Where It All Lands

I didn't expect to be so completely flummoxed by the time I finished this book. Nor did I think I would love it as much as I did, but here we are! I was floored by the storytelling of this book, how it surrounded 3 people—Stevie, Shane, and Drew—2 best friends, and one coin toss that would alter their futures.

The description reads that this book was told in dual timelines, so as I was reading the first half of the book, I was wondering when the second timeline would take place and then WHAM! it he me like a sack of bricks and I think I about lost my mind. Part of me wondered what was real and what wasn't, and by the time I got to the end I was flipping through the pages hoping and praying that one timeline was real and the other wasn't. I just couldn't take it.

But wound up between those two timelines was a story of two best friends who had gone through hell and back together and how one coin toss could completely alter the fabric of their friendship—and directly effect the girl caught up in the middle of it all. One choice, one mistake, but very different outcomes based upon who won the coin toss. The beauty of this book was found in analyzing the choices we all make. Sure, maybe some things are destined to happen, fixed points in time if you will—but a single choice, made one way or another, can take us down completely different paths, introduce new conflicts, new beautiful relationships, or tear down old ones.

By the end of the book, you're so desperate for hoping that the coin toss went differently and quite honestly, the reader is left wondering how it *really* happened. But that's the point, encapsulated in the epilogue. At the end, you're left with a beautiful, philosophical idea that I'm sure I'll carry with me for the rest of my life—and many others too. The idea that your choices matter—so make smart ones.

I definitely feel like this should be required reading in high school. Kids these days could use some entertaining, philosophical story about how our choices affect others. If it left such a big impact on myself, I'm sure it will leave an even bigger impact on you.

I'll definitely be buying this one and sharing it with everyone I know.

I love when I come across a book like this one. I always find it interesting to have a book with dual time lines to see how things could have turned out based on how time unfolded. I like the way it began with a tease of the ending and we had no idea how we were going to get there. I also liked that it kind of showed that things were going to go how they were going to go in either time line and it didn't necessarily matter the choice that was made, sometimes things change but sometimes they don't. Sometimes there is a different route to get to the ending, but maybe it is always your destiny. I know this review is cryptic but I don't want to ruin the plot line of either time line. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys YA. It was a quick and interesting read.

My.
Heart.

You might need to grab some tissues for this one, folks.

When sax player Stevie moves to a new town yet again, lifelong best friends Drew and Shane are both drawn to her. So... they flip a coin - and we get to see the two different ways it could all shake out.

Jennie Wexler deftly explores the two outcomes in a fresh structure that had me dizzy with first love, totally caught up in realistically portrayed family dynamics, and - at the end - bawling my eyes out.

I loved these characters so much. Music is a huge part of the book - Drew sings in a band, Shane is a talented drummer, and Stevie only ever feels like she belongs when she’s playing her saxophone. I was also so impressed with how the author captured the boys’ friendship and small mannerisms especially. The tone was pitch-perfect for YA.

Where It All Lands was a satisfying and emotional journey, and I loved watching the three teenagers’ lives weave together and build to an epic conclusion - highly recommend!

As soon as I started reading Where it All Lands, I suspected that this wasn’t going to be the typical new-girl-in-school story. And was I right! The twisty, thought-provoking plot kept me spellbound until the very last page. A word of advice though: have a box of tissues nearby. The characters are so real that you feel what they do- I shared their frustration and tears when the world let them down and their joy when they discovered true friendship and love.

A simple coin toss between two best friends, Drew and Shane, change not only the new girl’s (Stevie’s) life, but also theirs. They learn that they have to stand up for themselves and go all out for what they want - be it a different relationship with their parents and friends, a place in the State band or even love.

Told in alternating points of view, Wexler gets us not only into the heads of each of her characters, but into their hearts as well. Then, she plays around with the events and timeline to show us all the myriad ways this story could have played out. At one point, Drew (the dream boy athlete/musician) says, “Maybe one random thing leads to another and then another and sometimes it works out how you picture, but other times…..” It really makes you think about how each thing that happens leads to the next in ways we can never really predict nor control. And yet, the message of the book is anything but depressing. You close the book smiling through your tears. When we see how it all plays out, we are reminded - yet again - that the present is all we have. We need to give it all we’ve got. Because you never know what’s around the bend.

It’s a definite 5-star. I wish I could give it 6. It’s that good. (Oh, and by the way, it's better with Pearl Jam playing in the background!)

Drew and Shane have been best friends their entire lives and know not to let their attraction to a girl get in the way of their unbreakable bond. When Stevie Rosenstein shows up at summer band practice, they make a split-second decision that threatens to change all of their futures.

Stevie once again finds herself a new girl in a new town because of her dad's position as an NFL quarterback coach. She resents her dad for making their family pick up and start over, but does her best to immerse herself in her new high school. With Shane's friendship and help she prepares her audition for all-state band, which she hopes will be a stepping-stone to get into a top college.

When love, support, and acceptance are all a teenager really needs, one coin toss between friends holds their futures in the balance. All three are forced to reconcile their responsibilities and life-altering abilities to upend their entire futures with just a single choice.

