Reviews with content warning for Infidelity - If He Had Been with Me

This book is told in chapters that feel like snapshots into the world of two teenagers, Finny and Autumn. They are in love with each other but are unwilling or unable to admit it to themselves or the other. They are fated to love one another — their mothers have been best friends for their entire lives. The last third of this book I just knew it was building toward something bad, the book just gave off a vibe. While the last third also gives you a lot of good, it’s a bittersweet ending. For some reason, I didn’t connect with the characters as much as I thought I would. But I still liked them. The ending made me sad, but I didn’t cry. I’m not sure what to make of that.

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erica_reads_things's review against another edition

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emotional funny sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

A pretty standard YA tragic love story, but it was entertaining enough! Captured the progression of high school and growing up well. I liked the characters. Nothing incredibly compelling but also not bad! I could see my younger self bawling at this one lol.

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leah08855's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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ssssophie3745's review against another edition

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emotional sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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ninareadsss's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This book hurt my soul... I cried like a damn baby😭

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proudtobeabookaholic's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

Autumn and Finn have been best friends during their childhood and done everything together. But when they start high school they end up in different crowds and drift apart. Their families are neighbors and hang out, so they still see each other, but it's not like before. Autumn get together with Jamie, and Finn with Sylvie, but she can't help thinking, what if...

This is a really good YA that display a lot of relatable subjects: first love, when it's okay to have sex, being drunk for the first time, the relations to parents and friends etc. It also brings up mental health issues. I have to say that the youths in this book are unusually well-behaved, and it's really nice, because it gets rather emotional and sad later on (have your tissues ready if you easily cry when you read!).

The reason for not giving it five stars? It's a bit predictable at times and it felt too long. For a while it seemed like events were just stacked up for no reason and it became somewhat repetitive. I also would have liked to get both POV's, not just Autumn's. But over all it's a really good book and I certainly recommend it!

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sunny_not's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

If the ending was not the stupidest ending that I have ever read this book could've been a 4 star read;however, although I really enjoyed the book till the 75% mark I really disliked how the author wrapped up the story. It felt like there were too many loose ends and

her getting pregnant does not tie the story in my opinion

So this book ended up being a meh.

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nataliebootlah's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Teenage angst at its finest.

I couldn’t take this seriously at first, but when I reminded myself what it was like to be a teenager full of big emotions, the book and its cliches were easier to digest.

Overall, this is a pretty predictable coming of age story about fifteen year olds Autumn and Finny. The thing is, you know the ending from the very first chapter, but you still want the whole story laid out for you. I saw teenage Natalie a bit in this book, which was both horrifying and amusing. I wondered if everyone’s “first love” experience is somewhat similar in a teenage drama type of way, making the novel feel almost nostalgic.

I guess this means I’ll have to read the companion novel coming out in 2024: If Only I Had Told Her. 🥀

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