Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. I love a good YA romance that makes me cry at the end, and this book did not disappoint on that end! The story is told through multiple perspectives and in two different timelines - what happens when a coin flip decision is heads and then again if it had landed on tails. If you're looking for a quick, sweet read, this story about three teenage band members with everyday family drama is one you'd enjoy. It comes out Tuesday, 7/6!

I can definitely say I haven’t read a book like this…& I was pleasantly surprised 🤩

This was a cute YA story following 3 teens whose lives intersect in a bunch of ways. Told in a total of 3 parts, with part 1 exploring their lives if the coin landed on heads, part 2 following as if it landed on tails, & finally part 3 flipping back & forth. Definitely an interesting experience & really made me think about life.

I really loved Shane & Drew’s friendship, as well as Stevie’s relationship with her younger brother 🥰 the pages were full of loyalty, love, & honestly a rollercoaster of emotions.

LOVED IT 👏🏻 thank you @netgalley & @wednesdaybooks 💕 this one comes out July 6th ☺️

Stevie is the new girl in school, which is nothing new since her family moves towns at the drop of the hat since her dad is a famous NFL football coach, so she's learned not to make friends when she gets to a new place because putting down roots just isn't in the cards no matter how much she wants it.

One thing that's gotten Stevie through all the moves and changes is her love of music and dreams of a future music career. She's a sax player and when she joins the band at her new high school, she is inexplicably drawn to both Drew and Shane, two inseparable best friends since they were little.

The two guys are just as drawn to Stevie as she is to them, but they aren't the type of friends who would let a girl get in the way of their friendship; after all, Drew was there for Shane when his dad died (he felt the loss as acutely since he was like a father to him too), and Shane's been there 100% for Drew since his dad, a mega-famous music producer, walked out on him and his mom for another woman a few months ago. They've always had each other's backs. So, what do they do to decide who should ask out Stevie?

They flip a coin because that's how they've settled their decisions since the beginning of their friendship. Shane isn't so sure it's the right thing in this case--this is a person, not a movie or video game pick, but Drew insists they let fate decide with the flip of a coin, and the winner gets to ask Stevie out. She can always say no...

Jennie Wexler explores both courses the coin toss could have taken with Drew winning the toss in Part 1 and Shane winning in Part 2 of the book, and the stories mirror themselves with timelines, events, etc, but they change in important plot events, which shows how one minor change in a person's actions has a ripple effect that can lead to much larger events.

Where It All Lands is an emotional book at times that had me crying but it also had me smiling with joy. It's a thought-provoking read that really makes you think about whether the role of fate is inevitable in our lives no matter our choices or does our every choice determines our destiny?

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/ Wednesday Books for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

It’s been a while since I’ve read a novel that made me cry, laugh and reminisce about my high school years. Where It All Lands is just that novel that will evoke all of the emotions of the teen years and then some.

Stevie Rosenstein has for the umpteenth time relocated to another state and a new high school. She barely has time to make any true friends and then she has to move to another state and start the acclimation process over again. Her dad is a renowned football coach so his occupation lends itself to multiple relocations. Unsettling as it may be, Stevie has learned to shield herself in a cocoon, thereby eliminating any chance for close friendships that may cause herself hurt and emotional pain. That was until she is befriended by Drew Mason and Shane Murphy, both of whom are fellow classmates at the local high school.

Unbeknownst to Stevie, Shane and Drew share a secret. A secret that they have kept since their grade school years. This secret has allowed Shane and Drew to avoid conflict and solidified their friendship. It is a simple coin toss of heads or tails. But, what starts out as a simple coin toss has lead to consequences beyond anything imaginable.

Where It All Lands is a superbly crafted Young Adult | Teen novel. The plot follows a timeline of events and the story unfolds in several points of view — that of Stevie, Drew, and Shane.

The characters are wholesome and developed in such as way that the reader will be able to draw a vivid picture of each player in his/her mind’s eye.

