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merri's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
i want to start by saying i wish i read this as a physical book instead of the audiobook. the narrator was voice-acting WAY too much instead of just reading the book. she held back (imaginary i assume) tears, she shouted, she sounded exhausted… that was way too much for me. i probably would have liked this more reading it myself.
corinne loses her girlfriend who she wasn’t out with and she feels like she doesn’t have the right to mourn her. she does cross-country running, she’s the perfect poster girl, she does what others expect of her. mostly i liked this book, it was very emotional and sad and corinne was a multi faceted, ”real” character. but. who i was with her would have benefited from a lot more editing. i think it was too long and some things were repeated way too many times. the message and the heart of the story would have come through with less words/pages/repetition. i liked the last 1/3 the best, where the pace was faster and where things unveiled and character growth was the quickest. a good queer book with some flaws, but with important themes of loss of a loved one, struggling to come out, alcoholism, and even asexuality. a solid book, all in all.
corinne loses her girlfriend who she wasn’t out with and she feels like she doesn’t have the right to mourn her. she does cross-country running, she’s the perfect poster girl, she does what others expect of her. mostly i liked this book, it was very emotional and sad and corinne was a multi faceted, ”real” character. but. who i was with her would have benefited from a lot more editing. i think it was too long and some things were repeated way too many times. the message and the heart of the story would have come through with less words/pages/repetition. i liked the last 1/3 the best, where the pace was faster and where things unveiled and character growth was the quickest. a good queer book with some flaws, but with important themes of loss of a loved one, struggling to come out, alcoholism, and even asexuality. a solid book, all in all.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Alcohol
Moderate: Homophobia and Acephobia/Arophobia
Minor: Car accident
soleilnigro's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
this book is a really easy read, but i didn't find it to be very emotional or personal. the main character was hard to connect/relate to or feel empathy for, and her grief felt kind of surface level in my opinion. i do think this book could've been really inspiring and heartfelt, the plot was definitely there, but i don't think it was executed as well as it could've been. not terrible at all, i think it just needed more emotion and detail.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Car accident, and Biphobia
melaniereadsbooks's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-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
4.5
This was absolutely heartbreaking, but I loved it so much. Corrine goes through such a journey in this book, told in two alternating time lines, and my heart aches for the growth and change she had to go through.
I really enjoyed the way this book dealt with the tricky subject of coming out--when you're not ready, and someone you love wants you to. You don't owe your coming out to anyone!!!!! When Corrine had people pressure her to come out, my heart was so broken for her. She really thought she was being a coward or didn't really love them and I'm just....just so glad her journey brought her to understand that is not the case.
This was a beautiful book!
I really enjoyed the way this book dealt with the tricky subject of coming out--when you're not ready, and someone you love wants you to. You don't owe your coming out to anyone!!!!! When Corrine had people pressure her to come out, my heart was so broken for her. She really thought she was being a coward or didn't really love them and I'm just....just so glad her journey brought her to understand that is not the case.
This was a beautiful book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Car accident, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Homophobia and Biphobia
Minor: Sexual content and Racism
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).thereadersofrohan's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Biphobia, and Homophobia
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Car accident
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