This modern romance features Laurel Everett, accomplished young women and new VP of Marketing at a huge tech company. When she finds out her boyfriend of 5 years is going to propose, she starts to spiral and wonders whether or not this is the life she wanted. She then uses her former crush/tech genius coworker’s new AI program to explore the question-what if I chose something else? This leads her down a path of immense self-exploration along with a whirlwind of complications getting stuck between two different realities.

Gagnon does a wonderful job balancing romance and believable quantum physics throughout the novel. I found myself intrigued all the way throughout, and delightfully unsure of not only how it all would end, but how I wanted it to end! Her writing is so beautiful that I found myself notating passages describing love and self-opinion, which is truly a rarity for me. This would make a wonderful book club pick and is easily going to be one of my top recommended romance picks as I think it could interest a wide audience. Looking forward to exploring more of Jilly Gagnon’s work!

What If It’s You? is available May 2025. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for an advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

What If It‘s You is another solid read from Jilly Gagnon. She is becoming one of those authors who I immediately must read when she releases a new book. A fun, mind-bending, sweet story about the choices we make and the ‘what ifs’ of those choices.

Laurel is a committed Type A, who enjoys knowing that she is crushing it at work, and at home, and is wholeheartedly unprepared when she discovers a ring box in her boyfriend, Ollie’s underwear drawer. It’s not that she doesn’t love Ollie, she does, but the thought of forever brings a level of panic that has Laurel questioning if Ollie is the right man for her. This anxiety has her questioning whether she should have said yes to a date with her work friend, Drew, when he asked 5 years ago.

As life would have it, Drew (and Laurel) work for Pixel and he is working on some serious AI/ time bending/ secret quantum physics project. That just happens to be about alternative lives- ie. what would have happened if you chose B instead of A? And this little project leads Laurel into a life-altering course that will have her questioning not only if she should have said yes to Drew, but ultimately, who has she become in life and what do her choices say about her.

The plausibility of the story is quirky, at best. You just have to go with it- even though many questions came up for me that I think made it a little hard to truly buy Laurel’s “confusion”. But, the characters are convincing and you think you have it figured out a few times, only to be turned in a different direction. Admittedly, the ending is not so surprising, and not what I would have chosen, but it was satisfying nonetheless.

What If It’s You is not my favorite of Gagnon’s novels, but it I devoured it in less than a day. So, it is up there with my more enjoyable reads of the year. If you enjoyed her other books, you will easily get into this one as well. An enthusiastic recommendation. Random rating: 4/5

As someone who constantly conjures up hypotheticals in her brain (and with a matching corporate job to boot), this book was unspeakable perfection.

I love how jilly Gagnon isn’t afraid to introduce imperfections in her characters—mostly because it’s really helped me embrace my very own. I love the premise, the science-y talk—everything! This books puts things into perspective. Love it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine for access to the galley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

If you loved Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow and jive with the science themes and smart female leads created by Ali Hazelwood, this might definitely be for you. Lauren gets trapped in a quantum physics project that throws her into two different universe timelines that not only run concurrently but also each have her in a relationship with a different person. Its the big of question of "what could have been?"

I thought this was cleverly laid out and Jilly Gagnon never once shied away from this quantum physics theory and in fact dove head first into it. So if that is not something you want to read about this may not be for you, but it was 100% for this reader.

The spice level is maybe a 3 but you can definitely skip it if you want to just as easily.

I would really give this more of a 4.5 star rating. The only issue I had was that Lauren's internal dialogue sometimes verged on the long side and was a bit repetitive so in that way I felt there was a bit of that which could have just been cut out all together. Especially the parts of her reflecting over and over again on the relationship that her parents had.

I thought this was a good book. The story was unique and well thought out. I love the idea of alternate realities. The idea of examining the one that got away vs. the now really intrigued me. The characters were well fleshed out. I found them likable and relatable. I did find it a bit technical in parts, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but I can imagine it might make this book less interesting for some. I thought the author did a great job of encouraging the reader to think and look at the story from multiple angles. I really felt myself empathizing with Laurel and the decisions she is forced to make. I think this is a book that most people would appreciate and enjoy.

