Saving June

By Hannah Harrington

'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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Australia
• Release date: May 1, 2011
• ISBN: 9781742901299

Hannah Harrington

Hannah Harrington resides in Michigan with one dog and too many cats. When she isn’t busy writing like a crazy person, she enjoys arguing about politics, watching documentaries, playing guitar (very badly), and speaking about herself in the third person. You can find her online at hannahharrington.blogspot.com, facebook.com/hannahharrington and on Twitter @hharrington_.

Book preview

chapter one

According to the puppy-of-the-month calendar hanging next to the phone in the kitchen, my sister June died on a Thursday, exactly nine days before her high school graduation. May’s breed is the golden retriever—pictured is a whole litter of them, nestled side by side in a red wagon amid a blooming spring garden. The word Graduation!! is written in red inside the white square, complete with an extra exclamation point. If she’d waited less than two weeks, she would be June who died in June, but I guess she never took that into account.

The only reason I’m in the kitchen in the first place is because somehow, somewhere, someone got the idea in their head that the best way to comfort a mourning family is to present them with plated foods. Everyone has been dropping off stupid casseroles, which is totally useless, because nobody’s eating anything anyway. We already have a refrigerator stocked with not only casseroles, but lasagnas, jams, homemade breads, cakes and more. Add to that the lemon meringue pie I’m holding and the Scott family could open up a restaurant out of our own kitchen. Or at the very least a well-stocked deli.

I slide the pie on top of a dish of apricot tart, then shut the refrigerator door and lean against it. One moment. All I want is one moment to myself.

Harper?

Not that that will be happening anytime soon.

It’s weird to see Tyler in a suit. It’s black, the lines of it clean and sharp, the knot of the silk tie pressed tight to his throat, uncomfortably formal.

You look…nice, he says, finally, after what has to be the most awkward silence in all of documented history.

Part of me wants to strangle him with his dumb tie, and at the same time, I feel a little sorry for him. Which is ridiculous, considering the circumstances, but even with a year in age and nearly a foot in height on me, he looks impossibly young. A little boy playing dress-up in Daddy’s clothes.

Can I help you with something? I say shortly. After a day of constant platitudes, a steady stream of thank-you-for-your-concern and we’re-doing-our-best and it-was-a-shock-to-us-too, my patience is shot. It definitely isn’t going to be extended to the guy who broke my sister’s heart a few months ago.

Tyler fidgets with his tie with both hands. I always did make him nervous. I guess it’s because when your girlfriend’s the homecoming queen, and your girlfriend’s sister is—well, me, it’s hard to find common ground.

I wanted to give you this, he says. He steps forward and presses something small and hard into my hand. Do you know what it is?

I glance down into my open palm. Of course I know: June’s promise ring. The familiar sapphire stone embedded in white gold gleams under the kitchen light.

The first time June showed it to me, around six months ago, she was at the stove, cooking something spicy smelling in a pan while I grabbed orange juice from the fridge. She was always doing that, cooking elaborate meals, even though I almost never saw her eat any of them.

She extended her hand in a showy gesture as she said, It belonged to his grandmother. Isn’t it beautiful? And when she just about swooned, it was all I could do not to roll my eyes so hard they fell out of my head.

I think it’s stupid, I told her. You really want to spend the rest of your life with that jerk-off?

Tyler is not a jerk-off. He’s sweet. He wants us to move to California together after we graduate. Maybe rent an apartment by the beach.

California. June was always talking about California and having a house by the ocean. I didn’t know why she was so obsessed with someplace she’d never even been.

Seriously, you’re barely eighteen, I reminded her. "Why would you even think about marriage?"

June gave me a look that made it clear the age difference between us might as well be ten years instead of less than two. You’ll understand when you’re older, she said. When you fall in love.

I rolled my eyes as I drank straight from the jug, then wiped my mouth off with my sleeve. Yeah, I’m so sure.

What, you don’t believe in true love?

You’ve met our parents, haven’t you?

Two months later, June caught her precious Tyler macking on some skanky freshman cheerleader at a car wash fundraiser meant to raise money for the band geeks. The only thing really raised was the bar for most indiscreet and stupidest way to get caught cheating on your girlfriend. Tyler was quite the class act.

A month after that disaster, our parents’ divorce was finalized.

June and I never really talked about either of those things. It wasn’t like when we were kids; we weren’t best friends anymore. Hadn’t been in years.

Now, even looking at the ring makes me want to throw up. I all but fling it at Tyler in my haste to not have it in my possession. No. I don’t want it. It’s yours.

It should’ve been hers, he insists, snatching my hand to try and force it back. We would’ve gotten back together. I know we would have. It should’ve been hers. Keep it.

What is he doing? I want to scream, or kick him in the stomach, or something. Anything to get him away from me.

I don’t want it. My voice arches into near hysteria. What makes him think this is appropriate? It is not appropriate. It is so far from appropriate. Okay? I don’t want it. I don’t.

Our reverse tug-of-war is interrupted by the approach of a stout, so-gray-it’s-blue-haired woman, who pushes in front of Tyler and tugs me to her chest in a smothering embrace. She has that weird smell all old ladies seem to possess, must and cat litter and pungent perfume, and when she releases me from her death grip, holding me at arm’s length, my eyes focus enough for a better look. Her clown-red lipstick and pink blush contrast sharply with her papery white skin. It’s like a department store makeup counter threw up on her face.

I have no idea who she is, but I’m not surprised. An event like this in a town as small as ours has all kinds of people coming out of the woodwork. This isn’t the first time today I’ve been cornered and accosted by someone I’ve never met acting like we’re old friends.

It’s such a tragedy, the woman is saying now. She was so young.

Yes, I agree. I feel suddenly dizzy, the blood between my temples pounding at a dull roar.

So gifted!

Yes, I say again.

She was a lovely girl. You would never think… As she trails off, the wrinkles around her mouth deepen. The Lord does work in mysterious ways. My deepest sympathies, sweetheart.

The edges of my vision go white. Thank you.

I can’t do this. I can’t do this. It feels like there’s an elephant sitting on my chest.

"There you are."

I expect to see another stranger making a beeline for me, but instead it’s my best friend, Laney. She has on a dress I’ve never seen before, black with a severe pencil skirt, paired with skinny heels and a silver necklace that dips low into her cleavage. Her thick blond hair, which usually hangs to the middle of her back, is twisted and pinned to the back of her head. I wonder how she managed to take so much hair and cram it into such a neat bun.

She strides forward, her heels clicking on the linoleum, and only meets my eyes briefly before turning her attention to Tyler.

Your mom’s looking for you, she says, her hand on his arm. From the outside it would look like a friendly gesture, unless you knew, like I do, that Laney can’t stand Tyler, that she thinks he’s an insufferable dick.

She is? Tyler glances from me to Laney uncertainly, like he’s weighing the odds of whether it’d be a more productive use of time to find his mother or to stay here and see if he can convince me to take the stupid ring as some token of his atonement, or whatever he thinks such an exchange would mean.

Of course she is, Laney says glibly, drawing him toward the doorway to the dining room. She’s definitely lying; I can tell by the mannered, lofty tilt in her speech. That’s the voice she uses with her father—one that takes extra care to be as articulate and practiced as possible. It’s completely different from her normal tone.

As soon as Laney and Tyler disappear from sight, the woman, whom I still can’t place, starts up her nattering again with renewed vigor. "Tell me, how is the family coping? Oh, your poor mother—"

And just like that, Laney’s back, sans Tyler. She sets a hand on the woman’s elbow, steers her toward the doorway.

