53 pages • 1 hour read
Laura NowlinA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
If He Had Been with Me by Laura Nowlin is a YA romance about childhood friends Autumn and Finny navigating high school and their complicated feelings for each other. Best friends since birth, misunderstandings separate them through high school. They reconnect after graduation, only for tragedy to strike just as they begin to reconcile and express their hidden emotions. Includes discussions of mood disorders and suicidal ideation.
If He Had Been with Me by Laura Nowlin is a poignant exploration of love, friendship, and loss, resonating with emotional depth. Readers praise its relatable characters and the authentic portrayal of teenage angst. However, some find the pacing uneven and the narrative predictably melodramatic. Overall, it’s a compelling read that captures the complexities of young love.
Readers who appreciate emotional, introspective YA novels with deep character development and themes of love, loss, and friendship will enjoy If He Had Been with Me by Laura Nowlin. Fans of Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell and All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven will find similar heartfelt storytelling and poignant relationships.
Lexile Level
HL680LRomance
Realistic Fiction
Coming of Age / Bildungsroman
Grief / Death
Love / Sexuality
Mental Illness
Emotions/Behavior: Love
Life/Time: Coming of Age
Emotions/Behavior: Grief