This book sounded right up my alley but unfortunately it couldn’t connect with it at all. This one was a bit too science-y for me. I struggled to get into this one despite several times.

The grass is always greener… Laurel’s boyfriend is about to propose to her, she just got promoted to VP, life should be perfect. But what if she had chosen differently? This sci-fi romance uses quantum physics and a multiple dimension theory to help Laurel decide which life she should choose. The only problem is once you mess with the dimensions, you may not get to choose where you end up after all.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I felt Laurel was a bit of a whiny protagonist, again, who was supposed to be a high powered corporate exec. Some of her fears seemed mostly irrational. However, I really liked the lessons that she learns about herself and others throughout the novel and how it opened her to self-improvement. In order to have such gains, I guess you have to start at the bottom.

I haven’t read sci-fi in a while so it was nice to see I still enjoyed the concept and that for the most part it was dumbed down to a concept even I could understand. Overall, if you like romance, this is a good book for you!

Thanks to Netgalley and the author for an ARC copy of this book.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Net Galley for the ARC.

I found this super interesting and different than I find most other romances out there. That being said, some of the romance is pretty cute. It’s easy to read, which is nice too. Laurel annoyed me a bit with her indecision. AI is scary and knowing that Laurel put her trust in a machine to help see alternative realities was interesting but also … wouldn’t you just want to live in the moment and see who is the right person at the right time?

Thanks netgalley for the E ARC of this book. This book exceeded my expectations and had me hooked from the very beginning! Loved the characters, the story, the multiverse aspect, the message.. all perfection.

Thank you to Random House & Netgalley for this ARC!
This book had me hooked from the beginning. I read it in one sitting because I had to know where (and with whom) Laurel would end up. I found myself rooting for both Ollie and Drew throughout. I really thought this was a great twist on a love triangle romance.

WHAT IF…the ultimate question. Laurel is fluctuating between two realities, one with her current boyfriend and one with the one who got away, and she’ll have to decide which guy is right for her in the end. This was such a fun read!! It kept me interested the entire time and I will admit that I changed my mind a couple of times on which guy I hoped she would end up with! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What If It's You is such a cute romance comedy! I could see this being made into a movie one day. Loved Jilly Gagnon's voice and the characters and world she built!

Thank you to Random House & Netgalley for this ARC!

4.5 stars, rounded up (hey GoodReads, give us half stars!)

5 years into her relationship with Ollie, Laurel Everett finds an engagement ring in his sock drawer and promptly *freaks out* - what if she's not ready? what if things don't work out? what if Ollie isn't the right person for her? what if she ends up feeling stuck in her life with him? Conveniently, a quantum computing Alternate Reality project being developed by her could-have-been work crush Drew gives Laurel a chance to see what life would have been like if she had accepted Drew's advances instead of going out with Ollie. As Laurel waffles between each reality, she learns more about herself and what matters to her, and gains a little bit of perspective about the phrase "the grass is always greener on the other side."

If you, like me, are an anxious girly who always wants to make the RIGHT choice and be certain that things will work out... or you've ever been in a relationship and caught yourself wondering how your life would look if you had done even one thing different THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU. The ending warmed my heart and had me in tears late at night. I think this book's sci-fi element was well executed (especially considering it's primarily a romance and not a sci-fi book), particularly recommend for Ali Hazelwood lovers. I thought Laurel's fears, anxieties, frustrations, and coping mechanisms were incredibly relatable. She was a little bit hollow as a character and I wish we had gotten more of her background to give a grounding for why she felt the way she did. Ollie and Drew deserved a little bit more fleshing out as well. Overall a really engaging and enjoyable read, and I think it would be a great romance book club pick!

I really enjoyed this premise. It takes a little sci-fi twist to romance and allows our main character Laurel to explore if marrying her boyfriend would be the right choice. She gets a chance to experience whether her life would have been better if she went on a date with her work crush years ago. Watching our main character switch back and forth between the two lives keeps the book feeling fast paced and engaged.

It leans a little more into women's fiction than romance because it is really focused on her exploring who she is as a person and discovering her own values and growing as a person. If you are wanting a heavy romance, you may find it lacking because the focus is on her in both relationships, rather than her love interest or the relationships themselves.

What If It's You? by Jilly Gagnon is a delightful and heartwarming story that’s equal parts funny and touching. The characters are relatable and endearing, and their journey kept me hooked from start to finish. The romance was sweet and had just the right amount of tension, though some moments felt a bit predictable. Overall, it’s a feel-good read that’s perfect for fans of contemporary romance. I’d happily recommend!

