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.

Ollie wants to propose to Laurel. They've been together for 5 years and she finds a ring in his bureau drawer, and she freaks. She works with Drew and wondered what life would be like if she said yes when he asked her out 5 years ago. By some stretch of technology, she finds herself switching between alternate realities.

2.5/5⭐️ 1/5🌶️

“What If It's You?” follows Laurel through her multiverse, string theory love triangle between her current boyfriend and her "What if."

The book opens with Laurel stumbling upon an engagement ring that she literally treats like a bomb. Yikes. Ollie, her super hot, romantic, doting boyfriend wants to commit after five years and she is dreading having to answer his upcoming proposal. Laurel was questionable as a strong lead quite often and had some sketchy behaviors that bordered on an emotional affair. She works in a social media/tech firm where her "work husband" (yes, she actually calls him that. Ick.) works in some variation of alternate reality. Some things happen, Laurel is less than likeable as a character, she meddles and lands herself stuck between realities. She gets to experience the alternate universe where she chose Drew over Ollie five years ago. Only it is giving the grass isn't always greener.

I really enjoyed the theoretical physics/string theory stuff, even if I didn't fully understand all of it. I did not feel that this was actually a romance to be honest. There were a lot of moments that felt more like a nightmare than a genuine look at the other guy. Throughout the entire book I was hoping that she would figure out how to get back to her reality and it never felt like a question of which guy she should choose.

To be honest, she probably would have been better off not choosing either dude and just getting some therapy for her emotional trauma and extreme commitment issues.

Anticipated Publication Date: May 13, 2025

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine/Dell, and NetGalley for providing this eARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

this was a new romance style for me and i loved it !! at first i wanted her to end up with someone else but at the end of the book i understood why she ended up with the one she did. it was such a fun dynamic reading about different “multiverses” its like a marvel romance story but the normal people living in the cities if that makes sense. sooo recommend

As a huge fan of time travel books, I was immediately drawn to this story. I especially love plots that allow a character to explore “what if” scenarios—getting the chance to choose a different path in life and see how it unfolds. How many of us haven’t wondered about the roads not taken?

The premise of this book was fascinating, and I loved the idea of a character navigating between two universes and two very different lives. However, I struggled to connect with the protagonist. The most compelling grievance she had against her current boyfriend was that he didn’t pick up his laundry from the floor. That’s...it? For someone willing to risk tampering with the space-time continuum (something I only vaguely understand thanks to my boyfriend’s Star Trek obsession), I needed a more substantial reason to justify her inner turmoil.

I understand that the conflict couldn’t hinge on an unforgivable flaw—after all, the story’s tension relies on us feeling torn between the two men just as she is. Still, I found myself wishing for stronger stakes and more emotional depth. While the love interests were lovely, there wasn’t anything especially swoon-worthy about them to make me root for either wholeheartedly.

On top of that, the science explanations flew over my head. I’d have to reread sections to fully grasp how it all worked, which pulled me out of the story.

That said, I don’t regret reading the book. The plot itself kept me hooked, and I’d be open to giving this author another chance. With a little more depth and clarity, I could see her future works becoming must-reads.

I loved this! As a STEM girl who loves reading romance I loved that I got to read about quantum computing at a high level. At the rate AI is developing none of what happens to Laurel feels implausible. This story had a lot of heart and in true romcom fashion a lot of giggles. Laurel is an extremely complex character but we don’t get to dig into why for a long time. While this story dives into its main premise quickly, it’s not until halfway through that we get past the observations and into the solutions. This story wasn’t anything but boring though. It’s all about love and the multiverse and whether you can accept (or change) your life based on the choices we make.

I really enjoyed this book that tells about a woman who gets stuck in a computer program on a super computer. This program flips her back and forth between 2 different realities of her life and shows her how different things out have been if she had made a different choice at a specific point in her life. Watching her wrestle with the 2 different versions of her life and how she decides which one she really wants to live and how she figures out to to get to that version and stay there will keep you turning the pages of this book.

This book is about a woman torn between two men and the what if, thankfully for her she works in the biggest tech company in the USA so she enlists the help of a newly developed Artificial Intelligence to help her sort out the predicament.

