Books › Who I Was with Her
Who I Was with Her
368 pages
A raw, quiet exploration of what it means to mourn a love the world didn't know you had.
What it feels like
This is a deeply internal, emotionally heavy read that sits right in the center of a teenager's aching chest. The narrative moves at a steady, deliberate pace, mirroring the suffocating, nonlinear experience of grief and the isolating weight of the closet. It feels quiet but intensely raw, wrapping the reader in a melancholic atmosphere where every interaction is colored by a secret loss. The prose is straightforward and vulnerable, capturing the messy, sometimes selfish, and deeply human ways people cope with tragedy. It is a book that doesn't rush the healing process, instead allowing its characters to stumble through guilt and tentative new connections. It will deeply resonate with readers who appreciate character-driven queer stories that explore the complicated intersections of identity, invisible mourning, and the terrifying bravery required to finally be honest with oneself.
- Mood
- melancholic
- intimate
- heavy
- bittersweet
- Tone
- earnest
- raw
- introspective
- vulnerable
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- invisible grief · the burden of the closet · messy healing · survivor's guilt · queer identity
- The writing
- Direct and emotionally unsparing, the narrative voice stays tightly anchored in the protagonist's chaotic, aching headspace.
- The arc
- Moves from a suffocating, isolated devastation into a tentative, honest embrace of both self and new love.
- Who it's for
- Readers who crave emotionally devastating, character-driven queer YA that doesn't shy away from the messy, complicated realities of mourning.
Content notes
- death of a romantic partner
- deep grief
- internalized biphobia
- panic attacks
About the book
There are two things that Corinne Parker knows to be true: that she is in love with Maggie Bailey, the captain of the rival high school's cross-country team and her secret girlfriend of a year, and that she isn't ready for anyone to know she's bisexual.
But then Maggie dies, and Corinne quickly learns that the only thing worse than losing Maggie is being left heartbroken over a relationship no one knows existed. And to make things even more complicated, the only person she can turn to is Elissa—Maggie's ex, and the single person who understands how Corinne is feeling.
As Corinne struggles to make sense of her grief and what she truly wants out of life, she begins to have feelings for the last person she should fall for. But to move forward after losing Maggie, Corinne will have to learn to be honest with the people in her life...starting with herself.
Description from Open Library.
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