This was pretty well done, especially for how big of an undertaking it was—two stories determined by a coin toss. Dual timelines, one after another. The first, Stevie dates Drew and drama ensues. After being brought back to that same coin flip, it lands on Shane. Wexler crafted two complete stories without any sense of repetition—two different tones. That is a difficult feat for a new author.

This choose your own adventure-like story follow two best friends as they flip a coin to see who gets to go on a date with the new girl in town. Drew and Shane have gone through a lot of hardships together as best friends and next-door neighbors—brothers in all ways but blood. However, when Stevie shows up to marching band practice just before the first day of school, everything flies upside down.

Stevie connects with each boy on different levels. With Drew it is immediate—physical attraction and sizzling chemistry. They can hardly keep their hands off each other. Their relationship is toxic and dramatic. It's more of a slow burn, developed through friendship and shared interests when it comes to Shane. They bond over music and have deep and meaningful conversations. She still feels that immediate attraction with Drew, but there is real substance when it comes to her relationship with Shane. Stevie herself says it best: "With Drew I don’t think about what comes next, but with Shane I don’t fear what comes next.”

While I really did enjoy this books, I wanted a little more umph—I wanted to cry. There were plenty of opportunities for tears, but it just didn't quite hit hard enough. In all this was a well constructed, ambitious debut and I can't wait to see more from the author.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Stevie is the new girl in town - she meets Drew and Shane, BFFs who have been joined at the hip for life. They are both smitten with Stevie from the start - so to avoid any competition or resentment, they decide to flip a coin to see who gets to ask her out - heads, Drew gets to ask, and tails, Shane gets to ask. From there, the story splits into two timelines - one in which the coin lands on heads and one in which the coin lands on tails.
OK -I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!! I started it one afternoon and finished it about 2am. Which is unusual for me, as it generally takes me a little longer, even with a page-turner. I loved Drew and Shane and their friendship, and I adored all the music references as I was in the marching band (and played a sax!). This story is ultimately about the choices we make and the effects they have on our lives. The author captures the nuances of friendships beautifully and I was immersed in the story from the start!
Thanks to Jennie Wexler, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

I very nearly didn't finish this book because the early chapters were so sad and angry. Now, I wish I hadn't. The plot and characters became interesting after a while, but the ending was dizzying and pointless.

I encourage parents to read this nihilistic book before allowing their minor children to be exposed to it. The subject matter may not be appropriate for sensitive teens.

I received an ARC from NetGalley, and this is my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Wednesday books for the e-arc of Where It All Lands.

I will preface this review by saying that I am not the target audience for a YA book. In fact, as I age and continue to read more and more books, I am beginning to consider phasing YA books out of my never-ending TBR list. That said, I actually really enjoyed Where It All Lands. I had read the description several months ago when requesting the book on Netgalley, but didn't remember the synopsis when I decided to read this book last week. So you can imagine my surprise when I got midway through the book and realized it was a book with a Sliding Doors type of story (meaning we are given two different scenarios based on something that happened early on in the book - how would it have played out if A happened, and how it would it have played out if B happened). I was pleasantly surprised at this but also concerned - was I going to have to read all the same conversations and descriptions of events with minor changes throughout? I'm happy to say that while there were some similarities, the stories were different enough to keep things really interesting.

I felt invested in each of the characters. While they each had their flaws, they also each had their struggles. This made them feel very real and endearing. I thought the characters were well-developed and the plot flowed nicely. I never felt bored or felt that the story was lagging.

While I managed not to cry, there was a point where I was worried about how things would play out and felt on the verge of tears. I love books that can make me feel something for the characters, and this one definitely delivered.

I think this is a great book for YA and adults alike. It's an enjoyable and unique story for anyone that has ever wondered "what if" or thought about the road not taken.

Before I delve into this review I have to explain something: I may not be the target audience here. I am a middle aged woman with no teen children. That said, if it sounds interesting I will read just about anything (I have issues with what my husband calls “hard science fiction”). There are times where I will read a YA novel and it makes me feel insanely old; or when I will reading and have to stop and ask “Was I ever this stupid?” (the answer is most likely yes, but it was two decades ago, so who can remember?). That said, I have a love/hate relationship with this book.

