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WEBSITE: http://laurarosener.wordpress.com/
CITY: St. Louis
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COUNTRY: United States
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LAST VOLUME: SATA 297
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PERSONAL
Daughter of Gary and Susan Nowlin; married Robert Rosener (a sound engineer and musician).
EDUCATION:Missouri State University, B.A. (English)
ADDRESS
CAREER
Novelist. St. Louis County Library, St. Ann, MO, member of staff.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
A novelist based in St. Louis, Missouri, Laura Nowlin draws on the emotional landscape of her own life in the fiction she writes for teen readers. Nowlin’s debut novel, If He Had Been with Me, chronicles the changing relationship between two childhood friends as it morphs to teen romance, while in This Song Is (Not) for Me she mixes romance with rock music in a fast-moving story designed to appeal to reluctant readers. Interestingly, after her first novel was published, Nowlin was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis; despite the debilitating fatigue and worry caused by the disease and its progressive symptoms, she took things in stride and determined to continue writing. “Everyone in the world is fighting some sort of battle,” she noted on her blog. “Never forget that, and remember to be kind.”
In If He Had Been with Me Nowlin focuses on Autumn and Finn, who grew up next door to one another and whose single moms are good friends. They were constant companions until middle school, when Finn’s clumsy attempt at romance startled Autumn and ended their friendship. Now in high school, Autumn finds her place in a group of artsy and hip teens and is dating Jamie, while outgoing and popular Finn dates fashionable Sylvie. As thoughts of the uncertain futures overshadow the complacency of high school, the two teens are once again thrown together, and their closeness exposes the web of complex emotions that have guided their actions, for better or worse.
Reviewing Nowlin’s debut novel for Voice of Youth Advocates, Courtney M. Krieger recommended If He Had Been with Me as “a haunting” tale for “teens who enjoy coming-of-age stories that realistically portray the intricate lives and relationships of young adults.” “This sweet, authentic love story depicts complex characters dealing with complex issues,” asserted Frances Bradburn in her Booklist review, and a Kirkus Reviews contributor noted that “Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled” in Nowlin’s novel. “Readers are sure to feel the ache of life’s capriciousness,” predicted Mindy Whipple in her School Library Journal appraisal of this star-crossed teen romance, the critic adding that the “tender prose” in If He Had Been with Me successfully captures an “unresolved childhood love” that is “too fragile to survive the turbulent years of adolescence.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, April 1, 2013, Frances Bradburn, review of If He Had Been with Me, p. 78.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, June, 2013, Karen Coats, review of If He Had Been with Me, p. 477.
Kirkus Reviews, March 1, 2013, review of If He Had Been with Me.
School Library Journal, June, 2013, Mindy Whipple, review of If He Had Been with Me, p. 138.
Voice of Youth Advocates, June, 2013, Courtney M. Krieger, review of If He Had Been with Me, p. 65.
ONLINE
Laura Nowlin blog, http://laurarosener.wordpress.com (January 15, 2016).
Words at Home website, http://www.wordsathome.ca/ (June 5, 2013), interview with Nowlin.”*
Laura Nowlin is the NYT bestselling author of If He had Been with Me and This Song is Not for You. She holds a B.A. in English with an emphasis in Creative Writing from Missouri State University. When she isn’t at home agonizing over her own novels Laura works at the public library where the patrons give her plenty of inspiration for her writing. She lives in St. Louis with her family.
Represented by Ali McDonald and Olga Filina at Five Otter Literary:
Laura Nowlin’s #BookTok Favorite Gets a Companion Novel
By Iyana Jones | Apr 25, 2023
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Laura Nowlin has joined the league of authors anointed a #BookTok success story with her 2013 debut YA novel, If He Had Been with Me. Ten years after its release, Nowlin will publish If Only I Had Told Her, a companion novel due out from Sourcebooks Fire in October.
Acquired by Leah Hultenschmidt during her tenure at Sourcebooks Fire, If He Had Been with Me follows Autumn, a high schooler with a tight-knit group of friends who can’t avoid the feelings brought up whenever she crosses paths with her former best friend Finn. When tragedy strikes their community, Autumn considers the repercussions of their fallout, and the endless possibilities of what life could have been for them both had their friendship never ended.
Back in 2013, If He Had Been with Me had a “very well received, but quiet” release, according to author Nowlin. Her debut received a starred review from Kirkus, as well as positive reviews from School Library Journal and Junior Library Guild, and earned her a small but committed following of readers.
“The thing is, though the book faded, it didn’t vanish,” Nowlin told PW. “If He Had Been with Me has always had a quiet cult following.”
Highlighting the book’s evergreen themes of young love, angst, regret, and missed opportunity, fans on TikTok have been anything but quiet. If He Had Been with Me has been met with praise and recommendations in the form of tearful videos on the social media platform.
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Laura Nowlin.
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Nowlin believes she was the first to notice the book’s rise to #BookTok fame. About a year ago, she began to receive messages from readers who had pointed to TikTok as their source for finding her book, though she wasn’t entirely sure what #BookTok could do for her then nine-year-old novel. “I had heard about #BookTok’s influence, but I figured it was too late for it to affect me unless I released something new,” Nowlin said.
Considering the hashtag #IfHeHadBeenWithMe currently has 70.8 million views, and the hashtag for the forthcoming companion novel #IfOnlyIHadToldHer currently sits at more than 1 million views, Nowlin’s book found readers at the perfect time. If He Had Been with Me currently sits at the #1 spot on the New York Times bestseller list in the young adult fiction category with more than 12,000 copies sold in April.
“It’s thrilling to see how #BookTok is bringing new readers to backlist titles,” said Nowlin’s current editor, Annette Pollert-Morgan. “Having readers share their experience of a book in compelling ways that spark others to read those novels? That’s amazing. Social media takes word-of-mouth excitement to new levels.”
As for why Nowlin’s book is resonating so much with readers, Nowlin believes Gen Z’s craving for emotionally impactful books is nothing new. “Teens have always craved emotional catharsis and have always wanted to share those experiences with their peers,” Nowlin said. “Current readers are in touch with their emotions and seem to know what they’re looking for. I’m honored that they are recommending my book for a good cry.”
“If He Had Been with Me is packed with intense emotion and characters who are authentically their teen selves,” Pollert-Morgan added. “It definitely holds a special place among novels that will make a reader cry.”
Other #BookTok favorites in the YA category, including Amber Smith’s The Way I Used to Be, Helena Fox’s How It Feels to Float, and Jennifer Niven’s All the Bright Places, all support this assessment that young readers enjoy books that pack an emotional gut punch.
Set for release in October, If Only I Had Told Her, Nowlin’s companion novel, revisits the events of the first book, but from the perspectives of Finny, his best friend Jack, and Autumn.
Without giving too much away about the new book's plot, Nowlin said it’s “about disillusionment and survival” and explores the “fragility and impermanence of the body and of young people coming to understand their own mortality.”
When asked if readers could expect more devastation from this new entry, Nowlin said, “If I do my job right, yes, equally so.”
Nowlin, Laura IF ONLY I HAD TOLD HER Sourcebooks Fire (Teen None) $12.99 2, 6 ISBN: 9781728276229
In this companion novel to 2013's If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn's narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn's story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack's section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it's like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn't good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn's grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn's chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they'll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author's note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Nowlin, Laura: IF ONLY I HAD TOLD HER." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Feb. 2024, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A780841176/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=7bc41e3f. Accessed 5 May 2024.