Laura Nowlin’s If He Had Been With Me is centered around the throws of teenage romance, which of course, cannot be had without miscommunication and a little bit of drama. The story follows Autumn, a girl ostracized by her peers at school for being the “weird kid.” Autumn and her childhood best friend, Finn, had done everything together, until they grew apart in middle school. Both wanted their relationship to go back to the way it had, if not further, but neither communicated the fact. The book takes readers through the change of the two childhood best friends, from light-hearted scenes between friends and lovers, to the darker and rougher issues that plague many teens today. While I knew what was coming in the end, I couldn’t put the book down ever since my friend recommended it to me. Nowlin was able to perfectly encapsulate how easy yet strenuous social living can be as a teenager. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and will continue the chain of recommending it to another person, hopeful that they will do the same.