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If He Had Been With Me

Laura Nowlin
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If He Had Been With Me

Laura Nowlin
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Overview

STAFF PICKNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER400 PAGESENGLISH
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"This sweet, authentic love story masks complex characters dealing with complex issues: single parents, divorce, only children yet ersatz siblings; high school, college, the pull of the clique; love, friendship, sex, and teen pregnancy . . . First-time author Nowlin keeps the story real and fast paced, avoiding the melodramatic." - BOOKLIST

"The finely drawn characters capture readers' attention in this debut . . .Autumn's coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations . . . Readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn's head." - KIRKUS REVIEWS

"Wonderful, beautifully written, haunting, heartbreaking and simply amazing! That's just the tip of the iceberg when describing my opinion of If He Had Been with Me . Ahhhh. . . although no words can truly describe how much I loved this book!! Months ago I knew I wanted to read it but never could have imagined how great it would be.I can honestly say this is already in my top ten reads of all time. I was sucked in from the first page and never wanted it to end. It's a story of love, friendship and fate. It will have you thinking about the what ifs and make you think if life really has us here for a certain reason. Pick up this read. . . NOW! Trust me you won't regret it! " - A SOUTHERN GIRL'S BOOKSHELF

"This book is a treasure; I can feel the printed words seeping through my skin and into my veins, rushing to my heart and marking it forever. I want to savour this wonder, this happening of a loving book and reading it for the first time, because the first time is always the best, and I will never read this book for the first time again" - THE READER'S DEN

" It's lovely and so beautifully written - I just wish I had a smidgeon of her talent.And the writing. Oh, the writing. So perfect and poetic. I felt like I was reading snippets of Autumn's personal journal and I couldn't put it down. Despite that I knew there was a *Romeo and Juliet-esque / tragic love story ending, I couldn't help but allow myself to be swept away by Autumn and Finn's story. I enjoyed If He had Been With Me so much that I'm adding Laura Nowlin to my auto-read list. Her writing, you guys, is just that sublime. Definitely take a chance on this story - allow yourselves to be caught up in Autumn and Finn's lives and to root for two childhood best friends to fall in love." - RATHER BE READING

"If you're looking for an emotionally-charged teen read, this is your book - hands down. Fans of YA Contemporary Romance, New Adult, or Coming of Age will also enjoy this book." - LITERARY MEANDERINGS

"There's something about Laura Nowlin's writing that reaches out and touches the heart in unexpected ways. It also has a more literary feel at times, perhaps because Autumn is a writer, and the way Nowlin meshes foreshadowing with Autumn's own quirks is a unique, captivating blend. I don't know what I was expecting when I initially picked this one up, but it wasn't the level of depth I found myself encountering. A strong debut from an author to watch!" - A BACKWARDS STORY

"Both breathtaking and heartbreaking, this novel will leave you completely stunned. . . you can rest assured that this will be one book in your life you will never regret." - TEENREADS.COM

"[Autumn and Finn's] romance is Shakespeare-worthy in its tragic dimension. Autumn's reflections on love's possibilities and near-misses will surely resonate with the unsettled teen soul, and readers will get exactly what they came for, and then some." - THE BULLETIN OF THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN'S BOOKS

"The heart of this novel is an examination of an unresolved childhood love that is so pure and sweet that it seems too fragile to survive the turbulent years of adolescence. Using tender prose that makes it hard not to care about the main characters, this title chronicles four years of high school and the confusing post-graduation period. At the end, when Nowlin reveals why Finny should have been with Autumn all along, readers are sure to feel the ache of life's capriciousness. " - SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

"This is a story of friendship, family, love, and regret. Readers know from the beginning that Autumn and Finny's story will end in tragedy, but that does not stop the reader from wanting to follow their journey. Recommended." - LIBRARY MEDIA CONNECTION

Overall rating: 4.2916665 / 5 from 240 reviews.

AI Generated Review Summary

If He Had Been With Me is a captivating contemporary teen romance that has sold over a million copies and become a BookTok sensation. Readers find the book emotional and heart-wrenching, though opinions on the ending and storyline vary. It's perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Colleen Hoover.

Summary topics

  • Book Reception: 54%
  • Book Ending: 8%
  • Reading Experience: 20%
  • Story Quality: 13%

Review topics: [gift, feel, fun, book, depth, touch, story, read, writing, ending, written, novel, title, romance, characters, pages, storytelling, start, tragedy, literature].

Review highlights

  • "Loved this book, it was a tragically beautiful live story." — Y. R.
  • "Charming story of high school friends to lovers, addresses mental health and dysfunctional but reconstructed family." — Reader123
  • "One of the best emotional books I’ve yet to read." — Kaila

Reviews

A tragedy so heartbreaking

"I really enjoyed this book and I feel like this is a book every teenage girl should read. This book reminds me of “The Way I Used To be” because it shows her high school years through 9-12. Even though you already know Finny is going to die, once you get to that point in the book it’ll make you seriously sob. This is one of those books where you read it and think about forever."

— Amg09 (4/5)

Overal it was good

"I wanted to like this book and I did just not a much as I thought I would. Don't get me wrong its good just the writing style is a bit simple and personally not my taste. But overall it's a decent book."

— Hannie 2. (3/5)

Thoughtful Coming-of-Age Story

"The story is well written and emotionally engaging, though I found the main character, Autumn, a bit hard to connect with at times. Without spoilers, she often sees negative things in her parents’ relationship while making very similar choices herself, which was a little frustrating. I also wished she had more depth earlier in the story. The timeline jumps more than I expected, moving from the start of high school to graduation, which isn’t usually my preference. That said, I still enjoyed the book overall, and the sequel is much stronger in my opinion, making the series worth continuing."

— S. C. (4/5)

Mixed feelings

"I have very mixed feelings about this book but only good ones. Very deep and heartbreaking at some points."

— Kat 6. (4/5)

love, friendship, and missed chances

"A beautifully written and heartbreaking story about love, friendship, and missed chances. Laura Nowlin perfectly captures the ache of growing up and wondering “what if. ” It’s emotional, poetic, and lingers with you long after you’ve turned the last page."

— Gurleen S. (5/5)

BEST BOOK with a wild plot twist!!!

"OH. MY. GOSH. Literally jaw-dropping! At the beginning of the novel, I felt a little bored as Nowlin took a little while to get the settings and the plot started. Around the middle of the book, it’s wild! Nowlin wrote so well, and it shook me to the core near the end with the plot twist. I won’t spoil, but it was an awesome grand final touch to the book. She did great with keeping me reading by putting part of the plot twist at the start of the book to keep the readers guessing. OBESSSED. Best book ever, and 10/10 recommend!!!"

— Cadenceeee (5/5)

Heartbreaking and Beautiful

"If He Had Been With Me completely broke me in the best way. It’s the kind of story that feels so real you almost forget it’s fiction. Autumn and Finn’s relationship is tender, complicated, and full of unspoken love. Reading it, I felt that ache of wanting something just out of reach, and the pain of knowing how fragile life can be. It’s heartbreaking but also beautiful, reminding you to cherish every moment. This book left me teary, reflective, and holding it to my chest long after the last page."

— Mylene (5/5)

Perfect if you want to cry

"Honestly one of the best books I've read. so many emotions throughout the story, with what was almost a beautiful ending until harsh reality takes over and brought tears to my eyes. Highly recommend this book."

— Fr513 (5/5)

I sobbed omg this

"I sobbed omg this book was devastating I loved it."

— Lexi305 (5/5)

Love, Loss, and What-Ifs

"An emotional, tender story about friendship, first love, and the heartbreak of paths not taken. Beautifully written and deeply moving, though a bit predictable at times. Still, it left a mark on me."

— Hafsa (4/5)

Q&A

  • Published date: Nov 01, 2019
  • Language: English
  • No. of Pages: 400
  • Publisher: Sourcebooks
  • ISBN: 9781728205489
  • Dimensions: 5.4" W x 1.2" L x 8.0" H
Laura Nowlin is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling and TikTok sensation If He Had Been with Me and If Only I Had Told Her, She holds a BA in English with an emphasis in creative writing from Missouri State University. Laura lives in St. Louis with her family.

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