Book Review~Saving June by Hannah Harrington

Title: Saving June
Author: Hannah Harrington
Publisher: Harlequin UK
Imprint: MIRA Ink
Pub Date: June 01, 2012
Format: e-book (ePub)
Pages: 233
Links: Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Book/Author Site
Summary: 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.

Rating: 9/10

Source: Received an ARC through NetGalley. A HUGE THANK YOU to the publisher for accepting my request! Seriously, first Pushing The Limits now this? I love you! THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Cover Talk: I guess there are 3 covers of this book and I love all of them! The one I received had the above cover. I love it! The girl's face, the font used, especially the red part at the bottom. Here are 2 of the other covers:

With covers like these, this is a book that would definitely catch my eye!

My Thoughts: I did't expect to like this book this much when I started it. I expected to like it, but not this much. The thing is, my experience with 'road-trip' books hasn't really been good and so I just didn't expect the book to be that good. But it was, it was really good.

I read it all in one sitting. And though this book was really good, it had more to do with it being a short read and me reading a teaser about a 'note' and wanting to read that part which was obviously at the end.

I really enjoyed this book. It wasn't too heavy but still kept the right balance of intensity and seriousness along with some humor. 

I'm not a big music buff (like Jake) but I understand where his love of music came from. And really I love music I can connect to, lyrics that have actual meaning and stories behind them. 

I liked all the characters in the books. Though I didn't particularly connect with anyone, but I felt like I was a lot like June. Though I'd never kill myself! But I get the pressure she was under.

I really liked Laney's side-story along with the main one. Though it wasn't focused on that much but still I liked how it wasn't all about Harper. Though her story was the main one, I think Laney and Jake got their fair share of story-telling too.

I loved Harper's and Jake's relationship. Though I didn't develop a book-crush on Jake (which is a big shock since I love bad boys! I guess he just wasn't my type, 'cause he loves old music and I've never even heard Beatles (please don't hate me!)) I loved the sexual tension between these too and I think Miss Harrington built up the tension really good to "finally! a kiss!" 'Cause I was like "cummon! kiss already!" And there it was! The anticipation made it all the more..... I can't really find the word..... better to read? I don't know, it just somehow made the scene better, well for me anyway.

I debated a lot of whether to give this book a 4 or 4.5 rating. I settled on a 4 because the ending didn't really leave me satisfied...... I just wanted more..... it felt like this wasn't the end...

Favorite Quotes:

“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.” 

“It's not really a practical dream to have, is it?
He stares right at me. It's intense, being under the weight of his full attention. "Dreams have to be practical?” 

“Things get to me all the time—I just don’t see the point in making a big deal out of it.” 

“Sometimes people think they want to know things, but then they hear the answer and realize they'd prefer to be in the dark.” 

Favorite Scenes (might contain spoilers!): 

“You're nothing like your sister," he tells me. "She meant a lot to me, okay? It's true. But the things I like about you have nothing to do with her. You - you are so strong and stubborn it drives me crazy. You're the one going through all this and you still put Laney first every time, instead of throwing yourself the pity party we both know you deserve. You call me out on my shit, and I like that, because sometimes I need someone to call me out on my shit. And you get Johnny Cash, and you take these incredible photos, and everything about you makes me hurt, in a good way, and it blows my mind that someone can be so amazing and not even see it.” 

“He leans close and says, "It matters to me," right against my mouth, and then kisses me like he means it.
I've thought about what it'd be like to kiss Jake over the past few days, way more than I'd care to admit. But I don't even have time to register the firm press of his lips against mine, without breath, before he pulls back. His face freezes, eyes wide with oh shit written across them. Maybe I'd be offended if I wasn't so sure that my own expression matches his perfectly. 
"I shouldn't have done that," he blurts out. "I'm an idiot."
"Yeah," I agree, "you really are."
I grab the collar of his shirt and tug him back to me. He makes a muffled sound of surprise in the back of his throat, hesitating for a heartbeat before his mouth opens against mine. Suddenly, we're kissing for real - clumsy at first as we feel each other out, but then I shirt forward into his lap, fall against his chest and tip my head down, and it's like two puzzle pieces snapping into place.
He tastes exactly the way I thought he would, of cigarettes and citrus and salt. The ocean. And he kisses like I thought he would, too, hard and hot and urgent, and way better than anyone I've made out with before.” 

Extras:

For extras I'm going to give you the lyrics to Saving June by Jake Tolan! I seriously wish someone would sing this song, even if they may be some random person who likes to sing, and put it up on youtube or something!

“We left behind this small town

But we couldn’t leave behind the ghosts

As we headed for the coast, yeah, and you know

There was something in the way she told me

How my hair looked stupid, and

How she couldn’t hold her tequila, and

How she was broken and beautiful and

Still standing, and how was I supposed to know

All along we were saving

June Saving June, yeah

She had flowers in her hair and one powerful glare

My modern day Rubik’s Cube, she made me feel

Like maybe we could have it all

But you can never have it all

But you can never have it all

And now I’ve gone and lost

All the things that they always sang about

All the things that I still dream about

Now I’m counting up the days, counting all the

ways

I never said what I meant, but it’s too late ‘cause

June is over and so are we

And I’m the one left, with nothing to save.”