A review by annatl4
If He Had Been with Me by Laura Nowlin

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

i really did love this book. it’s so close to five stars, i might go back and edit my rating but for now 4.75 seems good. there isn’t much plot, more so a retelling of autumns high school experience. almost like a diary. it was slow at first and i was unsure about it but by 75-100 pages i was invested and accepted it as a reflection of her life rather than a story. it reminded me a lot of an alice hoffman book. i love the use of “vignette” like chapters as well. autumn talked a lot about feelings most feel in high school - my only complaint is that sometimes it felt childish or that autumn was really 12 and not 16-17. the ending was “spoiled” in the beginning yet i didn’t expect what autumn would do. i had mixed feelings about the characters - loving them and then hating them but i suppose that is a good to portray what high school friends and relationships feel like. maybe i loved it so much despite its lack of “plot” because autumn reminded me of me when i was that age. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings