Review: Saving June by Hannah Harrington

  Title: Saving June
  Author: Hannah Harrington
  Publisher: Harlequin UK
  Publishing date: June 1st 2012
  Source: NetGalley
  My rating: 4 stars


 

Saving Jane had been a book on my wish list ever since it hit the shelves in Australia, and the Aussie bloggers just couldn’t get enough. So I was excited to finally get my hands on a copy a year after first hearing about it.

Harper is struggling, her sister June has just passed away, she took her own life leaving no letter or explanation why. On the surface everything seemed fine with June, she’d found her boyfriend and cheated on her, but other than that everything seemed to be going okay. So finding June’s body in the back of her car was a massive shock. And now everything seems to be falling apart around Harper, after their parents separation, Harper’s mum was just coping, but now with June’s death she’s hit even harder, she seems to be walking around in a daze, and so Aunt Helen decides to take charge. Harper doesn’t mind Aunt Helen, but she thinks she knows best and Harper doesn’t really take to be told what to do. And to top it off, Harper’s parents want to split June’s ashes! Who in their right mind would want to do that? One night when rummaging around June’s things with her best friend Laney, Harper discovers a postcard from California and comes to a monumental decision, she will scatter June’s ashes in California; it was June’s dream place and so exactly what she would have wanted. However they have no way of getting to California and how are they going to leave without their parents discovering June’s ashes are missing? That’s where the mysterious Jake Tolan comes in, he turned up unexpectedly at June’s wake; June used to tutor him and so he offers his services to the girls; he will take them to California. This is the perfect opportunity for Harper, but why does she have a niggling feeling about Jake, has he got some hidden agenda, as to why he wants to help them out?

Harper; I so felt sorry for her, she was all alone without June and had a tough time with everyone always making comparisons between her and her dead sister. I understand that the only way she could move forward in her life was doing something for June, it wouldn’t bring complete closure, but it made her feel as if she had a purpose in her life.

Laney, I adored her, I’ve come across some awesome best friends in YA books lately and Laney has easily made it to the top of my list. She was constantly there for Harper, even though she was adamant that she was fine. I loved how she was such a spontaneous character, that you didn’t really know what to expect from her, also how she jumped freely into things without over-thinking them. She definitely livened things up a bit whenever Harper’s mood was low.

Jake; I remember nearly everyone who read this book fell in love with Jake, what’s not to love? He knows his music, he plays guitar, he can sing and has a gorgeous body. But I didn’t understand his flippant mood changes, he could be sweet and understanding one minute then arsey the next. Yeah it must have been difficult driving for hours with two girls with totally different moods. However since we first met him at June’s wake, I thought there was something shifty about him, I thought he held a torch for June, but his real intentions for driving to California did come as a quite surprise.

There’s nothing more I love than reading a road trip book, and this one was a great one, reading about their adventures from Michigan to California and the comical characters they meet on the way was great fun. Plus also we had the perfect weather over here for once, so I got to sit outside with my laptop devouring this lovely book. One of my favourite aspects of this book was the playlist, I love it when authors make up playlists for books especially ones which exactly match the feel and tone of the book and this one does exactly that!

I did enjoy Saving June, but not as much as I had originally hoped, maybe because my expectations were set too high in the first place. Instead of being a quick read as I thought it would be, it took me over a week to read it, I had numerous distractions that kept me from reading it, but when I also had the time to read, at times I didn’t feel like picking it up.

Overall Saving June was a beautiful read; it was full with vivid settings and beautiful writing and has left me with a yearning to road trip across America one day. I just wish I could have loved it that little bit more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin UK for the opportunity to read this book.

Review: Being Friends with Boys by Terra Elan McVoy

  Title: Being Friends with Boys

  Author: Terra Elan McVoy

  Publisher: Simon Pulse

  Publication date: May 1st 2012

  Source: Simon & Schuster Galley Grab

  My rating: 3 stars

  “Don’t forget who your real friends are”

Charlotte has always hung out with the boys; she practically grew up with Oliver and when Trip moved to their new school, they’ve been inseparable since. Over the summer they grew even closer when they started messing around in Oliver’s basement, what started off as fun and a bunch of laughs soon developed in a four group band (with Abe) called Sad Jackal. You had Oliver singing and messing around on guitar, Trip being the heart and soul of the group, Abe on the drums and Charlotte bringing the lyrics. Everything seemed fine that is until Trip drops the bombshell that he’s left the group. Charlotte doesn’t understand it; they had the best group dynamics when they worked together, now that Trips left it would never be the same. They would probably have to recruit new members and there would always be that awkwardness around Trip. Charlotte and Trip were extremely close friends, closer than Oliver and Charlotte. Trip and Charlotte had a special bond which couldn’t be explained, they understood each other, were totally open with each other, (shared their feelings with one another in a notebook they passed to each other several times in the day). Charlotte didn’t want the band to come between their friendship, but she had a duty to the rest of the band members too.

