If He Had Been With Me: a young adult romance of what ifs

If He Had Been With Me by Laura Nowlin is a story of what if. Autumn and Finn used to be inseparable but along the way, something changed or they changed. Whatever it is, they do their best to ignore each other when they can. Each has their own significant others and friend groups, however, whenever they are together, Autumn feels their relationship could be different and even something more than just friends. One August night, everything changes. It was raining and Finn and his girlfriend were arguing as they drove on the slick road. No one knows what the argument was, or they don’t care; however, the cause of the argument is crucial. The situation causes Autumn to wonder how things could have been different if she and Finn hadn’t drifted apart. She asks herself, if he had been with me, would everything have been different? 

This book has been all over social media and each time it popped up, I was intrigued at the book which came highly recommended. It has been described as “an achingly authentic and raw portrait of love, regret and the life-altering impact of the relationships we hold closest to us.” However, this young adult romance did not live up to the hype. It was pretty predictable as to the cause of the argument; however, the ending left me confused and unsure what happened. There wasn’t much action, even the scenes with action were kinda ho-hum. I think the book and its premise had so much potential and could have been the emotional story it was supposed to be; however, I think it needed better development. Overall, I did not enjoy this story. It was confusing and boring. I do not recommend If He Had Been With Me. 

If He Had Been With Me is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook