I'm a 40+ something adult, so YA books aren't always my cup of tea, but when it comes to queer YA books that bring queer joy, I've found that this author brings a smile to my face.

This Day Changes Everything is Underhill's sophomore book and he obviously had fun with the adventure he took us on. This story reminded me a little bit of Dash and Lily combined with a little bit of Today Tonight Tomorrow. It was like a fun scavenger hunt put on in NYC in 24 hours and I got to follow along on the ride with Abby and Leo as they discovered more about themselves in one short trip to a big city than they have in their years in high school in their small towns.

Abby and Leo travel to NYC with their high school marching bands to perform during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. When they end up getting separated from their groups, they end up on the wrong subway together and while they have very different outlooks on life and their trip to the city, they end up making the most of their day.

Abby is living her life with a supposed crush on her best friend and in love with a book that she has read a million times. And the book happens to be set in NYC, so this trip has been built up to something huge in her mind. It's her time to come to terms with who she is and coming out to her best friend. Leo meanwhile is not looking forward to this trip. He is the boy that has become the "Logistical Headache". He is constantly misgendered, his parents just keep calling him a tomboy and his marching band still places him with the girls because they just can't wrap their heads around that he identifies as male. It's like he can't just BE. But with Abby, he is just Leo and their day ends up being more successful than either of them can imagine.

With a great cast of characters and a fun adventure around the city, I enjoyed following Abby and Leo getting lost around NYC. I got to see them start one way and evolve over the course of the day they spent together. They got to just be 2 queer teenagers existing in the world without being singled out. I enjoyed the way that Edward Underhill gave these teens a sense of community while also allowing them to just enjoy being in the moment. From beginning to end, this story was well paced and the characters brought the story to life. This is the sort of book that you want to land in the hands of a queer teen that needs to see that there is joy to be had, even if you have to work at it and even if things get muddled along the way. But this isn't just a story of queer romance, it's also a love letter to romance stories in general. Because love stories make us see the possibilities are endless in this Universe and we must capture the moments.

Overall, this was a joy to read and brought a smile to my face. And now I want to go back to NYC and have my own (mis)adventure.

First, thank you to the publishers for letting me receive a copy of this ARC. I was instantly drawn to the cover and title of this book. Unfortunately, the actual book was a little more young adult than I was expecting and not entirely my cup of tea. I tend to gravitate more to fantasy novels or adult fiction rather than romance. Overall, the story itself is cute and characters are developed. I would say this book is pretty average. The plot does engage the reader and I can see some readers feeling connected to the story. 2-3 star book for me. I will round up for this one.

Edward Underhill does it again. I adored this coming of age and romance story set in New York City over the span of about two days! It explores figuring out your queerness, and having the courage to take a chance and risk it all for love.

4.5 stars - it took me a minute to get into this book, but once we were in the train with our two main characters, I couldn't put it down. Absolutely loved these two (grumpy sunshine is a favorite trope of mine) and I thoroughly enjoyed their growth and finding out their feelings.

Let me start by saying that I absolutely love the queer representation!! It was exactly what I could have used when I was in high school.
I loved getting to know the characters and watching them find themselves throughout NYC. I relate to Abby in so many ways that I almost felt like I was finding myself all over again. Abby and Leo are so cute. This was an amazing book. All queer you deserve an epic love story and to also see it represented. This book is exactly that.

such an utterly cute read like?? my gosh leo and abby go so well together and while the story is semi fantastical (or at least implausible) the characters are so grounded and real. thanks for the ARC

I am withholding my review until the end of the SMP boycott in solidarity with the communities that have been harmed

I'll be honest, there's almost an entire star solely for how much queer and trans joy in finding yourself there is on the pages and how much it had me grinning for that.

As a YA queer-coming-of-age, it's great, taking a lot of teenage angst and experiences and putting it through the pressure cooker of a band trip. My favorite part was definitely the scavenger hunt in the bookstore, with Leo and Abby getting to experience other people just accepting them and letting them be and having fun.

As an adult, however, I definitely had a lot of anxiety about the two of them skipping out on so much of their planned trip and making their friends cover for them, and the realizing from both of them that they were in love with the other after a day did feel rushed, but hey. Teenagers.

I did love Leo's description of when everything clicks into place during a marching band performance - it's how I always feel during a good chorus performance, and it was nice to see it reflected here.

This book was perfect start to finish. I didn’t like some of the characterization, but that was more of a personal preference than a general opinion. I thought the plot was original and well executed, and the characters were so cute. Abby and Leo definitely have my heart, and I loved the natural discussions of gender and sexuality without too much awkward exposition. This is definitely something I’d reccomend to younger queer audiences.

Leo and Abby are both traveling to New York with their high school marching bands for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. While on their sightseeing tours, they end up together on the wrong subway and ultimately decide to spend the day together going around Manhattan.

This was a really cute story about two queer teenagers falling in love with each other. They only know each other for one full day, so it is very instalove, but cute nonetheless.

Near the beginning, Leo says his phone is crappy and the battery is at 30-something percent. Yet he's still using it often to text, facetime, and use Google maps and the phone somehow does not die for an entire day. That's even more unrealistic than instalove.

Dash and Lily meets Ferris Bueller is a very good comparison for this.

I look forward to Edward Underhill's next book.

CW: mentions of transphobia and homophobia, mention of deadnaming

Rep: queer main character, trans character, ace side character, queer side characters, nonbinary side character.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

this book delivered on exactly what it claimed to be! a short, sweet insta-love about finding your place in the world as a queer teenager, complete with a dramatic final make-up and make-out scene, gratuitous descriptions of new york city at christmas, and a satisfying ending. not anything groundbreaking, but it didn’t need to be - there are 20 billion books with this exact plot and heterosexual couples. the gays deserve a win here.

