Emily Henry

June O'Donnell and Saul Angert, the daughter and son of two long-feuding families, fall in love while trying to uncover the truth about a curse that has plagued their bloodlines for generations

A Million Junes

cher elle

alexandra

this review was originally posted on twirling pages







i’ve read many many amazing books these past few months, but never one that made me want to start reviewing again. but A Million Junes makes me want to share something; it makes me want to feel something deeper and actually talk about it. simply put, A Million Junes is so incredibly special.

in all honesty, i don't think this is everyone's cup of tea. the concept is a little strange because it's not quite contemporary but also not quite anything else (which is really similar to Emily Henry’s debut novel, The Love That Split the World). if you keep an open mind and overcome that… weirdness, you’ll come to appreciate everything else this book has to offer – and even love the so-called weirdness along the way.

one of my favorite aspects of this novel is the writing. this writing(!!!) made me want to cry because it's too beautiful – in a way that combines poetry with casualness, and metaphors with everyday thoughts. Emily Henry took big ideas (like grief, love, and the ~future~) and made them small, but also kept them big (or important). (am i even making SENSE?) also, the writing itself can bring me to tears. there were SO many times i had to stop and underline/highlight a passage because it really made me think or feel something larger than myself.

another thing i loved was the characters and relationships. there were some people (or ghosts) i felt existed solely to guide the main character. (and one DID only exist to guide the MC – literally and figuratively) it reminded me that it's okay to ask for help, and it's okay to allow others to guide you. also, i just want to mention that the friendship is seriously #GOALS and it makes me feel :’’’).

the plot was wonderfully balanced between the BIG BAD conflict our characters are facing and something lighthearted. although there's a “forbidden romance” and that screams CLICHÉ, A Million Junes was nothing typical. i felt like the pacing towards the end got slow but it picked up really well and don't have much to complain about.

anyway, i just wanted to say i’m feeling a lot of emotions and contemplating a lot of ideas and I LOVE THIS BOOK. it holds a real and dear place in my heart with all its metaphors, ideas, and emotions bursting at the seams. 






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yeah this one shattered me in the best way. absolutely magical 

Ralie Sutton

Magical, fantastical, and hard to describe without spoilers. The main relationship feels completely earned (my kingdom for an Emily Henry hero to sweep me off my feet IRL!) and the way Henry writes grief never ceases to amaze.

Content warnings: death of parent, grief, past death of children, cancer

Liz Griffin

Magical, fantastical, and hard to describe without spoilers. The main relationship feels completely earned (my kingdom for an Emily Henry hero to sweep me off my feet IRL!) and the way Henry writes grief never ceases to amaze.

Content warnings: death of parent, grief, past death of children, cancer

Alyssa Huffman

me reading this in a couple hours cause it was too creepy to not know the ending

sydney

*3.5
i’m so sorry to my best friend emily henry, this book was just not for me. i was confused most of the book and every time i thought i knew what was happening something else would happen and i would be confused again. june and saul were cute though, probably my favorite part of the book

Viktoria A

In the beginning of the book it held my interest a bit, but as it went on the interest slowly started to disappear. During moments I started to get interested in it again, but it was usually when I had something else that needed to be done and the I forgot about continuing reading afterwards. The book was still good, not as good as the other book that I have read by the author but still good.

Lainie Stuart

"I wanted to forget this feeling forever. The feeling of being ripped into two people: the you of before and the one you'll always be once you know what it is to lose something." 

Emily Henry discusses grief in a way that feels extremely personal. At times, it felt as though she took a look inside my own brain and somehow put my feelings into the story; it's her ability to take such a painful subject and make it so beautiful made this book an immediate favorite of mine. I picked it up on a whim and found myself hours later, absolutely in love. This book combines both dark and heavy topics with a witty, giggle-inducing romance in the way that only Emily Henry can do. 
 
 June is the best main character. She understands grief so well and is still so kind to those that she loves. She also grows so much! She is the perfect protagonist, because she is imperfect, and she learns and wants to be better! And she is also so funny. The banter between her and Saul is perfect and creates bright spots during the dark storylines.
And then there's Saul. Man, oh man, do I love Saul. He also has this great understanding when it comes to grief, and I found myself relating to him even more than June at times. His perspective on loss really helps June (and the reader) see what can come from loss and how important it is that you don't lose sight of the good in life.
Add in the most genuine friendship and a loving family, and there's still so much left to love in this book. I recommend it to everyone. It is extremely powerful and beautiful and poetic and cute and I JUST LOVE IT SO MUCH. Like ?? Thank you Emily Henry once again, love u.