Long & Short of It: Immediately sucked in; Believable, captivating, and well-written!
Author: Gagnon is a GREAT writer!
Romance: Sweet + Dreamy Love
Spice Level: 4/5 stars (romantic when it occurs, not vulgar!)

Quantum computers... alternate realities... romance... it's everything you could want in a book! Honestly, I was so hooked on this story that I thought about it when I wasn't reading! I couldn't WAIT to get back to the characters, as if I was living out the storyline myself in real time. I'd say that is a telltale sign of a really good book. ;-)

This book dives into the concept of: "What if I'd made a different choice and lived that life instead? Am I missing out on something better?" Laurel's saga with the AltR program warmed my heart and broke it at the same time. She realizes things aren't so black & white, and that there is more to each of these realities than she could have imagined.

I developed differing opinions on Ollie and Drew in each reality, and was surprised how my opinions about them shifted depending on which version Laurel was with at the time. This led me to be annoyed with one of them for a time, and then immediately in love with them again in the other reality. Talk about an emotional roller coaster! I did end up rooting for one of them more than the other though, which made for a riveting ride not knowing how the book would end.

The only thing that bugged me was needing to look up super fancy words more often than usual, HA. Words like: anodyne, inveterate, vertiginous, as well as others I didn't write down. I did feel smarter after!

"What If It's You?" wrapped up with a really cool epilogue with an element that I didn't quite see coming. If you're wavering on whether or not to read this one, dive on in! Jilly Gagnon delivers a fabulous read.

*GoodReads review posted 9/20/2024*
*Amazon review will be posted upon book release: May 2025*

So this sounded SO good to me. I love a good “who to choose” book. And I have some thoughts about this.

So Laurel Everett works for a tech company that is developing some sort of AI machine that allows you to explore different versions of individual choices they’ve made. Laurel uses the tech the day after she was a faced with a really heavy life decision. She suddenly wonders “what if.” And the machine starts to affect her real life and suddenly she’s being pulled into two timelines, experiences the lives she would have had with each choice.

**Potential baby spoilers ahead**

I liked the premise of the book. I thought that there was going to be more a supernatural element to it, which I’m not opposed to, but I did kind of like that it was science. The only thing is that there was a lot of science talk, and I could that potentially deterring readers.

This was very different from how it was going to be, but I liked it. The only thing that felt untrue to me was that Laurel took so long to ask for help from the people actually involved. She painted a picture of such a close friendship, but when it came down to it, it took her until way late in the story to go to the person who would have most likely been able to help her. Although, I know it’s a work of fiction, so whatever, but I found it difficult to suspend my belief for that.

I liked the characters. I thought they were well fleshed out, but to me the relationship with the “what if” person could have been maybe developed a little more. With how little we heard about them prior to the parallel universe deal, it had me wondering why this was even a what if.

****spoiler end****

Simple read. It didn’t stand out to me as an OMG book, but i haven’t read anything good lately, and this. I actually wanted to keep reading so I could see what happened next. I think there could have been maybe a bit more of the bliss before she started wanting to go back. It just seemed like she made the choice immediately to me lol

title: What If It's You?

author: Jilly Gagnon

publisher: Dell

publication date: May 13, 2025

pages: 304

peppers: 3 (on this scale)

warnings: none

summary: Laurel/Lo has been with struggling musician Ollie for five years, but when she realizes he's going to pop the question, she freaks out. In her muddle, she heads to her office, where her office friend/crush Drew is working on an alternate reality simulator. Somehow, in asking the simulator to show her what her life would have been like if she had gone out with Drew when he first asked her out, she ends up glitching between an alternate reality and her real life as she knows it.

tropes:

the one that got away
simulation becomes reality
can't pick a boy
scared of marriage

what I liked:

There were some clever moments the narrator had in her quest to figure out how to stop glitching.
The description of herself and her life in each place made sense given the choices she'd made.

what I didn’t like:

The book isn't a romance by my standards. Until quite deep into the book, it's unclear which male main character Lo will end up with. We don't see them falling in love.
There's a LOT of her inner monologue about the alternate reality "science" and her ideas about life without so much seeing the road to love.
I didn't truly believe in her love in either reality.

overall rating: 2 (of 5 stars, though, to be fair, if someone didn't want a traditional romance and did like the science fiction elements of alternate reality, it'd probably be a 4-star read. I'm not that person.)

