Saving June by Hannah Harrington

Title: Saving June
Author: Hannah Harrington
Release Date: November 22nd, 2011
Publisher: Harlequinteen
Pages: 336
Format: Electronic Copy
Acquired: ARC; Netgalley
Age Group: Young Adult
Rating: 5 Stars

Harper Scott’s older sister has always been the perfect one so when June takes her own life a week before her high school graduation, sixteen-year-old Harper is devastated. Everyone’s sorry, but no one can explain why.

When her divorcing parents decide to split her sister’s ashes into his-and-her urns, Harper takes matters into her own hands. She’ll steal the ashes 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, a classic-rock obsession and nothing in common with Harper’s sister. But Jake had a connection with June, and 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 she needs.

Except June wasn’t the only one hiding something. Jake’s keeping a secret that has the power to turn Harper’s life upside down again.

This book is an emotional ride that takes the reader into the life of Harper, after losing her sister to suicide. The subject of suicide is always a very emotional one for me, just because of how personal it gets for me. And when reading something about suicide, but not from the victims point of view, but the aftermath, it just makes it much harder.

Harper's life was surrounded by the perfect life of her sister June, who in a twist of events kills herself. Now Harper is left to ask why, especially surrounded by her somewhat dysfunctional family. And as a way to save her sister from the life she hated, Harper decides to take her sister's ashes to California, her sister's dream.

The book was so warming but sad at the same time. It makes people think about who is in their life and what certain people mean to everyone. Death is a very touchy subject, but it is also one where if people talk it over, they can start this healing processes.

When Jake appears in Harper's life and takes her to California, things get interesting. I love Jake, because he is so understanding, and sometimes I wish he wasn't so closed off from people. It's almost like him and Harper try to block people out and in the process draw each other in, it's weird, but you can see that. Laney, as much of a good friend as she was, pretty much annoyed me a lot of the time. I just wish someone would tell her to shut up and almost applauded Jake for when he told her off, but also felt bad because of the way he did it.

I really liked the ending, because it made me cry, it made me smile, it broke my heart, and just gave me this hope for the characters. Harper was trying so hard to push people away, and when she lets them in it's great. These characters came to life and the music. I have to know what the authors intention of using the music in the book as one of the main themes. Most of the artists, of course, I've never heard of, but whenever music was involved, it was like it brought them together. Harper and Jake that is.

Anyways, I absolutely loved this book, and I highly recommend it because this book is sad and beautiful and just everything you can imagine.