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A review by rorasreading
June First by Jennifer Hartmann
5.0
Best. Book. Of. 2022.
Words cannot describe how I feel towards this book, and nothing can really encapsulate how i felt reading this masterpiece. I've read a few Jennifer Hartmann books so far, and while I adore all of them, this one is without a doubt my favorite. Her words are lyrical, romantic, and heart-wrenching but so so beautiful. This is a book of love, grief, hope and heartache.
June First follows the relationship between Brant and June, two people meant to be soulmates,their love inevitable and "written in the stars" yet being born into circumstances making them forbidden, taboo and off limits. Brant is supposed to be the kid next door, but after a tragedy leaves him without a family, June's family takes him in as their own. What could've been a beautiful and easy best friend next door romance, became taboo and seemingly impossible. The book is broken up into three parts: The first tragedy, the second tragedy, and the third tragedy. Once you hit that first tragedy I promise you will never stop crying but also not be able to put this book down.
"I'm hopelessly, irrevocably in love with you June Bailey. The desperate, aching kind of love. There's no coming back from. The kind there's no way out of. The kind that's going to be the death of me one day." - Brant
When you hear this book has the adopted siblings trope, it will either put you off or if you're like me and love taboo, it will draw you in. If you're in the category where you aren't sure if you want to read this book because of that, I'm telling you right now, read it. The way Jennifer writes taboo stories is truly like no other. I felt the love between Brant and June seeping though the pages and into my heart from start to finish. There was never a moment where their relationship felt wrong or immoral, it only ever felt right. I felt my heart and soul in this book, every heartache, every laughter, every tear, it felt like I was right there for all of it. The love between June and Bryant is so perfectly told, from the moment the two of them meet, the chemistry and adoration between the two are so palpable. They are soulmates, meant to be in every universe and no one can tell me otherwise.
June and Brant's relationship is forbidden, all consuming, and full of years and years of secret pining and toeing the line of something more. Every aspect of this book is written so perfectly, including the friendships and found family. I won't spoil anything but this book really shows what it means to love someone unconditionally, to love a child who you didn't birth, to love a brother you never asked for, and to find hope in the darkest of tragedies. This story ultimately comes down to one thing, and that's hope and courage. The hope that soulmates will find each other again, the courage to fight for your dreams when your life feels like it's over. It's about fighting just long enough to find the light at the end of the tunnel, to fly out and chase every dream and desire.
I will never not recommend this book, and I truly believe everyone needs to read this and give it a chance. Truly my favorite read of 2022 and a top 3 favorite of all time. If I had to be buried with a book when I died, this would be one of them.
Tropes:
- Adopted Siblings
- Childhood bffs to lovers
- slow burn
- taboo/forbidden
-trauma healing/emotional
-right person wrong time
- slight age gap
- It's always been you
Words cannot describe how I feel towards this book, and nothing can really encapsulate how i felt reading this masterpiece. I've read a few Jennifer Hartmann books so far, and while I adore all of them, this one is without a doubt my favorite. Her words are lyrical, romantic, and heart-wrenching but so so beautiful. This is a book of love, grief, hope and heartache.
June First follows the relationship between Brant and June, two people meant to be soulmates,their love inevitable and "written in the stars" yet being born into circumstances making them forbidden, taboo and off limits. Brant is supposed to be the kid next door, but after a tragedy leaves him without a family, June's family takes him in as their own. What could've been a beautiful and easy best friend next door romance, became taboo and seemingly impossible. The book is broken up into three parts: The first tragedy, the second tragedy, and the third tragedy. Once you hit that first tragedy I promise you will never stop crying but also not be able to put this book down.
"I'm hopelessly, irrevocably in love with you June Bailey. The desperate, aching kind of love. There's no coming back from. The kind there's no way out of. The kind that's going to be the death of me one day." - Brant
When you hear this book has the adopted siblings trope, it will either put you off or if you're like me and love taboo, it will draw you in. If you're in the category where you aren't sure if you want to read this book because of that, I'm telling you right now, read it. The way Jennifer writes taboo stories is truly like no other. I felt the love between Brant and June seeping though the pages and into my heart from start to finish. There was never a moment where their relationship felt wrong or immoral, it only ever felt right. I felt my heart and soul in this book, every heartache, every laughter, every tear, it felt like I was right there for all of it. The love between June and Bryant is so perfectly told, from the moment the two of them meet, the chemistry and adoration between the two are so palpable. They are soulmates, meant to be in every universe and no one can tell me otherwise.
June and Brant's relationship is forbidden, all consuming, and full of years and years of secret pining and toeing the line of something more. Every aspect of this book is written so perfectly, including the friendships and found family. I won't spoil anything but this book really shows what it means to love someone unconditionally, to love a child who you didn't birth, to love a brother you never asked for, and to find hope in the darkest of tragedies. This story ultimately comes down to one thing, and that's hope and courage. The hope that soulmates will find each other again, the courage to fight for your dreams when your life feels like it's over. It's about fighting just long enough to find the light at the end of the tunnel, to fly out and chase every dream and desire.
I will never not recommend this book, and I truly believe everyone needs to read this and give it a chance. Truly my favorite read of 2022 and a top 3 favorite of all time. If I had to be buried with a book when I died, this would be one of them.
Tropes:
- Adopted Siblings
- Childhood bffs to lovers
- slow burn
- taboo/forbidden
-trauma healing/emotional
-right person wrong time
- slight age gap
- It's always been you