Please note that I received this book via NetGalley. This did not affect my rating or review.

I was hoping this would be a romance a la "About Time" and this was just way too much science and not enough romance. The main character Laurel got on my nerves and the ending was just eye roll inducing, probably because Gagnon didn't spend enough time developing the two love interests, Ollie and Drew.

"What If It's You?" follows Laurel. Laurel feels scared and angry after she finds an engagement ring in her long-time boyfriend Ollie's sock drawer. She feels like he does not understand her. When she goes to work at a tech company, her work friend, Drew, lets her in on a new program he's developed. FYI, I am not trying to explain it. I lost brain cells trying to follow the science. Just think two different worlds and move on. Laurel acts the program a question and it ends up splitting her into a world where she is still with Ollie, but to another, where she chose Drew. The book follows Laurel as she tries to figure out which world she wants.

Bah. Bah I say. I hate it when a promising read is just boring. I started this one a few days ago and I was bored beyond belief and the science parts just made this hard to wade through. 

As I said, Laurel as a character was not that great. She's awful to Ollie, and then horrified when she realizes she is with Drew. She really doesn't know what she wants and I was hoping for a different ending for her honestly. 

Nothing to say about the love interests, one is an artist (musician) and one is a tech guy. 

There is another character that pops up in this, but she could have been cut. Most of the book just felt very very long and I wanted things to wrap up much quicker than they did.

Time travel or different world romance books are always going to be a hit or miss with me, maybe because when the author tries to over explain things, the romance gets lost.

3.5 🌟

The grass is greenest where you water it... or is it?!

I've read a few books with "what if" scenarios/duel worlds and this one wasn't my favorite. 😬 I struggled with Laurel and truthfully, didn't want her to end up with either guy. Without giving anything away - I was happy with the solve of the problem of Laurel going between the two worlds but idk... I wish the growth would have happened sooner.

Thanks, Netgalley for the ARC of this book!

This is a truly unique kind of book. Jilly Gagnon proves that she is not afraid to tackle subjects she may not be proficient in (admitted in her author notes so I'm not talking out of turn) and the result is a charming story that had me thinking much like Laurel Everett did with her "what if" thoughts. There are a ton of passages that have to do with quantum physics and I'm the first to admit I skimmed a ton of that. It truly was over my head and at times I felt as if perhaps a little less could have been shared. Or at least given in a more layman kind of way. BUT, the use of a program her good friend and 'what if' subject, Drew, is what brings Laurel her 'come to Jesus' moment when she realizes that Ollie Hughes is forever the man for her. Or so she thinks.

I was definitely on board with this book right from the start. I liked Laurel and enjoyed watching her growth from being a part of this experimental program where she and Drew worked. It's very interesting how she was able to bounce between two simultaneous worlds, seeing life as it might have been should she have dated Drew and not continued with Ollie 5 years prior. Her emotions are raw as she tries to help Drew figure out the glitch in this system and why she, as she comes clean as to what is happening to her later on in the book, is going through all this.

But at its core, away from all the technical aspects which again, are numerous, is a woman simply trying to figure out her own life, thinking about chances never taken and if choices made were the right ones. Something most of us struggle with at some part of our lives. What emerges with time (although not much time does pass even with her bouncing from world to world) is her appreciation of Ollie. How well he listens. How much he's given up just to love Laurel. The man is truly a keeper of the highest order and you don't find that every day. Although it took a wild ride that might not have a true end, I was beyond happy at Laurel's final decision when it came to love.

The epilogue was brilliant and again shows that in the end, destiny might just have the final say when it comes to who you end up with. Showing that no matter the time and place, your person will find you. And I just adored that concept throughout this well-written book. It made me think about my own choices yet reminded me that sometimes you need that sharp shift in thoughts to come to the realization that you did choose well after all.

When looking for something completely different yet still steamy and romantic enough to keep you reading, I highly suggest giving What If It's You? a go. Jilly Gagnon wrote a refreshing take on love and I'm sincerely glad she did.

4 big stars!

Interesting & cute with a heavy dose of quantum physics. Did I like the concept? Sure. Did I understand any of the specifics? Absolutely zero. My fault for not being a scientist but I honestly skipped over whole sections of the physics stuff. It was an important plot device for the book so I get it but I was bored by all the details. I love the idea of examining the what if’s and potential alternative timelines. It was fun to see the way the main character evolved and realized what was more important in life. Regrettably with all the heavy quantum physics I just never FELT the story you know? I enjoyed parts of it and the ending is so sweet. If you can get past the science of it all you might enjoy it!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

🙌 What worked for me:
• Ollie. Literally the best character in this entire book. He put Laurel first at all times and did nothing to deserve how terrible of a girlfriend Laurel was.
• Laurel's growth...at least by the end. I was glad Laurel actually had some character growth by the end of the book.
• The comparison of people from the two universes was really fun. I liked how the author made a point of some things being integral to a person across universes but other things being completely different.


🚫 What didn't work for me:
• Laurel's selfishness. Honestly, the way she backpeddled on her feelings about Ollie every time she ended up back in her original world was so frustrating.
• The Quantum Physics/multiverse aspect of this book. As a scientist (which I am), I had to really suspend my belief here, especially when they tried explaining what was happening. It was just too much and a bit laughable. I'd have rather this just been left really vague instead of trying to bring the science into it.

🤜 Would I recommend: Depends. The book was engaging and a quick read. While Laurel frustrated me, I still enjoyed the overall story.


Read if you enjoy:
✔️ "What if?" Stories
✔️ Multiverse timelines
✔️ Romance with light sci-fi thrown in

I've been reading a lot of rom-coms lately. What can I say? It feels like a good time to disassociate into a less stressful and scary world. Because of all the romance I've been reading though, I've started to really pick up on the tropes and patterns of the genre. One thing I've noticed, is that a lot of the so-called "STEM-inist" romance novels that have been published in the wake of the enormous success of Ali Hazelwood's books really come off like poor imitations, if I'm honest.

What If It's You is 100% NOT one of those books at all. It doesn't feel like a rip-off of anyone. It's a good old "what might have been" story with quantum physics and alternate realities/multiple universes as the plot device. And sure, per the author's note, the science is probably bad, but honestly? It was fun, so who cares?

I liked this romance novel a lot and will for sure check out more by Jilly Gagnon.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

The book opens to Laurel Everett realizing that her longtime boyfriend is about to propose. This situation is quickly juxtaposed with Laurel's experience at her tech company and an alternate reality simulation. She alternates between Drew, from the tech company, and Ollie, the longtime boyfriend. In fact, the switches are so numerous that just as the reader is following the plot, yet another switch happens. Very curious story line but way too many back and forths which eventually lost my interest.

What If It’s You by Jilly Gagnon

Rating: 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 2/5 🌶️🌶️

Thank you to Random House Publishing, Ballantine, Dell, Netgalley, and the author for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

What If It’s You is a unique read combining aspects of romance and science fiction to formulate a story that’s super engrossing.

Laurel finds an engagement ring in her boyfriend’s drawer and starts to have doubts, which make her wonder what could have happened if she’d taken up a former colleague on his offer of a date several years ago. Due to her company’s tech, she gets to experience an alternate path to see what would have happened. All in all, her journey is less about which man she should be with and more about discovering who she is and what she really wants for herself.

Overall, this was an interesting read with great romance elements along with a deeper look at finding oneself, personal fulfillment, and the questions faced in the midst of big decisions.

2.5⭐️

Laurel finds an engagement ring in her boyfriend’s sock drawer & starts freaking out because she’s not sure if she wants to take that step yet (even though they’ve been together 5 years like girl what). She starts wondering what her life would be like if she had made some different choices. Like what if she had agreed to go out with her coworker Drew when he asked years ago?
Drew is working on a computer that can show you alternate realities & Laurel ends up getting stuck between this world & an alternate universe where she ended up with Drew.

This is like a romance mixed with sci-fi but it’s very heavy on the sci-fi aspect. This concept sounded interesting but unfortunately it failed to deliver. I really didn’t like any of the characters including Laurel. She’s been with Ollie for 5 years but it seemed like they still lacked basic communication skills & she really didn’t seem to be that into him. And Drew in the alternate universe was kind of a jerk? I really couldn’t find myself rooting for either of them & honestly she should’ve just ended up with nobody.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this ARC.

The best descriptor of this book actually comes from the author herself in the acknowledgements: “Okay, hear me out—it’s a romance, but it starts five years into a relationship. Oh, and there’s a lot of quantum physics.”

