Thank you to HarperTeen for the ARC
Themes: LGBT, sexuality, love, death, grief
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.
So I get sent these emails from HarperYA360 with all the gorgeous YA books they're going to publish and they're so kind that they usually send me what I request. Who I Was With Her really stood out to me because it's clearly an LGBT book and I loved the idea of Corinne grieving a death and a relationship that no one knew existed. I was intrigued to know how the author would explore these themes.
Who I Was With Her is told from the perspective of Corinne who's broken up with her boyfriend and is drawn to Maggie, who is also a runner from another school. Corinne at this point doesn't think of herself a as gay or bi but she knows she is drawn to Maggie and they have a relationship. But then Maggie dies in a car crash and suddenly Corinne has to deal with losing someone she loves but no one in her life knows about them.
I feel like this book really taught me about the fear of coming out. I'm not gay and even though I know loads of people who are, I will never understand what it's like to have to do that and Who I Was With Her is a brilliant insight into that. I really felt for Corinne and the pressure she was put under to own her relationships when she clearly wasn't ready. I totally understand why someone who is out would want their partner to a be but my gosh the pressure! I found myself shouting, 'Leave her!'
I also loved that Corinne is kind of lost in terms of what she wants to do in life. I'm someone that has always known what I wanted to do since I was a kid but I talk to so many young people who just don't know. Sometimes with YA I find that readers always want a happy ending, they want to explore teenage issues but not too much. I'm not being funny but teens experience a lot of emotions and we need books that show that. Corinne is only on the cross-country team because she went to a new school and her first friend that she made is on the team and encouraged her to do so. Corinne is very clear that she is okay just being a mediocre runner but then she meets Maggie who is super ambitious and wants more for Corinne. Corinne pushes herself for all the wrong reasons and I love that by the end she's like why am I trying to go big or go home? Why can't I just stay in my local area? Why can't I be average? We need more books like this.
5/5
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