You should go talk to her, she suggests with a feigned earnestness most Emmy winners can only dream of.

The woman considers. Do you think?

"Absolutely. She’d love to see you. In fact, I’ll come with you."

This is why I love Laney: she always has my back. We’ve been best friends since we were alphabetically seated next to each other in second grade. Scott and Sterling. She’s the coolest person I know; she wears vintage clothes all the time and can quote lines from old fifties-era screwball romantic comedies and just about any rap song by heart, and she doesn’t care what anyone thinks. The best thing about her is that she thinks I’m awesome, too. It’s harder than you think, to find someone who truly believes in your unequivocal, unconditional awesomeness, especially when you’re like me: unspectacular in every way.

As they walk away arm in arm, Laney glances over her shoulder at me, and I shoot her the most grateful look I can manage. She returns it with a strained smile and hurries herself and the woman into the crowded dining room, where I hear muted conversation and the clatter of dinnerware. If I follow, I’ll be mobbed by scores of relatives and acquaintances and total strangers, all pressing to exchange pleasantries and share their condolences. And I’ll have to look them in the eye and say thank you and silently wonder how many of them blame me for not seeing the signs.

The signs. It makes it sound like June walked around with the words I Am Going to Kill Myself written over her head in bright buzzing neon. If only. Maybe then—

No. I cut off that train of thought before it can go any further. Another wave of panic rises in my chest, so I lean my hands heavily against the kitchen counter to stop it, press into the edge until it cuts angry red lines into my palms. If I can just get through this hour, this afternoon, this horrible, horrible day, then maybe…maybe I can fall apart then. Later. But not now.

Air. What I need is air. This house, all of these people, they’re suffocating. Before anyone else can come into the kitchen and trap me in another conversation, I slip out the back door leading to the yard and close it behind me as quietly as possible.

I sit down on the porch steps, my black dress tangling around my legs, and drop my head into my hands. I’ve never felt so exhausted in my life, which I suppose isn’t such a shock considering I can’t have slept more than ten hours in the past five days. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, and then another, and then hold the next one until my chest burns so badly I think it might burst.

When I inhale again, I breathe in the humid early-summer air, dirt and dew and—something else. A hint of smoke. My eyes open, and when I turn my head slightly to my left, I see someone, a boy, standing against the side of the house.

Apparently getting a moment to myself just isn’t in the cards today.

I scratch at my itchy calves as I give him a cool once-over. He’s taller than me by a good half a head, and he looks lean and hard. Compact. His messy, light brown hair sticks out in all directions, like he’s hacked at it on his own with a pair of scissors. In the dark. He’s got a lit cigarette in one hand and the other stuck in the front pocket of his baggy black jeans. Unlike every other male I’ve seen today, he’s not wearing a suit—just the jeans and a button-down, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and a crooked tie in a shade of black that doesn’t quite match his shirt.

I notice his eyes, partly because they’re a startling green, and partly because he’s staring at me intently. He seems familiar, like someone I’ve maybe seen around at school. It’s hard to be sure. All of the faces I’ve seen over the past few days have swirled into an unrecognizable blur.

So you’re the little sister, he says. It’s more of a sneer than anything else.

That would be me. I watch as he brings the cigarette to his lips. Can I bum one?

The request must catch him off guard, because for a few seconds he just blinks at me in surprise, but then he digs into his back pocket and shakes a cigarette out of the pack. He slides it into his mouth and lights it before extending it toward me. When I walk over and take it from him by the tip, I hold it between my index finger and middle finger, like a normal person, while the boy pinches his between his index finger and thumb, the way you would hold a joint. Not that I’ve ever smoked a joint, but I’ve seen enough people do it to know how it’s done.

When I first draw the smoke into my lungs, I cough hard as the boy watches me struggle to breathe. I look away, embarrassed, and inhale on the cigarette a few more times until it goes down smoother.

We smoke in silence, the only sound the scraping of his thumb across the edge of the lighter, flicking the flame on and off, on and off. The boy stares at me, and I stare at his shoes. He has on beat-up Chucks. Who wears sneakers to a wake? There’s writing on them, too, across the white toes, but I can’t read it upside down. He also happens to be standing on what had at one point in time been my mother’s garden. She used to plant daisies every spring, but I can’t remember the last time she’s done that. It’s been years, probably. His shoes only crush overgrown weeds that have sprouted up from the ground.

I meet his eyes again. He still stares; it’s a little unnerving. His gaze is like a vacuum. Intense.

Do you cut your own hair? I ask.

He tilts his head to the side. Talk about your non sequitur.

Because it looks like you do, I continue. He looks at me for a long time, and when I realize he isn’t going to say anything, I take another pull off the cigarette and say, It looks ridiculous, by the way.

Don’t you want to know what I’m doing out here? He sounds a little confused, and a lot annoyed.

I blow out smoke, watching it float away, and shrug. Not really.

The boy’s stare has turned unquestionably into a glare. I’m a little surprised, and weirdly…relieved, or something. It’s better than the pity I’ve seen on people’s faces all day. I don’t know what to do with pity. Pissed off, I can handle. At the same time, I don’t want to be around anyone right now. At all.

I should be inside, comforting my mother. The last time I saw her, she was sitting on the couch, halfway through what had to have been her fourth glass of wine in the past hour. If I was a good daughter, I’d be at her side. But I’m not used to being the good one. That was always June’s role. Mine is to be the disappointment, the one who doesn’t try hard enough and gets in too much trouble and could be something if I only applied myself.

Now I don’t know what I’m supposed to be.

I toe into the garden a little, drop the cigarette butt and scrape dirt over to cover the hole. At this point I have two options: face the throng of people inside, or stay out here. It’s like a no-win coin toss. Option number one won’t be pretty, but I might as well get it over with, since I don’t really want to stand outside being glared at for no reason by some stranger, either. Even if he does share his cigarettes.

Well, it’s been fun, I say drlly. We should do this again sometime. Really.

I teeter across the uneven yard in my stupid shoes, aware that one misstep will send me sprawling. I’ve got one foot on the porch stairs when he calls out, Hey, in a sharp voice.

I turn. The boy steps away from the white siding, out

of the garden. He pauses, his mouth open like he’s going to say something more, but then he closes it again like he’s changed his mind and flicks the last inch of his cigarette onto the grass.

You tore your…leg…thing, he says.

I bend my leg up to examine it—sure enough, there’s a tear in the tights, running from my ankle to my shin. When I glance back up at him, he’s disappearing around the corner. What the hell? Does he think that makes him, like, an impressive badass or something, having the last word and mysterious exit? Because it doesn’t. It just makes him kind of a jackass.

The back door opens—it’s Laney.

Harper? she says, looking confused. Are you okay?

I’m fine, I say automatically, even though really, nothing could be further from the truth. I smooth my dress down and carefully make my way up the porch steps. Thanks for rescuing me earlier. I needed that. I was getting a little— I stop because I don’t really know what word I’m searching for.

Laney shrugs like it was nothing. Don’t mention it. She holds something out to me—a covered dish. Of course. Her face is apologetic. "It’s quiche, courtesy of my dear mother."

Back in the kitchen, I try to rearrange the refrigerator shelves to make space, but despite my valiant efforts, the quiche won’t fit. Eventually I give up and leave it out on the counter. The whole time Laney watches me cautiously, like she’s afraid at any moment I’ll collapse on the kitchen floor in tears. Everyone has been looking at me that way all day. Maybe because I didn’t cry during the memorial service, even when my mother stood at the podium sobbing and sobbing until my aunt Helen gently led her away.