The story is solid. However, I found the Epilogue disappointing. Others may disagree but to me it was a letdown to an almost perfect narrative. Four stars.

I received a digital ARC from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

Sadly, I didn't really dig this book. I feel like the author was trying to create something deeper than what it turned out to be. The characters came off as superficial and one dimensional. There was too much instalove going on. I strongly dislike instalove. I never really felt their bond. The characters declared it very early into the book. Nothing developed naturally. The pacing was too rushed. And the whole parallel time line thing was annoying.

Okay this book gives you everything. You get both sides of the story, you get three really dynamic characters that you learn to love right off the bat. There is a moral dilemma, there is romance, there is questioning of who is right and where should one land. Should they land with the young man who is wild and challenges you to break out of your mold, or should you pick the person who might not be the obvious choice at first glance. I just love that this book is written in two parts showing both what would happen if Drew won the coin toss, and also what would happen if Shane won. Just honestly this book hits on every front. What is fate and how does it play in our lives. Is it predetermined can you change what is going to happen? Will one tiny difference in how something goes down change someone's life for the better or for the worse. I do have to say though the final ending throw me. But it was a great way to end the book. Bravo. Thank you so much NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for letting me read an advance copy of this book.

Main character Stevie is the daughter of a NFL football coach, and has had to move quite frequently and struggles to fit into a new school each and every time. Sometimes its because she's Jewish, sometimes its because of who her father is. When she arrives in NJ, she expects the same thing but discovers herself in the midst of a love triangle between two best friends - Drew and Shane.

Told in dual timelines, the format allows you to get to know all three characters well and I cared in the end for all of them. It also really plays with the idea of how much life can be changed by a little action, in this case a flip of a coin. I encourage you to pick it up.

This book is so good! Add it to your summer reading list!

I really enjoyed this flip-a-coin dual timeline, multiple POV book that explores the idea of “what if you’d taken another path?” It’s a bittersweet story about 3 musical high schoolers finding their way to love and purpose despite what life throws at them. The characters are open and honest, their back stories are varied and complex. You’ll root for each one! Bring tissues for the end, too!

Thanks to Wednesday Books for the advanced read!

I absolutely LOVED this book! Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC copy!

Stevie Rosenstein moves to a new town and catches the eye of two best friends, Drew and Shane. Both boys want to ask her out, so they decide to flip a coin to decide who gets to ask her.
This story is told in parallel timelines and looks at each side of the coin scenario. Parallel timelines can get repetitive, but this one was not that way. Each side of the story was different and unique in its own way. I will definitely be recommending this book to others.

Bravo, Jennie Wexler!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the ebook and audio ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars, I think that maybe all my pride month reading broke me. I love a Sliding Doors type plot - seeing what’s inevitable and what changes with small choices, so the premise of this was right up my alley. Unfortunately, I wasn’t really a fan of the romance, which was obviously a huge part of the experience. The boys flipping a coin hit me weirder than I expected, and as soon as Ray was introduced, I was shipping the girls 😂 I sort of wish the dual timelines had been playing out side by side all along, because I enjoyed that at the end, and that the relationships would’ve felt a little more deep. Stevie’s over exaggerated response to the coin toss is an integral part of the ending, and it made the ending that much shakier for me.

Overall, a fun enough read, and I liked the back and forth timelines at the end. I especially liked some of the relationship lessons learned with side characters - like Stevie and her Dad - and the friendships between Drew and Shane and Stevie and Ray more than the romance.

Stevie Rosenstein is the new kid in town. Again.

Shuffling around has always been a way of life for Stevie due to her dad’s frequent job changes. For the most part, she has learned to accept that everything is temporary. This includes addresses, friendships, and even the possibility of finding love.

Despite this, Stevie has always not so secretly hoped that “wherever they land” will finally be the place they settle down. So when her family moves to New Jersey (New Jersey! Yay!) and she finds herself making connections, a part of her can’t help but be cautiously optimistic.