She did not predict though, that she would wind up stuck in the multiverse.

While this has the potential to be super interesting, I just really struggled to connect with any of the characters, and that just made it a chore for me to finish the story. However I did persevere because it was an interesting enough concept.

It’s just the conflict of choosing between two perfect love interests without a solid enough reason (to me) is just not my cup of tea.

What If It's You poses the age-old question, "Is the grass greener on the other side?". On the precipice of an engagement, our protagonist, Laurel Everett, ponders a future with a close co-worker - what if she had said yes when he asked her out early in their friendship? Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, Laurel works at a tech company. And her close co-worker friend is leading a top-secret project on an alternate-reality project. Seizing the opportunity to jump across the proverbial fence and check out how green that grass really is, Laurel finds herself in an alternate reality. One in which she did in fact say yes to her co-worker and has ended up with him five years down the line. Blurring the lines between her "real" and "alternate" realities, Laurel is forced to reconcile her wishful thinking with the contentedness that her real life afforded her. Dipping into the magical-realism/ sci-fi pond, What If It's You tackles the alternate reality question probingly - leaving few (if any) questions unanswered.

On the romance side of things, this novel leaned a pinch predictable. But the thoughtful characterization, deliberate research of quantum computing (at least to my unknowing brain), and twists and turns through the multiverse earned this read a strong four stars.

I have never read anything by this author, but I will definitely be looking out for this author! This would be a great addition to anyone's library! The pace was great and I was hooked from just a few pages in!

Laurel is living the life she dreamed she'd be, or is she? When her job in big tech offers her a slice of an alternate reality, she takes it and asks about the one that got away. Then she finds herself in an unfamiliar world, with all too familiar people. Can she sort out the who and the why and the how in this topsy turvy time travel-ish love story?

This wasn't really the book for me. But if you like smart romance with what ifs? It's most definitely the book for you!

If you’re in the mood for a story that’s both thought-provoking and entertaining, What If It’s You? by Jilly Gagnon is sure to capture your interest. Blending sci-fi and romance, this book had me curious to see how such an unusual combination would play out. I was thoroughly impressed with how the author brought this intriguing premise to life in such a skillful and creative way.

Laurel Everett has been living with her boyfriend, Ollie, for a few years when she stumbles across an engagement ring hidden in his drawer. Instead of feeling excited, she’s struck by doubt, questioning the decisions that have brought her to this moment. At work, her best friend and co-worker, Drew, comes to mind. Years ago, Drew had asked her out on a date, but she turned him down because she had just started seeing Ollie. Now, with the ring staring her in the face, she can’t help but wonder: did she make the right choice?

Meanwhile, Drew has been working on cutting-edge virtual reality technology called AltR. This immersive system allows users to explore "what if" scenarios and experience the consequences of different life choices in a simulated environment. Drew invites Laurel to test the program, asking her to input a random question. Without thinking too much about it, she asks, What if I’d said yes to that date with Drew?

The next morning, Laurel wakes up in bed with Drew, living in a parallel version of her life where she chose him instead of Ollie. From there, she alternates between her two realities—one with Ollie, one with Drew—getting glimpses of how her life unfolds in each timeline. However, as Drew explains in both realities, AltR’s system is malfunctioning. The simulation’s power output is spiking when it shouldn’t be, forcing them to consider shutting it down. Laurel realizes she may get stuck in one life permanently—and she must decide which version of her life she truly wants to live.

I loved the “what if” premise and how brilliantly it was executed. The plot had just the right mix of drama and intrigue to keep me flipping pages, eager to see what would happen next. At its core, this is a story of self-discovery, and the blend of sci-fi and romance made it all the more engaging and complex. The dual timelines added depth to the characters and their relationships, making each version of Laurel’s life feel vibrant and real.

Despite the sci-fi elements, the story was easy to follow and remained grounded in its emotional stakes. The unique premise, thoughtful exploration of choices, and fun, relatable characters make this a must-read. For those who enjoy stories that leave you thinking long after the final page, What If It’s You? is sure to deliver.