Review: Saving June by Hannah Harrington

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

Your sister is dead. Nineteen songs can tell you why. Only one boy can help you understand.
Harper Scott's older sister, June, took her own life a week before high school graduation, leaving Harper devastated. So when her divorcing parents decide to split up June's ashes, Harper steals the urn and takes off cross-country with her best friend, Laney, to the one place June always dreamed of going-California.
Enter Jake Tolan, a boy with a bad attitude, a classic-rock obsession...and an unknown connection to June. When he insists on joining them, Harper's just desperate enough to let him. With his alternately charming and infuriating demeanour and his belief that music can see you through anything, he might be exactly what Harper needs. Except...Jake's keeping a secret that has the power to turn her life upside down again.
About the Author:
Hannah Harrington is a 23-yearsold. She got the idea for Saving June during the summer after high school, while living out of her car and working as a pizza cook. It wasn't until she was twenty-one that she decided to write a story around the scenes she'd scribbled into a notebook years before.

MY TAKE:

This book reminded me of Elizabethtown and Sarah Dessen's Just Listen. That is, the vibe is the same and some of the elements are the same, even if the story itself is different.

Saving June centers around Harper, who has lost her sister to suicide. In a spur of the moment decision, she decides to head to California with her best friend Laney. Jake Tolan, a guy who was a friend of June's wants to go with them. And so begins a memorable road trip for everyone.

Think darker and more rock-n-roll Sarah Dessen and you have an idea of what to expect from this book. The plot is okay, and there are parts that are predictable or were wrapped up too conveniently. However, I liked June. With some heroines, you just want to scream at them, but with June, I never felt that as she did things that I would have done or wanted to do.

Jake is not really my type, but he has great taste in music. In fact, the entire book is filled with awesome songs and artists. I liked that they mentioned Ani Difranco in the book. I'm a fan of hers, obviously. The song mentioned in the book is Falling is Like This. It's not my favorite, but I still like this song. If you are curious about Ani, try listening to Grey first before listening to this one.

This book is great in that it's about music and love and family. It's real, and sometimes unflinching. The girls curse and drink and smoke. It would have been better if some of the things weren't too convenient, but when it comes to character development, I'll give this 5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and MIRA Ink for the e-ARC.

THE GOOD:

1. The music choices are great.
2. The story tugs at your heart strings.
3. Harper feels real.

THE BAD:

1. The music may not be everyone's cup of tea.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

"Ani DiFranco," she says at my quizzical look. "She'll change your life."

READ IT IF:

1. You like rock, alternative, folk and other non-mainstream music.
2. You like Sarah Dessen's books.
3. You like roadtrip books.

RATING:



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