Next door neighbors Drew and Shane have been best friends for ages. Opposites in so many ways, their friendship still works. When the guys meet the new girl they both are instantly smitten. So what do you do when best friends like the same girl?

Well you flip a coin, of course. 😉

Where It All Lands is YA with a twist. If you are old enough to remember the Choose Your Own Adventure books, this book reminded me of those titles a bit. What if I met this person sooner? Or what if I didn’t meet them at all? The possibilities of our other selves are limitless and has always fascinated me.

If you’ve ever found yourself wondering how your life would be if you just did ONE THING differently, then you too will probably enjoy this aptly titled debut novel by Jennie Wexler.

Where It All Lands by Jennie Wexler is a fresh approach to what appears to be a light YA love triangle story, but it is not a love triangle story at all. Instead, it is a powerful and poignant look at how sometimes the most minor, most benign decisions – like flipping a coin - can lead to irrevocable, unintended consequences. I cannot say much about the story without spoilers, and I do not do spoilers. But, as a reader, you will want this fresh approach to the story to take you by surprise. It adds to the wonder of the story and the depth of the poignancy. Stevie, Shane, and Drew meet at the beginning of the school year, and what happens next will surprise you, break your heart, surprise you again and then leave you with an ambiguous ending that is fitting but will drive you mad. There are a few major plot points that I had an issue with. I thought most of the characters overreacted to one plot point, though to be fair, teens sometimes act out of proportion to the “crime.” Yet, the author’s approach to the story was so creative that I could easily overlook what created those annoying niggles in my ability to believe the story. Overall, if you are looking for a book that will lead to many discussions, will stick with you for a long time, and that will make you look at your own life in a whole new way, you must pick up and read Where It All Lands.

I was drawn to read Where It All Lands because the premise sounds intriguing - - the idea of getting to see two different paths a story might take, giving serious Sliding Doors vibes - and I thought in a book form, that would give the author some chance to play with structure in interesting ways. Plus, I do normally love the novels Wednesday Books puts out. Unfortunately, the structure was boringly straightforward (after an opening, we basically read one novella, then switch over to a second). Not the worst crime, but I was hoping for something more ambitious, more related to the premise, and it was disappointing not to find that.

A far worse problem for me, though, was just fundamentally mediocre writing. There are some truly bad lines in this book (like describing someone looming intimidatingly over another character as "like a bodyguard in reverse"), but even at its best, the writing feels flat and full of cliches. Meanwhile, the plot ended up leaving a lot to be desired, as well. It starts with two boys, best friends, who have exchanged all of five words with the Hot New Girl (the extent of what they know about her at this point), flipping a coin for which of them will get to ask her out. This is, of course, the Sliding Doors moment, where the storylines diverge - in one story, Shane gets to ask her out, and in the other, Drew does. Even trying to leave aside the absolute shudderiness of these boys treating a girl like an inanimate object, a prize to be won between them, it doesn't actually make a lot of sense as a divergent point. It's just a coin flip for who gets to ask her out...but surely the girl's own agency matters here, and which boy she herself might be interested in, right? ...right??

There are plenty of trivial details that bugged me, too (like, really, how famous is an NFL coach among teenagers across the country?), but really, they all boil down to clumsy writing. Where It All Lands might be trying to tell a moving story or make some kind of point about fate and chaos, but it just reads like one giant boring cliche after another.

I received an advance copy from Wednesday Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

As a fan of the movie Sliding Doors, I was intrigued when this book was described as having similarities to that movie. Instead of "sliding doors," fate seems to be triggered by the flip of a coin...whether it lands on heads or tails. I found it to be a clever premise. However, I needed something more out of the story than I received. I'm not exactly sure what I was looking for, but it felt unfinished and incomplete to me. It's possible this was the author's intent. Unfortunately, for me, with the level of intensity in this story, I needed it to have a solid resolution.

