I enjoyed escaping into June's world while reading Any Place But Here. It was a journey into a quiet contemporary story, one in which the main character finds herself coming into her own. June has developed her personality so entirely around her best friend, Jess. Which has left their lives entwined to the point where being sent away gives June the chance to find out who she is as herself. The stakes are not exceptionally high, but a journey into one's self is never inconsequential.
 
I adored the way that Sarah used the process of development in traditional black and white photography almost as a metaphor for the growth of June's character. June, like the development of film in a dark room, goes through a process of metamorphosis. And like the processing of film, June's growth is a process of exploration. June's development is one that takes time, and as she grows, she grows with her flaws--she is not a perfect character, and that makes her all the more likeable, and all the more real.
 
I really enjoyed June's developing friendship with Claire and Kitty and the undertones of a potential love interest in the form of Sam. The ending of the story was entirely wrapped up in conjunction with the end of the school year, with the looming possibilities of summer, with a reunion come fall to look forward to.
 
I feel like this is a book that I will come back to again in the future when I want an escape into a quiet contemporary that is oh so beautifully written.