Actual rating 4.5 StarsSaving June was achingly beautiful, tragic, and still teetered on the verge of sexy and humorous. I was expecting something dark, and while it definitely deals with grief and the effects of suicide on those left behind, it was still lighthearted in a way that I don’t think I can explain.Never in my life have I come across a character that I related to more than Harper. She’s cynical, has strong views when it comes to religion, and has a hard time figuring out a way to deal with her grief. She can’t cry, regardless of how much she misses June—the tears just won’t come. It’s as if her body and mind are blocking everything out, even if she doesn’t want to block it out. Even if she wants to deal with this thing head on—she can’t, because she’s gone through life with this thick exterior that isn’t easily penetrated. I think this connection I felt with this character was what made me love it so much, among other things. She is impetuous and selfish, though, and I can see some people having an issue with her character. There were things she did (namely, stealing her sister’s ashes without caring how it would affect her mother) that really bothered me, though I knew it was coming and understood why she felt it needed to be done. The secondary characters were equally endearing, and I think Harrington did a great job of building the relationships between them, as different as they all may be.It seems to be inevitable that a road trip novel will have strong links to music, but it isn’t some I have grown tired of, yet. Music plays a large role in my life, and I think that is true for a vast amount of people, so that is an aspect that a lot of people can relate to. You may not like the same music as the characters in the books (although, the Doors, underground rap, I mean really this book was just more relatable for me with every passing page), but a lot of people will understand that link to music that is constantly there, in everything you do.The road trip was fun and I enjoyed seeing some of their adventures, but I think Saving June is more character driven than plot driven, and the hours together in a car with these main characters was entertaining. I think the ending wrapped up a little too nicely, especially for a book that was so painfully honest up until that point, which is the main reason this isn't a full five star book for me.At first I was also a bit disappointed in the "reveal", as both Jake's secret and June's reasoning for committing suicide seemed anti-climatic. However, after sleeping on the book, I think her "reasons" are that much more realistic, because the reality is, sometimes there is no reason. Sometimes people are just sad, and can't take life anymore. So what was once an issue for me, became something I actually loved about it. I recommend everyone at least give this a shot. On the surface it may look like your typical road trip/dead sister book, but I think it’s much more than that. I’m anxious to see what Harrington comes up with next.
