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

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I don't get the hype of this book. It was easy to read and I wanted to continue reading it, but at some point it was more of wanting to get the book done rather than wanting to know what happened next. After the halfway there was some boring parts. The language was mediocre, and once one character's eye color suddenly changed. The writing was also confusing and I actually had to google how exactly one part of the book went because I couldn't comprehend from the text itself.

At first I thought that the narrator Autumn was okay, but the further I got in the book, the more I started to dislike her. Honestly none of the characters really spoke to me. I also didn't like how Autumn dated another guy for four years even though she was clearly loving someone else more than her boyfriend the whole time. I think this book gives some false information about what relationships are like and what to expect about them.

Even though the ending was hinted at the beginning, it still came as a shock to me because I had already forgot about the first few pages. I admit that I cried a bit in the end, so points for that I guess. Still, the ending left a bad taste in my mouth, and I don't like how things were handled.

I probably won't read the sequel that tells the story from Finn's point of view. Though I am a bit curious to know if it is any better.
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