If He Had Been With Me follows the story of Autumn and Finny, two high schoolers that grew up as childhood best friends. Their moms were best friends, so that automatically made Autumn and Finny close as well. It wasn’t until they got older that they began to drift apart. With different friend groups and school activities, this was understandable. Autumn, a quirky and unique teenage girl, spent most of her time with her boyfriend, Jamie. Finn spent most of his days with his girlfriend Sylvie, or practicing for soccer, which was his passion. Autumn and Finny eventually split from their relationships, and had to navigate through the feelings they have built up for each other throughout their entire lives.
The book begins with a dramatic and gut wrenching scene. Finny is involved in a car accident, and Autumn narrates her feelings as she tries to grasp what she had just witnessed.
One thing about this book that may have provided more clarity is if the chapters switched between Finny and Autumn. The entire book is told from her perspective, which does help you get to know Autumn, but we are only really given Finny’s personality from Autumn’s description. The sequel however, If Only I Had Told Her, shares more viewpoints including Finny’s, and a friend of theirs as well.
One of my favorite parts about this book, while there are many, is the description of Autumn’s feelings throughout the book. Autumn has her own way of expressing herself, and it was interesting to hear about her opinion on certain things, or her thought process about certain situations in general. She has a one-of-a-kind personality, and the description feels like we get to dive into her mind. Something else I enjoyed about this book was the introduction. It caught me off guard at first, as it is an immediate jumpstart into the book, however, the introduction chapter will piece itself together at the end of the book.
This is my favorite book. I read it for the first time 3 years ago, and I just recently reread it because of how good it is. As soon as the sequel came out, I purchased it and read it as well. The book ends on a shocking note, so the sequel was filled with answers to questions I had when finishing If He Had Been With Me. If you enjoy romantic books, with a lot of heartbreak, this book is for you. It can be a bit graphic and descriptive at times, so that is something worth noting. It didn’t take me too long to read, and it didn’t feel like it dragged on. Overall, I would rate it 10/10 stars, for its unique character development and incredible storyline.
