Where It All Lands by Jennie Wexler
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Publication Date: July 6, 2021
Genres: Young Adult
Book Review
Stevie Rosenstein is no stranger to starting over. The daughter of an NFL coach, she is forced to move every few years for her father’s job. Now living in Suburban New Jersey, she wants nothing more than to stay in one place. When she joins the marching band she meets inseparable best friends Drew and Shane. Both Drew and Shane fall hard and fast for Stevie. Unsure how to handle the conflict, they flip a coin to decide who gets to ask out Stevie. But life doesn’t always go according to plan.
Where It All Lands is divided into two main sections, depending on which side the coin lands on. The one where the coin lands on heads, Drew gets to ask out Stevie. The other, tails, Shane is the winner, and he gets to ask Stevie out. I liked how the two different sections offered a difference in perspective on the same events. The style reminded me quite a bit of the show The Affair, where the narrative changes based on perspective. Each section is broken down into chapters told in alternating first-person perspectives between Stevie, Drew, and Shane.
I loved this book. I wasn’t totally thrilled with the style, but I loved the characters and how the style made it so that you would see the characters from multiple perspectives. All three main characters were so genuine and realistic, but I think my favorite character was Shane.
Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the review copy! All opinions are my own.
Synopsis from Goodreads
Stevie Rosenstein has never made a true friend. Never fallen in love. Moved from city to city by her father’s unrelenting job, it’s too hard to care for someone. Trust in anything. The pain of leaving always hurts too much. But she’ll soon learn to trust, to love.
Twice.
Drew and Shane have been best friends through everything. The painful death of Shane’s dad. The bitter separation of Drew’s parents. Through sleepaway camps and family heartache, basketball games and immeasurable loss, they’ve always been there for each other.
When Stevie meets Drew and Shane, life should go on as normal.
But a simple coin toss alters the course of their year in profound and unexpected ways.
Told in dual timelines, debut author Jennie Wexler delivers a heartbreaking and hopeful novel about missed opportunities, second chances, and all the paths that lead us to where we are.
About the Author
Jennie Wexler spent the first part of her career producing television shows appearing on VH1, Bravo, and The Travel Channel. She has a BA in literature/rhetoric from Binghamton University and an MA in television/radio/film from The S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. Jennie’s debut young adult contemporary novel will be released on July 6th, 2021. She is a member of SCBWI and lives in New Jersey with her husband, son, and Havanese puppy.
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Erin Evelyn Reads 