Below is the complete list of Laura Nowlin books in order. For each series, the chronological reading order is the same as the order of publication.
Publication Order of Autumn and Finn Books
Publication Order of Standalone Books
About Laura Nowlin
Laura Nowlin is an American bestselling author whose young adult contemporary novels explore first love, friendship, grief, and the emotional consequences of choices left unspoken. Best known for If He Had Been with Me, she writes intimate, character-driven stories about teenagers navigating complicated relationships and the painful transition toward adulthood. Her fiction has attracted an international readership, particularly among younger audiences drawn to emotionally intense romances that examine love alongside loss and regret.
Nowlin studied at Missouri State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English with an emphasis in creative writing. Her academic background helped develop her interest in storytelling, while her enthusiasm for reading influenced her decision to pursue fiction professionally.
Alongside her writing career, Nowlin has worked at a public library, an environment that keeps her closely connected to books and the people who read them. She has described library patrons as a source of inspiration for her fiction. She lives in St. Louis, Missouri, with her family.
Her publishing career began with If He Had Been with Me (2013), a contemporary young adult novel following Autumn Davis and Phineas Smith, known as Finny. Once inseparable childhood friends, the two gradually drift apart as their social circles and personal circumstances change during adolescence.
Although Autumn and Finny attend the same school and remain connected through their mothers’ close friendship, their relationship becomes increasingly complicated by unspoken feelings, romantic attachments, and missed opportunities.
The novel examines the difference between the relationships people imagine and those they actually experience. Through Autumn’s introspective narration, Nowlin explores loneliness, insecurity, friendship, and the tendency to reconsider past choices after devastating events.
Although initially published in 2013, the book achieved a remarkable resurgence years later through BookTok, where readers shared emotional reactions and recommendations. Its renewed popularity helped propel it onto bestseller lists, transforming an earlier release into an international young adult publishing success.
Nowlin’s second novel, This Song Is (Not) for You (2016), explores a different form of romantic uncertainty through three teenagers connected by music and complicated personal feelings. Ramona, Sam, and Tom form a close relationship while navigating creative ambitions, friendship, and questions about the boundaries between romantic and platonic love.
Music plays an important role in the narrative, providing both a shared passion and a means of expressing emotions that the characters struggle to communicate directly. The novel also explores unconventional relationship dynamics and the difficulty of defining personal identity according to established social expectations.
Nowlin returned to her best-known fictional characters with If Only I Had Told Her (2024), a companion novel to If He Had Been with Me. Rather than simply repeating Autumn’s experiences, the story revisits important events through different perspectives, including Finny’s.
This change in viewpoint reveals emotions, motivations, and misunderstandings that were not fully accessible in the original narrative. It also examines the experiences of those affected by tragedy, giving greater attention to grief, friendship, and the complicated process of continuing life after a profound loss.
The novel became an immediate bestseller, reflecting the continued popularity of Autumn and Finny’s story more than a decade after their first appearance.
Although Nowlin’s published bibliography is relatively compact, her novels demonstrate a consistent interest in emotional authenticity. Her protagonists are not idealised romantic figures but young people whose insecurities, assumptions, and difficulties communicating contribute to painful misunderstandings.
Her writing frequently examines how seemingly ordinary moments acquire lasting significance when viewed through the perspective of memory and regret. Rather than relying on elaborate external conflicts, she develops tension through personal relationships, uncertain feelings, and the emotional distance between what characters believe and what others actually experience.
Her two connected novels form the If He Had Been with Me duology, while This Song Is (Not) for You stands independently. Collector’s editions, translated versions, and combined box sets have expanded the availability of these works without adding separate narratives.
Nowlin’s success reflects the enduring appeal of young adult fiction that treats teenage emotions with seriousness and sensitivity. Through her portrayals of friendship, romantic longing, and unexpected loss, she explores the vulnerability of growing up and the lasting influence of relationships that help define a person’s life.