A week before graduating from high school, June Scott, Harper's older sister commits suicide. She seems to have everything going for her. An outstanding student, she was planning to go to college. Why did she choose to end her life? No one seems to know, let alone Harper or her divorcing parents. Instead they decide to divide her ashes between them. Harper can't believe that her parents want to divide June's remains. As she ponders the decision, she comes to one of her own. She will go to California where June always had dreamed of going. To the beaches and sunny shores she knew she would love.
Inviting her best friend, Laney, she begins planning the long trip. Jake Tolan, a boy who always seemed to be in trouble approaches her at school and states that he will go with them. Harper has no idea why or how he could possibly be connected to her sister. Yet when he insists, volunteering to drive them himself, she agrees. Jake can be fun, agreeable and sometimes even charming. Other times he is difficult but he has one redeeming feature - he believes that music is the solution, particularly classic rock. Still she doesn't know why he is going to California with them. Will she discover the reason on the trip?
Inviting her best friend, Laney, she begins planning the long trip. Jake Tolan, a boy who always seemed to be in trouble approaches her at school and states that he will go with them. Harper has no idea why or how he could possibly be connected to her sister. Yet when he insists, volunteering to drive them himself, she agrees. Jake can be fun, agreeable and sometimes even charming. Other times he is difficult but he has one redeeming feature - he believes that music is the solution, particularly classic rock. Still she doesn't know why he is going to California with them. Will she discover the reason on the trip?
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 wasnt sure Id 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 griefor, 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. Harpers grief became less plot-driven (i.e. there for the sake of the story) and more character-driven (genuine poignant grief over Junes 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. Youd 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 wont regret it.
To be honest, I wasnt sure Id 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 griefor, 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. Harpers grief became less plot-driven (i.e. there for the sake of the story) and more character-driven (genuine poignant grief over Junes 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. Youd 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 wont regret it.
