| Order | Cover | Title | First published |
|---|---|---|---|
| If He Had Been with Me books | |||
| 1 |
|
If He Had Been with Me | 2013[6] |
| 2 |
|
If Only I Had Told Her | 2024[2] |
| Other works | |||
| 1 |
|
This Song Is (Not) For You | 2016[7] |
If He Had Been with Me books
The If He Had Been with Me books, written by Laura Nowlin,[1-2] should be read in publication order, because the second book revisits and extends events whose emotional weight is established in the first. The best starting point is If He Had Been with Me, since it introduces Autumn, Finn, their childhood bond, and the relationship that frames the second novel.[6][8]
The If He Had Been with Me books form a connected two-book sequence rather than a set of independent standalones. The first book presents Autumn’s retrospective account of her relationship with Finn and the tragedy that defines the story. The second book returns to the same events through Finn’s perspective before moving into Jack’s account of the aftermath. A reader should begin with book one, since book two depends on knowledge of the original narrative and reframes it rather than replacing it.[6][8]
The If He Had Been with Me books must be read in publication order, by following this sequence:[2][6]
| Order | Cover | Title | First published | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
If He Had Been with Me | Year of publication: 2013[6] | Introduces Autumn and Finn’s relationship and the tragedy. |
| 2 |
|
If Only I Had Told Her | Year of publication: 2024[2] | Reframes the first book’s events and continues into the aftermath. |
1. If He Had Been with Me
If He Had Been with Me (2013)[1] establishes the central relationship between Autumn Davis and Phineas “Finny” Smith, tracing their childhood closeness, their high-school separation, and their gradual return to one another. This novel is framed by Autumn’s retrospective voice and by the fatal event that shapes the story.[6]
It should be read first because it supplies the emotional and narrative foundation for the next book.[6]
2. If Only I Had Told Her
If Only I Had Told Her (2024)[2] sits the final stretch of Autumn and Finn’s story through Finn’s perspective, then shifts into Jack’s account of grief, memory, and the lives affected by Finn’s death.[8]
This book adds context to events already introduced in If He Had Been with Me and carries the aftermath forward.[8]
Other works
Laura Nowlin wrote another book, titled This Song Is (Not) For You,[9] that is unrelated to the other two.
1. This Song Is (Not) For You
This Song Is (Not) For You (2016)[10] follows Ramona Andrews, Samuel Peterson, and Thomas Cogsworthy as music, friendship, and changing romantic attachments bring them together in a new band. This novel centers on how their artistic collaboration and personal pressures reshape their relationship as they move toward life after high school.[11]
This book introduces its central trio, develops the tensions between them, and resolves both their relationship arrangement and their first public performance within the same story. Nothing in this arc suggests that its main conflicts depend on prior plot developments outside the novel. That makes it a book that can be read independently.[11]
References
- If He Had Been with Me. Sourcebooks Fire. Copyright page. ISBN: 9781728205489.
- If Only I Had Told Her. Sourcebooks.
- This Song Is (Not) For You. Sourcebooks Fire. Copyright page. ISBN: 9781492602903.
- Atom smashes three-way auction to win BookTok star Laura Nowlin’s time-slip mystery. The Bookseller.
- Rights Report: Week of October 14, 2024. Publishers Weekly.
- If He Had Been with Me. Sourcebooks Fire. ISBN: 9781728205489.
- This Song Is (Not) For You. Sourcebooks Fire. Coypright page. ISBN: 9781492602903.
- If Only I Had Told Her. Sourcebooks Fire. ISBN: 9781728276229.
- Meet Laura Nowlin. Sourcebooks.
- This Song Is (Not) For You. Sourcebooks Fire. Coypright page. ISBN: 9781492602903.
- This Song Is (Not) For You. Sourcebooks Fire. ISBN: 9781464218781.