Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - If He Had Been with Me

Well, I hope you read the reviews because I did not and although the book wasn’t a sad book, the ending was incredibly heart wrenching. It was a slow and steady coming-of-age story from Autumn’s perspective, throughout high school watching her childhood best friend from afar, and living their separate lives. It really was a story of them finding their ways back to each other and how that culminated into a very sweet bit before the end.
I will say, Laura is an excellent writer and when I saw she had published a book from Finn’s perspective, I vowed not to read it because I cannot put myself through the heartbreak again!
I hope if you read this, you feel the nostalgia and wistfulness, and feel the ache of young love and heartbreak again for the sake of realizing the tenderness that also comes along with being a teenager.

Content Warnings

nerdybird2024's review against another edition

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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

5.0

It’s so sad!!! I bawled for hours.

”Oh Autumn” killed me.

Content Warnings

dtzypig's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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

3.0

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mary_do_12's review against another edition

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emotional sad fast-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

2.5

let me be honest, i read through four years of autumns life and i couldn’t have been more unaffected. it felt like in those four years, nothing at all happened.

but i was ready to sort of accept all that, when i was hit in the face with BOOM
CHEATING TROPE
(sort of)
BOOM
ACCIDENTAL PREGNANY
(two people! that are in high school!! from their first time!!!)
and i lost it.
you lost me.

the reader knowing the end from the start was supposed to be mysterious and cool, probably, but it didn’t feel like it.
where was the tension?
where was whatever was supposed to make this book interesting?

also, autumns suicide attempt was very uncomfortable for me, and that‘s simply because the whole book had a way of being shallow, and throwing something that serious in there right at the end felt very odd and almost romanticized.

could not conform to this book very much.

Content Warnings

borderbunny0308's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Wasn’t able to put the book down in many parts but honestly it did not live up to its online reputation. I expected it to have me bawling by the end but idk it just left me feeling like “that’s so sad” instead of the “I will never get over this” statements I saw online. I love this book and will most likely read if only I had told her but it was just a bit underwhelming. I would recommend this book but I wouldn’t go in with expectations TOO high.

Content Warnings

autumnada's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This book is devastating. I finished this book the day that I started it. There is spice in this book that is not closed door but it adds to the story and is necessary.

Content Warnings

rachelranelli's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Content Warnings

brooklyndays's review against another edition

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challenging emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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