I don’t know what’s wrong with me. June was my sister. I should be a mess right now. Inconsolable. Not walking around, dry-eyed, completely hollow.

I saw your dad out there, Laney says. He looks—

Uncomfortable? I supply.

She makes a strangled sound, something close to a laugh. "I see he left the Tart at home. Thank God for that, right?"

The Tart is Laney’s nickname for my father’s girlfriend. Her actual name is Melinda; she’s ten years younger than he is and waitresses for a catering company. That’s how she met my father—the previous April, she’d worked the big party his accounting firm threw every year to celebrate the end of tax season. The party was held on a riverboat, and during her breaks, they stood out on the deck, talking and joking about the salmon filet. Or so the story goes.

Dad maintains to this day nothing happened between them until after the separation. I have my doubts.

The truth is, I don’t actually hold any personal grudge against Melinda. She’s nice enough, even if her button nose seems too small for her face and she has these moist eyes that make it look like she could cry at any moment, and she wears pastels and high heels all of the time, even when she’s doing some mundane chore like cleaning dishes or folding laundry. And sure, she can’t hold a decent conversation to save her life, but it’s not like I blame her for my family being so screwed up. She just happened to be a catalyst, speeding up the inevitable implosion.

You look really tired, Laney says. I mean, no offense. She winces. I’m sorry. That was so the wrong thing to say.

She says it like there’s a right thing to say. There really, really isn’t.

I’m just ready to be…done. I rub at my eyes. I’m sick of talking.

Well, then don’t! Talk anymore, I mean, she says. You shouldn’t if you don’t want to. Here, come on. Let’s go upstairs and blow off the circus.

It’s easy to get from the kitchen to the bottom of the staircase with Laney acting as my buffer, diverting the attention of those who approach with skilled ease and whisking me to the haven of the second floor in a matter of seconds. In the upstairs hallway, there are two framed photos on the wall: the first is of June, her senior portrait, and the second is my school picture from earlier this year. Some people say June and I look alike, but I don’t see much resemblance. We both have the same brown hair, but hers is thicker, wavier, while mine falls flat and straight. Where her eyes are a clear blue, mine are a dim gray. Her features are softer and prettier, more delicate; maybe I’m not ugly, but in comparison I’m nothing remarkable.

There used to be a third picture on the wall, an old family portrait. For their tenth wedding anniversary, my parents rented this giant tent, and they hosted a festive dinner with a buffet and music and all of our family and friends. June and I spent the evening running around with plastic cups, screaming with laughter, making poor attempts to capture fireflies, while my parents danced under the stars to their song—Frank Sinatra’s The Way You Look Tonight.

Toward the end of the night, someone gathered the four of us together and took a snapshot. June and I were giggling, heads bent close together, our parents standing above us in an embrace, gazing at each other instead of the camera. It always struck me in the years after how bizarre it was, how two people could look at one another with such tenderness and complete love, and how quickly that could dissolve into nothing but bitterness.

That photo hung on our wall for years and years, staying the same even as June’s and mine were switched out to reflect our progressing ages. Now it’s gone, just an empty space, and June’s will remain the same forever. Only mine will ever change.

I stare at June’s photo and think: This is it. I’ll never see her face again. I’ll never see the little crinkle in her nose when she was lost in thought, or her eyebrows knitting together as she frowned, or the way she’d press her lips together so hard they’d almost disappear while she tried not to laugh at some vulgar joke I’d made, because she didn’t want to let me know she thought it was funny. All I have left are photos of her with this smile, frozen in time. Bright and blinding and happy. A complete lie.

It hurts to look, but I don’t want to stop. I want to soak in everything about my sister. I want to braid it into my DNA, make it part of me. Maybe then I’ll be able to figure out how this happened. How she could do this. People are looking to me for answers, because I’m the one tied the closest to June, by name and blood and memory, and it’s wrong that I’m as clueless as everyone else. I need to know.

Come on, says Laney gently, taking my hand and squeezing it, leading me toward my bedroom.

I drag my feet and shake her off. No. No, wait.

I veer off toward June’s room. The door is closed; I place my hand on the brass knob and keep it there for a moment. I haven’t been inside since she died. I try thinking back to the last time I was in there, but racing through my memory, I can’t pinpoint it. It seems unfair, the fact that I can’t remember.

Laney stands next to me, shifting from foot to foot. Harper…

I ignore her and push the door open. The room looks exactly the same as it always has. Of course it does—what did I expect? Laney flicks on the light and waits.

It doesn’t feel real, she says softly. Does it feel real to you?

No. Six days. It’s already been six days. It’s only been six days. Time is doing weird things, speeding up and slowing down.

June’s room has always been the opposite of mine—mine is constantly messy, dirty clothes and books littering the floor. Hers is meticulously clean. I can’t tell if that’s supposed to mean something. She’d always been organized, her room spotless in comparison to the disaster area that is mine, but I wonder if she’d cleaned it right before, on purpose. Like she didn’t want to leave behind any messes.

Well, she’d left behind plenty of messes. Just not physical ones.

Do you know what they’re going to do with—with the ashes? Laney asks.

The lump that’s been lodged in my throat all day grows bigger. The ashes. I can’t believe that’s how we’re referring to her now. Though I guess what was left was never really June. Just a body.

Thinking about the body makes me think about that morning, six days ago in the garage, and I really don’t want that in my head. I look up at Laney and say, They’re going to split them once my dad picks out his own urn.

Seriously?

Yeah.

That’s—

I know.

Screwed up, is what she wanted to say. It makes my stomach turn, like it did when Aunt Helen decorated the mantel above our fireplace, spread out a deep blue silk scarf, and set up two candleholders and two silver-framed black-and-white photos of June on each side, leaving space for the urn in the middle.

It should be balanced, she’d said, hands fisted on her hips, head tipped to the side as she studied her arrangement, like she was scrutinizing a new art piece instead of the vase holding the remains of a once living, breathing person. My sister.

Laney hooks her chin over my shoulder, her arm around my stomach. I

Reviews for Saving June

[roses7184_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When I first set out to read Saving June, I wasn't at the best place in my life. So I shelved it for a bit and waited until I felt more able to tackle the sad content in this book. I picked it back up a few days ago, and instantly fell in love. Hannah Harrington has built a set of characters who are easy to love, and also who are extremely realistic. While Saving June isn't the happiest of stories, it definitely is true to life.

Harper Scott is a character that a lot of people will easily connect with. She is the younger sister, and therefore feels a lot of times like she's in her sister's shadow. For Harper, life is all about being nothing like her older sister. The rebel of the family. However it is when June takes her own life that things really come into focus. I won't ruin anything for you, but what follows is a road trip of the most poignant kind. Harper learns what it means to be a sister, what it means to be an individual, and how sometimes life is just worth living.

What I loved most about Harper is how realistically she deals with her sister's death. She shows blatant and misplaced anger. She exhibits the feelings of depression. She curses June and wonders why she left her behind. Harper goes through everything that a normal, mourning person would and it is beautifully done. This isn't a story about a person who commits suicide, this is a story about the people that they leave behind. By the time I was a few chapters in, I was rooting for Harper. I just wanted everything to be okay again for her.

What I didn't like so much was some of the side stories that mingle in with Harper's journey. Again, no spoilers, but Harper's best friend finds a problem of her own on their trip and I felt like it kind of took away the spotlight from June and Harper. I also wasn't sure about the romance aspect. Jake, for me, was just kind of there. An available love interest. I don't necessarily think it took away from Harper's story line, but for me it didn't really add anything either.

