Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - If He Had Been with Me

The foreshadowing was perfect. I knew it all along. The very first page told me. Still, I fell for it. My soft, stupid heart believed every word. And yet, here I am, writing this as tears stream down my face. This was beautiful in every way. The romance I’ve always wanted. Autumn was right. I knew it when she said it. Sad things can be beautiful. I hope everyone gives this book a chance. I won’t be forgetting it any time soon.

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bree_mck's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

This book beautifully captured the full range of what it is like being a teenager- from the goofy times messing around with your best friends, to the very real hardships that are often overlooked by adults as "not real problems" (exploring sex and intimacy for the first time, friendships, heart break, family turmoil, mental health, grieving and loss).

Finny and Autumn were very lovable, and the author did a really skillful job of creating fully formed and compelling background characters as well.

The ending was sad and abrupt, albeit foreshadowed from the very first page of the book. However, I found myself hoping that maybe there would be a happy ending after all, that things wouldn't turn out as bad as it initially seemed- I was wrong. Finny and Autumn deserved better, but I am glad they got their last summer together and to say everything they needed to. And my desire for a different ending evidences just how much I grew to care about the characters.

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justsmileandnod's review against another edition

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medium-paced

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

3.25

This book could have been 20% shorter without a loss of any plot. But the ENDING? Just ruined everything for me - could see a lot of it coming, and hoped I was wrong, but I wasn't.

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its_van_vulpen's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful 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

4.0

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alanab05's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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kaylakennon's review

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emotional sad slow-paced

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

4.0

If you can play the long game then this book is for you. If you can't I'm with you. You might be reading this and thinking wow Kayla you just rated this book 4 stars flat and are saying you didn't enjoy it. Yes, yes I am rating a book I didn't enjoy 4 stars. Let me tell you why

First of all, if I had a dollar for every time Autumn mentions that Finn is a soccer player I would be a millionaire. Maybe that's an exaggeration but not really. She is constantly mentioning it. It got a little much. However, when I think about the things that I really love about my husband I realize how often I am talking about them. So while I hated it, it was realistic. I hated the fact that I related so much to that.

Another thing that is constantly happening throughout this book is Autumn being the victim. A lot of bad stuff happens to her. I get it. It's hard to get over the worst things in your life. I found myself thinking, "wow it gets so much worse than this how are you upset about this." But lets be real. I cry over the smallest things and constantly think that I am going through the worst of it. So again, this is realistic.

I think the hardest part of this book for me personally was that I saw myself in it. It hurt. I didn't want to relate to a character that pointed out so many of the flaws we shared. I certainly hope I never relate to the love of my life dying.

This book took about 370 pages to change my rating from a 2 star to a 4 star. Take that as you will.

Content Warnings

thebookpaiges's review

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dark emotional sad medium-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? Yes

4.0

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