Review: In Honor

In Honor
By Jessi Kirby
Published May 8th, 2012 by Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers

"Hours after her brother’s military funeral, Honor opens the last letter Finn ever sent. In her grief, she interprets his note as a final request and spontaneously decides to go to California to fulfill it.

     Honor gets as far as the driveway before running into Rusty, Finn’s best friend since third grade and his polar opposite. She hasn’t seen Rusty in ages, but it’s obvious he is as arrogant and stubborn as ever—not to mention drop-dead gorgeous. Despite Honor’s better judgment, the two set off together on a voyage from Texas to California. Along the way, they find small and sometimes surprising ways to ease their shared loss and honor Finn’s memory—but when shocking truths are revealed at the end of the road, will either of them be able to cope with the consequences?"

-Goodreads

Rating: 3.5 stars

My first thought when I got this book was “Oh. It’s thinner than I thought it’d be.”

This pretty much sums up my overall response to this book: I wish there’d been MORE.

It’s not that I didn’t like this book because I did. It’s got a road trip, a swoon-worthy boy, good humor, and good relationship build-up… but I just feel like it could’ve been a lot better. I wish there could have been more depth, more character development, more romance… just more.

As a protagonist, Honor was great, maybe not always relatable, but definitely likeable. She goes through a lot in the story, what with coping with her brother’s death. She’s lost and confused and a tad angry. The whole road trip helped her come to terms and find herself again. She underwent some character growth, but I felt like throughout the entire book, all I really saw was one facet, two at most, of Honor, and I didn’t really know who she was beyond a grief-stricken and confused sister.

The romance in this book was more build-up than actual romance. Rusty was a great (pretty swoon-worthy) character—the more I read, the more I liked him. Believe me, when it comes to Rusty, first impressions are not very accurate; he’s full of surprises. However, while I felt like I got to know what kind of a person he was, I didn’t really get to know him. I wish I could've known more of what he was thinking.

Finn, Honor’s brother, while deceased and not actually physically present throughout the entire book, was a character I really wish I could’ve gotten to know more about. He’s the kind of guy that all girls wish they could meet and a character that I wish an author would write a prequel about.

The prose in this book was good, very descriptive at times, but it didn’t captivate me. I wasn’t hanging on to the author’s every word—sometimes my eyes would just skim a paragraph instead of reading and savoring every word. I was hoping that a story like this would invoke emotion in me--like say, turn me into a sobbing mess or something--and while it may have happened for some people, it unfortunately fell a bit flat for me.

All in all, this book was a good contemporary read. Maybe not great, but an enjoyable read nonetheless.   

Review: Saving June

Saving June
by Hannah Harrington
Published May 1st 2011 by Harlequin Teen

‘If she’d waited less than two weeks, she’d be June who died in June. But I guess my sister didn’t consider that.’

Harper Scott’s older sister has always been the perfect one so when June takes her own life a week before her high school graduation, sixteen-year-old Harper is devastated. Everyone’s sorry, but no one can explain why.

When her divorcing parents decide to split her sister’s ashes into his-and-her urns, Harper takes matters into her own hands. She’ll steal the ashes and drive cross-country with her best friend, Laney, to the one place June always dreamed of going California.

Enter Jake Tolan. He’s a boy with a bad attitude, a classic-rock obsession and nothing in common with Harper’s sister. But Jake had a connection with June, and when he insists on joining them, Harper’s just desperate enough to let him. With his alternately charming and infuriating demeanor and his belief that music can see you through anything, he might be exactly what she needs.

Except June wasn’t the only one hiding something. Jake’s keeping a secret that has the power to turn Harper’s life upside down again.
-goodreads

Rating: 5/5 stars
Review:
Oh. My goodness.
To say that I loved this book would be a gross understatement. Argh! I can't even formulate into words just how much I fell in love with this book!

Have you ever had a book where, once you realize you're close to finishing, you actually dread the actual act of reading the last page?
 Yeah, that's me with regards to this book! I loved it so much I wished it would never end! Like one of those soap operas that go on forever. I really wouldn't mind that.
And THIS was me when I actually did finish...
(Okay, maybe a slight exaggeration--I actually didn't have any ice cream--but i was rather devastated)

This book was just so darn good! Great! Amazing! Fantastical!
I know that the premise of Saving June sounds quite depressing what with the dead sister and everything-- which, by the way, what is with all the dead sisters in YA lately?!--but really, there's is a lot of interspersed humor in this book, making it not a downright depressing read. This book is about death and suicide, but more than that it's about how people recover from that. To say that Saving June is an emotional roller coaster does not due the experience of reading it justice.

Harper Scott is officially my new favorite literary character.
She is full of imperfections. She's got a bad attitude at times, she's snarky and sarcastic, insecure because she feels like she can't measure up to her sister, isn't exactly coping well with said sister's death, and has a hard time feeling emotions. Absolutely cynical.

And that's why I adore her. She is clearly flawed, but so, so real. She is all those things I said above, but she's also incredibly strong and fiercely loyal and caring to people important to her. Plus, there's just something really honest about her narration--she really tells it like it is, no holds barred. (And personally, I loved the sarcasm and snark.)

Laney and Jake. God, I loved both of them so much as well! Give me a BFF like Laney, and I'll be set for life! She is truly the best friend that all girls wish they could have. She is so supportive and loving towards Harper throughout this whole ordeal, despite her own fair share of problems! And Jake? Heck yeah I would road trip with him! All the characters, really, are just so well-rounded and three-dimensional and real, like they could just jump off the pages! They each have their own issues, which you don't see at first, but then you get to know them and before you know it, you are just completely in love with all three of them.

And the ROMANCE! Good God, the romance.
I. Loved. Every. Moment.
I've also discovered that I actually really like those love-hate type of relationships--you know the ones, where the boy and girl bicker and argue constantly, always challenging each other and getting on each others' nerves. But then of course, they're only falling deeper and deeper in love with each argument ; ) 
Anyways, that pretty much describes Jake and Harper---but I think what I loved most was that there was not instalove! Thank you, Hannah Harrington! I honestly cannot stand that sort of instant boy-and-girl-lock-eyes-and-girl-becomes-obsessed/infatuated-because-of-an-indescribable-connection-and-the-boy-is-extremely-attractive sort of thing. Jake and Harper's relationship was natural, if not slightly uncommon, and the buildup was just great! Oh Jake. I am seriously swooning here...  

I enjoy YA novels of all kind (thought, admittedly much more if there's romance...) but it's YA novels like this that are my absolute favorite. Books that deal with tough contemporary themes--stuff like drugs and alcohol and death and messed up things that have happened, which may shock some readers--books that just really grip you and refuse to let go. I can't really explain them, but I just love novels like these. (Ex: Jellicoe Road)

And plus, this is a road trip novel. I mean, really, can it get any better?!

Subliminal Message: READ THIS BOOK. READ THIS BOOK. READ THIS BOOK. READ THIS BOOK. READ THIS BOOK.