Review: Saving June by Hannah Harrington

Saving June by Hannah Harrington

November 22, 2011

Harlequin Teen

Synopsis:
When her older sister commits suicide and her divorcing parents decide to divide the ashes, Harper Scott takes her sister's urn to the one place June always wanted to go: California. On the road with her best friend, plus an intriguing guy with a mysterious connection to June, Harper discovers truths about her sister, herself and life.

My Review:
SAVING JUNE is a remarkable read that is sure to touch YA readers. Harrington doesn't hold anything back and I appreciate her for that. She handles a very fragile subject with ease and as someone who has had to deal with a suicide in the family, I was deeply affected. Harper has to come to terms with her sisters shocking death and at the same time find out who she is. SAVING JUNE is a truly wonderful and powerful novel.

Harper is a very closed person whose life is crumbling around her. Her sister June committed suicide, her mother and father are divorced, her aunt is absolutely insane, and she doesn't even know who she is. All her life June has been the center of attention, the golden child, and she has always been in the background. She doesn't yearn for attention but still wishes for some kind of acknowledgement from her family. The road trip to California to spread her sisters ashes opens up many doors for Harper and helps open her to who she could be.

I cannot get over how amazing Harper is. She doesn't apologize for who she is and won't change just because her mother and aunt want her to. I felt for all the pain that she had to go through. No one should have to lose someone close to them like she did, and besides her friend Laney, she had no support system. There were so many times in the story where I just wanted to jump into the book and give Harper a big hug. Even though her life sucks, she is still able to live and experience all of life's joys and heartaches. She grows into a much better person by the end of the novel and I was so proud of her.

Harper's best friend Laney rocks! She is such a great friend to Harper and will do anything for her. I just loved her carefree personality. She is very adventurous and Harper definitely needed someone like her in her life. Then there is Jake. He is just as complex as Harper and somehow involved in June's life. He is very mysterious and quite yummy! The moments between him and Harper range from sweet to downright explosive! They have some major chemistry between each other.

SAVING JUNE is a powerful and memorable YA that will leave you reflecting on life. Harrington is a fantastic author and I am her new fan! I look forward to more from her.


My Rating: