Saving June

The moment I started this book, I could not put it down. Harper is a sixteen year old girl, who has just lost her older sister, June, to suicide. The raw emotions and vulnerability that come from that are not only real, but relatable as well. I have never personally lost someone to suicide, but I could feel the hurt, anger, guilt, and every other emotion through Harper. Hannah Harrington does an impeccable job of writing this story.

The characters were real. Not a single one of them was perfect (in a nothing is wrong with them way). Harper feels guilty for not seeing that her "perfect" sister was about to commit suicide. She was the one who found her sister, and is now angry at June for not even leaving a note to explain why. Harper's best friend, Laney, is always there for Harper, no matter what. And after Harper's mother and her judgmental aunt aren't there for her like she needs them to be, she turns to Laney to help her figure out how to get June's ashes to California (June wanted to move there). At the wake, Harper meets Jake, a boy she's never seen before, and she wonders why he is there. When Jake insists that he drive Laney and Harper across the country to California, she agrees.

The road trip was written perfectly. I enjoyed how the road trip wasn't rushed, they three of them took their time, seeing sights, eating local foods, even participating in a protest in Chicago. I certainly enjoyed the stop in St. Louis very much since that is where I'm from! :) As they cross the country, Jake and Harper start to form something more and Harper must decide if she knows him well enough to trust him with her heart.

I thought the story had a wonderful pace and when it ended, I didn't want it to. Harper's story is a heart felt, gut wrenching coming of age story. By far the best contemporary book I've read! You need to read this book!

This read was definitely one on the fence for me. While the overall idea and feel of this book was promising, the actual story itself fell a little flat.

For me, I think the biggest problem was “show, don’t tell.” This story seemed to do a lot of telling and very little showing, which is surprising for a book that’s written in first person narrative. The main character Harper was written to be strong and stubborn, sort of angsty - actually, she’s supposed to have a whole lot of angst. Yet, what I saw was a girl who referenced to a whole lot of angst, but showed very little. This is also a girl who is dealing with the death of her beloved sister and the only time you feel as though Harper has any emotion toward her sister, it’s when she randomly bursts into tears at what feels like very convenient times in the novel.

There are also many things that I felt were never wrapped up. We never really know what happens to Harper’s parents, or her aunt. Laney’s problem seems to resolve itself with a nice bow on top, but we never get to really see why. I felt many opportunities were missed as well, including a chance to actually see some type of real emotion from Harper at the end and quite possibly actual bonding between her and Jake. It’s written there but, again, it’s just kind of summarized as part of something that happened - yet, we never have the chance to see it.

Despite these things, I did actually enjoy reading Saving June. Harrington’s writing is engaging and keeps it easy to read. There were some moments in the story that made me laugh out loud, and even some parts that did tug at my heart. And though I did have issues with Harper, the characters themselves seemed to be authentic. Even if it was more told than shown, Harper’s grief seemed genuine to me. I also loved Laney’s obsession with James Dean and other movie stars that died in their prime, as well as Jake’s love for music.

Overall, this was a book that I did enjoy reading as a whole and I would definitely say it’s worth the read.

A beautifully written story full of raw emotion and smooth flowing dialogue. Harper Scott, is the sister that just doesn't measure up in her family at least not the way her older sister June does. June's always been the sister everyone loves; she's prettier, smarter, nicer, more likable, just plain better. Harper has always wanted to be June and while they used to be close when they were little, they aren't anymore now that they're teenagers but when June commits suicide, everyone still looks to Harper for answers. She doesn't have any answers but knowing that June dreamed of moving to California one day, Harper decides that maybe a road trip to scatter her ashes there will not only help relieve some of the guilt she feels but will also help June find rest.

Harper enlists the help of her best friend Laney on this road trip and they also have an uninvited guest - Jake. Jake is a stranger to Harper but someone who claims to have known June well and even though she's hesitant at first, she allows him to come along in the hopes that maybe he can help her figure out why June made the choice she did. What ends up happening is nothing like Harper expects but might just be exactly what she needs.

The characters in this story are complex yet relateable. I felt like I could put a name of someone I know in real life to each one. Harper seems to be the typical angst ridden teen with goth like tendencies but as the layers of her heart get peeled back you begin to see that she's created this self protective wall because she's had too. At one point she explains that her mother loved June too much and her not enough. How sad is that?! June has definitely been the "golden" daughter in this family and they've made the mistake of expecting Harper to be "just like your sister" instead of who she was created to be. As a result, she's lived up to their expectations of her which sadly, haven't been very high. What they've failed to see is how selfless, honest and caring she is. She hides behind her sarcasm and snarky foul mouth but she's the first one to give up what she wants in order to appease someone else's feelings. She's stronger than she gives herself credit for and while she makes some poor choices along her road trip through grief, one can't help but wonder if she'd even make them at all if her family loved and supported her the way they should.

Laney is Harper's BFF! She's smart, beautiful and has parents who are well off but who pay her very little attention, only caring that she keeps her grades up. This effective parenting style works so well that is forces Laney to go "looking for love in all the wrong places". She tends to make friends easily and this is something that Harper admires about her, being able to assimilate into any group or social situation without feeling awkward. She loves Harper like a sister and is fiercely protective of her which is always a good quality to have in a friend. Laney's carefree lifestyle catches up to her eventually and we also see that she too is different than what she projects to the outside world.

Then there's Jake... Jake shows up at the wake (hey, that rhymes!) and proceeds to simultaneously tweak Harper's interest with what he claims to know about June (even though he's not like anyone June would ever have hung out with) and tick her off at the same time with his attitude and his hotness. He and Harper have this hilarious and no holes barred banter that had me in tears of laughter. (The "Dateline" conversation was one of my favorites!) He's tall and lean with amazing green eyes (the first thing Harper notices) and hair that looks like he's cut it himself. He's like a Jedi master when it comes to music and prefers songs that speak to him. He's a complicated guy who drives Harper crazy one minute while setting her heart a flutter the next but he too has a story that is almost as heartbreaking as Harper's...almost.

Aunt Helen is Harper's aunt and honestly, she gives Christian's a bad name. Many times I cringed while reading this, wanting to smack her and hug Harper but I had to remember that people like her are also hurting in some way and would benefit more from my hug and prayers than my smack. (So maybe just an air smack to remind Aunt Helen that Jesus would NOT approve of her treatment of Harper? Yeah, probably not...)

There is heartbreak, pain, loss and healing in this book and several lessons to be learned - like not being too quick to judge a person by their outward appearance. Just because a person may seem like they have it all together or they're happy doesn't mean that they are. Every single person has insecurities and sometimes you have to dig deeper, past the clothes, the makeup, the walls people put up in order to see the heart of someone. Another lesson? Don't be afraid of life. To love. To hurt. To feel. To have faith. It's what makes us who we are and how we're able to connect with one another. Don't. Be. Afraid.

The soundtrack listings at the end were a personal favorite of mine and I was happy to see such a great mix. (no "Mix CD" pun intended) I also agree with Jake when he was explaining to Harper how good music speaks to him when he doesn't have the words himself...I feel the exact same way.