The Story of My Sister • Saving June

Saving June by Hannah Harrington

Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication Date: November 22, 2011

Source/Format: Won || Paperback

Harper Scott's older sister June has taken her own life - and she's left Harper to grieve and to wonder why. When her parents make plans to split June's ashes, Harper leaves on a cross-country trip with her best friend Laney and Jake, a boy she barely knows, but who has a special connection with June, to California. June might have been keeping secrets, but Jake has one too - and it might just change everything in Harper's world all over again.

Based on my experience with Hannah Harrington’s other novel Speechless, I was certain I would love the way Saving June was written. And I wasn’t disappointed – it’s a beautifully written novel, bringing to life a story about a girl grieving for her sister, and the amazing best friend and the sweet boy who support her along the way. 

It is not a secret to anyone who regularly reads this blog that I absolutely love road trips. Despite the sadness that serves as the catalyst for the trip in the first place, I think that the journey they went on was so much fun. The fact that they visited all these states and experienced these awesome things as a trio was pretty epic. After reading this book, I wanted to go on a road trip so bad. 

What makes any road trip memorable and fun are the people who decide to come along for the ride. Harper, Jake & Laney are such a great trio to tag along with, and it’s because I loved each one of them that I enjoyed being a part of their trip even more. 

Harper is still grieving for her sister June, and that’s fairly apparent from the start of the book. While she did have moments of weakness, overall, I really admired the strength of her will and her stubbornness. It was also a nice touch to see how sometimes she underestimated herself, as it seemed to remind readers that she was so used to being the completely below average daughter in comparison to June, who was very nearly the perfect daughter. 

Laney should win an award for being such an awesome and supportive friend. I think she handled her role as Harper’s pillar of support quite well, in equal parts being the comforter, the joker and providing some tough, honest love. She was definitely the perfect foil for Harper & Jake, and I’m glad that Hannah decided to make her a part of this book. 

As for Jake, well, I loved him. From the get go, I thought he was such a cool character – a badass, but a badass with a heart (which is what I generally tend to prefer when it comes to boys…). The interesting part of Jake’s character, to me, was the incredible fascination with and knowledge of music he possessed. He was also incredibly sweet, but also incredibly… well, boyish, and I liked that too. 

I enjoyed reading about Harper & Jake’s relationship, because it really felt authentic to me. Grief and proximity are two things that can definitely play a role in moving a relationship along a bit faster than normal, and I think that was the case with them. However, I do love that there’s a mutual sense of respect and recognition of each other’s qualities that helps build a foundation for a solid friendship/relationship between them. 

The book ends on a fitting note, leaving it open-ended and pretty much for the reader to determine what happens next to these characters. In my head, Jake and Harper are together forever and Laney finds a nice boy to settle down with – and they go on an annual road trip in June’s memory. 

I loved Saving June as much as I enjoyed Speechless, and I really do think that the hype it garnered in the book blogging community when it first came out is totally warranted. It’s a beautiful, poignant tale of grieving, loving and letting go.