I loved this book so much. I read it in less than a day and couldn't put it down. I was worried it was going to be hard to follow but it wasn't at all. I love Laurels character and how she grows through the book and realizes what she always wanted was there and questioning it literally shook her world apart. I loved both Ollie and Drew (friend Drew, not boyfriend Drew- he was kind of controlling). I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking to dive right in read a book with a dash of romance and a very interesting plot.

This book reminds me of the movie Sliding Doors, but set for today generation. Definitely can’t wait to read more from this author.

Laurel finds an engagement ring hidden at the back of her boyfriend’s drawer, the scares her because she isn’t quite sure about the whole “forever“ thing. She works at Pixel, a social media company, and has a flirtatious relationship with a coworker named Drew. Drew has developed an AI that uses quantum mechanics to explore alternate universe theory. He allows her to use a virtual reality program to alter certain points in the past, and she wakes up in a completely different time stream.

This book 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 read an advanced copy of another book that explores this type of sliding doors/butterfly effect/vanilla sky “the one that got away“ storyline, and I really loved that book. “Some other time” by Angela Brown comes out in February, I rated that five stars, this one is such a similar theme, but comes out a few months later. It’s difficult with a romance when you aren’t really rooting for the main character to end up with the male main character. This book was just missing something for me. But it could be for people that understand this and are very into quantum physics and understand it better than I do.

“What if it’s You” by Jilly Gagnon is a “what if” romance book. There’s some science fiction (Quantum Computing, time shifting, time thread weaving) where if you don’t know a lot about quantum computing, it can kinda sorta work. If, like me, you start asking your computer geek friends questions, well, let’s just say “ignore the science” and try to enjoy the story. And I tried enjoying the story - the “what if” and different timelines I do find interesting (“what if in another universe X happened or is happening?” “What if in another universe I’m doing X instead of Y?”), but I had the most difficult time dealing with Lauren’s inconsistencies. She freaks over a possible proposal from her current boyfriend (Ollie), then wonders about if she should’ve become the girlfriend of a work colleague (Drew), then feels guilty for spending time with Drew in his timeline because she’s thinking Ollie … ugh. I don’t know if she was overthinking everything (yes) or she was full of contradictions/inconsistencies. This book also moved rather slowly - a lot of time was spent moving in and out of timelines, but it didn’t seem like Laurel was actually moving towards doing something about her situation - stay with Ollie, be with Drew. After a while I started to wonder which reality was, well, this timeline’s reality - were her actions in one timeline making changes in the true timeline and I think I felt more concerned about that opposed to which man she’d end up with. A good idea, but not as well executed as I hoped it would be. I would recommend this book to people who like alternative universes.

I think this was a very well-written book, but a lot of it was way over my head. I do hold a bachelor's degree but have never set foot in a physics class. So a lot of the jargon, contemplating of the situation, and discussion of the problem was hard for me to understand at times. I loved the concept of the book, though, getting to see how life would have turned out both ways.

This was a beautifully written and creative story. Not the kind of sci-fi romance I normally read, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell for this book. ~I was given this book and made no commitments to leave my opinions, favorable or otherwise~

A perfect blend of different genres, What If It's You? immerses readers into a science fiction world of romantic complications. Jilly Gagnon introduces us to Laurel Everett, who lives and works in Boston for a tech company, Pixel. Feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of marriage with her current partner, when Laurel is able to take her company's new pet project, AltR, for a test run, she accidently opens up an alternative universe where she ends up with a co-worker named Drew. Traveling through both universes, Laurel is forced to see the realities of both her current and could-be lives. The self-reflection that ensues allows Laurel to really examine what she wants in life, versus just fantasizing about the possibilities.

Gagnon uses elements of quantum physics to tell the story. I found this to be really compelling, despite physics not being something I would normally be interested in. The concept of Schrodinger's cat comes up quite often, and Gagnon is able to weave in technical aspects to the story that actually make sense and don't bog down the plot.

I really enjoyed the storyline of this book as it wasn't a simple romance about the men and their characteristics, but it was about Laurel's self-discovery. I think What If It's You? highlights the tendency of many people to think the "grass is greener" somewhere else mentality, which can have debilitating effects on one's life. The ability to see what's in front of you can be so powerful and Gagnon beautifully calls attention to it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Dell, and the author Jilly Gagnon for an ARC of this feel good sci-fi/romance in exchange for an honest review!

a unique and beautifully written romance. never would i have thought that i’d be reading a a romance involving quantum physics, but i did and i absolutely loved it. if you’ve ever found yourself grappling with your identity and who you’re supposed to be with, this book is for you.

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.