Honestly, I usually stay away for sci-fi and especially AI. However, something about this novel's description reminded me of Blackmirror's episode "Hang the DJ" which considers dating algorithms. I was very pleasantly surprised by Jilly Gagnon's handling of the topic. The use of AI and quantum computers, as well as the lead's involvement, felt realistic. The romance read as a side plot to the introspective journey occurring, which I also appreciated greatly.

This was a super fun read. The multiverse dual timeline is always intriguing to me and my nerd self enjoyed it a lot. I’m not well-versed enough to know if it made sense or not which I prefer so I can just smile and nod and not worry about too many logistics. Anytime I had a question like “wait does that make sense…” it would get explained eventually. It’s definitely an Everything, Everywhere, All At Once vibe but just two timelines. The FMC drove me a bit bonkers but by the end she was also driving HERSELF nuts and she had a lot of character development which we love to see. The word folds was used once in this book and every time I hear that word it immediately gives me the ick, BUT… I will say I think the spicy scenes were done quite tastefully. They are easy enough to skim over, but if you read them there is just a lot of emotional connection that I think the author captured very well. I was worried in the beginning that I would like both male love interests but luckily it didn’t stick around too long and I enjoyed the way everything turned out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC.

I absolutely adored this book. I think Gagnon touches on something very real that a lot of people experience, this idea of: is this it? It can be so hard to navigate these major decisions in life -- what career to pursue, what relationships are worth investing in, etc. and life only seems to present more possibilities the more you think on it. Choosing to engage with this conundrum through the lens of a romance is not only brave, but extremely impactful. There were many moments in this book where I cried, feeling so deeply the hope and the understand the protagonist was experiencing.

In addition to being a very strong and unique premise, I think this book succeeds into "masterful romance" in my eyes because of it's novel use of sci-fi in terms of exploring the existential questions posed by the protagonist. I found the sci-fi elements very interesting, and factual (don't hold me to this too hard though because by "factual" I mean I asked my boyfriend who works in computing and quantum physics if this was accurate). I love romance dearly, but one of my biggest issues with the genre is that books are often "copy, paste" in terms of troupes. It can get very boring and stale. Which is why I was initially intrigued by this premise, and it certainly didn't disappoint.

I would (and have) recommend this book to anyone who is willing to listen to me. I love a romance in which the protagonist learns and grows. This truly was a delightful read that had me kicking my legs giggling at times, and fighting back tears at other times. Do yourself a favor and add this to your TBR!!

I am usually a fan of Jilly’s books but this one did not pull me in. The subject of AltR and a woman’s use of it was interesting. To sum up the story: the grass is always better on the other side until you are on that side.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

When a ring in Ollie’s sock drawer suggests a future she’s unsure she wants, Laurel is tempted by the possibilities offered by her company’s AltR project—a groundbreaking technology designed to reveal alternate versions of one’s life. Laurel’s inner turmoil is both relatable and compelling, especially as she confronts the notion of paths not taken. Her exploration of her connection to Ollie and the shadow of her work crush, Drew, keeps readers guessing whether she’ll choose her current reality or embrace a different possibility. Thank you, NetGalley, for an advanced copy of this novel.

Laurel is started to feel trapped in her relationship with Ollie and with the help of an AI generated program her company is creating, she is able to question “what if” and explore a relationship with her co worker Drew. But when she becomes stuck between 2 universes, she finds herself questioning what she really wants, and who she really wants. Now she must figure out who she wants to end up with, and who she wants to be.

Rating: 3.75 (rounded to a 4 bc I did enjoy this book in the end)
*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC, my opinions below are my own*
This being my second book by Jilly Gagnon, I really do enjoy her writing. Some things may cause me to turn back and reference what’s going on,but overall what good book doesn’t make you stop and think a little more.
To avoid spoilers, I’m not going to recap the storyline. I think the plot was different and exciting, which made me request this book but also want to keep reading. It was very much one of those reads you feel the need to know how it all ends so you can’t stop turning the page. That all being said, my rating is a bit low due to the FMC. Ms. Laurel had me annotating each chapter, and not in a good way. I didn’t enjoy Laurel’s indecision and self-centeredness initially. Then, by the time she got to her self reflection, I couldn’t find it in me to have a change of heart. With all of this book being her POV, we got a lot of her thoughts towards her partner/crushes, her reaction to things, and why she acts like she does. Character aside, I also think the amount of time it went on was the biggest factor. The timing of this story felt like it was Laurel’s loop of indecision and thinking of how she wants more from life and her relationship, but not actually doing anything about it. So much of this story could’ve been resolved with communication or maybe even her physically trying more. Instead it was 3/4 of the book about her “lives” and what was wrong in each one. One annotation I made which sums it all up is, “ it’s like a ping pong, she gets this revelation of what choice she wants to make then gets back into thinking the worst about whatever life she’s in”. Minus Laurel, I really did enjoy the story, the other characters, and even the epilogue. It’s nice to think of forever applied to any space and time.

Many thanks to Netgalley for this arc. I received this book in exchange for my honest review. My thoughts are entirely my own.

