Name: Shay Lynn Crace's review of Who I Was with Her by Nita Tyndall
Item: Who I Was with Her
Rating: 4
Author: Shay Lynn Crace

Nita Tyndall

"A beautiful, poised, and thought-provoking debut about love, loss, coming out, and discovering living life on your own terms." —New York Times bestselling author Kathleen Glasgow 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.

Who I Was with Her

Shay Lynn Crace

"When Corrine Parker's girlfriend dies in a car accident Corrine struggles to come to terms with her grief and whether she is ready to come out as bisexual"--

** spoiler alert **
           No conecte ni empatice con Corey, no me pude poner en su lugar. 
No me gustaron los personas, solo Haley y Juley pero solo ellas.
Sentí vacío, simplemente no conecte con el libro. La verdad no me entra en la cabeza el salir con el ex de tu novia muerta solo porque extrañas a tu ex y porque solo ella comparte tu dolor.

I teared up at the end. That book really hit a nerve in me. It took me some time to get into the story, but then I was fully absorbed. Idk how to feel about the characters, I felt with them, but I wouldn’t say they were that sympathetic. That just makes is a bit closer to real life I guess 🤟

Tabea

lisa roeling 

This book was so goooood, it deserves so much more hype. The way this story dealt with grief and fear of coming out of the closet was so well done. And this book has a canon asexual character!!!! Untill now, I have only read about characters who are asexual and aromantic, so it meant a lot to me to read about an asexual who wants a romantic relationship (since i am asexual, but not aromatic).
For this book, I recommend listening to the audiobook, because the narrator tells the story with so much emotion.

Rachel Evans

(3.25/5) Audiobook - 4 hours 18 minutes - This book was sort of tedious to read - the same points kept being brought up over and over again. This makes sense in a way - grief is cyclical and lasts a long time, so I understand the writing reflects this, but it did make it repetitive and slightly boring purely from a reader's perspective. However, some parts of this book were enjoyable - I enjoyed seeing the main character find more self-confidence and a sense of identity outside of her relationship. I'm not sure if this was intentional but the relationship between Corinne and Maggie seemed a bit toxic, involving pressure to out their LGBT relationship, especially when Corinne wasn't out. This was referred to as bad a little, but this view went unchallenged for a lot of the book if I am interpreting it correctly, which doesn't sit entirely right with me.

kate humphreys 

i’m known for not liking YA novels, so when i picked this one up at barnes & noble i shocked even myself - we all know i’m a sucker for sapphic ANYTHING so i figured this might be a light read that would also make my heart go all gooey and fuzzy - what i didn’t expect was the heavy relations i found to corrine’s confusion about her own identities as a person and not feeling able to see the difference between who she truly is and who people have made her to be, who she is supposed to be. this was such a beautiful exploration into the mind of a very real and imperfect teenage girl, one who just happens to also be attracted to other girls - for one reason or another, although this book turned in the opposite direction i thought it would each and every time, it was precisely what i needed at this moment in time and for that i am grateful. - despite the typical cliches of a teen romance, i am very glad i picked this up!!

Chelsea van Rer

4.49
this book was really good but goddamnit everyone needs to get the fuck of corinnes back

Dilayra Verbrugh

The audiobook of this was nice. It didn’t feel flat and it wasn’t an annoying voice. 

This book is about grief, love and choosing yourself. 
It switches back and forth to when the girlfriend was alive and the present which I think the author did a great job with!

I would definitely recommend this!

KADY BURNS

Being bisexual myself I felt compelled to read this story. I really liked the premise and the non-linear time-line of the story.

But I had such issues with so many parts of the book. I couldn't connect with Corrine at all. She was so self centered and way too preoccupied with how others see her. There didn't seem to be any consequences to her actions either, everyone just forgives her for her selfish actions.

Speaking of supportive characters, I feel like there were too many and they are one note. Her mom was an alcoholic and that's all we know. No idea what the point of Hailey was.

Overall I did like the representation of members of the queer community and the story was enjoyable, but I had to force myself to finish it.

Shannon Thomas

Who I Was With Her is a heartbreaking story of love, loss, understanding and acceptance.
We join Corinne, the protagonist just as she finds out her (secret) girlfriend Maggie has died in a car crash.
The remainder of the book follows two paths, Corinne’s path up to the point of Maggie’s passing and Corinne’s path after Maggie’s passing. I really enjoyed the non-linear path the narrative took, going back and forth between before the death and after.
Corinne struggles a huge amount with her grief, largely because she’s not out as bisexual so she can’t be honest and upfront about how she knew Maggie, the closest people around her don’t know how much she’s hurting.
We find out Maggie wanted Corinne to come out, so Corinne is facing a lot of guilt that Maggie died without anyone knowing the two of them were out. She feels guilt because she’s still here, she’s still running and she still has the opportunity to go to college when Maggie doesn’t.
It’s a coming of age novel and the character development was brilliant.
It’s such a heartbreaking book but also empowering to watch Corinne on her journey to being true to herself. It’s honest, beautifully written and inclusive!
Spoiler alert: I cried.

Maya

Where was this book when I was graduating?

The book deals with lots of things a graduationg teenager often has to deal with.
College, expectations, friends family and coming out. 

I think this book would really have helped me when I graduated.

I was constantly chocked up throughout reading this whole book. It is beautifully written, I absolutely love the way it was done. It dealt with so many important topics such as grief, coming of age, and queer related struggles that many of us sadly have to face. I think this is a book I’ll cherish for a long, long time. I give it all the stars in the world.

Sammi Johnson 

I really enjoyed this book. It had an enticing plot, interesting characters, and so much more. I recommend looking up trigger warnings before reading this because this book deals with a lot of hard topics. I loved the lesson Corrine learned by the end it is so important. 

Ocean

This a beautiful and heart-wrenching story of grief and loss. When Corinne's girlfriend dies, she has no one to turn to because she's in the closet. No one knew she loved Maggie, and now she's forced to face her grief alone. Until Maggie's brother puts her in touch with someone who understands what she's going through. 

The way this story progressed was really interesting, I'm glad Corinne had the chance to figure out who she was without other people. Coming to terms with being bisexual and being scared to come out was a big part of the story and it was written really well. There was also an asexual side character, which was a nice surprise. She seemed to have an easier time coming to terms with her identity and coming out, which was a nice contrast. I really enjoyed this book and I can't wait for a finished copy.

Thank you to Edelweiss for the ARC.

Kate

A beautiful, devastating and hopeful exploration of grief, sexuality and figuring out your place in the world. Easy to read and gorgeously written, with nuanced discussions surrounding coming out, bisexuality, asexuality, alcoholism and the pressures surrounding pursuing higher education. I'm very excited to read more from Nita Tyndall in the future. 

TW: homophobia

Shay Lynn Crace &
Who I Was with Her by Nita Tyndall

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Shay Lynn Crace &Who I Was with Her by Nita Tyndall

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