Book Review - Saving June

Saving June

Author: Hannah Harrington

Standalone

Genres: Contemporary, Death | Young Adult

Release Date: 1st May 2011
Publishers: Harlequin Teen

No. Pages: 336

Source: Review Copy - Harlequin Teen

Rating: 

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‘If she’d waited less than two weeks, she’d be June who died in June. But I guess my sister didn’t consider that.’

Harper Scott’s older sister has always been the perfect one — so when June takes her own life a week before her high school graduation, sixteen-year-old Harper is devastated. Everyone’s sorry, but no one can explain why.

When her divorcing parents decide to split her sister’s ashes into his-and-her urns, Harper takes matters into her own hands. She’ll steal the ashes and drive cross-country with her best friend, Laney, to the one place June always dreamed of going — California.

Enter Jake Tolan. He’s a boy with a bad attitude, a classic-rock obsession and nothing in common with Harper’s sister. But Jake had a connection with June, and when he insists on joining them, Harper’s just desperate enough to let him. With his alternately charming and infuriating demeanour and his belief that music can see you through anything, he might be exactly what she needs.

Except June wasn’t the only one hiding something. Jake’s keeping a secret that has the power to turn Harper’s life upside down — again

What would you do if you sister killed herself without any explanation as to why she felt the need to end it? what if you were the one who found her? Sadly for Harper, it wasn't just 'what if's. Her seemingly perfect sister decided to opt out without so much as a note and left Harper feeling that maybe she didn't know her sister as well as she thought she did.

In the coming days since Harper found her body, she is trying to come to terms with whats happened. Only since her mum and dads divorce her dad has been awol, and not even the death of one of her daughters seems bring him back, and her mum is a wreck. She is being told by everyone how hard it must be on her mother, and when her Aunt Helen comes to stay, Harper feels less and less able to grieve her sister leaving her unable to even cry over whats happened.

That's when she hatches a plan to drive to California, somewhere she's convinced June wanted to end up, and spread her ashes with her best friend Laney and tag along Jake, a guy that works in a record store and not only was tutored by June but seemed to have a bigger understanding of who she was and what she wanted.

I loved this book, I thought it was really well written and the characters where well developed and thought out. I loved the relationship between Laney and Harper. Its nice to know that even though she might not have had the best of relationships with her sister or parents she had her to rely on. I also loved Jake, of course I loved Jake, I'm a sucker for a well written boy in a YA book haha. The only thing I didn't like about this book was that I felt June's reason was never truly explained, I know this book is more about Harper's griefe and how she deals with the new things she found out about her sister, I my self would just have like to read more about June's reason's. I'm probably the only one that feels that way haha

This book really reminded me of Fall For Anything by Courtney Summers both main character on the quest to find out why a loved one ended their life, has a road trip in it and a pretty boy haha. So for people that have read Saving June I would recommend it.