There’s a lot to love. I actually really liked these characters. Even when I didn’t agree with what they were doing, even when I was furious with their choices, I loved them. Each of these teens have different issues, and they are far from perfect, but the way they react to one another and grow together is beautiful. Shane is by far my favorite character no matter which way the coin toss goes. He is so sweet, kind, talented… and it’s like he can’t see any of this. Tortured on a basically daily basis by the school bully- and having to be saved by his best friend- has given his a warped sense of self. He thinks he’s too weak, uninteresting… the one that will never get the girl. On the timeline that follows his “win” I got to see him grow in confidence. I loved the growth there.

Stevie is another great character. More than anything she wants roots- just to stay somewhere. Make friends knowing she can keep them- that she won’t leave them behind next year. Having a father that coaches for the NFL has meant a lot of moving, and having to figure out if the “friends” are there for her or for what they think she can get them. I feel for her. I want to hug her, and console her. I also love how she is with her little brother. No matter how the coin falls, there’s some character growth, though I must say I like who she becomes in one timeline more than another. Honestly, all the characters here were wonderful and heartbreaking and I loved them- though Drew infuriated me. I may be too old to be charmed by characters like Drew.

The story is told in dual narrative- Stevie, Drew and Shane. It also gets broken into two timelines -when Drew wins the infamous coin toss, and when Shane wins. (Side note- this was a cruddy thing to do and it made me hate both boys a little but that may just be old age talking). For the most part it’s easy to see where the story line is going and there’s a good flow to the book. The last third of the book, though, is all over the place… and I get why. We are now trying wrap up both time lines and that means reading the same instant two times- sometimes it felt like more. You’re now jumping chapter to chapter from one male-lead to the other and it can get hectic; even a little sloppy.

Then there’s the severely problematic ending. I am not going too in depth here because I don’t want to spoil things. The entire last third of the book seemed rushed and sloppy, but the epilogue deserves to have the book drop a star all by itself. Until this point, the story lines are kind of getting tied up, you understand where everyone’s headed. If it continues from there, a reader expects to be told which timeline is the “correct” one- other wise, why have an epilogue? Instead you get another shot of the infamous coin toss, but no closure. The author begins to rift on how every second leads to “this” and this chance leads to more moments. Living is chasing dreams and having moments and choices…. and wasn’t that the point the author was proving with the entire book? It it necessary to bludgeon us once again with this theme? Maybe I am missing something… The epilogue has earned this book a three star review instead of four.

⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
On the adult content scale, there is some violence, language, underaged drinking, and very light sexual content. I would still say that this book is acceptable for all stages of YA (I think it’s normally thought to start at thirteen?).


I was lucky enough to receive an eARC of this book from Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review. My thanks!

Title: Where It All Lands
Author: Jennie Wexler
Genre: YA
Rating: 4 out of 5

Stevie Rosenstein has never made a true friend. Never fallen in love. Moved from city to city by her father’s unrelenting job, it’s too hard to care for someone. Trust in anything. The pain of leaving always hurts too much. But she’ll soon learn to trust, to love.

Twice.

Drew and Shane have been best friends through everything. The painful death of Shane's dad. The bitter separation of Drew's parents. Through sleepaway camps and family heartache, basketball games and immeasurable loss, they've always been there for each other.

When Stevie meets Drew and Shane, life should go on as normal.

But a simple coin toss alters the course of their year in profound and unexpected ways.

This was an interesting read. The first half of the story is told where Drew wins the coin toss, the second where Shane wins. And, dang. It was interesting to see the two different storylines—the characters (Drew and Shane at least) came across completely differently with that one seemingly small change.

Music runs through all of this novel, and several times I wanted to stop and look up some of the songs to listen. I have zero musical ability, but I love to read about people who have that ability. All in all, this was a solid read, and I loved the split stories.

Jennie Wexler lives in New Jersey. Where It All Lands is her debut novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

(Blog link live 7/14)

I loved this book so much! I really enjoy a book with dual timelines and this one was done really well. Very well written and I enjoyed every single page.

