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A review by smsienk
A Million Junes by Emily Henry
5.0
Loved this YA magical realism, instacrush, modern Romeo & Juliet tale. Emily Henry knows how to take a "light" genre and grapple with some really complex, difficult topics.
Henry builds her teen characters adeptly - they feel real and complicated. You feel their coming-of-age angst and the heaviness of intergenerational family trauma handed down through the conceit of a "curse." Shame almost plays a main character here and as a therapist, I am just so impressed with how Henry manages this without feeling preachy. Henry also handles teens learning about their parents' flaws and full humanity through this concept and it works so well - all the bumps, uncertainty, and resentment.
This book also gets bonus points for being the right read at the right time in my life - the powerful, unflinching, unqualified love felt but not always enacted by a complicated father for his daughter who is striving to be enough - it's just what my soul needed.
Also, always bonus points for Julia Whelan narrating. How does she do it? None of her characters are grating and honestly, her "male lead voice" is one of the sexiest I've ever heard. All the accolades to that gift of a human giving us wonderful audiobooks.
Henry builds her teen characters adeptly - they feel real and complicated. You feel their coming-of-age angst and the heaviness of intergenerational family trauma handed down through the conceit of a "curse." Shame almost plays a main character here and as a therapist, I am just so impressed with how Henry manages this without feeling preachy. Henry also handles teens learning about their parents' flaws and full humanity through this concept and it works so well - all the bumps, uncertainty, and resentment.
This book also gets bonus points for being the right read at the right time in my life - the powerful, unflinching, unqualified love felt but not always enacted by a complicated father for his daughter who is striving to be enough - it's just what my soul needed.
Also, always bonus points for Julia Whelan narrating. How does she do it? None of her characters are grating and honestly, her "male lead voice" is one of the sexiest I've ever heard. All the accolades to that gift of a human giving us wonderful audiobooks.