We have all contemplated it - how our lives would be different if we had made one choice over another. We come across so many of these life-changing moments over the course of our lives, and it is easy to get caught up in the "what-ifs." What if I hadn't taken that job? What if I didn't agree to that first date? What if I hadn't picked up the phone that day? What if I had left the house 5 minutes later? What if I chose one guy over the other? That's the what-if explored in Jennie Wexler's debut YA novel, Where It All Lands, a book that examines the choices of three New Jersey teens.

Where It All Lands begins with a coin toss after two best friends, Drew and Shane, both lay eyes on the new girl, Stevie, and want to ask her out. Of course, they both can't, so they flip a coin to determine who will receive the honor. That coin toss alters the trajectory of all three of these teenagers' lives, which is the premise of this novel.

It helps to have some understanding of the book's arrangement before going into it. The first half of the novel spotlights what would have happened had the coin landed on "heads," giving brooding and mega-rich heartthrob Drew the opportunity to ask Stevie out. The latter part of the book highlights what would have happened if the coin had landed on "tails," and Shane, the sensitive and gifted musician, had received the chance to go for Stevie. Just who will Stevie choose by the end of both of these stories? And how big a part does our everyday choices play in our destinies?

The concept of Where It All Lands is really interesting. It made me think and consider my life choices, and also opened my eyes to the numerous possibilities awaiting at the end of every "what if." On the other hand, I didn't really care for the characters, especially Drew, who was volatile, pretentious, and spoiled. Stevie wasn't much better, constantly lamenting over her dad's job as a NFL coach. The book reeks of privilege, and Stevie and Drew come off as whiny and ungrateful. The plot was also not the most compelling, focusing on typical teenage fare - friendships, relationships, and problems with parents - without offering up much to provoke the senses. But the coin toss makes it interesting and turns this story into something more than a typical teenage love triangle. If you are looking for a unique storyline format, then you may quite enjoy Where It All Lands.

I listened to an audiobook production of this novel narrated by Bailey Carr, Dan Bittner, and Michael Crouch. I have listened to all three of these voice artists in previous works - Bailey Carr in The Good Girl's Guide to Murder series, Dan Bittner in Tweet Cute, and Michael Crouch in The Knockout Queen - and have enjoyed all of their work, but especially that of Michael Crouch. Going into this audiobook, I didn't realize he would be narrating Shane's half of the novel, so when I heard his unique voice come across my earbuds, I was pleasantly surprised. He totally sold the second half of the story for me, turning Shane into someone who was no longer flat and childish, but multi-dimensional and sensitive. I will listen to anything Michael Crouch narrates because he does such a good job and makes the books he reads that much more enjoyable!

Shane and Drew have been friends for a LONG time. They seemingly will always have each other's backs and settle most disputes with a coin toss in order to avoid conflict. So when Stevie shows up for the first day of marching band practice, Shane and Drew decided to flip a coin to decide who will be the one that will ask her out. This book is told in dual timelines of the outcome of the coin flip. What if Shane won the coin flip? What if Drew was able to ask Stevie out?

I thought the premise of this book was fun. The alternate stories were "different" enough from each other to not feel like I was reading the same story twice, Alternate timelines can get a bit repetitive at times and I was thankful that this did not seem to be an issue for me.

I was happy to find that the characters were not so full of angst that it was hard for an adult reader to get into the story. Stevie, Drew and Shane all have sort of family issues. In particular, they all seem to have "daddy issues". Drew's dad passed away before the start of the book, Shane's dad left his family, and Stevie's dad is so busy with his job as a football coach that he is never around. The three kids also share a love for music so there are plenty of musical references that I enjoyed.

As this went on, it was hard to tell how the book was going to end. In these sort of love triangles, it seems impossible that everyone would get their HEA, but I was neither shocked nor upset by the ending.

3.5 stars

Special thanks to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for gifting me with an eARC in exchange for my honest reviews.

A cute little story about a love triangle of sorts. I do not think I have ever read or listened to a book like this where you essentially get to play out two different endings. What a unique way to write. I was hooked the whole time! Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for a copy of this book for an honest review.

This book threw me for a loop halfway through, as I went into it a bit blind. What had started out as a feel-good be-careful-what-you-choose kind of novel, turned into one that showed just how impactful one small choice can be, and just how much can potentially change because of it.