Being Friends with Boys started off great, it was fun; seeing Charlotte’s interactions with boys, how they treated her like she was one of them, heartfelt; the messages and notes she shared with Trip. But then things started getting complicated; with two new band members being recruited; Eli and Fabian. Charlotte had less time she could spend with Trip, with the school dance just around the corner the band had to practice more often especially so that they could click together as a group. Charlotte could sense it was a strain on her relationship with Trip, but there’s nothing she could do about it.

Things however started to getting a little too complicated and farfetched for my liking; Charlotte was in a flutter over who she wanted to be with, who wanted to be with her and who she rumoured to be with!!! Her life kind of turned into a wrecking ball with other groups wanting her to join their groups, and ex-best friends wanting to know her all of a sudden.

However the thing that surprised me about this book was that characters I had originally liked, kind of showed their true colours and left me disappointed in the end and characters I’d completely overlooked and had thought little of had the backbone to stick with Charlotte through the tough times. I guess you could say the opening line of my review is true; your true friends will always be around you no matter what.

However I did have a few minor irks with this book; Charlotte especially for the second half of the book made me want to pull my hair out, she kept on trying different things even though knowing it would be the wrong thing to do. And lately I’ve realised I don’t have the patience with characters who keep faffing around, it was clearly obvious who she was meant to be with, but it took her until 2/3 of the book to realise it. Also I love my music themed books; and this book did bring it to the forefront; getting the right song, jamming out together, but all the lyrics Charlotte was writing I would have loved to have seen them, we were told the titles of the songs, what influenced her in writing them but we never really got the chance to hear or read them.

Despite these irritations I did relatively enjoy this book; it was cute, funny, a decent music themed book and full of charming characters.  

Review: Paradise by Jill. S Alexander

Title: Paradise 
Author: Jill S. Alexander 
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends 
Publication date: July 5th 2011 
My rating: 4 stars

Covers can be so deceiving at times; in the last few weeks I have come across several gorgeous covers, but the story hasn’t been worthwhile at all. I had my doubts when picking up Paradise, thinking it may be some light easy going read full with sexual banter, but the saying never judge a book by its cover could never have been more true than for this book.

Paisley has wanted to be a drummer for as long as she can remember, she’s always busting out beats on anything her hands can find, always carries her drumsticks everywhere and when she gets a chance on the drums, it’s easy to see that she is one talented drummer. It’s their band the Waylon Slider’s band dream to make it to Texapalooza; an amateur band contest where big scouts come and watch. However first they need to find a singer and practice, practice practice. The only thing that is holding Paisley back is her mother, she isn’t aware that Paisley has been playing in a band, especially in a band with Waylon (the band leader). Paisley’s mother has never really gotten along with Waylon’s family. But also Paisleys mum wants much more for her daughters, she doesn’t want them stuck with a kid by graduation, stuck with a dead end job and no career like she was. She wants them to go for the best opportunities in life and grab them with both hands. So Paisley's dream of becoming a drummer and Lacey her sister’s dream of becoming a beautician, they have to try and achieve in secret.

Paradise was such a gut wrenching story; about having dreams but not being able to grasp them because there’s always something or someone holding you back. Gabe/Paradise was the only real character whose mere presence made such an impact on the other characters around him; he gave Paisley the confidence to believe in herself, make her want to stand up to her mother and reach for her dreams; helped Waylon break out of his shell; a shell which he was smothered with because of his talented families expectations, and so he always he expected himself to fail. Paradise encouraged the group to go forward, to actually believe they had a chance at Texapalooza. Paradise was such a talented lovable character, he easily brought a smile to my face, he had such a huge impact on me on an emotional level; had me bawling like a baby and just broke my heart.

I really enjoy music themed books, sometimes it’s hard to find the balance; a book which focuses on the music aspect and brings out a story strongly too, Paradise does just that; the detail in which Alexander goes into the practice sessions I felt like I was actually there with the bass pumping and the drums pounding a steady beat, the atmosphere at times was electric, I was so caught up in the moment, it really got me in the mood for a music concert.

“When Waylon turned the song over to him, Paradise growled out Waylon’s lyrics in his velvety bass. The more he sang, the more his voice melted with the whining guitars, the more the deep drum tones seemed to sink like an anchor in a dark sea”

The music theme was matched well with all the characters battling with their own problems, and the music; practising with the band being their only means of output of coping with it all. One of my favourite parts of this book was the lyrics we got to the songs in between the chapters, they had an essence of yearning, they were raw and just so heartfelt.

"We’re heading back home, but it won’t be the same

Me and my boys, only a mention of your name   

It would’ve have been sweet to have you along

But when he took your hand, I knew you were gone

Some place away from the crowd and the noise

I should tell you I love care, but I can’t find the voice

So this is how I do

Six strings and a heart for you."

Paradise was a tender, poignant novel which definitely over-whelmed me in so many ways. I’m actually kicking myself for not picking it up sooner.