WHAT IF IT'S YOU? by Jilly Gagnon is such a unique and interesting romance that had me hooked from the very beginning. Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine for the advanced copy!

I have a chemistry final tomorrow.

Did I end up not studying at all and instead read this book in 5 hours immediately after I got it. Yes.

I loved the setting in this book plus the cyber vibes from the cover. Did I mention how pretty the cover is. The Graphic designer for this was truly a genius. What If It's You is the kind of story that makes you rethink yourself and your relationships. truly a wonderful novel

P.S. a longer review is on it's way! Still got to study for that final!

"What If It's You" by Jill Gagnon takes an ambitious swing at blending romance with quantum physics, creating a unique premise that unfortunately doesn't quite stick the landing. While the concept of exploring love through the lens of alternate universes is intriguing, the execution struggles to find the right balance between science and sentiment.

The novel's distinctive approach to the romance genre deserves recognition—it's not every day you find quantum physics theory woven into a love story. However, the extensive scientific explanations often overshadow the emotional core of the narrative, creating passages that may leave readers more confused than captivated. The physics elements, while thoroughly researched, tend to interrupt rather than enhance the flow of the romantic storyline.

At its heart, this book aims to explore the age-old question of destiny versus choice through a scientific lens. The love triangle at the center of the story should theoretically benefit from this unique framework, but the romantic connections never quite generate the emotional investment needed to make readers care about the outcome. Laurel's journey through different possibilities feels more like an academic exercise than a heart-stirring exploration of love and fate.

Where the book stumbles most notably is in creating compelling romantic dynamics. Without strong chemistry between the protagonist and either of her potential love interests, the central conflict loses its impact. Even the intriguing premise of quantum possibilities can't fully compensate for this crucial missing element.

This fusion of romance and physics might appeal to readers who enjoy their love stories with a heavy dose of scientific theory, but those seeking a more emotionally driven narrative may find themselves wanting more heart and less hypothesis.

This was an amazing read! I loved that it was a romance book, but it was definitely more about self discovery and finding out what is really important. I loved how Jilly brought in physics (not that I understood all of it) and how Laurel 'traveled' between the two timelines. And the epilogue was a sweet ending to tie it all together. I enjoyed all the twists, and it kept me wondering how it was going to end. I highly recommend for those that can allow for some unexplained phenomenon in their reading.

This book was just not for me. Waaaay too much science and waay too little romantic plot. I'm sure the right reader would enjoy, but it just wasn't for me.

I wasn’t really excited about the romance, the love triangle, and the alternate universe theory and explanation into quantum physics was just too much. There was so much explanation about the physics of alternate universes that my eyes glazed over a bit. I like the idea that the author was trying to pull off - a romance, but the partners are already together and the FMC is wondering "what if?". The science fiction elements allows the exploration of this idea quite a bit and there were a few interesting questions raised, but overall it just fell flat for me.

For readers interested in quantum physics, science fiction, and also to some degree self exploration and growth, this way work for you.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the eARC.

2.5 stars

I really adore Jilly Gagnon’s works - Scenes of the Crime is a personal favorite of mine. However, this one unfortunately fell flat for me.

The concept for the story was very neat, but it was bogged down by explanations of how the technology could work. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge nerd, but quantum physics is so far over my head that the descriptions kept taking me out of the story. I don’t think the story gives enough credit to readers who are willing to suspend reality - see A Novel Love Story (Ashley Poston), One Italian Summer (Rebecca Serle), or The Two Lives of Lydia Bird (Josie Silver) to name a few. While I loved Laurel’s interactions with Professor Howell, those were my favorite scenes in the book, I wish the plot spent more time exploring Laurel’s choices rather than the plausibility of being pulled between two lives.

On top of that, I wasn’t able to get a good sense of either love interest. Laurel would arrive, the love interest would inevitably annoy her in some way, then she’d be back to the other life. It all just seemed very superficial. I appreciate what the author was trying to do, but overall I found the characters unlikable and indecisive, and there was too much effort on my part to stay engaged. I’ll look forward to Gagnon’s next read instead!

Thank you to NetGalley, Dell Romance, and Random House for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Laurel y Ollie han estado juntos durante cinco años. El día de su quinto aniversario, ella encuentra un anillo de compromiso y, en lugar de sentirse feliz, esto la lleva a replantearse su relación y a preguntarse qué habría pasado si, en lugar de estar con él, hubiera salido con su compañero de trabajo, Drew.

