Book Review: “What If It’s You?” by Jilly Gagnon

What if you could get a “Virtual do over”

Laurel Everett is an executive working at Pixel a well-known software and social media company. She lives a modest life with her boyfriend of 5 years, Ollie, and things are going well. But when Laurel discovers a ring in Ollie’s sock drawer she panics. Why would marrying her long-term love be eating at Laurel? Sure, Ollie gets her, and they work well together but she can’t stop thinking about the one who may have gotten away. Drew, her coworker who works in the coding department at Pixel. They both started at the same time and there was an interest in the past, but over the years they have developed a closeness of coworkers. Even so, Laurel can’t help but wonder what could have been between them. Ironically, Drew’s team at Pixel is currently working to develop a top-secret AI program. Tentatively named AltR the program is designed to allow people to experience alternate realities based on different choices taken in their lives. Drew invites Laurel to test drive the beta software because they need more people to work out the kinks and Laurel sees this as a perfect opportunity to satisfy her questions about her and Ollie.  Laurel’s attempts to set up a profile and access the system appear to fail, but then she wakes up next to Drew instead of Ollie. It’s her but it’s not. She no longer works at Pixel but is pursuing her dreams as a writer outside of the company. If waking up in an alternative reality where nothing is what you know wasn’t stressful enough, Laurel begins to bounce between the two realities seemingly with no rhyme or reason and it becomes harder and harder to explain her erratic behavior to the inhabitants of both timelines. Desperate to learn how to reset this seeming glitch and install her back into her current reality, Laurel seeks out the help of some influential and familiar people. If Laurel can’t figure out how to get herself back to her reality with Ollie soon, she may cease to exist in either realm altogether.

What if it’s You is the newest book by author Jilly Gagnon. Following Laurel, a successful marketing exec for a technology company Laurel seems to have it all, but when a chance to explore a top-secret AI project in development prompts her to explore a nagging “what if” chaos ensues. Laurel finds herself bouncing between her current reality with her boyfriend Ollie and her “what if” with Drew her coworker. Watching Laurel navigate who she is supposed to be in the two different worlds and trying to keep it all straight was entertaining on its own. With each jump and twist her desperation to land in her own timeline and stay there became more and more apparent. This is the third Jilly Gagnon novel that I have read, and it is enough of a departure from the previous stories that I felt as if I was discovering an author for the first time all over again.  Not quite a romance, and not quite a sci fi, What if it’s You? is a genre blending romp that will have you laughing at Laurel’s antics in both worlds as much as it will have you rooting for her to finally find the solution to her reality-hopping adventure.

If you are a fan of quirky romances with an edge of sci fi, What if it’s You is a fun read that will have you wanting to check out the other titles in Jilly Gagnon’s catalogue.

Full disclosure – I was provided an ARC copy of this book by through Netgalley; however, I have voluntarily chosen to write a review. All opinions are my own.

What If It’s You? is scheduled for May 13, 2025 release