Recently I’ve been loving books with dual timelines, where two possibilities of a choice can be explored, because if we look at our own lives, don’t we sometimes wonder what the other outcome would’ve been if we had made a choice differently? Would things still end up the same or would our lives be on an entirely different track? So in this book, the author takes us on both possibilities and shows us what happens when the coin lands on heads as well as tails.

For the first half of the story, where Drew wins the toss and gets to ask Stevie out, I felt like their insta-love was too instant. I mean, I get attraction right away, but to feel deep feelings for someone right off the bat the way these two do is kind of like, “whoa, what?” Maybe that’s just me though. And since the book fits in two timelines, I get that there were some time jumps to move things a little faster. Drew was a hardened character due to his dad’s absence and habit of breaking promises to Drew, but sometimes Drew doesn’t appreciate what he has in his life. There was just something about him that made me not care for him as much as I did Stevie and Shane.

Stevie, the girl coming between these two boys, has moved around her whole life because of her dad’s job. She’s understanding to how Drew feels about his own dad, but is also tired of not feeling like she has a true home or true friends. However, she does have walls that she puts up to prevent hurt when she eventually has to leave again, along with the fact that her dad is an NFL coach, so she never knows if people are friends with her because they want to be or just to get something out of it. It’s interesting to see how her life is affected by the result of the coin toss, not only with her relationships with Drew and Shane, but even her family and old and new friends.

Shane, on the other hand, was my favorite character in this book. In both universes, where he loses and wins the toss, he falls for Stevie slowly and he’s just so sweet about it. He always wants to do the right thing, and in both cases that means telling Stevie about the coin toss because he doesn’t believe that it’s fair to her. He never wanted to do it in the first place. I loved his hesitancy in the alternate of him winning the toss because he doesn’t ask her out right away and just gets to know Stevie before the romance happens between them.

Both universes have a similar event that leaves a bit of a tragedy in the midst of this romantic book that makes the characters really reflect on themselves and their actions. It was interesting to see that even by making different choices, this event still happened either way, though the ultimate ending of that event had its differences. I don’t want to spoil it so I won’t. There was also a great ending that again, I won’t spoil, that was both satisfying and frustrating at the same time.

Overall, a great book and even though it was a little “ehh” at the beginning, it turned out to be a great read!

Stevie's dad is a football coach. This means they move every couple of years when he gets a new job. In high school and sick of moving, Stevie fights having to yet again find new friends. For once, she'd like to stay put.
She meets two best friends, Drew and Shane, when she moves to New Jersey. Both guys are interested in her and flip a coin to decide who gets to ask her out.
The story is told in two ways. The first being when Drew wins and the second when Shane wins.
Opinion
This book is captivating. I love how Jennie Wexler chose to tell the story with each winning the coin toss. I'm not sure which version I liked better but both are intriguing stories. The first chapter, before going back six months, haunted me the whole book trying to figure out who it was.
Many thanks to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC of this book..

Thank you Wednesday Books & NetGalley for this eARC!

This book wasn’t what I was expecting at all. It follows Stevie, Drew, and Shane after Stevie moves into their town. Drew and Shane are like brothers, but they both want a shot with Stevie. They flip a coin, deciding which one of the boys will ask her out. There are parallel timelines, playing out what would happen if Stevie dates Drew and what would happy if Stevie dates Shane. As the stories unfold, you can’t help but look at your own life and wonder, “what if?”

My honest opinion was that it was good, but not great. I will say this: the author did a splendid job of showing how different Stevie would have been depending on the guy she ended up with. Like, Stevie dating Drew vs. Stevie dating Shane is a VERY different Stevie. I also thought the author did a great job of capturing teenagers. I work with them, and yes they’re that awkward, dramatic, and angsty. (Weren’t we all at some point?) At first, it annoyed me and then I was like hold up—this is exactly how teenagers act.