At the end of the day Saving June is a tough read, but one that is well worth your time. Everything you can possibly imagine in a teenage life is explored here, and it is done amazingly well. Grab a box of tissues. You'll need them.

[theeclecticreview · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"To believe so concretely that there's someone--something--out there watching guard, keeping us safe, testing us only with what we can handle. I've never believed in anything the way Aunt Helen believes in God."Harper has lost her sister, June, to suicide. Her big sister, the golden one, the one that did no wrong, as opposed to Harper, the rebel, the misfit. Why did June do it? She didn't leave a note, but she left notebooks with stories about California. Harper's parents were divorced and not coping well and Harper wanted to give June her wish of going to California, so she devises a plan with her best friend, Laney. The problem is Harper only has a driver's permit and Laney's car is toast. Enter Jake. He seemed angry the first time Harper met him at June's funeral, so why would he give them a ride to California? He says that he and June were friends, but was that all?This is a coming of age story of three young lives who discover the beauty of living. Harper discovers the truth about herself and about her sister, Laney discovers that there are consequences to her behavior and Jake discovers that he should strive for his dreams. I liked the trip they took and the people they met on the way. You don't want to miss a second.Thank you to Ms. Harrington, Harlequin and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to review this book.

[staciesnape-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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 hahaThis 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.(

[sunset_x_cocktail · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a surprisingly emotional read for me. I knew it wouldn't be the easiest of subjects. I have never experienced anything like this at all, so I don't know why I should be such an emotional wreck whilst reading this.

I think maybe because it was so easy to understand Harper's tone and character. So well written and provocative it stirred the emotional strings right away. (Other than Aunt Helen and Grace) I don't think there was a single character in this book I didn't love. Despite the emotional difficulty of the story, the first half of the book took a while to get through, after about the 35% mark I read the rest in more or less an afternoon.

I loved the plot and the music filtering through. More than a few times certain songs have brought me to floods of tears, so the music aspect was something easy for me to understand. Harper's best friend Laney was a pretty awesome friend. Loyal and understanding. And Jake even though he could be a dick was a pretty decent guy. Not swoon worthy for me, but certainly a good hero for the book.

The only thing that bugged me was it did get a little repetitive in Harper's inner monologue sometimes, going on a lot about how hard things were, how things would never be the same and how things were not fine when she kept saying yes she was fine. But given the nature of the story, its something that could be easily over looked.

I thought it wrapped up in a very honest and believable way too. And yes, I cried my eyes out more than a few times.

All and all a fantastic read.

[cheryl_in_cc_nv · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Not bad. A little predictable, at least if you're a person who has already experienced life events. A little too melodramatic - but at least the author acknowledged it, by having Harper admit (? brag?) that the kids had enough issues for a dozen Lifetime movies (I paraphrase from memory).

I'm not sure the author actually ever has gone on a road trip, because it didn't seem accurate against my experience. (V. little about the very long distances involved, and scuzzy gas stations every 300 miles, and the totally cliched diner waitress, etc.)

Not subtle. Everything is explained, clarified, emphasized. Aunt Helen & Dad and Laney's parents are caricatures and Mom isn't much more.

I never 'got' Harper. She's a total blank slate, has in her sixteen years been never anything more than a response to June and a shadow to Laney. She's probably perfect for the purpose of the book, though, as most any young reader can then see herself in Harper.

Y'know what - I was going to give this 3 stars, but I'm having trouble coming up with anything nice to say, so I'll let those who love it relay its strengths, and leave my own reaction at 2 stars.

[mbklibrary · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What do you do when your seemingly perfect sister suddenly and unexpectedly commits suicide? That is the question Harper struggles to answer when just that happens to her. This book covers a range of emotions while Harper tries to deal with the aftermath of her sister's death. While I personally couldn't relate with any of the main characters - the book was well written and I love that it covered a subject not commonly done in YA - what happens after suicide for the family and friends that are left behind. How do they move forward?

[thetreereader · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Since I’m not exactly sure how I feel about this book, I’m going to do things a little differently with this review.Things I Liked – The writing. I really enjoyed Harringtons writing style. It was easy to read and the way the characters talked, it seemed real. If that makes sense.The road trip. Who doesn’t like books with road trips?The music. I really loved all the information and references to all the music. I also loved that one of my favorite bands, Siouxsie & the Banshees, were mentioned.Jake. I’m just going to say he’s just an all around good guy.Laney. Again, I’m just going to say she’s a great friend.Things I Didn’t Like – Harper. At times I really liked her and at other times I didn’t. I understand she was going through a lot, but she was still completely horrible at times for no reason.The Plot. I just found it far too predictable. I knew everything that was going to happen way before it did. This made the book hard to pick up after I’ve put it down for a while. However, I will say that after I started reading, it wasn’t like I was bored and wanted to stop reading.All in all, I do recommend you give it a read, but I don’t think this books if for everyone.

[tanat-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Saving June by Hannah Harrington

We all know the feelings that accompany losing a loved one, but when the loved one has taken her own life those feelings I hope not everyone has had to feel. Guilt, anger, pain, grief and not truly knowing why or if you could of stopped it somehow, all those unanswered question are left for you to somehow deal and resolve.

This novel is about a young woman named Harper, who is a strong, confident, and says what she thinks, you feel for her so fast while you’re reading this book. Harper grew up in the shadow of her sister June, June was smart, pretty, organized, kind, seemed to have it all. Harper knew her parents wished she was more like June. Harper’s parents now divorced, her dads with a younger woman so many conflicting emotions going on inside her. Now Harper has to live her life not understanding why her sister committed suicide, no note left behind Harper starts to look around to find any clue possible.

This is where the journey begins, Harper steals June ashes and takes off for California to spread June’s ashes in the ocean, and this is where June always wanted to be this was June dream. Harper, Laney her best friend and Jake a young man somehow connected to June offers his help plus he is their ride.

Laney is the type of best friend you hope you had growing up or have, she is supportive and always there for Harper no matter what. Jake appears to be the bad boy type, obsessed with classic rock music, he believes music can solve everything. Harper knows Jake has a secret he isn’t telling anyone.

Put these three together on a road trip and what you get is a great story, it is funny and real and full of emotions. When Jake and Harper argue you can feel the attraction between them happening. The romance is yummy and you can’t stop reading.

The music is the other part of this novel that was great I found I wanted to go find the songs and download them, and the best part is the author added the playlist at the end of the book.

Overall this book was a great debut novel for Hannah Harrington; I would recommend this to anyone who loves YA romance. I will definitely read anything Hannah writes in the future.

[shayanasha · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Saving June was one of those books that I was sure I would love. I know what it feels like to be a less than stellar younger sister to a stellar elder sister and thus I should have felt a personal connection with the characters and their situations. I did not.

Saving June is a good book – it takes a very significant issue of identity crisis among teenagers and shows the journey of a girl who is trying hard to step out of her elder sister’s shadow. The story is beautiful in that regard. But I feel Hannah Harrington did not give enough depth to her characters. She failed to properly use the idea of ‘show, don’t tell’ and what we got were characters we knew about but never got to know. I would have loved to read more about Jake’s music obsession – I don’t think enough space was given to the book about it (and yes, though I was mentioned twice in every page I didn’t really feel the passion). I also wanted Laney to be a more significant character than a tagalong in Harper and Jake’s romance.

I did not like the ending. It was far too predictable. I did not like how the issues of Aunt Helen and Harper’s parents were tackled. I wanted more from this book, I expected more from this book and it just left me… bereft.

But I really, really, really liked the way the relationship between June and Harper was shown. And also the way the issue of teenage depression and suicide was shown – the simplicity of June’s inner chaos and the complicated way Harper thought – it seemed like a real problem with very real consequences.

Saving June is not a bad book. It is good. It is one of those books that I was excited while diving into because it sounded EXACTLY like the kind of book I would love and now that I am done with it I can’t really point out what didn’t work for me, except that something didn’t.

I got this book from Harlequinn UK via NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.

[akmargie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A solid contempory story. Usually I don't go for sad stories about teen suicide, not my thing. But this one was heartfelt and honest. Some of the relationships, parental, could have been drawn better. Added plus of a slow building romance with lots of smolder and a solid road trip. Liked the playlist at the end of the book, since the music played such an important part to the story.

[martyallen_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Though supposedly about a teenage girl whose sister commits suicide, the story is about more than that. It is about a girl who doesn't believe in herself, about a friend who has her own troubles, and a bout a boy who has a secret. It is about the journey and the music that brings them together. Despite being so full, though, the story is told at a realistic pace, unfolding in a way that keeps the reader curious to learn more but not frustrated at the pace. Characters are easily relatable, and the soundtracks at the end allow for further immersion into the story. While June's letter is somewhat disappointing, the ending as a whole is believable, and yet also satisfying.

[thehidingspot · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It's been a long time since I've loved a book as much as SAVING JUNE... I think my excitement about this book can be compared to how I felt about ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS and THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE - which means that I love this book with a passion. I've said before that there are certain books that feel like they've been written just for you. They don't come along very often, but, when they do, it's one of the best feelings in the world. These books usually leave you a bit breathless and teary-eyed. Once you recover, you recommend that book like your life depends on whether others read it. That pretty much sums up how I feel about Hannah Harrington's debut novel!I easily connected with Harper, the main character of SAVING JUNE. Part of me wonders if this was due, in part, to Harper's roots. Like me, Harper was raised in a small Michigan town. Perhaps I'm just imagining that this detail makes her character easier for me to relate to... or maybe Harrington truly understands how big of impact small town Michigan can have on person and has successful woven this into her character. I tend to believe the latter. Where you're from can have a monumental impact on how you view and interpret the world... and Harper and I are eerily similar.I've yet to be disappointed by a book which features a road trip. There is something magical about the open road, the right music, and the right person sitting next to you. Harrington has all three elements locked down in SAVING JUNE.I must say that I was especially impressed by the song selection and play lists in this novel. There are so many great songs that fit perfectly into either specific scenes or the book in general. To top it off, this book deals with some pretty heavy topics, including suicide and teen pregnancy. It's difficult to find a novel that can discuss tough subjects truthfully and tactfully while maintaining a tense, yet realistic love story. Often, one aspect is lacking, but this is definitely not the case with SAVING JUNE. I can't complain about any element of this novel... if there was anything I found bothersome, it must have been only a small detail, as I can't recall anything distracting or disappointing.Please, take the time to pick up Harrington's debut... Not only did I adore SAVING JUNE, I truly believe Harrington is a contemporary author to watch.

[baystatera · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Saving June should have a lot of appeal for teen girls who are in the mood for an edgy, angst-filled story. After the suicide of her perfect older sister June, sixteen-year-old Harper finds herself attracted to the mysterious Jake Tolan, who was somehow connected to her sister, and who agrees, against his better judgment to drive Harper and her best friend on a road trip to California to scatter June's ashes in the place she always dreamed of going.

[sherton_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"To believe so concretely that there's someone--something--out there watching guard, keeping us safe, testing us only with what we can handle. I've never believed in anything the way Aunt Helen believes in God."Harper has lost her sister, June, to suicide. Her big sister, the golden one, the one that did no wrong, as opposed to Harper, the rebel, the misfit. Why did June do it? She didn't leave a note, but she left notebooks with stories about California. Harper's parents were divorced and not coping well and Harper wanted to give June her wish of going to California, so she devises a plan with her best friend, Laney. The problem is Harper only has a driver's permit and Laney's car is toast. Enter Jake. He seemed angry the first time Harper met him at June's funeral, so why would he give them a ride to California? He says that he and June were friends, but was that all?This is a coming of age story of three young lives who discover the beauty of living. Harper discovers the truth about herself and about her sister, Laney discovers that there are consequences to her behavior and Jake discovers that he should strive for his dreams. I liked the trip they took and the people they met on the way. You don't want to miss a second.Thank you to Ms. Harrington, Harlequin and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to review this book.

[lauramoore_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Saving June was my favorite contemporary of 2011. I absolutley loved this book from the music talk throughout the book, to the road trip. THIS IS NOT A BOOK TO MISS IF YOU'RE A FAN OF YA CONTEMPORARY. Harper lost her sister, and this to me was heart-renching, my sister is my best friend, and I cannot imagine having to go through this. Harper dosn't show emotion easily, she's keeping it all bottled up inside, until she meets Jake, who was nothing like Harper's sister, but knows some kind of secret her sister had, and had a connection to a part of her sisters life, Harper didn't know even exsisted. Harper, her best friend Laney, and Jake who has the van, the Janis Joplin, take a road trip to the West Coast with Harper's sisters ashes to bring them to the ocean that she had always dreamed of visting, but never got to. This roadtrip isn't just about putting her sisters memory to rest, but about discovering herself, figuring out that her best friend may be a different person then she thought she was, and that Jake may be housing a secret that will turn Harper's world upside-down again. I couldn't put this book down, I loved Harper and Jake, and their slow-melt relationship was like a delcious chocolate bar that I just didn't want to end. It developed slowly which are usually the relationships I love the most, I don't like that we kiss-we're in love within 10 pages stories, and like a slow build up of emotion. This book was a rollar-coaster of emotions (but in a good way, a really good way). This book is one I think anyone would love, but if you love music, heart-break, roadtrips, and swoon-worthiness, then you NEED to get your hands on this book.

[l_manning · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Harper was always jealous of her older sister June. June had the perfect life- great grades, great looks, great boyfriend. When June suddenly commits suicide, Harper is sent into a bit of a tailspin. Harper desperately wants to know why June did it or if anything could have stopped her. While going through June's room, Harper discovers a mix CD that was unlike anything June ever listened to. Harper decides that June's ashes need to go to the one place June always wanted to escape to- California. The mix tape leads Harper to Jake, someone so unlike anyone June ever associated with that Harper can't figure out his connection to June. Harper, her best friend Laney, and Jake soon embark on the road trip of a lifetime to see that June gets to California.This book turned out much different than I ever imagined it would. For me, the most marvelous part was how tightly things were tied in to music. I love music so much, and I think it really helped heighten the emotional response I had as a reader. Harper, Laney, and Jake were all kind of misfits in different ways. They came together to make a wonderful trio though. The road trip vibe was alive and well, and it made me remember so many random journeys I made when I was younger. There's a certain feel of freedom from the real world that you get while road tripping, and you could feel that throughout the book. This disassociation from real life allowed Harper to really search through her feelings on everything, and you get the feeling this trip was as much for her as it was to deliver June to where she always wanted to be.Like any good book, there are secrets and conflicts and all kinds of interesting plot points. They never take away from the real plot though-Harper discovering how she feels about life. At first I thought Harper was a trying a bit too hard to be a rebel, but as I got to know her through the plot and the music associated I saw where she was coming from. By the end of the book I loved Harper, Laney, and Jake so much. I read this book so fast because I was just drawn into the story, and I really wanted to know how everything was resolved. A little bit rock and roll, a little bit therapy, I thought this was an amazing book that I would highly recommend to everyone.Galley provided for review.

