If He Had Been With Me is now my favorite young adult book, and I encourage anyone that desires a stomach-churning, passionate, and depressingly realistic read to pick up this book and devour it now! I am left feeling inspired to write a book that affects a reader to the degree that this story affected me. I am wrestling with the ending since such a piece of me broke with this conclusion. Nowlin’s story succeeds in doing what any writer’s goal is - leaving the reader invested even after closing the book. The ending of this narrative brought me to absolute tears, causing me to experience emotions no YA book ever has. I read this book in one sitting, unable to tear myself away from Autumn’s story. I ended up falling in love with the characters as the protagonist’s inner dialogue is very easy to follow. Nowlin’s narration is earth-shatteringly heartbreaking, but it is in touch with reality. In a slow-burn romance, readers watch how one can find their way back to their first love, even if it all ends in heartbreak. This narrative shows the growth of these two characters through the four years of high school while circling back to childhood. Autumn finds herself attached to her new boyfriend, the brooding Jamie, and Finn dates cheerleader Sylvie. We get to see the journey of their on-and-off friendship as they navigate through high school and the clash of their friend groups. Finny is the walking contradiction of Autumn he is a popular soccer player who happens to be her childhood best friend.

We watch her grow throughout the course of the book alongside Finn, who readers get to know as Finny. In this heartbreakingly beautiful romance, we meet our protagonist Autumn - a quirky, rebellious narrator who captures our inner thoughts during adolescence. Like most of my stories, it will end tragically.” Title: If He Had Been with May Author: Laura Nowlin English Self printed Bookpaper Paper / Novel Paper / Yellow / Brown Doff Lamination Size A5 (14x20cm). “I’m not sure where the story begins but I know what I want to happen.

Books by laura nowlin