A Reader's Guide to Books and Reviews

If He Had Been with Me by Laura Nowlin

Series:
N/A

Genre:
Slice of Life, Contemporary, Fiction, Mental Health, Young Adult, Romance, Friends to Lovers, Standalone, Novella, Realistic Fiction, High School, Academia

Publication Date:
April 1, 2013

Pages Numbers:
336

Read Date:
January 24th, 2024

Date Finished:
January 25th, 2024

Rating:
DNF'ed @ 50%

Blurb:

If he had been with me everything would have been different...

I wasn't with Finn on that August night. But I should've been. It was raining, of course. And he and Sylvie were arguing as he drove down the slick road. No one ever says what they were arguing about. Other people think it's not important. They do not know there is another story. The story that lurks between the facts. What they do not know—the cause of the argument—is crucial.

So let me tell you...

Review:

My first DNF of the year.

I struggled to connect with this book and its characters. The female lead was incredibly irritating, and everything she did or said grated on my last nerve. The constant "I love yous" felt forced and insincere, appearing to be more for Autumn's benefit than genuine feelings towards Jaime. I just couldn't see the connection between them.

I ended up giving up on this book halfway through. It's amusing because I was initially excited to read it, especially with the companion piece releasing next month. However, now I'm unsure if I'll even bother picking it up.

Similar Books:

A Thousand Boy Kisses by Tillie Cole
The Way I Used to Be by Amber Smith
The Things We Leave Unfinished by Rebecca Yarros