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

If He Had Been With Me by Laura Nowlin

“ℙ𝕖𝕣𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕤 𝕙𝕖 𝕨𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕒𝕤𝕜 𝕞𝕖 𝕨𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕓𝕠𝕠𝕜𝕤 𝕞𝕖𝕒𝕟 𝕥𝕠 𝕞𝕖. 𝕀 𝕨𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕥𝕖𝕝𝕝 𝕙𝕚𝕞 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕚𝕥 𝕞𝕖𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝕝𝕚𝕧𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕒𝕟𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕝𝕚𝕗𝕖”

Thoughts: ‘If He Had Been With Me’ is a ‘teen romance/coming-of-age’ novel. I devoured this one in less than 24 hours after a bit of a reading slump and a draining few weeks, so thank you, Laura, for helping me out of my slump. I really enjoyed this book. It covers lots of teenage issues such as love, friendship, family, and mental health. The story starts with the ending, so we were all doomed from the start knowing it was going to be a tearjerker. Despite already knowing the ending, I still thoroughly enjoyed this book. I really enjoyed the flashback memories of Autumn and Finn growing up together. This one had me in tears multiple times, but I’m so glad I read it and cannot wait to read ‘If Only I Had Her’.

Synopsis: An achingly authentic and raw portrait of love, regret, and the life-altering impact of the relationships we hold closest to us, this YA romance bestseller is perfect for fans of Colleen Hoover, Jenny Han, and Lynn Painter. If he had been with me, everything would have been different… Autumn and Finn used to be inseparable. But then something changed. Or they changed. Now, they do their best to ignore each other. Autumn has her boyfriend Jamie, and her close-knit group of friends. And Finn has become that boy at school, the one everyone wants to be around.
That still doesn’t stop the way Autumn feels every time she and Finn cross paths, and the growing, nagging thought that maybe things could have been different. Maybe they should be together. But come August, things will change forever. And as time passes, Autumn will be forced to confront how else life might have been different if they had never parted ways.

Please check trigger warnings prior to reading this book.

★★★★★

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

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