The story centers around three teenagers....Stevie, the new girl in town and Drew and Shane (best friends who both find themselves interested in Stevie). Each of these characters has struggles they are dealing with. For others looking at them from the outside, it will seem as if they have everything they could possibly want. However, once you find out about each of their backgrounds, you discover that they each have a battle they are fighting and have all experienced some type of loss.

Overall, this was a well-written young adult romance. It had an unusual and interesting storyline. I just wanted a little bit more from it.

Thanks you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

"That something so small as a coin toss could change everything"
Three New Jersey high schoolers, Stevie, Shane, and Drew, all have daddy issues. Shane and Drew are best friends, and they've been settling disputes via coin toss since they were six or seven. Both fall for Stevie, the new girl, but only one can woo her.
Using the sliding doors premise, wherein seemingly inconsequential moments alter the trajectory of future events, this YA novel succeeds in its dual timeline construct. Heads taking one trajectory, tails taking another. Author Jennie Wexler does a really nice job of structuring the parallel stories. They're just similar enough, but each has its own facets that refresh the narrative. I consider this is a worthy YA entry on the list of what-ifs/do-overs/parallel selves novels, such as Ken Grimwood's *Replay,* Matt Haig's *The Midnight Library,* and of course Peter Howitt's film and screenplay *Sliding Doors*.

[Thanks to St. Martin's Press / Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an opportunity to read an eARC of this book in exchange for my opinion.]

Where It All Lands by Jennie Wexler

Where It All Lands is a YA contemporary romance with a “sliding doors” type plot that hinges on a coin flip.

Stevie is the new girl in town and immediately catches the eye of best friends Drew and Shane. Since both guys have settled every dispute since they were kids with a coin flip it only makes sense to Drew to flip for the right to ask Stevie out. The book shows us the outcome of each flip with the highs and lows of each possibility.

Stevie is tired and bitter about the constant moves across country that her father’s job as a football coach entail. She’s never had a boyfriend and her friendships are all short-lived. Drew is the son of a successful music producer that is used to people using him for who is dad is. But his life has been in a tailspin over the last year when his father left the family to be with his assistant. Shane is a talented drummer who lives in the shadow of the more charismatic Drew. He is sweet, kind and thoughtful but humiliated by bullying he’s been getting from a jerk on the football team.

There is a ton of angst in this book. At the center of each outcome is the coin flip itself which we are supposed to be outraged about. But I wasn’t (and know I should) but like Stevie’s best friend back in Seattle says “Two guys were fighting over you. I would kill for two guys to fight over me.” And there are daddy issues all over the place. Stevie is furious about the moves, Drew is hurt that his father left the family and doesn’t make him a priority and Shane’s father passed away a few years prior. The mothers, sadly are pushed to the background. There is so much on the page dedicated to the band, music and angst over fathers and the coin flip that we never really get to know any of the three characters well. Stevie just isn’t an enjoyable person the bulk of the time. I will say the author does an amazing time ratcheting up the emotion in the last 10% of the book.

Overall this was an interesting concept with tons of emotion and angst. But I wanted a little more from the trio that wasn’t worrying about the coin flip (Shane), complaining about dads (Stevie, Drew) or conversations about Pearl Jam.

3.5 stars

I think the concept of this book is really cool and I was curious to see how it would be written. It felt like there’s basically two storylines. After that coin toss, you get to see how both outcomes play out.

Since it was showing two different outcomes though, the relationships feel underdeveloped. There actually is a connection between Stevie + Drew and Stevie + Shane but I just feel like due to the pacing the book has to go through, I wasn’t quite convinced with the romance aspect. There are definitely other parts of the book aside from that: the leads’ relationships with their families, their friendships, and their aspirations.

I still think this is a nice and different take, but for someone like me who needs to see relationships well-developed in stories, this just missed the mark.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC through Netgalley!

