Nick and June Were Here
by Shalanda Stanley
Random House Children's
Knopf Books for Young Readers
Teens & YA
Pub Date 12 Feb 2019


I am reviewing a copy of Nick and June Werw Here Through Random House Children’s and Netgalley:



Before their relationship became more serious, Nick and June had been friends but now they are in a relationship. June is dealing with a new diagnosis of Schizophrenia and all that entails. She struggles as she tries to manage her symptoms.

Nick has his own story, he is a reluctant car thief, who is supporting his aunt with the money and focuses on his heart whenever he can.


After June’s condition lands her in the hospital and Nick’s latest crime almost lands him in prison Nick and June decide to run away. Can these two stay together when everything is trying to pull them apart?



I give Nick and June were here five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

Two teens are determined to stay together in a world trying to tear them apart. Nick and June have always been best friends until recently, when their relationship became romantic. Now June is on the cusp of being diagnosed with schizophrenia and Nick is arrested for stealing a car, as he desperately needs the money. June is in the hospital and Nick is in jail until they decided to run away together. Will they be able to stay together and fight the forces keeping them apart?
⭐️⭐️⭐️
What I thought was going to be a foray into youth mental health was actually a YA love story. The author missed the opportunity to get the message out about this mood disorder and enlighten this age group to symptoms and treatment options. Instead, the reader gets a stereotypical look at schizophrenia. News flash, not all schizophrenics hear voices and see things! It’s a huge pet peeve of mine, as I have a close family member with schizophrenia and I’m certified in youth mental health first aid. Aside from that, the author does give a small look at the hospital setting and a blip of June’s treatment plan. I was a fan of how the author showed that June’s friends don’t keep her secret any longer and bring her to her parents, knowing she may be angry with them and doing it anyway because it’s what’s best. This is an important thing for teens to learn and I was so happy to see it included. For me, Nick and June Were Here was ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars. Thank you @knopfteen for this advance reader in exchange for my honest review.

This is a book about friendship. And, it is a book about love. The story of Nick and June is one of two individuals dealing with their own issues but also supporting each other. I cannot speak to the validity of the mental health aspects of the book, but I do appreciate giving visibility to individuals with mood disorders.

Nick and June were here by shalanda Stanley

4⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Random house children’s for an E-arc in exchange for an honest review.

June, a young teenager going through a mental breakdown. Months of not knowing what’s going on and months of trying to hide her secret.
Nick, a young car thief that hasn’t known anything else in his life other than being madly in love with June.

Best friends and now madly in love with each other, they try to take their life into there own hands. After June gets diagnosed with schizophrenia and nick gets arrested for grand theft auto they decide to run away. Running away proves to be more than they could possibly handle. One thing leads to another and they hope the wronged can be righted again.

This book was so intense with young love, mental illness, friendship, and family. I would highly recommended this book to anyways who needs a read with good representation and a love story that feels just right!

Hello, I will add this review to my Instagram, blog, and Goodreads on February 1st, 2019. I will add it to Amazon and Barnes & Noble on the publication date. I will add links to reviews when public, thanks.

Title: Nick and June Were Here
Author: Shalanda Stanely
Publication Date: February 12th, 2019
Rating: 3 stars
eARC provided by publisher through NetGalley

Nick and June Were Here is about two teenagers in love trying to stay afloat when their both faced with harsh reality. June has always been the good one and figuring out her plans for college while Nick has had a rough life since his mother left and his dad is in jail for the same thing he is doing now. Both are opposites but love makes you do questionable things as they set off on an adventure together. 

I enjoyed the plot of the book and how it touched on mental illness which can be a hard subject at times. The characters were unique in their own way but I didn't feel as though I connected with them on a deeper level. The relationship between Nick and June was one thing that kept me going. Every step of the way, Nick wanted what was best for her and even when he does put her in danger he has the courage to realize it and make a decision that changes his life.

Her writing style was great and I loved how the chapters were split by point of views, Nick or June. It's nice when you can get into the head of multiple characters too see why they would make decisions especially in this book which is full of them. I can't say I was a fan of the ending because I am one that needs more closure but overall it was a decent tie up.

Although the characters lacked a bit for me, it was a decent read and didn't take long to finish. If you like contemporaries then give this book a try!

This was a hard one for me. I didn't really feel I connected with the characters. I liked that they touched on mental illness and showed how it affected June and the people around her. But sometimes the things that were happening in this story made me cringe. I don't know what it is like to struggle with a mental illness like this one, but I bet it is hard. I think the author did a good job of showing this. I am not sure it is a book for everyone, but anyone suffering with this illness might like to read about someone else who is working through it too.