<i> I received a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. </i>

I will be withholding all reviews and promotion for St. Martin's Press titles and their imprints until the publisher addresses the concerns of BIPOC and Muslim creators who are being stalked, harassed and feel unsafe due to the actions of a racist employee.

I wish I could submit a review for this book as trans voices need so much support but I will be withholding my review until SMP and Wednesday books meet the terms of the boycott and address the harm their employee has caused.

I adored Edward Underhill’s ALWAYS THE ALMOST so I happily accepted the opportunity to read THIS DAY CHANGES EVERYTHING. I love how Underhill incorporates music into his work, in this book the focus is high school marching band. As a former marching band geek, I thoroughly enjoyed that aspect and was more than a bit jealous that these bands got to play at the Macy’s parade in NYC. But the heart of this story is friendship, romance, and the universe (fate versus coincidence).

Abby is questioning her sexuality after developing feelings for her best friend Kat, while Leo is going through a tough time trying to be seen and accepted as a boy. Abby and Leo get on the wrong train and end up on a whirlwind adventure in NYC. The reader has to suspend disbelief at some of the turn of events, but I found it to be an enjoyable queer fantasy for two teenagers learning more about themselves and each other over the course of a day.

THIS DAY CHANGES EVERYTHING is a sweet YA story with a positive message, and a book that could change everything for young readers.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for sending an eARC.

5 stars

Dear Edward Underhill, your books and characters are ADORABLE, and I am already looking forward to reading who and what you write next!

Ugh! The cuteness! Abby and Leo share perspectives in this extremely charming YA romance. Both are members of their high school marching bands, and both schools are off to New York for a little Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade pageantry. Oh, and they're also going to have an unexpectedly game changing day (see the title of this book!) with each other!

Readers start with Abby, who has big plans for this trip. She's somewhat recently realized that she's in love with her best friend, Mia, and she's going to get into some related grand gestures while they're in New York. In addition to the usual fears that might surround someone who was making such a vulnerable reveal, this is all made more challenging by the facts that (1) Abby doesn't know if Mia is queer and (2) Abby isn't out. There are a lot of feelings, and seasoned readers will hold their breath at times.

Leo has his own struggles, but they are not romantic. While his immediate family knows he's trans, his extended family (I laughed always at 'Ex Family') is NOT aware of his identity. They will learn about it when he's on TV for the parade, though, and there's a lot of strife around how his parents will react and how his extended family will behave. He is also constantly reminded of how absurd folks are on this trip as he finds himself bunking with girls and wondering about his safety in various restrooms, for example.

Abby and Leo have a lot on their minds when they find themselves together on the wrong train. This fateful separation from their respective bands/tour groups gives them space to think and, well, *other things*.

I loved so much about this book. It's a fast paced, easy read that centers on both a really sweet romance and some difficult but real life issues for both characters. The representation is also nicely handled and is informative but not didactic, which I think will appeal to readers with varying levels of understanding.

The ending wraps a bit abruptly, but this adds to the magic of the titular super important day.

I absolutely recommend this one and look forward to sharing it with my students in the near future.

I will always support authors with queer youth representation. I’m so happy to see more of it every year.

So, to be completely transparent, I only got this ARC because it was up for grabs on NetGalley. I did not like Underhill's debut, whatsoever, but I have read sophomore books and liked them. I figured I'd have another go-around and hoped I'd like this one.

You see my rating. I obviously didn't.

One thing I will say is that I liked that it wasn't instalove. Abby and Leo's first convo was awkward and weird, reflecting what I would feel was the realistic reaction anyone would have if they got lost with a stranger. But the story is suppose to be about strangers connecting and falling in love, and yet all I saw while reading was the lack of genuine chemistry between our leads. If anything, I either found them both annoying at best or boring at worst; the grumpy/sunshine dynamic taken to the extreme always irritates me. I had to skim near the end because I was just so done being with these characters.

The story also suffers because of the lackluster romance. I'm normally fine with two characters doing nothing but talking and exploring the setting, as long as they're both charming and interesting, of course. Without that, the story just drags and it isn't fun, anymore. The side characters were bland, too, their main elements essentially boiled down to distractors and cheerleaders for the leads to finally get together. The one part with side characters I liked the most was when Abby and Leo wet book hunting with a queer club. I would rather have read a book about the club than what is shown in the book.

Again, Underhill's writing is just fine but nothing exciting. I completely forgot the author has music degrees, because, again, the main character(s) can play music (Leo on snare and Abby with clarinet). The music playing scenes were a little better this time around, but I still found it boring.

Overall, this was just meh. I think I won't be reading anymore of Underhill's work, even if their ARCs are free to grab on NetGalley.

Such a cute book! This is the kind of book that I wish I had when I was a teen. I admire the quirks in the author’s writing, and the story was magical. It makes me want to believe in the Universe!

I’m looking forward to buying this book once it comes out!

Abby and Leo are so darn cute! I loved this story. It flows so well and the queer rep was amazing! I’m so happy to have had the chance to read it. Abby wants her love story in New York and also just wants to go back home. But they instead come together for an adventure around NYC. Such a magnificent story that makes me want to go to NYC too! The beginning was a bit slow but it picked up after the first 50 pages or so!

4/5 stars! Recommend for the queer rep, NYC adventures, love and friendships!

**Thank you to NetGalley for the free review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily!

Engaging and escapist. A recommended purchase for public YA and HS collections where romance is popular.