Six More Months of June was a pleasant book. This book could even be for 8th graders. It is light on the romance, which is so nice. This book is also about friendships and how different situations can change how you perceive others in good and bad ways. I liked how the characters communicated with each other. This book had the ups and downs of life and shows how families can be different with one parent or two. It also tells how parents raise their children differently (some care about curfews and some don’t). The kids in this book are seniors, so it shows how they have the “senioritis.” I will definitely tell kids to read this book, it is a light read. I also like the happy ending,
By the way the cover and title were also catchy.

Six More Months of June is a dual POV story of two best friends, Mina and Caplan, who are in their last month of high school. An unlikely pair with Caplan being the golden boy and Mina being a bookish loner type, they have been best friends since third grade, withstanding the social norms of school. And when Caplan's friend confesses he thinks he has feelings for Mina, both of their worlds get turned sideways. Mina is starting to become friends with all of the people she has been avoiding for years, and Caplan just wants things to stay as they've always been. Filled with funny quips, teenage shenanigans, and end of high school jitters, this sweet story makes you realize that sometimes destiny has been right in front of you all along.

This was a really cute, fun story that was done very well as an audiobook. I enjoyed both narrators, the nostalgia I felt while listening, and the kind of cliche high school hot boy realizes the nerdy girl is actually pretty and someone he might have more feelings for trope. I really liked Caplan and Mina's relationship and how even when Caplan became the golden boy of the school that he never let Mina go as a friend. I liked the breaking of the social norms, that Mina did have some necessary character growth, and the resolution of the story.

I would recommend to anyone looking for a pretty light story that is a pretty classic high school story with a little twist, funny characters, and a suburban small town feel.

There’s something about YA romance that appeals to me over adult romance. My best guess is that it’s because I’m such a huge fan of 90’s teen movies and I enjoy the aspect of characters discovering themselves as well as a significant other. Six More Months of June was a Macmillan Audio pick for me and even though I’m not the biggest fan of friends to lovers, the bittersweet sound to the end-of-highschool romance synopsis pulled me in—think Can’t Hardly Wait!

I think my favorite thing about this book was how it didn’t gloss over the more realistic aspects of modern teen life. A lot of YA romance avoids things like marijuana use, underage drinking, and sex, or if they’re not avoided they are mildly mentioned or even problematic in some way. This book accepts these things as facts of life for the cast of characters. Furthermore, this book represents these things as honestly as possible: messy, dangerous, but also showing their appeal and fun. Again, harkening to 90s teen movies.

I also loved how this book dealt with trauma, “mean girls,” the nuances of friendship, and developing maturity in teens.

While the main plot of the book–the developing feelings between best friends Caplin and Mina, was very well thought out and crafted, and left nothing to be desired, I actually think the subplot of “mean girl” Hollis, Caplan’s on again off again girlfriend, recognizing the reality of the situation and being super mature about it—and even acting as a sort of matchmaker—was an aspect that made this book five stars to me.

As for the audiobook narrators, a brief search suggests this is the first book for both of them (or at least I didn’t see others, so I apologize if I’m wrong!), and I did like them both.

thank you MacMillan audio for Six Months of June from Daisy Garrison, a fun YA book that takes on a lot of relevant experiences for high school seniors. I appreciated how Garrison explored themes on dating, popularity, and what it feels like to want new things, to let go of high school in some ways but to worry about what the next step holds for high school relationships, these are real things and valid worries and experiences. Garrison treated these feelings openly and with care that in the moment and at the time of taking next and first steps away from home, into early adult life are big times of transition.

I will note that for me there is value as well in YA books that take on adolescent sexuality and sexual experiences (even if I won't listen to it because it just feels weird for me to do that and i skip ahead...), adolescents have sex, when it is open and consensual and part of exploration of self and the self with others, the self as having sexual feelings those parts of a book might be important for high school students to experience and read. This is a note though that if you have a reader who might pick this up but is younger to understand the content and I say create the space for a conversation or just say to your reader this book has sex in, I trust you to appreciate the importance of those themes and to think about how the relationships model respect and consent and that it is ok to have those feelings. :) but also if that is not your kind of theme for yourself or not sure if your YA reader would be ready/open to those themes to be aware of those parts of the book.

This YA end of high school romance debut sounded interesting and while I like the unique mental health rep (phobia/panic attacks/past trauma) in the story. I found the audio narration kind of slow paced and I struggled not to be bored listening to this one. Recommended for fans of authors like K L Walther but this was a DNF for me unfortunately. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to listen to an early ALC in exchange for my honest feedback!

First, a heartfelt thank you to Flatiron Books for providing me with an advance listener copy of this enchanting debut.

"Six More Months of June" by Daisy Garrison is an absolutely delightful and heartwarming romantic tale that captures the exhilarating highs and messy lows of the final months of high school. Garrison's storytelling is perfect for fans of Carley Fortune and Jenny Han, weaving a narrative that is both nostalgic and refreshingly real.

