If He Had Been with Me

If you’re looking for a depressingly beautiful romance, this is a good read. I fell in love with the characters immediately, which made the ending so much more heartbreaking. The sentences: “Late in the night, I hear footsteps in the hallway. I roll over and look at the door. It opens slowly. “Finny?” I say. There is silence. “Oh, Autumn,” my mother says.” really hit different. My sister read it first and did spoil the ending for me, but I still loved reading, though I did hate the ending. It was integral to the story, but it was painful. I didn’t like reading for a while, but as soon as I read this book, I didn’t ever want it to end. The story really was beautiful and well written, so I fell in love with the characters. That’s what made the ending break my heart. I wish I could read it for the first time again. This book was amazing. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If He Had Been With Me is an emotionally raw and beautifully written story that pulls you in with its nuanced characters and bittersweet exploration of love, friendship, and the complexity of growing up. Autumn and Finny’s relationship is both tender and heartbreaking, and their journey feels authentic and deeply relatable.The author’s ability to capture the quiet moments of longing and regret is remarkable, and I found myself completely immersed in the story. However, I felt the book would have been stronger without the final two chapters. While I understand their purpose, they felt overly dramatic and detracted from the subtle, poignant tone that made the rest of the novel so compelling.That said, this book is still an unforgettable read, and its emotional impact stayed with me long after I turned the last page. I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys deeply heartfelt stories with complex characters and meaningful relationships.

Cried like a baby for hours after this book. Gut wrenchingly beautiful and yet oh so devastating. Will my heart recover? Probably not but will I read Finn’s version? Absolutely yes and I’ll cry some more.

If He Had Been with Me by Laura Nowlin captures the raw, authentic emotions of the teenage experience. The characters’ thoughts, emotions, and conversations feel genuine, making this more of a coming-of-age story than a typical teen romance, which I really appreciated. It’s relatable in many ways, especially for readers who remember the intensity of their teenage years.However, I struggled with the writing style. It felt disjointed at times, which made it hard for me to stay engaged while reading. Switching to the audiobook helped me enjoy it more and made it easier to get through.While the overarching narrative was engaging, I was left wanting more from the romance between Autumn and Finn. Their relationship felt underexplored, and Finn’s character lacked depth, which made it hard to connect with him fully. The ending, though expected from the start, felt rushed and abrupt. I was hoping for a more emotionally impactful conclusion, but it fell flat for me.Overall, If He Had Been with Me had moments of brilliance in its portrayal of adolescence, but the underdeveloped romance and writing style held it back for me. I’d recommend it for those who enjoy coming-of-age stories, but it may not resonate as deeply for fans of romance-driven narratives.

Favorite Quote: "This book is a treasure; I did notsuspect it would be so good when I picked it up, but now I can feel the printed words seeping through my skin and into my veins, rushing to my heart and marking it forever."I picked up this book from my never ending mental TBR stack to get a feel for it. I read so many mixed reviews and opinions about the book and I was a little afraid to commit. Turns out it was an easy read for me, Icouldn't put the book down: even in class and messing up my sleep schedule to read this book. As well as breaking me at midnight when I finished the last two chapters.Autumn and Finny kind of reminds me of my boyfriend and I and how we've known each other forever and started to like each other but still went into other relationships because we were afraid to talk to one another. I could kind of relate to Autumn as feeling like the "odd girl": only hanging out with your best friend and not expanding your circle. And I liked how the book had dual timelines of flashbacks Autumn had when her and Finn were younger. I also did wish Finn and Autumn had other interactions rather than a few slight interactions until towards the end. "If Only I Had Told Her" on my shelf and plan on reading it over winter break.A SPOILERSI didn't really like a few things, like how she always wore a tiara until Phineas told her it didn't matter what she wore towards the end of the story. As a person who has tons of crown and tiaras from being in "pageants" wouldn't want to wear them every day. And I didn't like the cheating aspects of the story; yes it happens but from the beginning Jamie was a RED flag***Overall, it wasn't that bad of read and a pretty fast read as well, if I had the time I would've devoured the book within like two days.