If He Had Been with Me
Ratings111
Average rating3.6
I am so heartbroken right now...
I liked how it felt like real life, with its nuances... it shows how people come in and out of our lives as we grow and there's even a quote stating that you don't need to have a fight with your childhood best friend to stop being best friends, sometimes you just grow apart. In this case that turning point in Finn and Autumn's frienship is talked about through both POVs so I really appreciated that, since the book is all narrated through Autumn's POV it is natural to take her side of the story as the fact of what happened and when Finny exposed his side of things it felt all the most relatable because that's real life: we remember things one way and others may do so way different, that's when misunderstandings happen.
It became apparent pretty early on that depression and toxic relationships was going to be the theme of the book, and man ... Jamie is a walking red flag, I just wanted Finn to step in for Autumn bc I thought she wasn't going to do it herself, I'm glad they didn't end up together.
I think depression was handled well, and then again, the person usually doesn't know they are depressed or deny it altogether as Autumn did throughout the book, even her thoughts and actions after Finny's passing make it evident for the reader that she is indeed depressed, and for her it isn't something to be concerned about, it's just a natural course to follow... to me that's what makes depression very scary for the family more than to the person who suffers it.
The ending just had me sobbing, at first I thought it was very hurried but thinking better about it I think it is not about giving a happy ending, the heartache is more intense just because we feel they didn't get to live their love as they were meant to, but there's a little piece of Finn left in this world as a sign of hope for Autumn and The Mothers, a reason to live and love again.
Solid 5 star for me, I don't know if I'll ever get over this book. 💔
I am so heartbroken right now...
I liked how it felt like real life, with its nuances... it shows how people come in and out of our lives as we grow and there's even a quote stating that you don't need to have a fight with your childhood best friend to stop being best friends, sometimes you just grow apart. In this case that turning point in Finn and Autumn's frienship is talked about through both POVs so I really appreciated that, since the book is all narrated through Autumn's POV it is natural to take her side of the story as the fact of what happened and when Finny exposed his side of things it felt all the most relatable because that's real life: we remember things one way and others may do so way different, that's when misunderstandings happen.
It became apparent pretty early on that depression and toxic relationships was going to be the theme of the book, and man ... Jamie is a walking red flag, I just wanted Finn to step in for Autumn bc I thought she wasn't going to do it herself, I'm glad they didn't end up together.
I think depression was handled well, and then again, the person usually doesn't know they are depressed or deny it altogether as Autumn did throughout the book, even her thoughts and actions after Finny's passing make it evident for the reader that she is indeed depressed, and for her it isn't something to be concerned about, it's just a natural course to follow... to me that's what makes depression very scary for the family more than to the person who suffers it.
The ending just had me sobbing, at first I thought it was very hurried but thinking better about it I think it is not about giving a happy ending, the heartache is more intense just because we feel they didn't get to live their love as they were meant to, but there's a little piece of Finn left in this world as a sign of hope for Autumn and The Mothers, a reason to live and love again.
Solid 5 star for me, I don't know if I'll ever get over this book. 💔