For some reason, this book didn’t resonate with me. I felt like it was trying to be deep and thought-provoking, but I found it repetitive. Also, all three of the characters had daddy issues…which was interesting. What they really needed was therapy. In addition, for some reason I thought the ending would be what would have happened if Stevie didn’t end up with either of them. I mean, after all, she was pissed about the coin toss (as she had every right to be since she’s a person and not an object). I truly thought after she learned about it, she would’ve realized her worth and done her own thing. Like, did she have to end up with either of them?

I think that a lot of people will enjoy this book and find a deeper meaning. Just because I didn’t, doesn’t mean you can’t. I would recommend this book to anybody who likes John Green, Nicola Yoon, Rachael Lippincott, and Mikki Daughtry.

I will post my review on Goodreads, Bookstagram, and Amazon during the first week of publication. (07/06-07/11)

Stevie Rosenstein’s family moves every few years for her father’s career. She is constantly being uprooted and doesn’t like to make close connections at school because she know they’ll be short lived. That is until she moves to New Jersey and meets best friends Drew and Shane. Both Drew and Shane have instant connections with Stevie and ultimately flip a coin to see who gets to take a shot at asking her out. Told in dual timelines, the story follows two alternate realities based on the heads or tails of the coin.

I adored Shane’s genuine, shy, wholehearted nature! I was really rooting for him the whole time. Overall I enjoyed the themes of young love, second chances, and how simple choices can change the whole trajectory of relationships and life.

Sincere thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Wednesday books for the free book. All opinions are my own.
The premise of this book was so unique. A coin toss is the pivotal plot point, and the book then follows what happens if the coin landed on heads and if the coin landed on tails. It's a love triangle between Shane, Drew, and Stevie.
Stevie is a teenage character that I just really love. She's moved so much and the impact of this is really explored in the book. I liked how the author showed how it affects her future and her inability to trust in the present. I also liked how the relationships between both young men developed in both of the timelines. I did prefer one over the other, but I liked the other one, too. The two timelines were also very believable, and I see how both sets of relationships would've worked.
The downside to the book is that the ending is super ambiguous. I want to know which side really happened because I was so invested in these characters. I do understand why the author made this decision on leaving the ending so open, though.

I'm a little baffled on how I feel about this book. For a while I really thought this might be a five star from me. I was really loving the characters and the idea behind the coin toss was super interesting. Stevie had the high potential to be a manic pixie dream girl and thankfully she never turned into that stereotype. She's an average girl who has been moved around a lot because of her father's job. There were some really interesting sections about her conflicting feelings toward her father as the reason she constantly has to start her life over but is also seeking his approval for the one thing she really loves, music. I also really loved the discussion revolving around the various "best friends" she's had throughout each move and how quickly the relationships sour and turn into out of sight out of mind. I didn't have nearly as many moves as Stevie but I did leave the town I grew up in and moved half way around the country right before I started high school. It is hard to keep in touch across time zones and physical distance and the people who you thought you'd be close to forever quickly turn into acquaintances. Drew and Shane were great characters as well. I really enjoyed their relationship, though I could have used a few more scenes exploring their friendship. The primary focus was really each boy's relationship with Stevie and the close friendship really fell by the wayside. Drew is our classic brooding musician who's popular because his father is big in the music industry. He's got a rough relationship with his father since like Stevie, his father is often absent and at the start of the novel Drew's parents are estranged. Shane is described as a chubby music prodigy. He's a nice kid but is pretty insecure about himself, especially when he compares himself to Drew.

There are a couple of things I could have done without. I really disliked how Shane was constantly moaning that he was in the friend zone with Stevie. It's just such a garbage concept and the fact that he was clearly the author's favored choice in the flip rubbed me the wrong way. I'm not quite sure why a character who only prefers Stevie as girlfriend rather than a girl who is a friend is better than a boy who just got caught up in a misunderstanding. However, there was this one issue that really started to bother me and the more I thought about it the madder I got. Drew's father is famous for discovering Bruce Springsteen. Now as far as I could tell this book is set in the current year or very close to it. At one point it's mentioned that Drew's father is sixty-five. Now I'm not a huge Bruce Springsteen fan but as the book mentions it's a little impossible to live in New Jersey without having a vague idea about Springsteen's career. So a quick Googling said that Springsteen got his record deal in 1972, that would mean that Drew's father was sixteen when he "discovered" Springsteen. It's just such a ridiculous thing that just kept bothering me more and more. It would have been so easy to have his father discover some fake celebrity so this kind of issue wouldn't crop up.

Ultimately there are some really beautiful moments in this book. Music is such a big theme throughout and I loved how that wove it's way throughout the story. One of my favorite lines is Stevie comparing the boys to types of songs on an album and how those songs and therefore the boys make her feel. There's also great discussions about fathers. Stevie and Drew both have famous father's who are largely absent from their lives and Shane's father died when he was a preteen. I just really struggled to get over some of my issues with this book even though the one that bothers me the most is probably me being pedantic.

Oof, this book is a lot.

Told in dual timelines, this is a great story if what if. Both timelines were heartbreaking, but I enjoyed seeing how they both played out and the similarities and very very different endings. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ I recommend this for fans of All This Time.

I love that this book tackled the question of "what if things had gone differently?" in a real and realistic way. The dual timelines and multiple POVs really fleshed out the characters and made each timeline feel distinct. This is definitely a book that stuck with me, and I was left wondering how much of our lives is a choice and how much is the result of chance. The three main characters Stevie, Shane and Drew are all complex, with complicated, realistic backstories and a desire for "realness" while making their way through high school. The ending left me speechless and a little dry-eyed. I found the writing itself to be amazing as well.

*I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Wednesday Books/St. Martin’s Press for this ARC!*

I really loved the concept of this book from my first glance at the synopsis. A dual timeline romance where the girl is with one or the other of two best guy friends in each timeline sounded really interesting. I had never read a book like this before, so I was very excited to dive in.

I really liked all three characters in this book. Stevie was a really fun character. She struggled with getting close to people when she knew that she would just be moving away soon because of her father’s job. That has to be so hard on a child, to never feel like you can make any lasting friendships. I really liked the fact that both Drew and Shane drew her in and kind of started to dismantle her walls in both timelines. The fact that Stevie was able to make similar kinds of connections with both Shane and Drew in both timelines speaks to how well these characters were developed in my opinion. Drew was a little self-centered, and yet incredibly sensitive in both. Shane was caring and a little insecure in both. The nature of their relationship with Stevie (whether it was dating or strictly friendship) didn’t change much about their actions, but greatly influenced the events of the story, which I found incredibly intriguing.

I loved the fact that all of these characters were so heavily influenced by music in their different ways. Also, the fact that each character approached music differently was interesting. Stevie loved to play the saxophone, but she needed sheet music and needed to practice. Shane was a drumming prodigy, but he could not read sheet music. Drew was an incredible vocalist, but because his father was a jerk he was forced into learning an instrument as well, which made him not feel passionate about said instrument because it was forced upon him. As a musician myself, this was very interesting to me since I have known someone just like each of these characters at some point in my life.

I really liked getting to follow along with the dual timelines. I thought the choice to do Drew’s timeline first was a good one because it made me feel more sympathetic to him. I feel like I wouldn’t have felt that way if we had gotten Shane’s timeline first. Also, the opening (in which Stevie is at the funeral for one of the boys, but they don’t say which one) was just enough of a teaser to get me interested without giving too much away and making me not want to read it.

Overall, I really liked this story. I thought the dual timeline aspect was done very well. The characters were well drawn and relatable. I would recommend this to anyone who loves contemporary YA.

My Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I gave Where It All Lands 4 Stars!

5 beautiful stars for this amazing book!

3 POV's, two best friends, and one coin toss. Would your life be different if one decision changed the trajectory of your life? This novel explores the concept of the Sliding Doors theory where two alternate realties may occur and change based on one thing, and in this case a coin toss. Stevie is the new girl in school, and best friends Shane and Drew are instantly drawn to her and want to ask her out. The boys decide things how they always do, with a coin toss! The novel then splits into three parts, Part 1 - Heads, Part 2 - Tails, and Part 3 - flipping between these realities. In one scenario Stevie is with Drew and the other with Shane. Can a coin toss really decide fate, or do we have a say it in? Are certain things meant to happen anyway no matter what we choose?