Drew es un científico que está desarrollando una computadora cuántica capaz de crear diferentes universos. Cuando Laurel se entera de este proyecto, le parece la oportunidad perfecta para despejar sus dudas y ver cómo sería su vida con Drew. Su sorpresa es grande cuando, de repente, se ve transportada a una vida alternativa donde sus sueños se han hecho realidad.



.


Hasta cierto punto, entendí las dudas y el miedo de Laurel, ya que la separación de sus padres le causó un trauma. Sin embargo, no puedo perdonar que tuviera sentimientos y fantaseara con Drew. Además, cuando estaba en su vida alternativa, parecía feliz al pensar que estaba casada con él. Pero, al pensar en su matrimonio con Ollie, se volvía errática, y lo que dijo en ese momento me pareció una traición hacia su novio: "… tendría que encontrar una manera de nunca dejar este mundo o, de alguna manera, armarme de valor para terminar las cosas con Ollie cuando regrese y rezar para que Drew todavía estuviera interesado." Con esto, ¿cómo se supone que al final crea que realmente amaba a Ollie?


Gracias NetGalley por el Arc a cambio de una opinión honesta.


2.5⭐️

I'm usually a huge fan of Gagnon and loved her other books but this one fell so short for me. The book focuses on Laurel and her desire to potentially live a different life (with a different partner). She gets the opportunity to have her wish when her company has been working on an AltR project (alternate reality). When she thought the program didn't work for her, she ends up waking up in a bed with another man - the one that she thought she wanted. But then things go sideways from there.

I'll be honest - for the first third of the book, I wasn't sure who to root for. I hated both her love interests and found Laurel annoying that she just couldn't decide what she wanted. Finally, she realizes what she wants but I sorta hate her the entire time that I don't want her to have a happy ending. I was so frustrated with everything that she was doing. She didn't redeem herself in the slightest and the one she ended up with did NOT deserve her, IMO.

The book also went heavily into the quantum side of things and as someone who married a physicist, this was so blah for me. I found myself skipping parts because I didn't really care about the physics side of things.

Loved her other stuff but this was a solid no for me.

This book about Laurel and Ollie in a relationship, yet Laurel keeps jumping to another life where she is with Drew. Drew being a quantum physicist and he wrote a program to help with virtual lives. Laurel tries out this computer program, but runs into a crazy jumping between two different lives.

This book had great character development and the scenes were drawn out so that I could imagine being in the same room with the characters was great.

I would recommend this book

I want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publiahing Group - Ballantine for this advanced reader copy. This is my honest opinion.

**Book Review:**

*What If It's You* by Jilly Gagnon blends romance with science fiction in a thought-provoking way, exploring the complexities of life’s big choices and the path not taken. The story follows Laurel Everett, who, while grappling with her feelings about her relationship with her boyfriend Ollie, discovers an engagement ring in his drawer. Instead of excitement, she’s overwhelmed with doubt, wondering what might have been if she had taken a chance on Drew, a former colleague who once asked her out. Thanks to an innovative project at her company, Laurel is given the opportunity to experience this alternate reality, toggling between two versions of her life.

The central concept of the AltR project is intriguing and provides a unique lens for Laurel to explore her identity, desires, and personal growth. The book moves beyond the typical love triangle, focusing instead on Laurel's journey of self-discovery. As she navigates the two timelines, we see her confront who she has become and question whether she’s truly been honest with herself. The novel raises important themes around fulfillment, choices, and relationships, making it a much deeper read than its romantic premise might suggest.

While the romance elements and the love triangle might appeal to some readers, the real highlight of *What If It’s You* is its focus on personal growth and the psychological impact of Laurel’s choices. The sci-fi elements, particularly the explanation of alternate universes and quantum mechanics, are woven into the story in a way that enhances the emotional stakes. However, for some readers, the depth of these scientific explanations could feel a bit overwhelming or distracting from the more relatable aspects of the plot.

For me, this book didn’t quite hit the mark. The romance and love triangle didn’t engage me as much as I’d hoped, and the heavy focus on quantum physics occasionally made my eyes glaze over. I also found myself not rooting for Laurel to end up with either of the love interests, which left me less invested in her journey. However, I can see how readers who are more comfortable with the sci-fi aspects or who enjoy stories that explore "what if" scenarios might find this novel more compelling.

Overall, *What If It’s You* is an intriguing take on the “what if” scenario, with a strong emphasis on self-reflection and personal growth. If you enjoy character-driven narratives that tackle big decisions, love, and identity, this book could be a satisfying read. For those with a deep interest in quantum physics or alternate realities, it might resonate even more.