Laurel and Ollie are about to celebrate their 5th anniversary of being together when Laurel finds a ring box in Ollie’s sock draw containing a family ring. This causes her to think a little too much about her relationship with Ollie and questioning if five years ago she should have accepted a date with Drew, her friend at work, she refers to as her “work husband.” What if he’s really the “the one” and not Ollie?
When Drew shows her a new project he’s working on and allows her to login to the program herself, she begins to live in an alternate reality of being with Drew and also Ollie. The quantum physics language was a bit much and was confusing at times. Through it all Laurel not only questions if the grass is greener elsewhere but she also learns important things about herself and how she treats others.
The characters are well developed, strong and memorable.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. All comments and opinions are my own.

"What If It's You" had such a unique premise that I was instantly hooked to see where it went. We start five years into a relationship where Laurel finds herself questioning everything upon finding an engagement ring in her long time boyfriend's sock drawer. When given the opportunity to find out if the grass would really have been greener on the other side in a alternate reality project at her job, she finds herself slipping between both her current reality and one she could be living had she made a different choice all those years ago.

This was a solid three star read for me. I think this book will find its audience and get rave reviews, but there was a lot of miscommunication between Laurel and her partner(s) that left me feeling frustrated. The quantum physics jargon was really heavy at times and had me putting the book down for breaks quite often. All that to say, I really enjoyed watching the personal growth Laurel went through and felt her character was extremely relatable in the sense that we've all found ourselves questioning if we've made the right decision whether it be in our career path or relationships at some point in our lives.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine Books/Dell for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

'What If It's You' has such an inventive premise, but, unfortunately, it doesn't quite hit the mark in terms of execution. Without the full development of the main characters, all of the 'big' decisions that Laurel makes don't have much depth to them. We're introduced to Laurel at a time where she feels both unsettled and too settled within the restraints of her domestic life and relationship. The alternate realities project gives her a literal escape from her own and a glimpse into another that she quickly realizes isn't for her. There's a lot of miscommunication between Laurel and Ollie that resulted in a lot of unnecessary frustration for me. The quantum physics jargon was really heavy handed at times. Both the science discussions and the jumps themselves led to a lot of jarring tone changes.

I was invited by the publisher to review this book. Laurel has a moment in her life when she starts to contemplate the "what if" moments of her past - what if she made a different choice here or there. However, since she works for a tech company that is working on a project that can glimpses of alternate realities to people - although the program needs some more support to get to that point. One day, Laurel finds herself in one of her alternate realities, but then she winds up slipping between that reality and her real life at random intervals. This leaves Laurel wondering about the powers of technology, but also reflecting on her real life and what was meaningful about it. I enjoyed this book for the various themes it put forth, such as loss, growth, and acceptance, but also for the science element and creating an intelligent woman.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine Books/Dell for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A solid 3.75 stars. Is the grass greener on the other side? We as the readers find out with Laurel Everett in this soft-sci book about how one choice can change your entire life. The story took a little bit to pick up but once it did it was a very smooth read. The quantum physics talk was a bit TOO much and was kind of jarring at times. More than a romance, the story was about overcoming fear and that part really touched me. I would recommend it for a quick, not too heavy or serious read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

"In What If It’s You" by Jilly Gagnon masterfully blends romance, science fiction, and self-reflection into a story that’s equal parts entertaining and thought-provoking. The premise is instantly intriguing: Laurel Everett, at a critical point in her relationship, stumbles upon an engagement ring in her boyfriend Ollie’s drawer. Instead of joy, she’s overwhelmed with doubts, leading her to question what might have happened if she’d taken up a former colleague, Drew, on his offer of a date five years ago. And thanks to a cutting-edge tech project at her company, she doesn’t just wonder—she gets to experience that alternate path.

