There's something about a 24h romance that just makes you feel things. I know this would likely never happen to me or to anyone, but it feels great to read a story like that once in a while. Abby and Leo are two queer persons who feel unsure about that part of themselves, but in an impossible turn of events, they end up in the same wrong train. After that, they keep going to different places in New York and putting off the fact that they both have to go back to their respective bands, because they're slowly becoming friends and they don't want to part ways just yet.
Honestly, this book made me feel good. I wasn't bored at any point and it was sweet puppy love, the kind of book that makes you giggle when the couple finally kiss and make you wanna go back to being 16 and confused and SO in love.
Thank you NetGalley for providing me that feelgood read I needed!

I really loved this book! Edward Underhill does a brilliant job of getting inside the teen psyche and portraying all the emotions that are right under the surface, and especially, the psyches of queer teens. The lead trans character's prickly exterior that hides the pain and discomfort of never knowing how other people will view him feels deeply true. I loved the setting of this book as well - 24 hours in New York City on the eve of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and the visits to so many iconic locales. I especially loved the scene in the Strand bookstore. The musicianship that underscores his characters in this and his first book is also a big plus, because it gives the characters added depth. These are teens who work hard to be good at music and find joy in it.

I highly recommend this book to readers who love teen realistic fiction, queer romance, and New York City!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book!

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for this incredible ARC!

I've first been introduced to Edward Underhill with Always the Almost, and my piano-loving heart absolutely loved that story. I had high hopes for this ARC and I have to say that it did not disappoint! I've been having a bad streak with books I recently picked up, and reading this felt like a breath of fresh air, making me smile and laugh and cry in equal measure. It didn't hurt that I literally just visited NYC just a couple of weeks ago, and seeing all these locations I've visited in the book, being able to visualize them so vividly in my mind, gave me such a feeling of nostalgia I sure will be planning another trip to the city soon. Abby and Leo's story was absolutely lovely and it brought me back to my own high school days - the excitement of that first love, the almost magical and dreamy quality of it, but also finding something so real and solid with someone new. Being that age where twelve hours can actually change the course of your life and it's not just a workday (can you tell I'm feeling old?). And just the happiness of finding someone that makes you feel free in the best way possible. I loved everything this book made me feel and I sure will be thinking about this for a while.

1 Sentence Summary: When Abby and Leo, both from different school marching bands playing in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, end up getting on the wrong subway train at the same time, what started as mistake turns into an unexpected day of running around New York City together.

My Thoughts: Okay, so, I thought the writing was really good, but I wasn’t super invested in the story or the characters.

First, the good. I thought it was cool how the whole book takes place over just one weekend. The NYC setting was fun, and the marching band elements were fun. The whole <I>The Hundred Romances of Clara Jane</I> book that Abby was obsessed with was fun too. If it were a real book, I’d read it. Also, a side character had my name and spelled the same way I do which I almost never see in books! I loved the themes of figuring out one’s sexuality, and that it’s okay to not know exactly what labels to use or to be confused about what exactly your sexuality is. You don’t have to decide right away, and you’re still valid. (Oh, also, the cover is so pretty!)

Now, the not so good. The characters kind of annoyed me. They were so rude to their friends! And I didn’t really care about the romance either; I mean, they were saying “I love you” after literally less than a full day of knowing each other. Seriously? I don’t even make friends that fast! Also, this is super random but for some reason it annoyed me when Leo was like ‘I didn’t shave my legs and it’s really obvious so my family is gonna know I’m a trans boy unless my parents come up with some dumb excuse about how I was too busy with band practice to shave!’ Like, girls can’t have leg hair? Just because you didn’t shave your legs you’re a guy? I mean, it was probably just Leo being paranoid but it still bothered me lol.

Overall, this was fun to read and had some great representation, but I wasn’t as invested as I wanted to be.

Recommend to: People who like NYC and books set over the course of only a couple days.

(Warnings: swearing)

Such a sweet romance and an excellent follow up to ALWAYS THE ALMOST. I love Edward's writing style and this one was just as lovely as his debut. As a former marching band kid, this one hit all the right notes.

This was a very classic coming of age story but set in a trip to New York City!

I loved the characters and loved the journey we went on with them! Such a great read!

This was such a cute story! There was so much lgbtq+ representation which was lovely to see. This is a classic coming of age self discovery journey but different from anything I’ve read before! I loved all the characters and seeing them grow and learn through the book I just wish I could read more about them!

