[Review] A Million Junes by Emily Henry

A Million Junes by Emily Henry

Rating: 4 stars

Format: Hardcover FC

Published: May 16th 2017

Goodreads Synopsis:
For as long as Jack “June” O’Donnell has been alive, her parents have had only one rule: stay away from the Angert family. But when June collides—quite literally—with Saul Angert, sparks fly, and everything June has known is thrown into chaos.
Who exactly is this gruff, sarcastic, but seemingly harmless boy who has returned to their hometown of Five Fingers, Michigan, after three mysterious years away? And why has June—an O’Donnell to her core—never questioned her late father’s deep hatred of the Angert family? After all, the O’Donnells and the Angerts may 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.
As Saul and June’s connection grows deeper, they find that the magic, ghosts, and coywolves of Five Fingers seem to be conspiring to reveal the truth about the harrowing curse that has plagued their bloodlines for generations. Now 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 the O’Donnells before her—to let go.

Another lovely magical realism read by Emily Henry.

A Million Junes is a Romeo-and-Juliet tale that effortlessly weaves together mystical and modern without being awkward or out of place. It's a story of Jack "June" O'Donnell and Saul Angert and the generational battle between their families that keeps the two of them apart.


It's a very immersive type of story that makes you feel as though all these magical things can really happen. Everyone in their town of Five Fingers is so accepting of the strange happenings. The homey vibe of a small town has really been captured here, as 'lake people' are characterized as being so in tune with the environment and with each other.

Lake people are sponges; we absorb all the same mix of life and minerals. We recognize it in each other and share it when one of us gets dried out. You're a sponge, Junior, like me. When you're dry, you have to do back to the water to survive. 

What I really enjoyed about A Million Junes was how the romance and family aspects balanced each other out perfectly! The romance between June and Saul wasn't dominating the stage, but instead, readers witness how the two of them work together to overcome their grief - June with her dad's death and Saul with his twin sister's. They both see memories of their loved ones through the Whites - fluffy beings that surround June's house. They learn the secrets that surround the feud of their families. This is all a very gradual, evenly paced storytelling style that I've been missing. We're being walked along through the story and know just as much as the characters, so there isn't much room for confusion. The reveals are purposeful and unfolded just at the right times.

Plus the way Henry writes has a very impactful style to it.

"June, Moments are like cherries. They're meant to be relished, shared - not hoarded. You can clutch one terrible Moment or experience all the rest. Your life is slipping past in brilliant little bits, and I know how it feels as though you're holding on to him, as though opening your hand is letting him slip away."
Now she opens my hand, and the Moment in it floats to the ground. "But when Moments pass and crumble, they become sees. They grow into new trees. And I promise you, he'll be in every new leaf. He will never be far from you."

"I think life is about learning to dance even when you're sitting still. You learn to dance when you cook and clean, when you bite into cherries, and when you lie in clean sheets. It's easy to believe that if you could do it all over, you'd do everything different." 

After reading The Love that Split the Earth and now this, I gotta say, Emily Henry is becoming my go-to for magical realism romance.