Where It All Lands

Where It All Lands gripped me so much, I was up all night reading, past 5AM, and finished the rest the same day.
I'd rate it somewhere between a 4 and 4.5 and I have a lot to say about it! This might be the longest review I've ever written.

This book is about Stevie, who starts at a new school, and captures the attention of two best friends, Drew and Shane. Not wanting to lose their friendship over her, they decide to flip a coin to decide who gets to ask her out. Two possible outcomes, two possible timelines, and we get to read about them both.

There was so much in this book that I loved, but also a lot that I got mad at, as you'll see I have some mini-rants below. But in the end, none of those points took away from how good and poignant the book was. And the fact that I felt so much and had such strong feelings while reading the book is also a testament to how good it is.

On a high level this book was about appreciating what you have, especially knowing that nothing is guaranteed, including tomorrow. This theme was woven in throughout the book, and you saw how the different characters embraced or ignored this reality.

My heart broke a lot while reading this book, I came close to tears various times. And believe me when I say it's heartbreaking! The story was told beautifully with nuanced characters (even the bullies). Even with alternating character chapters as well as the dual storyline, I never felt lost, the voices were distinct and strong enough that you could tell whose perspective it was, even if you ignored the chapter title.

Also, dual storyline/alternative timelines can be very difficult to do well. But in this book they were done VERY well, You got enough time with each storyline to be fully invested. There was no repetition between the two even though you're reading the same timeline, The small differences of the butterfly effect were easy to see. I think the format of splitting the book in half and only leaving last bunch of chapters to interleave was a brilliant way of delivering this story.

I can easily say, there wasn't a second that I was bored while reading this book, I felt invested in the characters, the storyline. I felt their struggle, and all the feelings felt very real.

Now onto the parts that I disagreed with:

I felt like the author had a clear winner in their head. And the main issue was that I disagreed with it. One man, challenges her, makes her feel alive, makes her do things she would never usually do. While the other is more comfortable, she can talk to him about anything, they have similar tastes and interests. To me, the first one was clearly better for Stevie. While everyone deserves love, not every story has to be about the always-friend-zoned (a term I despise btw) kid finally finding love.

The biggest issue I had with the book was how important the coin toss became in terms of the drama between the three characters. I didn't think what the two boys did was wrong, but it was exaggerated so much and it generated so much unnecessary drama, for something that I wasn't sure why I should care at all.


All in all, this is truly a beautiful story, and it will stay with me for a while.

Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review