Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Gagnon (Scenes of the Crime) puts a high-tech twist on a classic love triangle in this clever contemporary. After Laurel Everett finds an engagement ring in her boyfriend Ollie's sock drawer, she deliberately sabotages their dinner date at a Boston restaurant, hoping to avoid a public proposal, as she is unsure if she is ready for marriage. Her fear of commitment is partly triggered by her lingering crush on handsome Drew, her coworker at tech company Pixel. When Laurel tries out an alternate reality program designed by Drew, she finds herself catapulted into a different world where she and him are in a long-term relationship. A glitch leaves her randomly toggling between these two realities, forcing her to decide which life--and which man--is right for her. Gagnon does not draw this mystery out long; Laurel fairly quickly realizes the depth of her feelings for one of her two suitors, and then the central plot becomes more about how she'll break free of the AR to stay with him. The romance sparkles, and Gagnon makes the science believable enough to suspend disbelief. Readers are sure to be sucked in. Agent: Taylor Haggerty, Root Literary. (May)
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Review by Library Journal Review
When commitment-phobe Laurel unexpectedly finds an engagement ring in the sock drawer of her longtime boyfriend Ollie, she immediately gets cold feet. 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 Laurel works for, she signs up to test out an experimental program that uses a quantum computer to give users the opportunity to explore past 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. However, as she bounces between two disparate realities, two different boyfriends, and two distinct versions of herself, she realizes that she needs to figure out which version to choose--and quickly, before a glitch leaves her stranded in a random spot. VERDICT Gagnon's (Love You, Mean It) smart, fast-paced romance successfully blends elements of science fiction and relationship fiction to create a unique and thoughtful love story.--Migdalia Jimenez
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