Maria

что интересно - героиня этой книги постоянно получает плохие оценки за creative writing с замечанием "а где история?". вероятно, это опыт самого автора, и если так, то с проблемой она так и не справилась. всё построено на принципе some wierd shit happens, и только на последних 15% мы узнаем, что этот shit, собственно, означал.

Grace O'Callaghan

3.5⭐️

This has been sitting on my shelf for quite a while now, and I’m so glad I finally read it.

I definitely want to read more from Emily Henry as her writing was beautiful. There were so many parts that I underlined because she is such a quotable author. Some parts touched my soul.

Thoroughly enjoyed June. Funny, charming, a wonderful friend. Hannah and June’s friendship is one of the best female friendships I’ve ever seen. No pointless falling out and drama, just understanding and love.

Saul was also great. June and Saul together though, that made my heart melt. The back and forth between them is incredible, they had me laughing out loud at some parts.

It’s more on the slow side as far as pacing and not much happens. But it’s one that talks about grief, legacy and family.
I wasn’t the biggest fan of the fantastical elements, but I understand why they were there.

A lyrically written story with fantastic characters and a great romance. I however found myself a bit bored in areas which is why I couldn’t give it the full four stars.

noah!

cossette

Heather Heaton

This was so much more than a romeo and juliet retelling. It delved into grief, family, how holding onto the past can cause a ripple effect. I loved our main characters June and Saul. They had a great banter and cute love to hate feel. Henry did a good job of always allowing the characters to voice their limits and respecting that of one another. This book truly surprised me with the magical realism elements and the way Henry had the characters share such intimate memories with one another made their connection so much more special. I thought the romance would be the star of the show, but it didn't take over the overarching theme and plot. I loved loved loved this book and am already planning on picking up more from this author. If you are a fan of romance and/or magical realism grab this one.

celeste

"Maybe some people die gradually, move away from their bodies over time, but others—people who shine—go in an instant. You can see their souls in their eyes until the last possible second, feel the gap in the world the second they’re lost."
  


I went into this book expecting a contemporary romance but I think that it was much more than that. The story focuses more on the magical realism element rather than on the romance itself, which was at the same time, refreshing and unexpected. While I struggled with my final rating, I think the beautiful and poetic writing and the characters made me decide on giving this one 4 stars. I do have to say that the ending wasn't that satisfying, and I felt like the times when the book focused on the Whites were a bit dragged on and repetitive, yet it was still a very enjoyable read.

For me, A Million Junes felt like a combination of The Raven Boys and I'll Give You The Sun. The magical realism element and the atmospheric writing reminded me of The Raven Boys, while the writing and the story made me think about I'll Give You The Sun, both of which are some of my favorite books. The only problem I had with it, like I've said, was the ending. There were a lot of explanations being given by the end of it and I didn't feel like it flowed that smoothly compared to the rest of the book, so that was a bit disappointing. I still loved the majority of the story and especially the characters, whom were a breath of fresh air in the YA Contemporary genre.

Paige Green

Rating: 5/5


Genre: YA Fantasy


Recommended Age: 16+ (mature and depressing scenes).


Favorite Quote: "From my bedroom window, I watch the ghost flutter."

"In their hometown of Five Fingers, Michigan, the O'Donnells and the Angerts have mythic legacies. But for all the tall tales they weave, both founding families are tight-lipped about what caused the century-old rift between them, except to say it began with a cherry tree. 
  
Eighteen-year-old Jack “June” O’Donnell doesn't need a better reason than that. She's an O'Donnell to her core, just like her late father was, and O'Donnells stay away from Angerts. Period. 
  
But when Saul Angert, the son of June's father's mortal enemy, returns to town after three mysterious years away, June can't seem to avoid him. Soon the unthinkable happens: She finds she doesn't exactly hate the gruff, sarcastic boy she was born to loathe.  
  
Saul’s arrival sparks a chain reaction, and as the magic, ghosts, and coywolves of Five Fingers conspire to reveal the truth about the dark moment that started the feud, June must question everything she knows about her family and the father she adored. And she must decide whether it's finally time for her—and all of the O'Donnells before her—to let go." - Amazon.

