It Had to Be Her

by Anittha Thanabalan

When two schools merge in their final year of secondary school, Thrii, a sixteen-year-old girl with a tumultuous home life meets Daniel, a thoughtful seventeen-year-old who has a keen eye for photography and the world around him. The two quickly become friends, and then a little more as they share parts of their lives with each other, finding a connection that takes them both by surprise. However, the exciting possibilities of this new connection are overshadowed as Thrii's home life and inner world begin to unravel.

Genres: Romance

324 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2024

About the author

At twelve, Anittha wrote her first book, a masterpiece containing five chapters and written entirely in comic sans font. In 2018 her debut novel, The Lights That Find Us, was a finalist for the Epigram Books Fiction Prize. Anittha is an obsessed dog mum to a five-year-old poodle. She is currently working on her second book.

Reviews

[Wen-yi Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

read in a day!! up there with the best of singaporean ya contemporary/romance - lively, funny, real, heartfelt and fluttery, with real hurt, tenderness and chemistry. plus a sapphic side character!! i need the mai/anastasia spinoff rn

[Priyashini · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book stuck to its promise. But not really my kind of thing. It probably will be relatable to teenagers around the age group of the characters. A

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anittha fulfilled a much-needed gap in the market which lacks representation of young inter-racial couples in Singaporean literature with this book. She tackled the daunting topics of juggling O levels, friendships, teen pressures and relationships in an easy read that makes you quickly fond of (and at times exasperated with) the various characters. It’s easy to get attached to these characters and I can’t wait to read the next book in this series!

[Presana Speromaniam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gave me little heartbeat skips while I read.

[Chai Li Chai Li · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 ⭐️