My.
Heart.

You might need to grab some tissues for this one, folks.

When sax player Stevie moves to a new town yet again, lifelong best friends Drew and Shane are both drawn to her. So... they flip a coin - and we get to see the two different ways it could all shake out.

Jennie Wexler deftly explores the two outcomes in a fresh structure that had me dizzy with first love, totally caught up in realistically portrayed family dynamics, and - at the end - bawling my eyes out.

I loved these characters so much. Music is a huge part of the book - Drew sings in a band, Shane is a talented drummer, and Stevie only ever feels like she belongs when she’s playing her saxophone. I was also so impressed with how the author captured the boys’ friendship and small mannerisms especially. The tone was pitch-perfect for YA.

Where It All Lands was a satisfying and emotional journey, and I loved watching the three teenagers’ lives weave together and build to an epic conclusion - highly recommend!

As soon as I started reading Where it All Lands, I suspected that this wasn’t going to be the typical new-girl-in-school story. And was I right! The twisty, thought-provoking plot kept me spellbound until the very last page. A word of advice though: have a box of tissues nearby. The characters are so real that you feel what they do- I shared their frustration and tears when the world let them down and their joy when they discovered true friendship and love.

A simple coin toss between two best friends, Drew and Shane, change not only the new girl’s (Stevie’s) life, but also theirs. They learn that they have to stand up for themselves and go all out for what they want - be it a different relationship with their parents and friends, a place in the State band or even love.

Told in alternating points of view, Wexler gets us not only into the heads of each of her characters, but into their hearts as well. Then, she plays around with the events and timeline to show us all the myriad ways this story could have played out. At one point, Drew (the dream boy athlete/musician) says, “Maybe one random thing leads to another and then another and sometimes it works out how you picture, but other times…..” It really makes you think about how each thing that happens leads to the next in ways we can never really predict nor control. And yet, the message of the book is anything but depressing. You close the book smiling through your tears. When we see how it all plays out, we are reminded - yet again - that the present is all we have. We need to give it all we’ve got. Because you never know what’s around the bend.

It’s a definite 5-star. I wish I could give it 6. It’s that good. (Oh, and by the way, it's better with Pearl Jam playing in the background!)

HEADS: Stevie never gets to choose what happens to her - she is caught up in a life where her father, a QB coach in the NFL, moves from team to team. And in her role as the perpetual new kid, she just tries to connect to others where she can. On her first day at her latest school, two guys --Drew and Shane, the best of friends--are mesmerized by Stevie. And they flip a coin to see who will ask her out - which is horrible, but it's a big part of the story. And you can get over it - because what needs to be highlighted is that you can allow life to happen to you or you can make choices for yourself. Too many young women aren't taking the reins of their own life - they are fine being in the passenger seat while others drive. Stevie needs to learn this lesson, but all lessons come at a price.
The story is told twice - once from the tangent of Drew asking Stevie out, and one from Shane asking Stevie out. And it is fascinating to compare the timelines and watch how Stevie has a chance to put down her own roots and begin to build the life for which she's hoped.
(This is where I will end the review I post to Goodreads, etc.)

TAILS: Just to fact check the story a bit, some details seem to be off. One, Drew's dad, at age 65, COULD NOT have "discovered" Springsteen. Bon Jovi, maybe, but Springsteen's first album came out in 1973 - a 65-year-old would have been a junior/senior in HS? Also, Stevie can't have a grandparent who has a number tattoo - a great-grandparent, but not a grandparent. And the exploration of Jewish identity seems to have been cut-off. I mean, the story takes place in the autumn and there is no mention of the High Holy Days?
Also, from a feminist perspective - shouldn't female musicians have a bigger place in the Stevie/Shane conversation? Ann Wilson garners a mention, but I think a girl who loves music and wants to take control of her own life might be influenced by strong women in music.

Drew and Shane have been best friends their entire lives and know not to let their attraction to a girl get in the way of their unbreakable bond. When Stevie Rosenstein shows up at summer band practice, they make a split-second decision that threatens to change all of their futures.

Stevie once again finds herself a new girl in a new town because of her dad's position as an NFL quarterback coach. She resents her dad for making their family pick up and start over, but does her best to immerse herself in her new high school. With Shane's friendship and help she prepares her audition for all-state band, which she hopes will be a stepping-stone to get into a top college.

When love, support, and acceptance are all a teenager really needs, one coin toss between friends holds their futures in the balance. All three are forced to reconcile their responsibilities and life-altering abilities to upend their entire futures with just a single choice.

Wexler's multi-narrator, dual-timeline novel allows readers the omniscience to see the result of all the "what-ifs" that constantly interrupt teenagers' thoughts. Full of love, hope, regret, and possibility, readers are left questioning the results of their own actions and inaction.

**I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.