Saving June

Read more at The Flyleaf Review

Opening Line:

"According to the puppy-of-the-month calendar hanging in the kitchen, my sister June died on a Thursday, exactly nine days before her high school graduation."

My Take On It

When I first began reading Saving June, I knew very little about it other than the main character, Harper, has suffered the loss of her older sister, June, to suicide. So why the title Saving June? As far as I knew, the sister's death had already occurred. How do you save someone who is already dead? This was just one of the questions I had, and after reading the book, I was able to understand the reason it is titled this way. Saving June is a book about losing someone who no one knew they were in danger of losing. But it show more also a book about discovery, for along the way to discovering more about her sister, Harper also discovers more about herself in the process.

I have to admit that when I started the book I had a hard time relating to or connecting with protagonist Harper. She reminded me of a couple of other main characters in books I had read recently, Sam from Before I Fall (Lauren Oliver) and Andy from Revolution (Jennifer Donnelly.) At the book's start, both characters were REALLY hard to root for as there was very little to like about either of them. Harper sort of started off in the same vein. She had suffered a tragic loss in her life to be sure, but her bad attitude and black sheep mentality and been in place before her sister's suicide. Harper's a hard ass. June was always the perfect one, so rather than compete, Harper opted out completely and crafted herself into the polar opposite of her sister. Or so she thought. After June's death, Harper realizes just how little she knew her sister. And this makes her feel angry and empty at the same time. I loved watching Harper come to terms with these feelings and evolve throughout the course of the book.

Even with my initial feelings concerning Harper, from the start there were aspects of her personality I liked. She's got opinions and she's not afraid to share them. She's extremely protective of her best friend Laney, so much so that she'll take on ANYONE who messes with her. There is a scene in which Laney and Harper encounter a not so nice biker-esque guy at a concert, and let me tell you, Harper's reaction to this guy's crude comments absolutely floored me. My jaw literally dropped as I was reading it, and I thought "Oh my God, she is bad ass." She was already growing on me by this point in the story, but that scene right there clenched it. I was officially in awe of Harper Scott. But even with her hard exterior, Harper has a vulnerable side, and it's the combination of the two that make her such an unforgettable character.

In addition to Harper and Laney, an acquaintance of June's, who had some mysterious connection to her, also joins them on their road trip, the rebel bad boy Jake. And guess what? There is no instalove folks! Not a trace! In fact, Harper and Jake argue repeatedly throughout much of the book. Both have strong personalities and when Harper shows her butt, Jake dishes it right back at her. I loved this because it seemed REAL. It's not that I think a bunch of arguing makes for good romance, but both Harper and Jake are complicated individuals with complicated issues, and a bright and rosy romance would just seem insincere when there is so much turmoil in their lives. I will say that when they do connect it's pretty intense. And very sweet. Jake becomes a very supportive influence on Harper, and witnessing her open up and allow him closer is one of my favorite parts of the story.

"Do you think it's my fault?" I blurt out. Jake frowns at me, so I clear my throat and say," For not knowing anything was wrong. With June." I look down at my hands. "I know you probably blame me for it."
"I don't blame you."
I scoff. "Come on. Admit it. When I saw you at the wake, you hated me. You didn't even know me and you hated me."
"That's not--I didn't--I mean..." He rolls a clementine back and forth against the ground. I watch the movement so I don't have to look at his face. "I... I guess maybe I did hate you, a little, when I first heard what happened," he admits.
He lets go of the clementine, and I look at him, even though it hurts to hear this. At least he hasn't lied to me. He only knows how to hurt me with the truth.
"But that was stupid," he adds. "I just wanted think it was someone's--anyone's--fault. I thought someone closer to her, someone in her family, should've seen something was wrong. I was so pissed at myself for not realizing." He takes a breath, drawing his gaze up from the clementine to meet mine. "And...and all that was before I knew you."
Does Jake really know me? It is weird, that I've only known him for so little time, but I feel like I've told him more about myself than anyone I know, maybe even more than Laney. I guess it was easier, since we didn't have any history, for me to be honest. Because even if he judged me, it wasn't like it mattered. Except that doesn't feel true anymore. It feels like it does matter, what he thinks. I want him to know everything and still not hate me for it.

Without Jake, an integral part of this book would be missing: Music. I capitalized it on purpose because it's that important to this story. Music is Jake's life. It's his passion. I liked the banter back and forth between Harper and Jake in regards to their individual musical tastes. Jake's a music snob and Harper calls him out on it on more than one occasion. I laughed out loud at her sarcasm and numerous eye rolling when Jake would begin to go all highbrow on her.

