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

3.25

Did we pick up a book already in my TBR or did we pick up a new book because #booktok told me to? …book Tok told me to.

I get why If He Had Been with Me by Laura Nowlin was hyped up.

This book is coming of age meets romance meets YA…but made it raw…and low key a little bleak? That isn’t BAD but it’s definitely not an uplifting book or an easy read.

What I Like:
* What a ROLLER COASTER. Respect.
* It started slow but by half way through I had a hard time putting it down.
* The teenager feels are real.
* We love a long term book. It covers like 7th grade to a year after high school graduation.
* You know the end right from the beginning. (but like end minus 15 pages)

What I Don’t Like:
* You know the end right from the beginning.
* The teenager happenings are…extreme. It’s like a less explicit Euphoria. I know these things happen, yes, but it’s not the experience of the majority.
* It’s longer than it needed to be.

Would I reread? No. Will I read the sequel? Yes.

Is it a personal fave? No. Am I glad I read it? Sure.
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