The If He Had Been With Me series by Laura Nowlin is a two-book duology, and the reading order is straightforward: start with If He Had Been With Me (2013), then read If Only I Had Told Her (2024). Nowlin has also published one standalone novel, This Song Is (Not) For You (2016), which shares no characters or plot with the duology and can be read at any point.
That is the short answer. But there is quite a bit more worth knowing before you start — particularly about what the second book actually is, how much it overlaps with the first, and whether you need it to feel satisfied with the story. This guide covers all of it.
The Complete Laura Nowlin Reading Order at a Glance
| # | Title | Year | Type | Narrators |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | If He Had Been With Me | 2013 | Duology Book 1 | Autumn (first-person) |
| 2 | This Song Is (Not) For You | 2016 | Standalone | Unrelated characters |
| 3 | If Only I Had Told Her | 2024 | Duology Book 2 | Finn, Jack, Autumn |
| — | Mystery Mary and the Undertaker’s Apprentice | 2026 | Standalone (upcoming) | Unrelated |
Read the duology in publication order. The standalone can sit anywhere in your reading schedule without affecting your experience of the main series.
For a complete look at how the two main books connect on a plot level, our breakdown includes a full side-by-side comparison.
Book 1: If He Had Been With Me (2013)
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire Pages: 336 Where to buy: Amazon | Goodreads
If He Had Been With Me is where the entire story begins, and it is the book you must read first. Everything in the second novel assumes you already know these characters, their shared history, and the tragedy at the story’s center.
The novel follows Autumn Davis, a teenage girl narrating from the aftermath of a devastating loss. Her childhood best friend and next-door neighbor, Finn, has died in a car accident — and she cannot stop wondering whether he would still be alive if she had been with him that night. The story then rewinds to the beginning of high school, tracing the four years that led to that moment: the social drift between them, the relationships that kept them apart, and the feelings neither of them ever said out loud.
Laura Nowlin published this novel in 2013, but it did not reach its largest audience until a decade later when BookTok revived it and drove it onto the New York Times bestseller list. Over one million copies later, it remains the emotional core of everything that follows.
For a full chapter-by-chapter walkthrough of the plot, see our complete book summary.
What you need to know before reading book 2:
- The entire plot of If He Had Been With Me, including how Finny dies and what the ending means
- All major characters: Autumn, Finn, Sylvie, Jamie, Jack, and their relationships
- The key events of senior year, including the night of the accident
Book 2: If Only I Had Told Her (2024)
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire Pages: 416 Where to buy: Amazon | Goodreads
If Only I Had Told Her is the companion novel and direct sequel to If He Had Been With Me. It was published eleven years after the first book, largely in response to the BookTok revival that brought a new generation of readers to the story.
It is told from three perspectives across three sections:
- Finn’s perspective covers the period leading up to and including the night of his death. This is the section readers are most eager for — finally hearing the story from the person at its center. It confirms what the first novel implied: that Finn had loved Autumn since middle school, and that the gap between them was never about indifference.
- Jack’s perspective takes up after Finn’s death. Jack is Finn’s best friend, and this is the section most readers find most emotionally powerful. His grief is raw and specific, and watching him navigate loss while trying to support Autumn gives the novel much of its emotional weight.
- Autumn’s perspective continues her story beyond where the first novel ended, covering her grief, her pregnancy, and her slow path toward something resembling a future.
The novel is not a retelling in the traditional sense. The first section covers familiar ground from a new angle, but the Jack and Autumn sections push the story genuinely forward. Readers who go in expecting mostly a new plot will be partly surprised and partly satisfied, depending on which character they connect with most.
One important note: if you have not read “If He Had Been With Me” first, “If Only I Had Told Her” will not work. The emotional impact of Finn’s section depends entirely on already knowing how it ends.
The Standalone: This Song Is (Not) For You (2016)
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire Where to buy: Goodreads
This Song Is (Not) For You is a completely separate novel with no connection to the If He Had Been With Me duology. It follows Ramona, a girl who has been in love with her best friend, Sam, for years, but refuses to risk their friendship by saying so. When a third person enters their world, everything shifts.
It shares Nowlin’s signature tone, introspective, emotionally precise, and centered on what people do not say to each other, but none of the characters or events overlap with the main series. You can read it before, between, or after the duology without affecting your experience of either.
If you loved the emotional texture of If He Had Been With Me and want more of Nowlin’s writing style without revisiting the same grief, this is the natural next read. For a broader look at the themes that run through Nowlin’s work as a whole, those same concerns — unspoken love, missed timing, the cost of silence — appear here too.
Upcoming: Mystery Mary and the Undertaker’s Apprentice (2026)
Nowlin’s next novel is a significant departure from her previous work. Mystery Mary and the Undertaker’s Apprentice is a young adult time-slip murder mystery in which a contemporary young woman is transported to Victorian-era New York. She teams up with an undertaker’s apprentice and a suffragist to uncover a killer while hiding her true identity.
It is completely unconnected to the If He Had Been With Me world and is not part of any existing series. No confirmed release date has been announced beyond a 2026 window.
Should You Read If Only I Had Told Her?
This is the question most readers have after finishing the first book, and the honest answer is: it depends on what you are looking for.
Read If Only I Had Told Her if:
- You need to hear the story from Finn’s side to feel complete
- You want to know what happens to Autumn and Jack after the first novel ends
- You are prepared for grief-forward storytelling rather than new romantic tension
- You connected strongly with the supporting characters and want more of them
You can stop after book one if:
- You feel emotionally satisfied with where the first novel leaves things
- You are not ready to sit with more grief without a clean resolution
- You went in primarily for the Autumn-Finn romance and are worried the second book will not deliver more of it (it focuses more on grief and survival than romance)
Both responses are valid. The first book is complete on its own terms. The second book enriches it without being essential to it. For the full picture of the complete character guide and how each character’s arc resolves, that breakdown covers both novels.
Frequently Asked Questions
What order should I read the If He Had Been With Me series?
Read If He Had Been With Me (2013) first, then If Only I Had Told Her (2024). The standalone novel This Song Is (Not) For You (2016) can be read independently at any point.
Is it If Only I Had Told Her a sequel or a retelling?
It is both. The first section retells key events from Finn’s perspective, while the second and third sections continue the story beyond where If He Had Been With Me ends, from Jack’s and Autumn’s perspectives.
Can I read If Only I Had Told Her without reading the first book?
No. The second book assumes complete knowledge of the first, including major spoilers. Reading it first would not only confuse the plot but also remove the emotional impact that comes from already knowing the tragedy.
How many books are in the If He Had Been With Me series?
Two: If He Had Been With Me (2013) and If Only I Had Told Her (2024). Laura Nowlin has also published one standalone novel and has a fourth book scheduled for 2026.
Is the If He Had Been With Me series complete?
Yes. Laura Nowlin has confirmed the duology is complete. No further books in the Autumn and Finn story have been announced.
Is This Song Is (Not) For You connected to If He Had Been With Me?
No. It shares Nowlin’s writing style and thematic concerns but involves entirely different characters and a separate storyline.