I have to say hands down this was the most amazing book I've probably read this month at least! I went into this book thinking it was just a Romeo and Juliet retelling but I came out of this book with a better understanding of how the world works. This is kind of a Romeo and Juliet like story (or Hatfield and McCoy if you're not up on your Shakespeare), but it involves a deeper meaning of life in general. So basically what the Romeo and Juliet story missed. Sorry Shakespeare lovers but while my favorite play will always be the tale of two star crossed lovers, I always came out of it with more questions than answers. Like Matilda says "I wonder why they didn't just change their story?". And yes I'm babbling. I don't know how to write something that can describe the way I feel towards this book. And I'm intimidated by Emily Henry's writing. Her writing was genius. She truly has a way of grabbing words and weaving them into something truly unqiue. Her characters voices had distinct tones and her plot was divine. The way she told this story was unlike how I've read a story before and I absolutely fell in love with the intermingling of at least 5 different story lines. Nothing felt awkward and nothing felt forced. And this is the type of book you can pick up and down multiple times. The story is memorable to you and sticks and sinks into you like the Whites. I can say no bad things about this book except that it's a standalone and I'd love to see more about the O'Donnells and the Angerts, but I feel that their story has ended much like everyone's does at some point. I highly recommend this book to everyone... especially if you've ever lost the biggest person in your life. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll come out with so much more than you've ever thought possible.

Jessica Nottingham

Someone pinch me, please, because I honestly don't believe this book is real. Full disclosure, I started reading A Million Junes with the thought that it was yet another contemporary novel. I was worried about "bad boy" Saul, as he was touted in the first part of this story, and certain that this would turn into the type of book where a wonderful female character would turn into a simpering mess at the hands of a boy. Oh, was I wrong. I'm pleased as punch to let you all know that this book shattered all misconceptions I had, and left me completely speechless. Emily Henry can write magical realism, oh yes she can. I'm in love with this book, and I don't care who knows it.

First off, let's talk about the characters. I love flawed characters. Girls like June, who feel realistic in all the things that they do and say, make my heart soar. June isn't even attempting to pretend that she's perfect. She doesn't love school, or get amazing grades. She's not the edgy outcast who stands out without trying to. June is about as normal a high school kid as you can get. For that alone, she had my heart. Then, I started to find out about her past. About her loss, and the weight of it heaped on her shoulders. I met her best friend, and fell in love with their dynamic. Then, we both met Saul and time just stopped. For all my snap judgments about him, I am so sorry. Saul is not a cliche. He's just as real as June, and the two of them together had the power to completely enthrall me.

Better still, is the fact that this book doesn't skirt around any of the realistic aspects of what June is dealing with. Her family as it was now, her family as it was then, the perfectly imperfect way that her father met her mother. The way that June will be going through the day completely fine, and then be hit by a sudden onslaught of feeling and reminder that her father is still dead. It's never easy to read a book that deals with the death of loved ones, but A Million Junes turns this into something that is relateable and real. My favorite quote was one that was traded between June and Saul during their painful memories of their lost loved ones: "I'm useless, but I'm here." 

I could gush on, endlessly, about the beauty between these pages. This book rushed on, pulling me into the magical world that only June and Saul had access to. It touched on the importance of family, of loving yourself, of finding someone who you can just be you with, and so much more. It made me smile, it made me cry, and it made me feel like I was more myself than I had been in a while. A Million Junes was a book that I wasn't expecting to love so much, but it snuck up on me. I'm so glad it did. This is so very worth your time.

Libby Kowitz

“I’m useless, but I’m here.”

I think it’s a rare thing to find that perfect book for that perfect time in your life. Because it’s so rare, I feel incredibly grateful I picked this book up and read it.

Over the weekend, my family said goodbye to our twelve-year-old dog, and it was incredibly devastating for me. I got home, and I sat in my room, and at some point in the day, I decided I needed an escape into a book. The only book I wanted to read was Beach Read (by the same author)—with the caveat that I wished I could read it for the first time, because I still remember everything that happened in the book. Instead, I picked up this one, which I hadn’t read yet.

This book could be one long, beautifully tragic quote about grief. About loss. About moving on with your life without someone you loved. It dwells in the hurt and the pain, in only the way Emily Henry can write it.

I don’t think I have ever read a more perfect book at a more perfect time. I don’t know what propelled me to put off reading this one for as long as I did (Emily Henry IS my favorite author, after all), but I am so incredibly thankful I had it to read this weekend.

June and Saul, I think, will always hold such a special place in my heart. Both their struggles, their triumph, and their hurt were relatable and palpable. I think Saul might just be my favorite Love Interest of all time (and that’s saying something because my favorite characters are usually the love interests, so he has quite a bit of competition). 

If you’re a fan of Emily Henry books, or if you’ve never read a single one of them, you need to read this book. Every word of it is so beautifully and intentionally crafted. From start to finish, this is one I did not want to put down.

Emily Henry was already my favorite author but now she’s still my favorite author.

madie anne 

i really enjoyed this book, but there are a few small issues i have. for starters, as the reader, i had to fill in quite a few details the author failed to write about. i also found the book anticlimactic, but other than that i thought it was a great read.

A Million Junes

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