This Day Changes Everything by Edward Underhill started off really slow for me. I wasn't sure I'd enjoy this LGBTQIA-positive, YA Romance, but it was so charming that I recommend it to romance readers. The premise of performing at the parade on Thanksgiving Day in NYC but having an adventure with a stranger is romance at its finest. Abby and Leo, after getting separated from their respective bands, have an adventure around NYC as Abby attempts to buy little love tokens for her crush but finds love with Leo. This was a charming story. I'm excited to see what this author has in store in the future.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love a good romance but give me a romance with some a romance with queer teens and i'm hooked. This story was so cute

This Day Changes Everything follows Abby and Leo, whose small town school marching bands have been selected to perform in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, as fate thrusts them onto the same subway train followed by a whirlwind 24 hours in New York City.

Abby is enchanted by life and love, inquisitive, and full of Childlike wonder. She is deeply fascinated with queer culture, often word vomits, and believes in The Universe. Her head swims with questions as she navigates her queer awakening, solidifying her plan to tell her best friend she’s in love with her (a queer rite of passage).

Grumpy, glowering Leo doesn’t see the magic in the universe like Abby does. Why would he? He is going to be outed to his Extended Family on Thanksgiving on national television. Leo is hyper focused on what he isn’t, and not being able to room with the rest of the guys doesn’t make it any easier.

I loved this cute, quirky YA romance. It tugs on the heartstrings and perfectly encapsulates the Big Emotions that only an angst-filled teenager could feel.

Both Abby and Leo are extremely relatable baby queers oblivious to their own feelings (and other’s). Each stop they made around the city I got more and more attached to each of them and the way they threw themselves into the unknown.

I can’t wait to read more from Edward Underhill!

Out February 13th, 2024 just in time for Valentine’s Day

2.5 stars
Having read and loved Edward Underhill's Always the Almost, I was excited to jump into his sophomore novel. This Day Changes Everything follows two queer teens throughout a day in New York as they explore the city and fall in love. While I was a little tentative of this premise because of my inclination towards slow burn romances, I still had high hopes. Unfortunately, I never found myself enjoying this book the way I did the author's previous. One issue I found with this novel is that, although I loved it's diverse array of queer characters, the messages and statements regarding queer identity were not thoughtfully woven into the plot the way I found them to be in Always the Almost. Instead of having moments of queer revelations and teachings be woven into the plot, the plot would instead repeatedly pause for a character to tell someone or think to themselves a very blunt statement about what it means to be queer. There were so many moments throughout the book when everything would pause for one character to deliver a message to the audience and it sometimes felt like it was breaking the fourth wall to preach to its audience. Don't get me wrong, I myself am queer and did love the themes of this book, I just wish they were written with a gentler hand. Secondly, I found both the main characters to be at times selfish, especially in the ways they treated their friends. They grew on me over the course of the book, but I never loved them. I also didn't really feel their connection until the very end of the book, and almost wish they had just remained friends. And lastly, this book felt a little too much like an (inclusive) Hallmark movie for me. This may be a selling point for some people, but many of the moments of the Universe giving the main characters a sign and the repeated praise for New York as an inclusive adult playground felt a little too cliche for my liking. So while I do love the themes of this book and am proud that queer works like this are being published, it simply wasn't my cup of tea. I know it will resonant with others though, especially those who are just beginning to understand their sexual or gender identity. I hope this book reaches those people and I look forward to the author's next novel.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was so wholesome and wonderful. I’m so glad I got to read this, this is a meaningful book for queer teens to see themselves reflected in the characters! I agree that it gives me Ferris vibes!

I really liked this one! I loved seeing all of the iconic New York landmarks mentioned, especially because I saw them myself just a few months ago. I also really liked how natural the progression of the relationship was. Obviously it was insta-love because it took place over 12 hours, but it didn't feel like insta-love. I stayed up way too late finishing this one, so that's my whole review, but I'd definitely recommend it!

So what I have discovered over the past few months is that there are not many things in books that make me more emotional than reading about trans joy– something about the experiences that I am terrified I will never have or something like that. With that out of the way, this book gave me a lot of that strange envy of sorts from gender and everything. Another major thing that I enjoyed was that the characters, despite being in a modern setting, did not end up defining themselves exactly with specific sexuality labels, just that they were queer. I am going to make a longer review for this in a few months because I have an idea but for now the only other thing that I am going to say is that I cannot believe that somebody made me care about a band kid romance.

