Book review - The Summer of June

 

Title: The Summer of June

Author: Jamie Sumner

Genre: realistic fiction

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Rating:

 

a sensitive, thoughtful read

Summary (provided by publisher): Twelve-year-old June Delancey is kicking summer off with a bang. She shaves her head and sets two goals: she will beat her anxiety and be the lion she knows she can be, instead of the mouse everyone sees. And she and her single mama will own their power as fierce, independent females.
With the help of Homer Juarez, the poetry-citing soccer star who believes in June even when she doesn’t believe in herself, she starts a secret library garden and hatches a plan to make her dreams come true. But when her anxiety becomes too much, everything begins to fall apart. It’s going to take more than a haircut and some flowers to set things right. It’s going to take courage and friends and watermelon pie. Forget second chances. This is the summer of new beginnings.

My opinion: Clinical anxiety is overwhelming, and nearly impossible for the outsider to understand. That's what makes books like this one so important. In June we have a protagonist who has fully come to terms with her anxiety. She accepts the need for her therapist and finding the right medication. And she is determined to "beat" her illness. She's determined and pushes back against things that are hard for her. But the narrative is also realistic. Sometimes she fails. Sometimes the fight is too hard, her anxiety too overpowering, and she shuts down. There is no miracle cure, no perfect ally who will help her overcome. It's a constant battle to win as many days as she can and find comfort in the days that she can't. The plot is fairly simple, giving Sumner plenty of space to develop the characters into fully fleshed people with quirks and failings. A charming read for the introspective sort.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley