Summary

This book is about a girl named Autumn, who is very free-spirited and has a different imagination than others. The setting takes place in the small town of Pineville and follows Autumn’s journey throughout all four years of high school. In this book, Autumn reconnects with her childhood best friend and neighbor, Finny, and, in the process, realizes she has feelings for him. On the other hand, Finny had never lost his everlasting feelings for Autumn since they were little. However, once they both grasp onto their love for one another, reality kicks in, and Autumn loses her soulmate. The antagonist in this story is named Sylvie Whitehouse, who plays a big role in Autumn and Finny’s relationship. Sylvie creates conflict between Autumn and Finny because she is Finny’s girlfriend during most of the book and restricts Finny’s ability to see Autumn due to her jealousy.

Genre

The genre of “If He Had Been With Me” is mainly a romance novel because the book builds up to the two main characters relationship. This book also follows a romantic atmosphere because of all the different kinds of relationships shown in the book that are not just based on the main characters. Despite the main genre being romance, the book also includes family problems, teen drama, and mental health aspects all through the chapters.

Did I Like it?

Personally, I loved this book. One reason I loved this book was because I felt more than one connection to the main character, which always helps the experience when reading a book. Another main reason I took great pleasure in reading this book was because it didn’t have a happy ending like most books I read, so I liked the change of pace from what’s expected in a book.

Who Would Like This Book?

If you enjoy reading about the emotions one can feel about a person they want but can’t have, or someone trying to find out who they are on the inside instead of who they portray to be on the outside, this book is for you. If you also like reading about how a character deals with struggles they have mentally, relationships, lifelong friendships, experiencing having to move on from loved ones you’ve lost, dead or alive, being able to read the characters internal monologue about the words they wish they could say or the things they would actually want to do, and overall the pinnacle points of being a teenager in high school along with all the bad parts, then you should really read “If He Had Been With Me” by Laura Nowlin.