Saving June: Review
Genre: Coming of Age, Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Review:
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.