Wexler's multi-narrator, dual-timeline novel allows readers the omniscience to see the result of all the "what-ifs" that constantly interrupt teenagers' thoughts. Full of love, hope, regret, and possibility, readers are left questioning the results of their own actions and inaction.

**I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

It took a little bit for me to get into this, but once I did, I was hooked.

Shane and Drew have been best friends for forever. If there's any disagreement or competition between them, they flip a coin. Enter new girl, Stevie. Both halves of this best friend duo quickly become smitten. Drew suggests a coin toss to preserve their friendship and Shane reluctantly agrees.

This story follows the two timelines: heads or tails? I loved the set-up of the timelines, and how they intertwined. While one timeline was my favorite, both timelines felt like they could be their own ya contemporary novel. But the way the two storylines differ was interesting to witness. One change could lead to many other ripple effects.

All in all, this was a heartbreaking, hopeful tale of how our lives are connected, and was well worth the read. Many thanks to St. Martin's Press / Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the eARC! I really appreciated the opportunity to read this wonderfully crafted novel.

A beautiful story about first love, second chances, and the choices that define our lives.

I was first drawn to this book because of the concept - dual timelines showing the impact of a single moment, a coin toss. Oftentimes, a concept like this is easy to market, but hard to pull off. That was not the case with this novel.

The author does a remarkable job of telling two stories, that feel like a single narrative - showing the ways small choices can change lives. While the stakes are incredibly high, and definitely a sense of which way the reader will hope it all lands, the themes are nuanced and not prescriptive. Additionally, the characters are unique, compelling, and relatable, and the author does a great job of dismantling stereotypes.

Overall a thought provoking debut that makes me eager for more from this author!

I enjoyed this book so much. It was so incredibly fun to read, and I loved the concept. I went into this book not knowing anything about it, which was honestly the best decision I've made in a long time. I was surprised by the course the book took, but in a good way. It's been a long time since I've been surprised by a book like this. The story of Shane, Drew, and Stevie is one that I fell in love with. They're such dynamic characters that make so much sense. I loved how they all developed their own characteristics and they stayed true to that. They didn't act out of character, they acted as if they were real people. This doesn't mean that they were predictable, but that they were real. I honestly can't stand when characters make decisions or act in a way outside of how the author has set them up to be. That would be why I'm talking about it for so long haha. Other than that, the plot was fantastic, the ending was everything I needed and more, and I just really loved this book. It went deeper than I expected, which was another good surprise. Overall, kudos to the author, you made a fantastic debut!!

This book was SO GOOD.
It is told in duel timelines centering around two boys flipping a coin to decide who can ask out the new girl.
And its just so amazing.
I had some concerns going into the second timeline, that the second half would just be a rehash of the first half with a different boy. But it really wasn't like that. Wexler did such an amazing job showing (in a very Butterfly effect way) how a single moment can change the lives of multiple people.
The prose was wonderful and I flew through the first 60% in a few hours.
All in all, this was an enjoyable read that's concept felt extremely fresh.
Final rating: 4.5/5 stars
**Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this ARC Copy.

this book really took me by surprise, its not your typical new girl in school type of book. the storytelling of this book is very enthralling, it surrounds three main characters, Stevie, Shane and Drew plus the ultimate coin toss.

The synopsis explains that this book was told in two different timelines, as I was reading the first half of the book, I kept wondering when the second timeline would take place and then out of no where it he me like a sack of bricks and I think I lost my mind at how brilliantly it just comes at you. i wasnt sure what was real and what wasn't at one point and by the time I got to the end I was flipping through the pages hoping and praying that one timeline was real and the other wasn't. I just couldn't take it.

By the end , you're so desperate for hoping that the coin toss went differently and quite honestly, youre left wondering wait, did this really happen are we sure?

But that's the point, encapsulated in the epilogue. At the end, you're left with a beautiful, conclusions and something we can all learn from and something that impacts us all because alot of us feel like our choices dont matter but this story leaves you with the idea that your choices matter.

4.5 stars. Thank yo u to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book!

The premise of this book is one that I, myself, have envisioned writing about: how one simple act or moment changes the course of your life forever. And, in this case, it's a coin toss. A, what seems to be, simple "heads" versus "tails" coin toss between two best friends, Drew and Shane, with the winner getting to be the one to ask out the new girl, Stevie.

Wexler tells two parallel stories (the book is literally divided in half) and shows the chain of events that occurs when Drew wins and when Shane wins. And, although both parallels have -- exactly that --, parallels, the two stories are different.

For anyone who loves to play the "what-if" scenarios, this one's for you. It's a very creative story that does dig into more complicated things in life, i.e. do we all really have just one soulmate? Is that even a thing?

It's definitely a good read and appropriate for 13+.

Told from multiple POV, Drew and Shane see Stevie, new in town, they decide to flip a coin to see who gets to date her. That flip changes everything. As Stevie gets to know both boys while practicing for All —State , she realizes nothing lasts forever and that you need to enjoy the now. Great book.

I have never read a book like this one. It switches back and forth to different paths that the story could go. I was rooting for one love story and then when I read it I changed my mind. It was a very interesting read. It really made me wonder what actually happened. The ending is very open ended.