The second part of the book shows what would have happened if one action had resulted differently. And then readers get to see both play out in the end.

A lesson I took away from this book: Sometimes there are things outside of our control, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be mindful of the choices we do make in life.

A quick note: I really enjoyed this story, but I didn’t personally enjoy the audiobook. The voices came across as breathy and as though they were trying to seduce you at times, which just felt awkward since the story wasn’t one of sexual nature. Just my personal preference here, but I thought I’d share!

Heads, you win; tails, you lose. What if everything hinged on the way the coin fell? How different would the results be? That is the premise in Jennie Wexler’s Where It All Lands.

Drew and Shane see Stevie Rosenstein on the first day of band practice and both decide they want to ask her out. Drew falls back on the habit they’ve always had to avoid arguments: toss a coin. Heads, he gets to ask Stevie out; tails, Shane does. In the first iteration of the story, the coin lands on heads and the reader follows the consequences of this. In the second part, the coin lands on tails and it becomes Shane’s story. At the point of the story’s climax in both novellas, the chapters alternate between the “Heads” story and the “Tails” story until an inconclusive ending that the reader is supposed to guess at.

Besides music, Drew, Shane, and Stevie share some pretty hefty daddy issues. Drew’s dad seems to be more interested in his career in music than in his family; Shane’s father has died causing an expected chasm; and Stevie’s dad is a professional offensive football coach who finds himself frequently out of a job and moving to the next one, taking his family with him, which results in Stevie feeling like she never fits it. Much to Shane’s chagrin, neither Drew nor Stevie appreciate the fact that they still have a living father in their lives. Their issues with their fathers predominate in a repetitious fashion.

In the “Heads” side of the story, melodrama rules and this is never so apparent as when one listens to the audio version. All of the self-absorbed tirades and whining is kind of painful when it’s performed. The relationship between Drew and Stevie seems destructive and there’s little in the way of character development until after the “significant event.”

The “Tails” version is a lot more palatable. In both versions, Shane is my favorite character. He has it more together and seems to work on himself as a person and is open to other people. His relationship with Stevie is sweet. I think that this version really could have raised the novel above average if the author had understood how important it was to have the characters progress, change, evolve, and have a different outcome than having to pass through the predetermined “significant event.”

Now I’ve thought about the format quite a bit since I finished reading. The format of presenting both versions hinging on the same significant event seemed clunky. It meant repetition. It also signified that, regardless of what decision you make, some events will occur either way–which I don’t buy. In the “Tails” version everything has built to a scene at All-State (the music contest Stevie and Shane have prepared for and attend) to show Stevie’s elevated confidence and it could have been such an empowering scene but the author decided to adhere to the same “significant” event needing to happen. And the reader finds themselves at a tragic situation instead of something better. A lost opportunity to have an inspiring moment, I think. Evidently, it was better to stick with melodrama than have a feel-good moment.

Also built way out of context is the coin toss and the expected and actual reaction to it. With all of the hand-wringing, you would have expected it was something much bigger than it is when examined. Two guys tossed a coin to see who would ask a girl out. The decision was still left to the girl. The guys weren’t in control. Stevie’s reaction when discovering they tossed a coin was an over-reaction. In some ways, that over-reaction is a continuing issue with the novel with so many over-the-top emotions and melodrama.

Where It All Lands is also a novel that incorporates quite a bit of music. If you follow me, you know that makes me a happy camper. One of my favorite groups, Pearl Jam, features quite significantly, especially their album “10.” I did wonder, however, why these three teenager weren’t listening to anything contemporary and why when someone contemporary, Taylor Swift, comes on the radio they take it as an opportunity to diss her despite the fact that she continues to push creative boundaries. Good music is always being made, and I would have presumed music nerds would have been on top of it.

Where It All Lands is a very ambitious debut novel, one that lovers of angst will completely adore. I loved the “what-if” ideas but wished they’d been examined further. It is definitely a novel that begs you to keep turning pages as you see that one decision can completely change a life.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'll start by saying I almost never like love triangles. But I do enjoy alternate reality storylines so I was excited for this one. This just did not do it for me.

