So so so good. I love it. It's beautiful and heartbreaking and I didn't want it to end. I tried to take my time to draw it out till the very last word, but I couldn't because I just kept turning the page without realizing it and then it was 5am, lol. I thought all the characters were amazing and relatable and I would have loved to read more about them but the ending was perfect and I wouldn't want it any other way.

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Good touching story. Teen fiction. Harper and her best friend go cross country with a friend of June, her sister. Harper starts to learn more about June after June commits suicide. ( )

A Recommended Read. Hannah Harrington’s debut novel Saving June is a beautiful mix of humor, angst, heartbreak and healing. To read my review in its entirety, please visit http://bookreviewsandmorebykathy.com/?p=618 ( )

While this is definitely a title for more high school level readers, I really enjoyed it as an adult. I don't think even my eighth graders are up for it, though. Fans of John Green or Laurie Halse Anderson would like this one- it is a coming of age story about a girl with anger and self-esteem issues. She is one of the most real-to-life characters I have read in quite some time. I especially liked the fact that at the end of the story, she doesn't become a perfect princess, either. She is still the same person, but she has also grown. Overall a very good story. ( )

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. ( )