Thank you so much to netgalley, st martins press & wednesday books for sending me this arc in exchange for my honest review. You guys this one was so so cute and just what i needed. Definitely a heartbreaker but also a very sweet story about 3 musical prodigies with daddy issues. two who would love their fathers to be around more and one who wishes every day he could have his father back. but the guys Drew and Shane will always flip a coin whenever they have a conflict that was thigs will be fair and they wont fight about it. but when it comes to the beautiful Stevie. Should they have left it up to chance? a bittersweet and very moving book. you wont be able to put this one down 4 stars.

my only qualm with this book would be that there wasn't a concreate ending. i loved how the author did the end going back and fourth between the timelines. but i would have liked to know what actually happened. overall very lovely story. This book is out July 6th

The parallel stories complimented each other perfectly without feeling repetitive. I loved Drew and Shane's friendship, but the romance didn't do much for me honestly. But I did really enjoy seeing Drew, Shane, and Stevie grow closer together over the course of the story. And I like the ambiguous ending too - it, like the trio, was filled with possibility.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Stevie is new in Millbrook, pretty and a talented musician. Her father moves them around a lot because he’s an NFL coach. Shane and Drew, best friends since childhood, fall for her immediately. They settle who gets to ask her out the way they always have, so they don’t get into a fight: they flip a coin. Where It All Lands tells what would happen if the coin landed one way or the other. In the first part, the coin lands in favor of Drew. The second part covers what would happen if Shane won. And the last part is told in alternating chapters between the two universes. Told from the points of view of Drew, Shane, and Stevie, this book tells a couple different love stories and the story of friendship and loyalty.

I grew to like the characters over time, especially Shane. Stevie annoyed me, and so did Drew. Both of them show such disregard for personal property, particularly when it comes to phones. When Stevie is with Drew, wearing his hoodie, his phone goes off and she reads the message, blatantly without apology. When Shane gets a text from Stevie, Drew grabs his phone and reads the whole conversation. No one says a word against this and it really rubbed me the wrong way. I do like how respectful Drew and Shane were of each other, even as the other dated or attempted to date Stevie. Neither of them made a move on her while the other was interested. Their relationship, having been friends for ten years, really shines and I would have liked to see more from their perspectives regarding each other. I think it would have really illuminated their relationship and their pasts and given a better foundation to the story.

The two timelines were markedly different and I didn’t get bored. Some things were rehashed but most things were entirely different. Even Stevie’s relationship with her father was different. Her father didn’t like Drew because he made Stevie come home late literally once (way too strict and judgmental towards a daughter he hardly sees). With Shane, her father was much less strict, even when it came to a concert in New York City. It was just so weird that Stevie’s father was almost entirely absent from the story during Shane’s part because he wasn’t contentious with Shane.

At first, I wasn’t sold on this story. The similarities between the three characters felt too perfect; they all have dad issues and all are great musicians. Shane is a drummer, Stevie plays the saxophone, and Drew is a singer, though he also plays the trumpet, albeit badly. In each part, Stevie becomes good friends with Shane as helps her practice for the All-State band. But in the second part, in which Shane wins, Drew kind of falls by the wayside. Stevie has interactions with him but a majority of the focus is on Shane and Stevie. It felt clear which timeline the author preferred. One timeline was better written than the other and had a better outcome overall, for everybody. It had more feeling and showed more of the main characters as people. The message is to just live life and enjoy it, don’t focus on the what ifs. But with one timeline having a better outcome, the message isn’t as impactful as it could have been.

Overall, I enjoyed the characters by the end. They had a lot of issues and compelling reasons to like them, even though they weren’t as explored as I would have liked. I wanted more character development and less romance. I liked the talk of music and bands, and Stevie’s relationship with her family and how that developed. The romance was okay, but I think all of them would make better friends than romantic interests. Even though it seems like I disliked a lot of things, I did eagerly finish this book. The last quarter absolutely flew by. So even though i’m nitpicking on a few things I disliked, the book was compelling enough for me to keep reading. I think fans of E. Lockhart would like this book, as would fans of Nicola Yoon and Rachel Lynn Solomon.