"Okay," he says slowly, and I can tell he's working to not let his impatience creep into his tone, "so what music do you like?"
"I dunno." I shrug. "Usually I listen to whatever Laney listens to."
"I didn't ask what music you listen to. I asked what music you like."
I stop and think about it for a minute. "Well...I like some of the more indie stuff. You know--Arcade Fire, Regina Spektor, Magnetic Fields, Tegan and Sara, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists. Rilo Kiley's first album was awesome. Laney listen to this Sri Lankan female rapper, I forget her name, but I enjoy her." I pause. "And the Beatles. I can't lie. I love the Beatles."
"Now we're getting somewhere," he says with the hint of a smile. He squints at me appraisingly. "Let me guess. You're a Paul girl?"
"Please! I happen to think Ringo is severely underrated," I say. "But let me guess--you're a Lennon fan?"
He's totally that type. Probably thinks he's bigger than Jesus, too.
I know I've pegged him right when shrugs and says, "Guilty as charged."
So predictable.

But music plays a large role for Harper as well. Not only is music one of the triggers that initiates Harper's search to learn about the side of her sister's life she never knew existed, it's also a form of therapy for Harper. And in the end music helps Harper come to terms with her sister's death.

"You want to know why I love music?"
"Enlighten me." I sniffle. My face must be such a mess right now.
"Eric Clapton had a four year old son who fell forty-nine stories through an open window of their apartment and died," he says.
I stare at him in return, waiting to see how this could possibly be relevant to his point.
"Clapton wrote this song about it, after, and it just--It rips your heart out," he continues."It is the best kind devastating there is. He took his pain and turned it into something beautiful. Into something that people connect to. And that's what good music does. It speaks to you. It changes you.” Jake leans in toward me a little closer, voice softening."What I am trying to say is it's just nice, I guess. Knowing that someone else can put into words what I feel. That there are people who have been through things worse than I have, and they come out on the other side okay. Not only that, but they made some kind of twisted, fucked-up sense of the completely senseless. They made it mean something. These songs tell me I'm not alone. If you look at it at that way, music... music can see you through anything.”

And it's true isn't it? Even if you aren't a music snob like Jake, everyone has a story about a song. You know the one. The one that brings back all those memories about that particular moment in your life. And every time you hear that song, on the radio, in that store, it all comes rushing back to you. Or maybe there is another song, the one that got you through a bad time in your life, or perhaps one that you listened to when you were in the best of moods. Music, and words, have that power. That power to make you feel connected to the world and everyone in it. Like Jake said, to tell you that you aren't alone. That your experiences are shared.

So what about that title? Saving June? There is a line near the end, when they reach California and Harper says her final goodbye to June, and she says though she wasn't able to do it when she was alive, maybe this is how she can save her sister. By getting her to the one place she wanted to be. By learning more about who she was, and who she wasn't. And by being able to understand, that there was no way she, or anyone, could've saved her sister from herself. And though the hurt and loss Harper feels will never disappear entirely, it's time to try and move forward.

“I gaze out at the glittering sea, the breathtaking sky above it, and think of birds and the moment before the fall, and how my sister as a child had been strong enough for the both of us, and I wonder when exactly that changed. I don't know when, but it did. Jake was right - I'm strong in a way June never was. Because I know that I want to be here. Even with the pain. Even with the ugliness. I've seen the other side - marching side by side down city streets with people who all believe they can change the world and the view of the sunset from Fridgehenge and Tom Waits lyrics and doing the waltz and kisses so hot they melt into each other and best friends who hold your hand and stretching out underneath a sky draped with stars and everything else. There is so much beauty in just existing. In being alive. I don't want to miss a second.”

Without spoiling I will say that Harper is able to find some closure in the end. And for me it was very emotional. Books that deal with suicide are tough to read, and I'm the first to admit that they make me uncomfortable and usually aren't my first choice. But there is something about this book that is different. I think the writing is superb, it's not flowery but it is profound. And it sends a strong and ultimately positive message. I read this at the start of the year, and I still think about it, it's that kind of story. In conclusion, I'm really impressed with Hannah Harrington's debut, and I'm looking forward to her sophomore release Speechless due to be released September of this year.

4/5 Stars show less

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 show more 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.

(Review based on an Advanced Reader's Copy courtesy of the publisher) show less

Wow. Saving June was FANTASTICALY AMAZING. Such an intense and moving story filled with steamy romance and mega tears and an awesome road trip.

Wait, that review isn’t sufficient enough? I don’t know how else to put it. Saving June was, hands down, one of my favourite books this year. I LOVED Harper and Jake’s witty banter and musical debates and their actual fights and the steamy romance and the witty and fun best friend Laney in the backseat with her own commentary and her own drama.

Oh, speaking of drama – HEARTBREAK. The build up to the road trip and the grieving and the gah IT’S SO SAD. One of my favourite things to read about is the way different people deal with grief and all sorts of different ways and let me just say show more – Saving June is a wonderful story of grief and loss and it made me cry. Big fat tears in the middle of class.

I also read some steamy scenes during class (yeah, I ought to stop reading books in class) and had to put it down cause my face was all flushed. But I legit think Harper and Jake were my favourite couple of all the books I read this year. I think. Probably. Definitely up there in the running.