This book was a quick read that took me through a rollercoaster of emotions. It was fairly good and only took me a few days to finish. I wasn’t sure how to feel about it at first, but I decided that I enjoyed it.

I liked how it told the story of both sides of the coin flip and how she ended up liking the same guy in both of the stories. I did not like how the heads side ended and it just felt kind of unnecessary. That could just be because I don’t enjoy sad stories though. I liked all of the characters. They all had such different personalities, but they all had something in common. Finally, I liked how the main character learned different lessons in each of the stories.

The narrators were just okay. At first I didn’t think they fit at all. They didn’t sound like teenagers which I guess should be expected but still. As I got used to them, I realized that they fit each character even if they didn’t really sound young.

This book has its ups and downs, but overall I enjoyed it and was able to go through it quickly. I recommend it to young adult or contemporary readers.

I received an ARC of Where It All Lands by Jennie Wexler thanks to the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

About halfway through the book I was confused because it felt wrapped up but there was half a book left. Then I realized the super creative way this story was told and I absolutely love it. I don't know many other books that have this format and the ones that do aren't quite the same. So A++ on the formatting/story crafting.

The characters were also fantastic. I am such a huge fan of Shane because I just want to protect him from all that is bad. He is so sweet and considerate. I enjoyed Stevie's spunk and Drew's energy but it's almost like they don't need protecting (although oof to their histories).

The prose was great. The descriptions helped place me in the scene without slowing the pacing down with the details. The narration was perfect! I recommend picking up the audiobook version because that POV change was perfection.

Overall, I highly recommend! This is the first book in a month that has me excited. Hoping it is the start to the end of my book hangover!

A love triangle, daddy issues, and music loving teens.

During Stevie's first day of high school, she meets a pair of best friends. They instantly fall for her and decided that, instead of fighting, the pair toss a coin to see who will get to ask her out. The book then follows both realities; one where the coin lands on heads for Drew, and one where it lands on tails for Shane.

It is very much the dreaded the YA troupe of instant love and teen melodrama. To me, the characters lacked depth and ending was a bit disappointing.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC for review!

Pretty good narration. But, this Sliding Doors type story was just mediocre. And, the parallel stories makes more a good deal of repeat.

I typically do not read YA but this audible caught my eye.  The "What if's" in life are what this book is about.  How 2 boys made a decision to flip a coin to see who would ask out the new girl and with each side, there was a totally different story.

I wouldn't say this is a love triangle but there is a question as to who Stevie "should be" with.  I had my favorite but that doesn't really matter because in the end - Stevie was with the one she should have been all along (in my opinion).

Two best friends who have been there for each other for their entire lives, have a moment that will forever change their lives.  Stevie has spent her life moving from place to place and finally finds herself somewhere she wants to stay and friends that she hopes will last a lifetime.

This book is read in 3 parts - one part where she is with Drew, one part where she's with Shane, and then part three - which is after!    I listened to the audible and I think the narrators were fantastic.  I would say at times I wish the male narrator sounded a little younger as these young men were in high school and the narrator sounded older than high school age.  It didn't detract from me enjoying the audible.

Where It All Lands by Jennie Wexler
Narrated by: Bailey Carr; Dan Bittner; Michael Crouch
Publication Date: July 6, 2021
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Description…
“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.””
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Thank you to @netgalley @macmillan.audio @wednesdaybooks for the ALC in return for my honest review.
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My thoughts…
Curious. So, here’s a Sliding Door-esque book, but instead of sliding doors, you’ve got a coin toss. It was a “what if…” story, where circumstances shaped the three main characters. The audiobook was good, and it helped keep me interested in the plot. The change-over of POV later I wasn’t initially keen. Because, the idea of starting the story over, albeit with a new perspective, seemed redundant. But, it worked well enough. The first part had more details than the second but, overall it was an interesting approach to three POVs that shared a meaningful story.

Oh man, I am still not fully sure how I want to review this book. It was interesting and I liked the characters, but it was so drawn out with the parallel timelines. I enjoyed the coin flip parts of the story, but then the ending came and it kept flipping back and forth. I wanted to connect and it really drew me away from the story.
All and all, not a bad read but I could have done without the parallels during the last 25%.

I was very excited when the publisher sent me a copy of this book. The cover is beautiful and immediately caught my eye.

