staff writer: paytyn neighbors
Image courtesy of Waterstones.
Are you looking for a good, wholesome novel this Valentine’s Day? Lucky for you, the sequel to “If He Had Been With Me” by Laura Nowlin called “If Only I Had Told Her,” available as of Feb. 6, is the perfect match!
Following the story of Autumn Davis and Finny Smith, it is a coming of age story between two childhood best friends throughout their high school years. In the first novel, the story of her and Finny’s childhood as well as their time in school are told through her narrative. Because of this, the reader is made to constantly wonder what Finny was thinking throughout most of the book. Well, with the release of “If Only I Had Told Her,” our questions are finally answered!
Semi-spoiler alert: there will be tears, both happy and sad. Personally, I loved the first book more than any book I have read in quite some time, and I flew through it fairly quickly. Though the whole novel was an emotional roller coaster, the resolution was perfect, and I cannot wait to see how it is told from the point of view of Finny. In my personal opinion, I feel as though having his perspective will give the story more meaning and emotion. Autumn and Finny’s story from beginning to end is the perfect one to indulge in this
Valentine’s Day. I recommend that if you are wishing to try out these two books by Nowlin, you should begin by reading “If He Had Been With Me” first; there are definitely some things that I believe would make more sense and will be understood better with the background provided by Autumn.
If you’re interested in exclusive editions of books from Barnes and Noble, not only does it have a beautiful cover, but its release date is on Feb. 6! Sporting the very fitting red cover and rose on the front, this book fits the image of Valentine’s Day phenomenally. If you have seen the cover of the first novel, you will know that there are two heart-shaped lollipops, the one on the left hand side being shattered. It is never told in bold print what the meaning behind the cover indicates, but fans speculate that it could be because of the storyline between Autumn and Finny. Because of this, I believe that the cover for this newer book will result in the same thing- being up to the reader’s interpretation. If you do happen to miss the exclusive book, the regular cover is absolutely gorgeous too! For the regular release, there is still a rose, however the background is snowy and white. This could mean a multitude of things in terms of the storyline, but in plain sight with just the illustration in mind, it is without a doubt beautiful just like the first novel!
With all that being said and without giving too much away about either book, I recommend both “If He Had Been With Me” and “If Only I Had Told Her”. Reading the first book would definitely be beneficial, but if you are just hearing about these books, you should be fine reading the second one first! These books have spectacular storylines and the author is one of my favorites by far- I just know you all will love these books as much as I will! Happy reading!!