I think at one point we all wonder about a what-if moment, if some decision we made in our lives changed, it would make our lives better. Laurel gets the opportunity to explore that question after testing a new program at the tech company she works at. She sees who she is with Ollie and Drew and has a chance to experience different versions of herself, her career, and her life, helping lead her not just to the right man, but the right version of Laurel. Experiencing these alternate worlds through Laurel’s perspective shows us how the people we surround ourselves with shape us in ways we may not expect.

What surprised me most about this book was the contradiction between a relationship portrayed in such an authentic way and a plot point that is seemingly impossible. (That’s where the quantum physics comes into play!) The characters themselves and the relationships in the center all felt real, even if they weren’t always perfect or likable.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review, and I’d recommend it to anyone like me who loves a what-if trope or someone who is looking for a refreshing romance with a science spin.

Intriguing concept where the main character, Lauren, works for a technology company and is good friends with Drew, an innovator that has developed software that interacts with the user’s life. It’s only supposed to last for a short time, but Lauren finds herself bouncing between two lives, and it is giving her a glimpse of what her life could have been if she’d gone on a date with Drew instead of her current live-in boyfriend, Ollie. It’s a great story asking the question what if and really who am I separate from any love interest?

Laurel is terrified of marrying her boyfriend of five years, Ollie. And her fear leads to her asking a quantum computer/AI program 'what if...' she had said yes to going out with a co-worker instead of her musician boyfriend?

It leads to her sliding between two realities - her real life World O, and World D where her co-worker Drew is her boyfriend.

I really enjoyed the pace of this book. The first slips into each reality were on the slower side, but they picked up after that, making you feel how frantic Laurel is to be in the reality she wants to stay in. And I wasn't bothered by the quantum jargon. It was easy enough for me to follow.

I'm giving three stars because I do wish the author would have made each reality feel 100% real to Laurel - similar to the "Amy's Choice" episode of Doctor Who. Where Laurel would have felt completely certain that each reality was World A to her. Then it would have made her choice more satisfactory - because she would have chosen the kind of man and relationship she wants to be in.

I did however, enjoy her growth as a character.
<i>"I realized that it's not just about who I want to be with, it's about how I want to be with them."</i>

I think this is an easy sci-fi romance for beginners to get into.

The premise of this story immediately grabbed my attention—who wouldn’t be curious about getting a glimpse into the life they could have had if they’d taken a different path?

While I enjoyed the concept, the execution fell flat for me. I initially interpreted the storyline as Laurel being stuck in some kind of VR simulation. It wasn’t until the end that I realized she was actually shifting between parallel realities. That twist left me a little confused, especially since the mechanics behind it weren’t clearly explained. Was it really just a glitch in the computer? I’m not sure if I missed something, or if it simply wasn’t explored deeply enough.

As for the characters, I didn’t feel much growth or development. Laurel wants to know what life with Drew could be like, but doesn’t fully dive into that relationship. When she’s with Drew, she’s longing for Ollie—and when she’s with Ollie, she’s questioning everything again. The love triangle felt a bit unbalanced and repetitive.

The spicy scenes were fun, but also felt a little out of place with the overall tone.

Overall, there was just too much back and forth without much payoff. The focus seemed to be more on Laurel trying to choose a reality than on her growing as a person. I was interested enough to finish the book, but in the end, it felt very meh.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC opportunity.

This was a refreshing and clever twist on the classic love triangle. Laurel is happily dating her boyfriend of five years, Ollie—until she realizes he’s about to propose, and she panics. Suddenly, she’s consumed by the question: What if she had said yes when her co-worker and close friend Drew asked her out all those years ago?

But this story isn’t just about choosing between two men—it’s an exploration of identity, personal growth, and the difficult truths that come with figuring out what (and who) you truly want. Both Ollie and Drew are well-rounded, genuinely great guys, which makes Laurel’s journey all the more complicated and real. The narrative dives deep into the idea that the grass isn’t always greener, and that life’s alternate paths aren’t always what we imagine.

The sci-fi element added a unique and compelling twist that never overshadowed the emotional core of the story. I was invested in all three of the main characters, and the epilogue? Absolutely perfect—bittersweet, satisfying, and exactly what I hoped for.

Highly recommend for fans of romantic fiction with a smart, speculative edge.

I don't think there's a single person alive who hasn't wondered "what if" about a major (or minor!) decision they made in life. Unlike all of us poor saps in real life who are doomed to just think about it, Laurel gets the opportunity to actually experience the "what if."