[nlsobon · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

“Saving June” is one of the best – if not the best – contemporary novels I’ve ever read.Harper Scott’s older sister, June, took her own life. It’s a tragedy that no one seems to understood, one that no one saw coming – especially Harper. Unlike everyone else around her who seems to be falling apart, Harper finds it impossible to even cry at her sister’s death. It isn’t because she isn’t upset. But for some reason, she can’t truly process the certainty of the situation – June’s gone and she’ll never come back.Desperate to save what’s left of June and give her what peace she can, Harper plans a trip to California with her best friend Laney where she plans to spread her ashes. But they won’t get there without Jake – a stranger somehow connected to June. When Jake offers to bring Harper and Laney to California, Harper’s initial reaction is to say no. She doesn’t understand why he’d want to tag along or what kind of relationship he had with her sister. But when Laney insists that Jake’s offer is just what they needed, Harper forces herself to tell Jake yes, still wary about his reasons for offering to help them.I really enjoyed reading along as Harper, Jake, and Laney made their way to California. Between staying at the vegan house, the protest, the concert, and the motel – there was never a dull moment. But what I really enjoyed best was watching the romance develop between Harper and Jake. They are both struggling to deal with a loss – one more so than the other – and they still don’t know much about each other, but you can feel that connection there, that longing.And let’s not forget the music. Talk about a book with a fantastic soundtrack! Yet another reason why I loved Jake’s character. He was a bit of a music snob, albeit one with fantastic taste. To him, music needs to tell a story. And the music in “Saving June” only helped to enhance the story.I’d highly recommend “Saving June” to anyone who loved “If I Stay” and “Where She Went” by Gayle Forman.

[bookspot · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Harper Scott's older sister recently - and unexpectedly committed suicide shortly before her high school graduation. . . Just a few more weeks and she would have been June who died in June, Harper thinks. But she didn't make it long. Harper's divorcing parents plan to divide June's ashes.Harper plans to take them to the only place June ever really wanted to go: California. On a road trip with her best friend Laney and a guy, Jake who has a mysterious connection to June, Harper learns things about herself, June and life.Saving June is an excellent story with very distinct characters. From Harper to Laney to Jake, each character is most definitely their own and when they're in a group, the novel really comes a live. Each of the characters has their own quirks and traits that make them, them - and different not only from each other but characters in other books.The road trip of Saving June is, admittedly, not one that everyone reading would want to take. The characters do engage in some activities that are not for everyone. Yet, that's part of what makes it great. Whether you're one of the readers who thinks their trips sounds like the greatest one ever and will spend the book working out way to hide out as a stow-a-way or one who knows right a way it's a trip you would not work out on, it's still a book for you.Neither Saving June's story nor its characters alienate anyone. Love everything the characters are and do or be incredibly put-off by some of it, it's okay. If you're the latter, you can still enjoy the trip vicariously. Harrington doesn't ask that you be the same as her characters to enjoy her book. The closest I can think to compare it to is I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone by Stephanie Kuehnert (yet much lighter).All of that is not even talking about the absolute music love that is in Saving June. It's a great book for someone who's always watching Behind the Music but you want them to read a book - because it's almost Behind the Music in book form but with plot and emotion and greatness. (And playlists in the back!)Saving June is really unlike any book I've read in a long, long while and I absolutely love that - and it.

[hobbitsies · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow. Saving June was FANTASTICALY AMAZING. Such an intense and moving story filled with steamy romance and mega tears and an awesome road trip.Wait, that review isn’t sufficient enough? I don’t know how else to put it. Saving June was, hands down, one of my favourite books this year. I LOVED Harper and Jake’s witty banter and musical debates and their actual fights and the steamy romance and the witty and fun best friend Laney in the backseat with her own commentary and her own drama.Oh, speaking of drama – HEARTBREAK. The build up to the road trip and the grieving and the gah IT’S SO SAD. One of my favourite things to read about is the way different people deal with grief and all sorts of different ways and let me just say – Saving June is a wonderful story of grief and loss and it made me cry. Big fat tears in the middle of class.I also read some steamy scenes during class (yeah, I ought to stop reading books in class) and had to put it down cause my face was all flushed. But I legit think Harper and Jake were my favourite couple of all the books I read this year. I think. Probably. Definitely up there in the running.Overall, if you love contemporary YA books featuring road trips, build-up romance with a side of steamy, wonderful best friends, achingly upsetting grief, and music, please oh please pick up Saving June. You will love it.

[psteinke1122_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Harper Scott is the trouble maker, the instigator, she is everything her sister June is not. June is the “good” daughter…good student, tutor, golden child, everything comes easy to her. When June takes her own life, Harper has to come to terms not only with the loss of her sister, but also the changes in her that her sister’s death brings…and she does it via a road trip to California with her best friend and one Jake Tolan, who Harper suspects was in love with June. I loved this book! It’s about suicide and a sister’s attempt to deal with the aftermath. It’s not condescending drivel…it’s witty, and snarky, and dark, and funny. The author’s handling of the subject matter was all the things you would expect…gut-wrenching, emotional, as well as the overwhelming thought of “what did I miss”. I haven’t experienced a loss through suicide, but the author nailed my perception of what it might be like.Harper’s grief is like a cloak…it covers and absorbs you. Harper is sharp and complex…and watching her evolve during this road trip is something worth reading. Harper’s best friend, Laney, can be pretty shallow and self-absorbed and provides some of the best comic relief. Everything Laney does is with her best friend in mind. Laney is an only child and imagined June as her big sister as well. Laney and Harper are as different as night and day, and complement each other equally well. Which leaves Jake. Jake knew June in a different way and is able to provide insight into parts of her life Harper wasn’t privy to. He also provides a musical backdrop to the journey…his musical choices complement the story and bring it to another level. The version of this book I read, had the playlists listed in the back, I wish I had known because I would have loved to create playlists to listen to while I was reading. Just so happens Jake and I have similar musical tastes.My only complaint would be the first stop on the trip…that was a strange group of friends and the whole “demonstration” just seemed out of place. Not quite sure what it’s purpose was other than to show that June had met this group in the past.This was a wonderful book…I can’t recommend it highly enough.

[summerskris_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Three teens go on a journey to save a girl that influenced their lives. Only, she’s already dead, and they’re the ones that really need saving. June was the perfect girl, perfect daughter. No one would have suspected her of being suicidal. I never really understood this, but Harper, June’s younger sister and the narrator, gets the idea that June can be saved only if her ashes are scattered in the Pacific Ocean bordering California. Somehow, she ends up driving there with her best friend (Laney) and a mysterious guy (Jake) with a connection to June. While the journey pops almost out of nowhere, everything falls into place. Harper, Laney, and Jake need the journey to get over June’s death, and they need to do it together. They don’t always get along. At first, Harper has a thing against Jake because she doesn’t understand his relationship with her sister, and he won’t tell. Even Laney has her moments... her secrets. Their feelings are completely understandable. Harper doesn't understand how her sister could have gotten close to a guy like Jake. Laney is brazen and confident on the outside, but she has issues of her own. And as for Jake, he too is dealing with June's death. None of them know who to blame. Harper is a relatable narrator all around. She’s the rebellious child, but only because she knows she can never compare to her sister and it was the only way she could create her own identity. Inside, she’s a teenage girl with teenage emotions. Hormonal as she is, she cannot deny her attraction to a certain annoying guy, but it doesn’t mean she has to give in. The relationship is sweet, filled with both love and hate, and it takes time to develop. It was as real as everything else about this book, and I enjoyed watching it progress. Overall, I cannot praise this book enough. It was fun, witty, and very real. I got so much out of reading this book, including a bigger appreciation for life. Saving June is about death, friendship, and love. It is about life and dealing with the messes that come with it. Hannah Harrington has debuted with a stunning novel, and I will definitely be looking out for new works by her! Note: Music plays a big role in the novel, and I will be listening to the tracks the next time I read Saving June! (And I will be rereading it!!)