This book starts when Laurel Everett finds an engagement ring in her boyfriend of five years Ollie Hughes’s sock drawer when she’s putting up his laundry. Laurel starts freaking out and starts to think about the what if’s and if she should have said yes to her friend Drew’s date request when they first met. Drew and Laurel both work at Pixel and Drew is working on a program that lets you look at a different path from the one you actually took. After messing up Ollie’s proposal Laurel goes to Pixel and starts the calibration process for the program Drew is working on. When the program doesn’t seem to work Laurel goes to sleep nest to Ollie and wakes up next to Drew who in this other world she has actually been dating for five years. At first Laurel is happy but realizes her life isn’t as fulfilled as she thought it would be by becoming a writer. After a few times of switching universes Laurel realizes that she needs to change herself after talking to an MIT professor who tries to help her. She finds out that Drew from the other universe did the same thing in his universe that she did in her own. When Drew shuts down things in his universe and Laurel decides to change herself and realize how much she loves Ollie and what he was sacrificing for her and what she know realizes she needs to do for the both of them. Laurel is able to stay in her own universe and her and Ollie end the book about to get engaged. It took me a little bit to read because there was quite a bit of things to wrap your head around at the beginning but once you get past that it’s a smooth ride. I enjoyed this quite a bit.

I LOVED this book. I LOVED how it followed the genuine fear of not knowing if a choice is the right one for you. I like the incorporation of some sci-fi and technology elements, I thought it was a fun twist on the "What if things were different?" question. The story is intriguing and funny and really makes you think about how you want your own life to be.

I was so excited to be able to read this book and I was not disappointed! The cover is what initially caught my eye and then I discovered this beautiful story.

2.5/5 ⭐️

The concept of this book was very interesting and I enjoyed the theoretical physics idea but got lost a bit. The main character, Laurel was not a likable character for me and I struggled to cheer her on. I also lacked some romance in this storyline and felt it might have just not been the book for me as I anticipated more of it. I wasn’t rooting for the FMC and MMC to end up together and that makes a read harder for me!

Great premise, execution was a bit lacking. I feel like Laurel wasn't that strong of a character and by building her out a little the novel would have been much stronger.

I won’t pretend to understand the scientific aspect of this story in any amount, however I get the wondering if you’ve picked the wrong life for yourself…the near constant frustrations of cohabiting with another and wondering if this is truly all your life adds up too. I think that’s where my frustration begun with Laurel, I often thought as she slipped between worlds it wasn’t the man she needed to consider BUT who she wanted to be and WHAT she wanted to accomplish for herself, NOT what these men could give her. And yes wrestling with missing the warmth of a relationship of my own, I understood the longing ache of known comfort. Comfort built on many years together and a life in which only the two of you exist. Laurel’s slipping between timelines thankfully leads to some serious self growth and she starts to be really honest about what’s important to her, for her. Gagnon did a really good job of bringing to light hard insecurities over oneself, the things we are willing to become complacent to in the name of love and the anxieties we all face at some point in deciding our futures. Thank you to Random House Publishing Group & NetGalley for the ARC.

This book was very clever and had me so enthused with the sci-if aspects I found myself forgetting the romance plot, (in a good way)… I really loved the idea behind the ALTR project. I have never read a book like this and I will be recommending it to others

When commitmentphobe Laurel unexpectedly finds an engagement ring in her longtime boyfriend Ollie’s sock drawer, she immediately gets cold feet. Panic-filled, she can’t help but wonder about what her life would be like if she’d said yes when her colleague Drew asked her out years ago.

The next day, at the big tech company she works at, she signs up to test out an experimental program that uses a quantum computer to give users the opportunity to explore their what-if moments- allowing them to see how a different choice would have affected their lives.

But something goes fantastically wrong when Laurel wakes up the next day to find herself in an alternate universe where she did say yes to Drew and now they’re in a serious relationship. At first, everything in her life seems upgraded. But as she bounces between two disparate realities, two different boyfriends, and two distinct versions of herself, she realizes she needs to figure out which version to choose- and quickly before a glitch leaves her stranded randomly.

This smart, fast-paced romance successfully blends elements of science fiction and women’s fiction to create a unique and thoughtful love story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the advanced reader copy.

What If It's You will be out in the world on May 13, 2025

This was such a fun and weird novel. Lo Everett, a VP of Marketing at a Google-like tech company, realizes that her boyfriend, Ollie, is going to propose and freaks out at the idea. When the opportunity to test out her company's newest project--seeing if people can be thrust into alternate world versions of themselves--she takes the chance to see what would've happened if she hadn't stayed with Ollie but had said yes to a date with her cute work husband, Drew. Somehow the system glitches and Lo is pulled back and forth across the two versions of her life--one where she stayed with Ollie and one where she and Drew ended up together.

Some of the writing about quantum physics got a little heavy handed (maybe a case of the author doing too much research that she didn't want to whittle down?), but overall the characters were delightful and the vehicle of a program that pushes Lo into the opposing alternate realities was a fresh twist on the sliding doors trope and was a good embodiment of Lo's inability to make a decision about what she wants her life to look like.

Absolutely loved this. Inventive and imaginative storytelling with a wonderful balance of heartfelt and a grounded storyline.

3 ⭐️
1 🌶️

This was such a fun “sci-fi esque” romance that really hooked me from the beginning. I too would be like Laurel and have to look at a ring if I found it in my boyfriend’s drawer too and again, I too would have probably spiraled lol. This story gave Laurel a chance to see her life with Ollie and Drew and while this was interesting to read, the ending didn’t leave me as satisfied as I hoped.

Thanks NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for an ARC!

What If It’s You? Is an interesting idea for a story that I feel wastes the potential it has. Blending The Midnight Library and Eternal Sunshine sounds fantastic but Jilly Gagnon writes this story more like a YA story where I see so much more that could come from it.

This book. I was so worried about Laurel’s safety as she would travel from multiverse to multiverse (am I even getting that correct?). However, I am getting ahead of myself. Laurel is like many of us, I assume, and sometimes thinks “What if?” The difference in her situation is she somehow made her what if happen. This results in quite an amazing story of love, loss, decisions and growth. How do you decide what is right? Laurel navigates this in the way she believes is best and it is definitely worth the read.
Thank you to Random House Publishing/Ballantine and NetGalley for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.