This book has a very interesting premise but fell a bit short of a great execution for one reason and one reason only: Laurel kind of sucks. The book opens with her finding the engagement ring in her boyfriend's underwear drawer and then proceeding to purposely be an absolute moron and pick a fight at their anniversary dinner instead of, you know, bringing it up and talking to him.

And that's just in the first few pages! Everything about her made me hope that she didn't get her happily ever after, but this is a romance so that's not an option.

I'm usually an epilogue hater, especially in romance, but the author nailed it in this one. Great epilogue that tied the entire experience together. Thanks to NetGalley/Publisher/Author for allowing me to read this book.

I am genuinely sorry to this author and publisher for accepting this widget without realizing it was the same author as Love You, Mean it, a book I really did not enjoy. I started this based off of the premise and I just would not have linked those two books until I started to dislike this book and flipped to the "others by this author". I promise to do better!!

One of my hot takes as a romance reader is that I don't mind the cheating trope. My thing is though- call it what it is. This FMC clearly has had an emotional affair with her coworker, one of the love interests, but she can't be honest about it even in her head. I'm all for messy characters or even imperfect ones who start off with something to learn but she frames it as he is an innocent one sided "what if" while very much irl it being way different. So I just needed more honesty or eventual self-reflection.

The sci-fi part didn't completely work for me either. I know other reviews say if you like the descriptive math-y parts of sci-fi you may like this but in my opinion good sci-fi especially in the romance genre is accessible and enjoyable to either type of reader. Thank you to Dell for the eARC.

Pulled in by the multiverse element. Didn't really feel like a romance, though. Both relationships felt lacking, but it was still enjoyable enough.

What If It’s You is a sweet, modern twist on the classic mistaken identity trope, with just the right mix of humor, heart, and awkward charm. Jilly Gagnon captures the teenage voice perfectly, blending laugh-out-loud moments with the deeper feelings of vulnerability, self-discovery, and first love. The characters feel real—flawed, funny, and totally relatable—and the slow-burn romance is both endearing and satisfying. A great pick if you’re into feel-good YA with an emotional core.

The “sliding doors” plot trope is a favorite of mine. You may be familiar—especially if you’ve seen the movie of the same name with Gwenyth Paltrow! A character approaches a critical point in their life. They can make a choice—do they go left? Or do they go right? From that point on, the narrative splits. We, as readers, follow the character in each reality until there is a moment of resolution and a final choice is made.

In this case, Laurel Everett finds an engagement ring “hidden” in her boyfriend’s dresser drawer. The discovery sends her spiraling. She loves Ollie, but will she love him forever? What about her handsome coworker, Drew? They are good friends, that is true, but there was that time five years ago when he asked her out. Should she have said yes to that date, even though she and Ollie were already dating?

Laurel’s what-if-wonderings weigh heavily on her mind as Drew tells her about the new AI project he and his team have been working on. The program, AltR, may help Laurel choose between Ollie and Drew. But only if she can figure out how to stop switching between realities.

As I said, I’m a big fan of the sliding doors trope … not such a big fan of understanding how the sliding doors work. Jilly Gagnon’s WHAT IF IT’S YOU has much to recommend, but the deep dive into quantum physics wasn’t my jam. I would have preferred more details about the main characters and their relationships instead of adding more characters to the canvas to try to explain to Laurel and the reader what is happening, how, and why.

Ollie, as described, brings a lot of golden retriever energy, which Laurel seems to respond to with waning patience. The small glimpses of their origins as a couple aren’t enough to illustrate the connection that has bound them together for five years. There is a similar issue between Laurel and Drew. We are told that Drew is a genius, and very handsome, and that they click as good friends. However, the motivation behind Laurel’s willingness to walk away from a five-year relationship would have benefited from deeper character development. The references to Laurel’s parents’ failed marriage come out of the blue and are only explored in passing. Yet, their relationship seems to be a considerable issue in Laurel’s relationship decision-making.

I made it about 70% of the way through the book before sighing and just skimmed through to the end so I could find out what would happen. There is too much exposition, too much physics, and too little character connection.

Now, all that said, WHAT IF IT’S YOU has good bones. I found the resolution satisfying; I don’t want to give anything away, but the fact that Laurel's choice ended up having less to do with either Ollie or Drew was a compelling and meaningful way to wrap up the narrative. (I’m willfully ignoring the epilogue—it just wasn’t necessary, in my opinion.)

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!