[booktwirps · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Harper Scott’s life is drastically changed when her older sister, June, commits suicide. Her family was already reeling after the divorce of her parents, and before those wounds can heal, June, the perfect daughter, kills herself, leaving Harper with a huge hole in her life. The day of June’s funeral, Harper discovers a postcard from California on which June had written “I’m coming home”. June was obsessed with California, and dreamed of living there some day. When Harper’s parents decide to split June’s ashes, each taking half for their homes, Harper takes matters into her own hands.With the help of her best friend Laney, and a mysterious boy named Jake, who somehow knew June, Harper sets out on a cross-country road trip with June’s ashes in tow. She plans to take June to the one place she’d always longed to be.Saving June is a heartfelt tribute to sisterhood. Every single character felt real to me, and each one brought their own unique personality. I enjoyed Harper’s journey to “save” her sister, while at the same time, saving herself. I especially liked the message of the healing power of music, though I have a feeling most teens won’t know who Janis Joplin or Jimi Hendrix are. My suggestion is to find some of the music mentioned in this book while reading it to enhance your experience. There were only a couple of scenes that I felt were random and unnecessary (I won’t mention them so as not to spoil the book). Despite these minor scenes, the story flowed well and definitely taps into many emotions. Highly recommended.(Review based on an Advanced Reader's Copy courtesy of the publisher)

[bookswithbite · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Where do I begin? To put it simply, this book is amazing. After falling into to it, I could not put it down. It held me from the first page till the last. It gave me something different to see.The plot line of this book is just wonderful. Looking back at this book, I must have wanted to cry from anger several times. Ms. Harrington gives the reader so much emotions, secrets a little bit at a time. It's like following the bread crumbs down a road leading to something greater, better!The characters of this book had my heart. I love that while the characters faced some real life tragedy, Ms. Harrington caught the redemption of the characters spot on. The reader clearly sees the growth and change of them, but also coming into a peace they deeply needed. I adored that the love interest feel so much deeper then what I expected but also gave me more. The way the love interest collapse and came back together had me smiling. I love that while the ending it not an all together "Happily Ever After", but the characters are where they need to be.Over all, this is an amazing book. I loved that it gave the reader a whole new insight of thoughts and feelings. The characters are realistic and are plagued by everyday real world tragedy. Do you want a book that will steal your heart away? Read this.

[readingdate · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Saving June is an emotional, gripping and romantic read and is my favorite kind of book. The characters are distinct and interesting, and the story captured my attention from beginning to end. Though the book covers a heavy topic, it is also a book about healing, growth and self-discovery that manages to be uplifting as well.Harper Scott has just lost her older sister June to suicide. Harper has always felt second best to her seemingly perfect sister and that she was the glue holding the family together. Her family is reeling from her shocking death, and June did not leave a note of explanation. While going through June’s belongings Harper finds some clues that indicated June dreamed of moving to California. She plans to run off with her best friend Laney and scatter June’s ashes in the golden state as her final tribute to her sister. Jake, a boy with a mysterious connection to June, wants to accompany them on their journey.The book continues with the characters getting to know themselves and each other better through their epic cross-country road trip. They get acquainted through their musical selections and by making some detours along the way.I appreciated the uniqueness of Harper’s character and her tough nature. Her world is shattered but she can’t bring herself to cry over June. She is torn between her divorced parents, and doesn’t feel she is able to live up to June and replace her as the support system to her mother. She is fearless though and has a great sense of humor. She is the photographer of the group and documents their adventures. Her friendship with Laney feels very realistic, even though they are complete opposites. Laney is more extroverted and reckless, but is also a devoted friend to Harper.The romance between Jake and Harper is slow building and sweet. You get the sense that they get each other, and feel comfortable enough to be themselves even though they have just met. They have great chemistry and an easy banter that makes their scenes memorable.And what road trip would be complete without music? Each member of the trio has different musical tastes, but Jake is the one with the most eclectic taste who likes to school the girls on different musical icons. Jake also works in a record store and plays guitar to continue the musical theme of the book. The musical element made the story even more compelling for me and I was pleasantly surprised to see Jake’s playlists at the back of the book.The writing flows effortlessly and with an even pace. The contemporary story is realistic and the characters are well defined and believable. It has a similar vibe to Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour, another road trip book with a great soundtrack. The light-hearted moments, friendship and romance balance out the grieving story so it never gets too heavy. This is an impressive first novel by Hannah Harrington and I’ll be sure to look for her other books. Saving June hits stores November 22.

[stephxsu · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Struggling to deal with her perfect older sister June’s suicide, Harper sets off on a road trip to California, accompanied by her best friend, Laney, and Jake Tolan, a boy who was somehow connected to June. Harper is not sure what their road trip will accomplish, except that it was always June’s dream to go to California. However, their journey takes unexpected twists and turns as Harper learns about Laney, Jake, June, and herself in a trip that none of them will forget.SAVING JUNE is a debut YA contemporary novel that lives up to its hype: it is a wonderfully told story that weaves standout characters and a genuine passion for music into a journey that is moving for Harper as well as for us readers.To be honest, I wasn’t sure I’d like SAVING JUNE at first. The beginning one-fifth of the book had more than its fair share of features that are all too common to YA books dealing with grief—or, for that matter, any YA contemporary story: the main character with suppressed anger towards her dead sibling, the dead sibling, the more outgoing best friend, the good-looking mysterious boy with secrets, the over-the-top ridiculous mean relative. I mean, there is a “life-changing road trip,” for goodness’ sake. Once Harper, Laney, and Jake finally, finally hit the road, however, it was like someone had flipped the switch and turned on the life to this story. Spending weeks together in a car is really a great way to get to know characters: personalities clash, secrets are revealed, and unshakeable bonds develop. The three main characters completely grew on me. Harper’s grief became less plot-driven (i.e. there for the sake of the story) and more character-driven (genuine poignant grief over June’s death). Laney started out as simply the outgoing best friend, but grew to have more depth than I initially thought.As for Jake, well, his character development definitely impressed me the most. You’d have to be slightly naïve not to guess what role he plays in the story, but what impressed me was that his “ideal love interest” character developed not from a set of parameters thrown at us at the beginning, but, rather, gradually through the course of the story, each new chapter revealing another lovable aspect of him. Authors, take note of how to write a truly swoon-worthy love interest, please.All in all, SAVING JUNE pleased me to no end. It broke the constraints it imposed on itself by having a rather tired premise and, through genuine and memorable characters, makes itself stand out in the crowd. If you love YA contemporary, please, do yourself a favor and give this a try. Odds are you won’t regret it.

