53 pages 1 hour read

Laura Nowlin

If He Had Been with Me

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2013

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Before You Read

Roundup icon

Super Short Summary

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.

Reviews & Readership

Roundup icon

Review Roundup

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.

Who should read this

Who Should Read If He Had Been with Me?

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.

RecommendedReading Age

14-18years

Lexile Level

HL680L

Book Details

Genre

Romance

Realistic Fiction

Coming of Age / Bildungsroman

Topics

Grief / Death

Love / Sexuality

Mental Illness

Themes

Emotions/Behavior: Love

Life/Time: Coming of Age

Emotions/Behavior: Grief