Overall, if you love contemporary YA books featuring road trips, build-up romance with a side of steamy, wonderful best friends, achingly upsetting grief, and music, please oh please pick up Saving June. You will love it. show less

I love stories featuring road trips and cute guys who are obsessed with music (I was definitely swooning over Jake!). As a music buff, I appreciated all the references to music and the playlists included with the story. Harper is real, raw, and angsty, and she grows over the course of the story. I loved her friendship with Laney and her growing relationship with Jake. The mystery with Jake's connection to her sister was intriguing. Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to fans of stories involving grief, road trips, and/or music!

This may be one of my favorite books. The writing style makes the characters seem so real, the events plausible, the growth achievable. The story makes me want to get in the car and drive cross-country to California myself. I want to couch surf with random family friends, participate in a rally, see the sights, live the music.
I think the growth Harper expierences is a growth we all come to understand, that some things really are worth the risk and worth the pain, you just have to find them.

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 show more 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. show less

"If she'd waited less than two weeks, she'd be June who died in June. But I guess my sister didn't think of that.

When Harper Scott's sister, June, takes her own life a week before her high school graduation, sixteen year-old Harper is devastated. Everyone is sorry, but no one can explain why.

When her divorcing parents decide to split up her sister's ashes, she decides to take matters into her own hands. She'll steal the urn and drive cross-country with her best friend, Laney, to the one place June always dreamed of going -- California.

Enter Jake Tolan. He's a boy with a bad attitude and a classic rock-obsession ... and an unknown connection to June. So when he insists on joining them, Harper's just desperate enough to let him. With his show more alternately charming and infuriating demeanor, and his belief that music can see you through anything, he might be exactly what she needs. Except ... Jake's keeping a secret that has the power to turn Harper's life upside down -- again."

Saving June is a stunning debut from Hannah Harrington who tenderly balances the gravity of suicide by injecting moments of humor.

I was immediately captivated from the first few words that Harper Scott uttered. She's a straightforward person who says what she means and doesn’t sugarcoat things. She’s at a loss for how to process her sister's death. A few things compound the situation – June didn’t leave behind a note, their parents had just recently finalized their divorce and they’re emotionally useless.

Harper is heavy with guilt and anger that she had no inkling about what was happening with her sister. They had drifted apart in recent years with their differences becoming more apparent. June was the golden child, seemingly happy and successful at whatever she did. Harper accepted that she could never live up to her and never sought to emulate her. This is where I find that she's a breath of fresh air. There’s no mystery surrounding why she behaves as rebelliously as she does. She's the polar opposite of what June was. Where June was the more polite, thoughtful daughter, Harper is the abrasive one.

In going through June’s room, Harper comes across a couple of things that puzzle her. First, June had originally been planning on going to college in California but that fell through. So Harper is baffled when she finds a post card of California with June’s handwriting on the back suggesting that she was heading out there anyway. Second, there was a mix CD in the car that June was listening to when she died. The content of the mix CD was a surprise because it wasn’t exactly June’s taste in music, at least as far as Harper was aware of. The stark realization that she genuinely didn't know who her sister was really hits her hard.

As reparation for their lack of closeness when she was alive, Harper decides to fulfill June’s dream of going to California by taking her ashes out there. She’s accompanied on this trip by her best friend Laney and the mysterious Jake who has a connection to June that Harper is determined to solve.

Most of the book takes place with them on the road and I have to say that there were times when I literally laughed out loud. Harper’s dry humor and self-analysis can be very insightful and amusing. I loved the road trip! Harper’s best friend Laney is fun and thankfully not the annoying kind of best friend. She’s doing her best to be there for Harper even though she’s not entirely sure what she should do. While she has her own issues to deal with, it’s clear that Harper is a very important person in her life and she’s there at her side no matter what.

But my favorite dynamic is between Harper and Jake. They easily rub each other the wrong way but they also refuse to back down from each other. Jake is a music geek, a very good-looking music geek, and it’s music that plays a pivotal role in this book. He introduces the girls to a wide array and happily relates the stories behind the bands or the songs. Surprisingly, music provides the much-needed catharsis for Harper to navigate through her confusion and guilt. And even more startling to her, she finds herself drawn to Jake as she learns to deal with moving on.

Saving June is such a poignant story about how each person deals with tragedy in their lives and learning to accept the different ways they come to terms with it. It’s also about how unlikely people help one another recognize themselves and offer a different perspective. Harper's own self-revelation is bittersweet yet also a reason to rejoice. The characters are so tangible that I believe readers will find something in each one that resonates with them. And as someone who has always felt like Jake does about music, I’m so impressed with how effortlessly Hannah Harrington entwines it with the story, particularly in one chapter when the recounting of an old Eric Clapton song evoked such heartbreak that I did shed a few tears.

I give Saving June our highest rating. I thoroughly enjoyed everything about it and I was actually reluctant to pick up another book so soon because it left such an indelible mark on me. It’s strange - considering what it's about that you'd think I'd be left feeling somber. Instead, it left me feeling joyful and I can't help but smile every time I think about it. Every once in a while you come across something that just blows you away and Saving June is that for me. It's easily one of my favorites of the year!

~ Bel

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