Thank you to NetGallley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book in return for my honest opinion.

I thought this was a sweet, heartfelt novel. Nick and June are childhood friends who grow into more. Their relationship is sweet and supportive, and I liked that it was also realistic. The book doesn't shy away from the fact that their relationship is encountering issues that may very well tear them apart.

I liked that this book touched on mental illness, but didn't dwell there. The subject is handled with care and sensitivity, and never seems forced.

This is a good read for anyone of any age. I recommend it!

Disclaimer I received this arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This review contains spoilers!

I was super excited to read this book. But that excitement wore off fast. I was very annoyed with this book. First it's cliche. June is a good girl who is always worrying about her grades. Nick is a bad boy from the wrong side of town. He's a sweet bad boy. Typical. He's also an artist. June was diagnosed with schizophrenia. While she's in the hospital getting treated Nick gets arrested. We all knew that was going to happen. I mean come on he stole cars for a living. I can see why her parents didn't want her to date him anymore. What really made me mad was he escaped jail to bury the ashes of his uncle. 1. Why the hell is hr burying ashes? Why not scatter them. 2. Why is he risking his life on it? He is just going to ruin the potential deal with the judge. 3. He takes June away from her home once shes released. She was just put on meds and needs to be close to her doctor to be monitored. He risks her health for his selfish needs. 4. He plans to live off the grid hiding from the cops. He also plans to have June drive back home when he leaves. Perfect plan, except he only had her drive once! She doesn't really know how to drive. Nick only cares about himself. Finally at the end he does the right thing.

I hated the characters and I didn't feel sorry for Nick at all. He got what he deserved. June was very weak. Not because she was schizophrenic but because she didn't stick up for what was right.

I was actually suprised I was able to read all of this book.

The things I liked about this book was that it had an appealing cover. The main reason why I requested it. I liked that the main character had schizophrenia that's something you don't see all the time in books.

Nick and June Were here is an amazing story of friendship and the lengths people will go to stand by their friends side.They are both scared of being stuck in their town with limited options for the future. When June is faced with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and Nick is arrested for stealing cars they decide to run away together. The story was wonderful!

Nick and June Were Here is the perfect YA title alone to pull me in. The blurb made me slightly more skeptical, but YA books dealing with mental illness are one of my favorites so I figured I’d give this a go! 

I’ll preface by saying the writing was exceptional as I was able to read the story very quickly. And it was overall enjoyable. The parts I didn’t like are parts other people may really enjoy. 

June is ridiculously smart and comes from a supportive and loving family. Nick is the boy from the wrong side of town with an unsavory upbringing believing he had no choice in the matter of his future. 

But once June gets diagnosed with schizophrenia and Nick gets arrested again, the story fell apart for me. These two smart, but troubled teens just repeatedly make poor decisions. It didn’t seem to fully fit the characters that had been built up so far. 

Bethany (the best friend) and Nick broke their promise to June to keep her safe, but once Nick and June take off together, it seemed like a moot point.  

In the end, the choices were finally the right ones, in my opinion, but this book felt like it was screaming for an epilogue. I think that alone could have tied up my feelings.

A wonderful and beautiful young love story.

I cannot speak to the accuracy of the mental health aspect, but it appeared real and honest.

3.5 stars

Nick and June are best friends from a small town that grow into more. They are both scared of being stuck in their town with limited options for the future. When June is faced with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and Nick is arrested for stealing cars they decide to run away together. I appreciate the the appearance of a character with schizophrenia but I just didn't ever connect with her story. This story is great at the heart of it but it gets off to a slow start then ends when the story finally picks up.

Nick and June are BFFs who love each other desperately - though whether as BFFs or more than that, who knows? You probably know. Because you've read this plot before. Second verse, same as the first unfortunately - nothing new or groundbreaking.

I really felt bad for these star-crossed lovers. Unlike Romeo and Juliet, Nick and June’s relationship was an enduring one, as they were best friends since fifth grade, and sometime in high school, the two decide to become a couple. I always felt like whenever Nick and June were together, the best of them came through, it was when they were apart that the worst of them came out.

The two characters had a strong and passionate bond, and when you’re a teenager you truly believe that true love is forever. But Nick and June have so many things going against them, from Nick’s car thievery occupation to June’s recent schizophrenia, it’s almost a bad idea for these two to even be together. However, the two truly believe that love can be all for them, although at times June acknowledges that forever doesn’t have to mean forever in a physical sense, but that her love for Nick will live forever in her heart.

Despite the odds, the reader can’t help but cheer for these two. You truly want their love to endure and hope that nothing will break them up. The fact that these two characters are likable and relatable makes you wish that somehow, in the end, they can have their happy ending.