I’m sad that this book just didn’t work for me. I wasn’t expecting the parallel timelines and I didn’t care for it at all I was so confused at first! I should probably start reading the blurbs. I listened to the audiobook as well so I thought there was something wrong with the ALC I received.

While I enjoyed the audiobook and narrators I did find it so confusing to keep up with. It may be better to just read the book.

Another thing I didn’t like about the story was the insta-love. I understand it’s common with some YA but it’s just not for me.

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.

Thoroughly enjoyed the 3 narrators of this audiobook. They each added an extra dimension to the storytelling.

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

An interesting take on the classic two boys love the same girl teen triangle trope. This YA story features Shane and Drew who both fall for the new girl Stevie. All three have a passion for music and the two best friends flip a coin to see which of them can ask Stevie out. The book lets us see how events unfold in different scenarios (if Drew asked Stevie or if Shane did). An entertaining teen love story about friendship, first love and belonging. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance audio review copy!

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. The narrators did an amazing job, I felt so invested from the beginning of this novel to the end. 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 the audiobook ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review!

Stevie has spent her entire life moving around for her dad’s coaching job. She is used to constantly packing up and leaving almost every year and leaving behind the friends and memories she makes. The only constant she has is her passion of music. When Stevie arrives at her new high school, two boys, who are also talented musicians, take interest right away: Drew and Shane, best friends. Like the immature teens they are, they decide to flip a coin to see who gets to ask her out. These coin flip beings the parallel timelines: one where Drew gets to ask Stevie out and one where Shane does.

This is a very unique storyline, and I did feel invested in it! Not only is the book split into parallel timelines, but it also alternates perspectives between the three main characters. All three of these teens are struggling with something in their lives that makes the relationship harder. Drew is the son of a successful music manager who is never around and is starting a new family without him. Shane lost his father as a child and is working hard to keep his family happy and finds a father figure in Drew’s dad (which Drew is bitter of). And Stevie struggles with truly connecting to anyone and holds resentment toward her father who prioritizes his job over his family.

The story is a little insta-love-y for me, but I find that is common in YA. The plot moved quickly and felt a little unrealistic (not even counting the parallel timeline thing!), but I did enjoy reading it. This is a fresh twist to the YA genre, and I definitely want to read more from Jennie Wexler!

⭐⭐⭐💫

Eh, I didn't really like this one at all. Between the coin flip, the bad writing, and the love triangle- I had to force myself just to finish the book.

4.5 stars! Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this book early. I LOVED it! This book is about a young girl named Stevie who moves to NJ after a long series of moves because her dad is a coach for the NY Jets. She is constantly the new girl and this time is no different. She meets best friends, Shane and Drew, and both of them are instantly intrigued. Drew is Mr. Popular and has a famous music producer dad so a lot of people kiss up. Shane is a really great musician but he's often bullied and treated poorly. Shane and Drew are like brothers-- loving and arguing as such. They always solve disputes by flipping a coin so when Stevie comes into town and they both want to ask her out, they flip a coin to see who gets dibs. The book is told in "heads" or "tails" based on what would happen if the coin landed a certain way. In one way Drew pursues her and in the other Shane does. I had a definite preference for who I wanted and it never really felt love triangle-y. This book also has a really sad element as it starts at a funeral where we know one of the kids has died. The end of this book really choked me up and I felt all of the feelings. I loved the way the ending didn't necessarily tell us which was true to life because the ending isn't what matters. I'd highly recommend this book!

SPOILERS AHEAD:
In the storyline where Drew wins, they date but then she sees him kissing his ex and her friend, Ray, and while she did kiss him, he went along with it and got instant douche points. The guys tell her about the coin flip and she's so upset she refuses to do this audition and Shane loves her so much he makes them get in a car to chase her and they crash and Shane dies.
In the storyline where Shane wins, they date in a very sweet and slow friends to lovers fashion. I LOVED Shane. He was such a freaking sweet heart. In this storyline she forgets her neck cord at the audition and Shane goes to get it and then asks Drew to take him back. Again they get in a car crash but Shane is ultimately okay.
Either way Shane was the one she was supposed to be with and it was so great. I did think there was a HUGE emphasis on the coin flip when if they would've just told her from the beginning it wouldn't have been a big deal.