If He Had Been With Me, written by Laura Nowling follows the point of view of the main character Autumn throughout her experiences growing up. She and her mother live right next to Aunt Angelina (who is Autumn's mothers’ best friend) and her son, Phineas. Autumn grows up alongside Finny and they are inseparable best friends. Something happens when they reach middle school that complicates things however, so they begin to grow apart. Through the book, you meet new friends and characters like her new boyfriend Jamie and learn how she feels and thinks while also missing Finny and discovering her feelings for him, complicating things.
The author writes about childhood friendship, realities of growing up, romance, and loss. If He Had Been With Me was a fun read although I wouldn’t say it was anything like the hyped-up reviews I had seen online. It was extremely sad, and it was pretty simple. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a nice, basic read after reading something super intense or to get out of a reading slump. I gave it three stars because it wasn’t anything special, but it was an enjoyable read.