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By: Hannah Harrington
Review by: Kaede
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Paperback Pages: 322
Source: Finished copy provided by publisher
Rating: ★★★★/ Exceeded Expectations
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
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"I think you were right, about real love not existing. At least not the love I needed. But that's my fault. Not yours. Tell whoever finds me that I'm sorry. I tried my hardest to leave a mess. I feel like I should say more, but there's nothing else. I love you. I'm sorry."Saving June made me feel like shit. It made me feel shitty that I didn't cry, didn't mourn June's death. It made me feel shitty that I actually found myself laughing throughout the whole book because Harper and Jake had some of the best sarcastic moments. But you know, it was a good kind of shitty - not the type that makes people look both ways both doing something they're not suppose to be doing.
Saving June is meant to be an emotional read. But we all know that I'm nothing but an emotionless drone. I didn't cry, as some of my friends did. I didn't feel sorrow for Harper as many of my friends did. But I did honestly care. Which, I think, is more important than anything else. I wanted to know the outcome of the story, the result of Harper, Laney, and Jake's little "roadtrip". I cared that Harper was on the verge of breaking, even if I didn't shed any tears for her. And with my high standards, that's an accomplishment for any author.
Readers aren't going to always like these characters. But if there's one thing I think we can all agree on, it's the fact that this book is raw. Sure, it can be emotion-building. It can be powerful. It can be ridiculously amusing. But there's nothing Saving June does better than making the readers feel connected to the story as Harper tries to put together the broken pieces her sister's death left behind. All while trying to answer the question of why?
Harper's feelings hit a little to close to home sometimes for my comfort. I remember the day my grandfather died, when my mom, her brothers and sisters, were all crying day after day. I didn't cry. Not a single tear. I was sad, sure. But I just couldn't find it in myself to shed tears and fall apart. It wasn't in my nature. But perhaps it's because the reality of things didn't hit me at that time. To this day, whenever I think of visiting my mother's home country, I think of the loneliness that is sure to ensue in the household that was once under my grandfather's possession. I think Harper feels the same way. She knows June is gone deep down inside. But she doesn't want to believe it, doesn't want to feel the pain that facing reality is sure to bring.
I don't blame her. I can't blame her.
As you can see now, although I didn't lock myself in my room and cry, I did feel a deep emotional connection to Saving June. To Harper. So much that I no longer have the heart to put any funny gif. images in this review. Maybe next time. Maybe.
If you can't tell already, I loved everything about this book that there was to love. Especially Carmen. I loved that girl and Jake's brother is an idiot. A pure, stupid idiot. You'll see why as soon as you pick up this book.
It's a shame that it took me almost a month to read this book. I really did adore it, it's just that the beginning didn't have the appeal that the actual roadtrip, which started in the middle of the book, had. It was indeed a struggle to get to page 150, but once I did, everything kicked in and the book just flew.
For fans of realistic fiction, and a rocking (No pun intended. And for those of you guys who don't get it: Rocking refers to Jake's obsession with music. You know, like rock and jazz and punk music? No? Okay, fine.) good road trip story. Saving June is a must-read.
...Not exactly a slump-breaker book though. (-_-) If anything, this took me longer than average time I take to read a book in one of those No Reading moods I get in often.
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Review also found: Goodreads
Contact Kaede: kimberlyho75@yahoo.com
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