This is definitely a journey you won’t want to miss and one that will surely pull on your heartstrings.

The Quick Cut: A teen girl and guy struggle with their individual lives as they desperately cling to their friendship for help.

A Real Review:
Thank you to Knopf Books for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

We love our happy endings. Something about having all those struggles for the characters, all the pain and pushing through the barriers makes us want to make it mean something. However, life doesn't always wrap up quite so neatly and so when writers give us a bitter taste of reality in tge worlds they create, readers tend to celebrate it.

June has been hiding some very dark secrets from everyone in her life, including her best friend Nick. She's been hearing voices, having a hard time focusing her thoughts, and now she's seeing things that shouldn't be there. Her life has gone from AP classes to barely functional, day to day trying to hold herself together. Unfortunately, the dam breaks and her secrets come loose. What is happening to June and will she ever be the same?

Meanwhile, Nick can't seem to escape the mistakes of his family. Living with his aunt, he helps pay the bills by stealing cars in the same way his father did before he went to jail for it. Can he escape the mistakes of his family and find a better life for himself or is he doomed to repeat the cycle?

June and Nick are an interesting pair because they care so deeply about each other, but its not about romance and they very much live different lives. Each narrates different chapters of the book as they go through their lives (sometimes separate, sometimes together). June imagines life at college with her friend Bethany with hope while Nick remains hopelessly entangled in the garage. Their separate problems are taking them fartger apart from one another and that is only going to get worse.

This story at it's core is about the strength of friendship. Don't be fooled by the narrative: June and Nick both make bad decisions here that hurt themselves enough to cause their predicaments. However, seeing their relationship with one another and how it holds during the events that take place (don't want to ruin that for anyone) is something to see.

That being said, I still had issues with this book. I really hoped for more on June's schizophrenia, but after she starts seeing therapists the insight as to where her mind is and what's happening really drops off. This one is great for seeing the struggle to discover what's wrong, but not the aftermath of the diagnosis. I just hoped for more there.

With a story about friendship, this book provides the insight about choices gone wrong.

My rating: 3 out of 5

My heart went out to Nick and June in this passionate story overflowing with young love. A love so intimate and powerful you’d think it could survive anything (I believed it when I was a teenager too!) Except Nick and June have so much going against them that it is absolutely reckless for them even to be together. As a parent, I was scared to death for them both as I tore through the pages.

I won’t give too much away as to where the story takes them but once I got into it, I had to know how it would end. WOW!

This story deals with heavy topics such as absent parents, criminal charges, mental health and running away from home. Despite how troubled they were, I just loved this young couple and was cheering for them!!

I received this advanced copy from NetGalley and Random House Children’s Publishing in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. This book will be published February 12, 2019. I hope you will check it out!

Insightful take on mental illness and small town life. Insightful take on mental illness and small town life.

Nick and June Were here is an amazing story of friendship and the lengths people will go to stand by their friends side.
I was very impressed with this book and the authors accurate ability to catch so much of the mental pain people with this disease go through.
Can't wait to read more by this author!

*** Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of NICK AND JUNE WERE HERE by Shalanda Stanley in exchange for my honest review.***

3.5 STARS

After a psychotic break, June is diagnosed with schizophrenia. Her best friend/boyfriend, a reluctant car thief hopes his destiny isn’t prison like his father. Neither makes good decisions and the results may be catastrophic.

Writing schizophrenic narrators authentically is difficult, because disorganized thinking is a major component of the condition. Shalanda Stanley capture the auditory and visual hallucinations accurately. I was particularly glad she included June’s childhood with some hallucinations because the mistaken notion that healthy young adults wake up one day with schizophrenia appearing out of nowhere. Stanley was less accurate showing the disorganization.

After a slow start NICK AND JUNE WERE HERE picks up about 25% into the story and I became engaged in their stories. I loved June’s relationship with her second best friend Bethany and appreciated that both Nick and Bethany realized some secrets shouldn’t be kept, even if a friend gets mad. I had more trouble with June and Nick’s relationship because of certain decisions he convinced her to do including sneaking into the hospital. I know I was supposed to root for them, and I did as individuals, just not as friends or a couple. I had a lot of empathy for Nick, poor parental role models, abandoned by both. To me he wasn’t a victim of circumstances but a young man who made poor choices, pushing away help and support.

***mini spoiler***

The ending was satisfying. I was so glad Stanley avoided the love cure for mental illness and criminal behavior.

***end spoiler***

I recommend NICK AND JUNE WERE HERE with the caveat that friendship can feel good but be dysfunctional and ill-advised.