[greatimaginations · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Before I begin, 3 stars is good review. It's not a bad review like so many of you think. When I give a book a 3 star rating, it's usually because I still liked it, but didn't find it particularly memorable. It didn't stand out to me. And that was the case with Saving June. I really liked the story. I enjoyed reading it while I was reading it. I even cried. It was a heartbreaking story. But in the end, I felt it wasn't good enough to reward with a 4 star rating. I tend to avoid books that deal with difficult topics. I will not read books about Dementia and Cancer. They hit too close to home for me. I don't know anyone that has been affected by suicide, but it still was a hard topic for me to read about. I can only imagine how it would affect someone who had been close to the topic of suicide. But here's the thing. As sad as this book was, I still found the characters kind of flat and I lacked an emotional connection with them. And that's the other reason why I gave Saving June a 3 star rating. The road trip itself was great. That was totally fun to read about. I loved the different situations Harper found herself in. I loved all the different music recommendations. And I must have great taste in music, because I knew and liked most of the artists and songs. Jake and Laney were great supporting characters, but again, they were not particularly memorable. You may find yourself with a completely different opinion than me though on this. Saving June is getting a lot of 4 star and 5 star reviews. I loved the ending. It was soooo sad. It was the perfect conclusion to the story, but it wasn't enough to make it a favorite. Read it for yourself and see if you agree with me. And then be sure and let me know when you do.

[xnirvanafreakx · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Saving June was a very emotional account of the roller-coaster ride that ensues after a loved one has committed suicide. I was expecting this book to be on the darker side with a lot of grief and sorrowful moments, and while it did have its fair share of those, it was also a very fun read. I'm always up for reading a good book about a road trip, and this one was no disappointment. There were definitely some interesting characters in the book that I enjoyed getting to know, such as Harper's crazy Jesus-freak aunt, but most of the story focused around three main characters. First, there's Harper, who I felt completely sympathetic towards. I could clearly feel her pain through the snappy, bitter tone she displayed most of the time, and it made my heart ache to imagine being in her situation, always feeling inferior to June while she was alive and then still being compared to her after her death, knowing that she'll never live up to the expectations of everyone around her. Then there's Laney, Harper's best friend whose parents let her pretty much do as she pleases with little expectations, and Jake, who has had his fair share of problems as well, is completely obsessed with music, and holds a mysterious connection to June that Harper can't quite figure out.There are so many amazing things in this book: the friendship between Harper and Laney, and relationship that forms between Harper and Jake, the music that narrates the story and provides the soundtrack to their road trip, all of the fun touristy things that take place along the way, and the more serious moments that each character experiences. While "saving" June, Harper also learns a lot about herself along the way. With the help of Jake, Harper goes from trying to build up a wall around everything to block out her emotions, to being able to let them out and feel comfortable with what she feels. Saving June was a very powerful and very well-written book that provided a wonderful mixture of heavier issues and fun experiences, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a moving yet fun read.

[jonilee73 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I know that summary doesn't really tell you much about this book. But trust me, it will blow you away. I know I have mentioned it before and I will say it again. There is something in the water amongst YA authors writing about the death of a sibling, be it by suicide or accident. But each time I read a novel where that is a key plot point it is done differently. Sometimes it is done extraordinarily. Saving June is one of those books. It pulls you in from the opening scene during June's wake and it keeps your attention the whole way through to the end.I felt an immediate connection with Harper. It wasn't exactly that I felt for her because she didn't even know what to feel. She was sad, angry, numb. Name a negative emotion and I guarantee Harper was feeling it during June's wake. Her older sister, thought by all to be happy go lucky, perfect all the time had just curled up in the backseat of her car and swallowed a bottle of sleeping pills. How would you feel?During a brief repreive from the houseful of mourners Harper runs into Jake, a mysterious boy who seems to hold a grudge against Harper though she has never seen him before in her life. Though he seemed to have known June. After a series of event unfolds Harper winds up deciding to travel cross country with Jake and her best friend Laney in an effort to come to peace with her sister's death. But she never intended to fall in love along the way.A huge factor in this book is the saving grace of music. How it brings people together and also brings peace to the soul because a song can take every emotion you have bottled up inside and express it in a way that you yourself never could. There is even a playlist at the end of the novel of all the songs mentioned in the book. Instead of most books, which talk about bands that don't exist and songs that the reader can never hear, this book features real bands and songs that you will most likely hear if you switch on the radio right now. It makes the book more relateable that it already is.What didn't I like about the book? Nothing major. I didn't connect well with Harper's name for some reason. You know the feeling. Where you love the character but halfway through the book you can't for the life of you remember what their name is? Yeah, it was like that for me. And that's really the only issue I had. The characters were well developed and I fell in love with each one of them. I would definitely read anything else by this author.

[booknerdreviews · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is one of those types that get you intrigued very early on in the book and continue to command your attention throughout. It was an absolute page turner!Harper's sister June committed suicide and Harper is left not understanding why she did it. Her divorced parents are fighting over June's ashes and plan on splitting them in two and keeping half each. Harper - feeling like June wouldn't have wanted this decides that she is taking the ashes to California (a place that June always wanted to go to) to scatter them.Whilst the book starts off looking like it's a story about grief.. it's about so much more than that. Harper plans on going to California with her best friend Lacey, and then she meets Jake - a friend of her sisters who insists on driving with the girls to California.What starts out as a story about life and death becomes the ULTIMATE road trip story (complete with song lists at the back if you feel so inclined!) about self discovery, and building relationships, and all the other types of drama that come with being a teenager.One thing I really loved about this story was it felt so true. It didn't feel contrived at all - it was honest and raw at times, but it was true throughout which as a reader that is a little bit older, I truly appreciated where it was coming from. The characters had so much depth that I could truly imagine them whilst I was reading.This story ultimately whilst based on a girl trying to come to terms with the loss of her sister is also a romance, and a story about friendship, families and life on the road!LOVED this book, if I had a rating system higher than 5 it would be scoring even higher.

[jacindahinten · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I was super excited to read Saving June! I was hearing awesome things about it early on, especially because of the earlier release date in Australia. Many reviewers/readers had mentioned it making their favorites list at the end of 2011. Overall Saving June was just an alright book to me.CALLING ALL MUSIC LOVERS! You will probably fall in love with Saving June. Saving June is packed full of music, Jake works at a music store and knows everything about bands and songs. Hannah Harrington even included playlists at the end of the book. I’m usually a lover of books involving music (even thought I’m not much of a music fan myself), but many music related conversation regarding artists and songs were over my head and I could have easily read over those paragraphs. The descriptions of musical artists and songs were too in-depth for my liking.Many discussions in Saving June involved philosophy and activism and such. This was another part of Saving June I felt could have been left out completely. I’m not sure why it was included in the story anyway because Jake, Harper, and Laney weren’t really involved in it in the first place, maybe I missed the point.I did understand Harper’s feelings toward her sister and wanting to do right by her. All of her thoughts and attitude toward June are very real and believable. Laney, Harper’s best friend, is what a best friend should be. She’s always there for her and knows what Harper needs before she even has to voice it. Hannah Harrington’s writing style I loved.Saving June was easy for me to put down while reading; I wasn’t completely engrossed in the story. It wasn’t gripping my attention so I knew it wasn’t going to me a favorite book of mine. I think many readers will LOVE Saving June, it just wasn’t for me and I know I’ll be in the minority. Especially If you a music buff, give Saving June a shot! I’m willing to read more of Hannah’s stories in the future just because of how she writes!(I wasn’t swooning over the love interest Jake either, sorry…)(I struggled with the rating on Saving June, I almost gave it 2 stars. After writing this review, I noticed I didn’t have many nice things to say about the book)