The opening felt like a monologue with a lot of narrative distance, which is my least favorite style to read. It was heavy on the telling and backstory. I stopped after chapter 1 (6%).

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

this is the book that I hope absolutely every queer and trans teen finds and reads and deeply absorbs to know they’re not the only one, they can do the hard things, and they are deserving of love.

wow, oof. Abby and Leo were so beautifully crafted and their adventure around New York made me fall in love with them while they fell in love with each other. I’m a sucker for any New York based story, especially when it’s told from the POV of a non-New Yorker getting to experience the wonders of the city for the first time. There were so many elements of this story that surprised me in the best way and I hope so deeply that the universe (and booksellers) put this story in the hands of the kids (and adults) who will find as much comfort in it as I did.

I have always had a soft spot for romances that feature bizarre, impossible scenarios with very real, human characters in them. That’s the draw, right? We know these things don’t happen in real life, but the characters feel like someone you could meet on any old day, so the story feels closer to you somehow.

This Day Changes Everything is the epitome of that feeling.

Leo and Abby are two confused, anxious, queer teens who have a singular, whirlwind day together in NYC. There’s no way they realistically would’ve gotten away with it. It’s utterly fantastical. And yet Leo is sitting with very real feelings of anxiety and dread around his transness and Abby is still discovering exactly how she fits under the queer and they’re a little cringey and it’s all so endearing and human and very, very *real*.

This book inspired such a fondness in me in a way that only queer books can. I love a good “feel good” read and that’s exactly what this is.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!!

This Day Changes Everything by Edward Underhill tells the story of Abby, Leo and the adventure they have in New York City.

I LOVED Almost the Always so I was looking forward to this book...I shouldn't have. The story was boring, the characters were 1 dimensional and the romance wasn't fleshed out at all. I thought Abby and Leo were annoying and disrespectful to their friends. I wasn't rooting for them to get together. I was also disappointed by the entire interaction with The Author. The only part I enjoyed was the scavenger hunt in the bookstore. I would not recommend this book.

I was given this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

- “This Day Changes Everything” followed two main characters. Abby and Leo as they arrive in New York with their respective marching band for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Abby believes in the universe and fate while Leo doesn’t believe in fate or any magical universe that could me messing with fate. A wrong subway and a chance of fate Abby and Leo find themselves lost in Manhattan.
- First, I love the grumpy/ sunshine trope but make it a queer love story. That just takes the cake. I loved the main characters so much. I love the arcs and character development both of the characters went through. Not only growing as people but growing in their own understanding of their sexuality and gender. The characters are lovable and feel genuine. I feel in love with the dynamic of the two main characters and how their interactions flows together beautifully.
- I love that the background setting is in New York City. There is just something magical about discovering yourself in the city. Every time I thought they were going to get caught I was nervous for them. I was so invested in the story and how the plot continued. I couldn’t put the book down.
- I absolutely feel in love with the scene at The Strand. I feel like this was the beginning for both characters to grow in the terms of understanding their own queerness and what it means to them. The scavenger hunt at The Strand was such a character developing place for Abby and Leo. When they both finally admitted to themselves they liked each other, I was in love. I fell in love with this story and these characters.
- “I see you, you exist to me” scene was beautifully written and it just made the whole book. That you can just exist as a queer person and you don’t have to prove anything to anyone about your own queerness made me personally feel so seen. As a queer person myself, this scene just filled my heart with so much joy.
- While I was reading through this story a million things popped out to me where I would annotate it. I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy to do just that.
- Thank you to Wednesday Books and Net Gallery for this arc in exchange of my honest review.

The way that this book sucked me in and would not let me go was so wonderful to experience. It brought me right back to high school both in the wide eyed teenaged feelings that Abby and Leo were having, but it also felt like I was reading the kind of instant classic I used to be handed in English class. Two teens "lost" in New York trying to find their way "home" but also getting into shenanigans and hijinks along the way?? And the element of two queer kids from the middle of nowhere parts of the country where they feel isolated and alone, finding community in each other and in the wider world that New York opens up for them just warmed my heart, I found myself unable to put this book down for large chunks of time, I never wanted it to end. This book just existing is going to change young queer kids lives and I am so so grateful that it exists and that I have gotten the chance to read it. I cannot speak highly enough, what a wonderful read.