A Million Junes by Emily Henry

A Million Junes
by: Emily Henry
Check it Out: Goodreads

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.

“Letting go is not forgetting. It’s opening your eyes to the good that grew from the bad, the life that blooms from decay.”

When I first picked up this book, I didn’t expect that I would be so drawn into the story. There’s something about Emily Henry’s writing that’s magical. She has a way of making you read just a few sentences but feel everything that the character is feeling. I honestly want to read everything she writes just so I can get more of her words.

This story deals heavily with grief and losing someone that is important to you. It also deals with moving on and finding out what you want out of life. At the center of this story is a small town with two families whose feud goes back and involves some magic.

I have to be honest here, magical realism usually doesn’t work for me. So I went into this with some pretty low expectations. As soon as we start the story, I knew I needed to know more about the coywolves and this magical little house that June lived in.

The family of the Angerts and the O’Donnells have had a feud for decades. However, when June and Saul met, they can’t help but be interested in the other person. Forbidden romance, of course is something that I love so I was super interested to see how this would unfold.

“If your family destroyed my family, that would—”
“Even if they did,” Saul says, “did I destroy your family, June? Did I ever hurt you?”

Reading about these two falling in love with each other despite their family issues added ten years to my life. It so hard to explain, it was quick but slow at the same time. And while we didn’t get as many moments that I would have liked, I was smitten and hoped like hell they would end up together despite everything.

Like I said before, this book is heavy on the subject of grief. June lost her dad who was her sun. Even though 10 years have passed she’s still holding on him. Still wondering how the world is still turning even though the person she loved the most isn’t there. It’s heartbreaking to read but it’s so important.

All in all, I need everything that Emily Henry has written and plans to write. Her words captivated me and I loved it!

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