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booksthatburn's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
WHO I WAS WITH HER follows a teenager who finds out her secret girlfriend has died, and doesn't know how to move on when almost no one knows they were together.
This is a story about agency, about a girl growing up and learning to make certain decisions for herself. The title is "Who I Was With Her" and I had assumed we would learn a lot more about "Her" (Maggie). Instead we have a lot more "I", following Corey's stress and fears, the way she feels like she has nothing to talk about with her friends because of this big thing she can't say... Ultimately the story is more about Corey learning to be her own person and not trying to fit what other people want, than it is about the actual girl who died. Corey's dreams were wrapped up in visions of them together in the college-bound future and now she has to figure out what she wants her life to look like when she's not running after someone else. I wish we knew more about Maggie, but ultimately the book isn't really about her, it's about who Corey was with Maggie, and who she's going to be after.
This is a story about agency, about a girl growing up and learning to make certain decisions for herself. The title is "Who I Was With Her" and I had assumed we would learn a lot more about "Her" (Maggie). Instead we have a lot more "I", following Corey's stress and fears, the way she feels like she has nothing to talk about with her friends because of this big thing she can't say... Ultimately the story is more about Corey learning to be her own person and not trying to fit what other people want, than it is about the actual girl who died. Corey's dreams were wrapped up in visions of them together in the college-bound future and now she has to figure out what she wants her life to look like when she's not running after someone else. I wish we knew more about Maggie, but ultimately the book isn't really about her, it's about who Corey was with Maggie, and who she's going to be after.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Grief
Moderate: Biphobia, Child death, Death, Homophobia, Racism, Sexism, and Sexual content
Minor: Car accident
CW for biphobia, homophobia, sexism, racism, sexual content, grief, alcoholism, car accident (not depicted), child death, major character death, death. TW for Harry Potter reference (page 24).cupidities's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Who I Was with Her is a beautiful read in the vein of Nina LaCour. Corinne is a senior in high school, and Maggie, her girlfriend of nearly a year, has died unexpectedly. Because Corinne isn't out and hid her relationship with Maggie from everyone in her life, she has to handle her grief entirely in private. In her pursuit of healing, she finds solace in Maggie's ex, Elissa, and in Maggie's dreams for their lives together, chasing after what Maggie wanted and loved. The book follows Corinne as she navigates her grief, her future, and her outness; Corinne must decide whether she can come out to her friends, how she can re-connect to her loved ones, and what she wants for herself, rather than relying on what her family and friends want for her.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Alcoholism
Moderate: Biphobia
Minor: Sexual content
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