Chapters also change perspective between whether the coin flip was heads or tails.

The ending was confusing for this book because there are two different endings: one for the heads coin flip and one for the tails coin flip. Still, students will enjoy this story.