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A review by readers_sea
If He Had Been with Me by Laura Nowlin
dark
emotional
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
Finn and Autumn's story wasn't what I expected it to be, but I did enjoy it.
This book follows Finn and Autumn, they were born best friends since their moms have always been best friends. They grew up together and were always neighbors. This book follows them as they make their way through high school - they are still discovering who they are as people and eventually seem to drift apart. It wasn't a huge friendship break up and they still saw each other often because of their moms, but it was just a little different now.
Neither of them knew how to admit their feelings for the other person, so they thought it would be easier to ignore them altogether. They were civil, but it was never the same. As time goes on, family hardships come about, and just the normal life stuff occurs, they find themselves in situations where they miss each other and the easy relationship they had and slowly begin to reconnect.
I really enjoyed watching Finn and Autumn discover who they were. The ending wasn't surprising and I kind of wish that first chapter just wasn't there. It was so realistic how their friendship developed and changed as they did, but you still couldn't help but root for them.
This book surprisingly touched on a lot of harder topics, but I felt like it just added to the realness of the characters and their lives. In the end, I felt like the beginning and/or ending could've been done differently, but I am curious to see how Finn's book and his pov would change things.
This book follows Finn and Autumn, they were born best friends since their moms have always been best friends. They grew up together and were always neighbors. This book follows them as they make their way through high school - they are still discovering who they are as people and eventually seem to drift apart. It wasn't a huge friendship break up and they still saw each other often because of their moms, but it was just a little different now.
Neither of them knew how to admit their feelings for the other person, so they thought it would be easier to ignore them altogether. They were civil, but it was never the same. As time goes on, family hardships come about, and just the normal life stuff occurs, they find themselves in situations where they miss each other and the easy relationship they had and slowly begin to reconnect.
I really enjoyed watching Finn and Autumn discover who they were. The ending wasn't surprising and I kind of wish that first chapter just wasn't there. It was so realistic how their friendship developed and changed as they did, but you still couldn't help but root for them.
This book surprisingly touched on a lot of harder topics, but I felt like it just added to the realness of the characters and their lives. In the end, I felt like the beginning and/or ending could've been done differently, but I am curious to see how Finn's book and his pov would change things.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Death
Moderate: Mental illness and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Pregnancy