Saving June

Saving June

by Hannah Harrington

SYNOPSIS:

‘If she’d waited less than two weeks, she’d be June who died in June. But I guess my sister didn’t consider that.’
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.

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“It’s so stupid because all I wanted was space and now that I have it,
there’s this part of me that’s achingly lonely I could die.”

So beautiful it hurts ♥
So, why is it so hard to talk about the books we like?
Why is it so hard to open my heart to the whole world and to say out loud how much I loved this story? Why is it so hard to put into words all the beauty of “Saving June”?

I tell you why, because I’m somehow speechless…
Because my heart is far away, somewhere in California, looking for a way to save June, searching through all those beautiful moments of vulnerability, frustration and hope the characters went through..
Because my heart is lost in those waves that now hold June’s ashes, in the memories of a trip that changed the life of more than 3 people.

“Some people think that a place can save them […] like if they could just be somewhere else, their lives would be totally different. They could finally be the people they always wanted to be. But for me, a place is just a place. If you really want things to change, you can make them change no matter where you are. […] Does that make sense?”

This is a story about loss, about grief, about broken hearts and broken lives, but also about hope, and love, and dreams.. It’s the strength of these characters that made me love this book. It is the power of their will that makes me admire them, and it’s in their action the reason for all my love for them.
They are young, they feel lost, but they are still able to find their way, to live their dreams, to make their own choices and, in the end, they make you fall in love with their story.

The 3 of them (Harper, Jake & Laney) have their own reason to be broken, but the friendship that is growing through this story makes them special, and beautiful, and lovable… They make mistake, yes, but they know how to say “I’m sorry”, they are broken but strong enough to hold each other… They became your friends, and you are happy for them and you giggle with them, and you are sad with them and you want to cry for them.. They feel so real that it’s impossible not to care for them.. so you do.
You can’t save them , but you are there, step by step, hoping for the end to bring them some happiness, some reward after the suffering.

This story deals in such an elegant way with suicidal. It’s a powerful read, not meant to find answers but to induce you the strength to move on, to live your life when you feel like you’ve lost more than you can bear loosing.. It’s beautiful in so many ways… One more priceless story in my favorite shelf..
Go read it!

“I wasn’t interested in being like June, and I definitely didn’t want to live in June’s shadow. Even if mine was less impressive, at least it was my own.”

“I want to stop running away from everything. I want to find something to run toward.”

“Deciding to kiss Jake is like standing on the edge of a pool, staring down and wanting to take the leap, but fearing how cold the water will be. I hold my breath and jump.”

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2 responses to “Saving June”

  1. Annie says:

    Always love a book that choc full of quotes I just •need• to copy down… 🙂

    • Ari says:

      Yes, this book is fully quotable.
      A beautiful and powerful story, also with some cute moments to make you smile from time to time.

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