On the surface this seems like a fun YA novel about a love triangle, but it had so much more depth! All the characters were dealing with conflict with their fathers on some level, and were all music prodigies searching for their purpose and talent. I think Shane is one of my new favorite characters ever. He was the most pure, loyal, and sweet soul. I loved the dynamics between all the characters and am so impressed that this is the authors debut novel! I loved that it was the same timeline told in different ways and perspectives. I've never really read a novel told in this format before. I think it's a really special book, and I hope it gets all the recognition it deserves!

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review!

I was granted eARC access to Where It All Lands by Jennie Wexler via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to whoever approved me! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.

Where It All Lands is an interesting take on the age-old teenage love triangle story. When Stevie moves into town, best friends Drew and Shane are both interested. They decide to solve the conundrum of who asks her out the way they solve all their problems: they flip a coin. This book takes us through both timelines, heads and tails, and how both paths lead to the same heartbreaking events.

Team Shane, all the way! This book is adorable, heartbreaking, and definitely not anything I've ever read before. This is the first time I've seen a book billed as dual timeline cover the same timeframe. This is a multiverse exploration, a Schrodinger's box experiment with the hearts of three teenagers.

I must admit, I'm not a huge fan of how the timeline was split. We follow Drew winning the coin toss all the way up to "the horrible event," then rewind and reset for Shane and follow that timeline all the way up to the same event, then flip flop every chapter until each timeline comes to some form of a conclusion. I think I would rather have had the timeline flipping start sooner in the book so I could have an idea of what to expect from the dual timeline deal before we got too far into Shane's half. When we flipped back to Shane winning the coin toss, I honestly thought my eARC copy was faulty and had repeat chapters in the middle, then I realized it was Shane's POV but thought maybe I read something wrong at the beginning and Drew had gone for Stevie despite losing the coin toss. I didn't realize it was the other future from the coin toss until Stevie's budding friendship with Ray went differently because of the lack of Drew dates.

Overall this is an interesting book with a lot of complicated moments that really tug at the heartstrings. I prefer the ending to Shane's timeline, but I appreciate the honest reality of the ending to Drew's, and the silver linings that come out of both. Read this book if you like YA coming-of-age stories, sweet romances, or stories that explore completely the "what ifs" of all possible outcomes of a single event.

This was such a great debut YA novel! It's a story about how one decision could change the trajectory of your life. Part 1 is what happens if the coin lands on heads, part 2 is what happens if it lands on tails, and then part 3 wraps it all up by going back and forth between the two. I'm usually not a fan of alternate timeline stories, but I loved this one! I loved the 3 main characters and their love triangle is done so well! This book had me reminiscing of my high school days and falling in love and how those feelings as a teenager are just all consuming. Also, this would also be an amazing movie!

When best friends Drew and Shane spot the new girl to school, they both fall for her at first sight, she's beautiful and a band nerd like them. Rather than both vying for her attention and possibly ruining their friendship, they agree on a coin toss, an old tradition of theirs to avoid fighting between them. The story starts with Drew winning the coin toss and we see what unfolds for these three if one fate unfolded. Halfway through after a tragic turn, the story flips and tells us what fate would have in store if the coin flip went to Shane instead.

The author does a great job at showing the complexity of adolescence, the struggles with family, the petty fights between friends and the intensity of young love. I appreciated that the story stayed clean and while there were light mentions of drugs and sex, our main protagonists stayed pretty PG. The family issues were pretty intense to read and we saw the impact of parents decisions on their children's lives and how that helped to bond these three together. The music talk and banter between Shane and Stevie is fabulous and so fun to read.

The lower star rating for me translates to two things: 1. I found Stevie to be quite selfish and annoying at times with her disrespect for her parents and her treatment of the boys 2. The ending is open to interpretation... if I wanted to write a book I would, I chose to read one so I expect the author to complete the story. That doesn't happen here, so be forewarned. There are lessons but not resolution. That's not my favorite type of story, but it might be perfect for you.

Thanks to Wednesday Books for a copy of this novel. All opinions above are my own.