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Laura Nowlin

Laura Nowlin is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling novel If He Had Been with Me, as well as If Only I Had Told Her and This Song Is (Not) for You. She holds a BA in English with an emphasis in creative writing from Missouri State University and lives in St. Louis.
On LuvemBooks, we've reviewed If He Had Been with Me.
1
Books Reviewed
Cover of If He Had Been with Me
If He Had Been with Me

4.2/5

reader rating · 64,183 ratings

Originally published in 2013 and reissued by Sourcebooks Fire in 2019, Laura Nowlin's If He Had Been with Me is a #1 New York Times bestselling YA contemporary romance that has now surpassed one million copies sold, driven in large part by a passionate BookTok audience. The novel follows Autumn and her childhood neighbor Phineas — known as Finny — from their inseparable early years through the emotional turbulence of high school, tracing how a single awkward moment in eighth grade quietly reshapes a lifelong bond. It is a coming-of-age story that takes on depression, identity, friendship, loss, and the paralyzing weight of unexpressed feeling, and it has clearly struck a nerve with teen and young adult readers. Common Sense Media flags significant mature content — including sexual scenes, teen pregnancy, and discussions of suicide — making it best suited to readers 15 and up. The book's greatest strength is its emotional authenticity; its most consistent criticism is that its prose is simple and some of its plotting stretches credibility.

Reviewed Apr 23, 2026

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Authors Like Laura Nowlin
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Lynn Painter

Young Adult
Lynn Painter’s Better Than the Movies mirrors the slow-building romance of childhood neighbors across senior year, offering a lighter tone and sharper comedy.
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Fake Skating
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John Green

John Green

Young Adult
John Green's Looking for Alaska shares the same bittersweet ache and unspoken feelings within close friendships, anchored by a sudden, devastating turning point that restructures everything.
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The Fault in Our Stars
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K. L. Walther

Young Adult
K. L. Walther's The Summer of Broken Rules similarly weaves romance with grief, balancing emotional tension and loss against warm summer settings.
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The Summer of Broken Rules: A Young Adult Heartfelt Summer Romance
The Summer of Second Chances
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Tamara Ireland Stone

Young Adult
Tamara Ireland Stone's Every Last Word shares Laura Nowlin's slow emotional build and unflinching mental health honesty, following an unexpected friendship that gradually becomes something more.
1 book reviewed
Every Last Word
Kathleen Glasgow

Kathleen Glasgow

Young Adult
Literary Fiction
Kathleen Glasgow's Girl in Pieces offers a raw, deeply interior young adult story of rebuilding after trauma for readers ready to explore darker themes with emotional truth.
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E. Lockhart

E. Lockhart

Young Adult
E. Lockhart's We Were Liars explores withheld truth, unreliable memory, and a devastating loss through a slow revelation of what really happened.
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