Gagnon’s use of the AltR project is clever, offering Laurel a glimpse into a parallel life with Drew while still anchored in her "real" world with Ollie. As Laurel toggles between these two versions of her life, the novel delves deeper than just the classic love triangle. It’s less about choosing between two men and more about Laurel’s journey to discover what she truly wants for herself.

What sets this book apart is its focus on personal growth. Laurel’s slipping between timelines allows her to examine who she’s become, how her relationships have shaped her, and whether she’s been truly honest with herself. Gagnon balances the romance with a sharp look at identity, fulfillment, and the anxieties we all face about life’s big decisions.

While the sci-fi elements might initially seem daunting, they’re woven seamlessly into the plot, enhancing the emotional stakes without overwhelming the reader. The alternate realities aren’t just a gimmick; they push Laurel to confront her choices, desires, and fears in a way that feels both modern and relatable.

Overall: "What If It’s You " is a refreshing and insightful take on the classic “what if” scenario, offering a delightful blend of romance and self-discovery. Jilly Gagnon delivers a story that not only asks what could have been but forces the reader to reflect on the complexities of choice, love, and the paths we take. Fans of character-driven narratives and smart romantic fiction will find this a thoroughly satisfying read.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group/Ballentine for sharing this gripping sci-fi romance's digital reviewer copy with me in exchange of my honest thoughts that I highly appreciate.

What If It's You by Jilly Gagnon was a different read for me and I enjoyed it so much! I normally don't like parallel universe stories because I don't like having to choose, but I thought this was well thought out and put the emphasis more on the main character than on the romance. (See?

When Laurel finds her boyfriend, Ollie, has an engagement ring she panics and doesn't know if she is ready to get married or even be with Ollie forever - what if she'd accepted that date with Drew five years ago? Would her life be different?

So begins her slip into the parallel universe where she does go on that date with Drew and....no spoilers....you'll have to read what happens next.

I enjoyed that this was more a character development for Laurel than a romance with either Drew or Ollie - she had to work on herself before she was ready to be with either in whichever world she was in. It made me think and I love that it acknowledges that we have to love ourselves before we can truly be available to anyone else.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.. I enjoyed it immensely - the scientific/parallel universe issues and the human relationship issues. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley I received an advanced electronic copy of the book to read and provide a review.

Jilly Gagnon is a local author (to me) and I really enjoyed her last book Love You, Mean It. This was no different. It was a good take on “what if” while making quantum physics fun. A light and easy read that had me turning the page to find out exactly how Laurel would return to OG Laurel or a better version of her former self.

This was a very lovely story. I enjoyed the overall plot, even with the quantum mechanics/scifi aspect of it all. The romance was actually mostly a backburner as main character was actually learning more about who she was, what she wanted, and coming into her own through the course of the novel. The romance was done well however, and I really enjoyed that it added to the story and didn't detract at all from the amazing character development seen throughout. I would definitely recommend this novel!

Thanks to Random House Publishing-Ballantine, Jilly Gagnon, and Netgalley for the ARC for a review!

I wanted to get into this one but it didn’t grab my attention. I felt lost with the technology aspect of it and only enjoyed the relationship aspect. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

The quantum physics was a bit tough to read through. I found myself skimming a lot of it. But what kept me going was her relationship with Ollie. The best parts of the story were their story. The rest I found a tiny bit boring. I may not of been in the right headspace when reading it. It was still an enjoyable read for me though.

I thought it was a cute read. Lots of self discovery happened for the main character Laurel throughout the book. Just goes to show when you find/discover yourself then love finds a way on.

Thanks to Random House Ballantine and NetGallery for this Arc.