Synopsis: Harper Scott, trying to come to terms with her perfect older sister June’s suicide, takes a road trip and finds love with a mysterious boy who had a connection to June- and may know more about her sister’s life and death than he’s telling.
Review: This book is one of those types that get you intrigued very early on in the book and continue to command your attention throughout. It was an absolute page turner!
Harper’s sister June committed suicide and Harper is left not understanding why she did it. Her divorced parents are fighting over June’s ashes and plan on splitting them in two and keeping half each. Harper - feeling like June wouldn’t have wanted this decides that she is taking the ashes to California (a place that June always wanted to go to) to scatter them.
Whilst the book starts off looking like it’s a story about grief.. it’s about so much more than that. Harper plans on going to California with her best friend Lacey, and then she meets Jake - a friend of her sisters who insists on driving with the girls to California.
What starts out as a story about life and death becomes the ULTIMATE road trip story (complete with song lists at the back if you feel so inclined!) about self discovery, and building relationships, and all the other types of drama that come with being a teenager.
One thing I really loved about this story was it felt so true. It didn’t feel contrived at all - it was honest and raw at times, but it was true throughout which as a reader that is a little bit older, I truly appreciated where it was coming from. The characters had so much depth that I could truly imagine them whilst I was reading.
This story ultimately whilst based on a girl trying to come to terms with the loss of her sister is also a romance, and a story about friendship, families and life on the road!
LOVED this book, if I had a rating system higher than 5 it would be scoring even higher.
Rating: 5 out of 5
i just got approved for this YESTERDAY and was sooo excited! for one thing, i loveeee contemporary, and another, this book seems like it’ll barely be getting any negative reviews, which is always a plus
ROAD TRIP!!! This one looks SOOO good. I’m definitely going to get it when it comes out. Great review!
Just finished reading this and I agree with you in all aspects of your review…it’s great and a surprisingly awesome debut novel.
It’s been awhile when I’ve read a book so real! This is the 2nd book ever that I’ve cried whilst reading LOL