The story of golden boy Caplan and bookish Mina, who have been inseparable since third grade, is beautifully crafted. Their unique bond, formed in the cul-de-sac of Two Docks, Michigan, transcends the typical high school social hierarchy. Mina, the class valedictorian, faces familial expectations, while Caplan grapples with the fear of peaking too soon.

The dynamic shifts when Caplan’s best friend confesses his feelings for Mina, propelling her into a social whirlwind she never anticipated. Garrison deftly explores the complexities of friendships, first loves, and the bittersweet nature of endings and new beginnings. The characters are richly developed, and the emotional depth of their journey is both poignant and uplifting.

"Six More Months of June" is a luminous and captivating debut that celebrates the end of one chapter and the hopeful start of another. It’s a must-read for anyone who cherishes heartfelt romance and the magic of finding one’s true self amidst the chaos of adolescence.

This was such an amazing story of friendship and how it can turn into love. There are so many great moments that were such great examples of how to just be a friend. They were so emotionally touching without being unrealistic for teenagers. I love the evolution of their characters, both individually and together. Absolutely such a beautiful story that was able to maintain the humor and chaos that come with the teenage years.

Six More Months of June
By: Daisy Garrison
Narrated by: Georgia Garrison; Jesse Aaronson
Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Young Listeners
Pub Date: June 11, 2024
Teens and YA

Narrators Garrison and Aaronson did an excellent job in capturing the characters and plot of Daisy Garrison's book. The audiobook was very appealing
in holding my attention and interest in the story.
There are very mature themes and scenes in the book that all readers might not want in a book for young listeners. I am an older reader, and the sex and drinking were not my preferences. Garrison is an excellent writer who writes with depth and emotion.

I received an advance listener's copy from Macmillan Audio through the 2024 Influencer Program and Net Galley. My review is my own.

#MacAudio2024 #MacmillanAudio #NetGalley

It’s Pub day for Six More Months of June!

Did you love To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before? Then you should definitely pick up this book.

Golden boy Caplan and bookish Mina have been unlikely soulmates since third grade. Bound by growing up in single-mother households on the same cul-de-sac in Two Docks, Michigan, their friendship exists miraculously outside their high school’s social order. Mina is class valedictorian, expected by her late father’s parents to attend his Ivy alma mater; Caplan is laughing off prom-king predictions and the fear that he’s peaking too soon.

When Cap’s skateboard-toting, detention-dodging best friend confesses his feelings for Mina, she is whisked into a social life she never imagined, bumping shoulders with the likes of Caplan’s queen-bee girlfriend. Caplan is determined that things stay just as they’ve always been, while Mina faces the perils and privileges of opening her heart just in time to say goodbye.

As the sun sets on senior year, everything glows. What will Cap and Mina discover in the last-chance light?

This book made me nostalgic for first love. Cue the friend to more than friends trope and add some butterflies please. And boy do I know that trope too well 😆
Add some end of school hijinks and you’ve got a fun summer read.

Very cute, young adult story. Loved the characters, well written by the author. Would recommend if you’re looking for a light summer read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy.

What do you do when you realize you are in love with your best friend? Obviously, one of 2 things nothing or everything you can. Cap and Mina have been best friends for years, but now that they are about to graduate, will they realize they are in love or is it unrequited? This was a cute summer read, it wasn't quite To All the Boys cute, but it was a good pool read. I would still buy it for my school library.

Six More Months of June by Daisy Garrison is a lovely YA debut!

In this story, we follow Mina, a graduating senior, who has never really fit in…except for when she is with her long-time best friend—and mister popular—Chaplan. “As the sun sets on senior year, everything glows. What will Cap and Mina discover in the last-chance light?”

This book brought me back to high school and the way life feels like it is slipping through your fingers as graduation approaches.

Listening to this one was a delight! The narrators, Jesse Aaronson and Georgia Garrison (the author’s sister), did a marvelous job!

In short, book is an easy and pleasurable read, exactly what it is set up to be.

💥 HAPPY PUB DAY!

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

• YA but with mature themes (be aware!)
• dual POV
• cute moments

Oh, high school drama. How I don't miss you! This one might have been a little too YA for me. The writing was good, and I did enjoy the narration - the two voice actors really depicted high school students well.

#qotd What was your favorite thing to do in the summertime as a kid/teenager?

🗣 Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read and review this book via gifted audiobook! All opinions are honest and my own.

Thank you Flatiron Books and Macmillan Audio for my #gifted copy of Six More Months of June!

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐒𝐢𝐱 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐃𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐲 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧
𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬: 𝐆𝐞𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐚 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞 𝐀𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐧
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟏𝟏, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒

This was such a fun friends to lovers contemporary romance novel. In the description it says it’s perfect for fans of Carley Fortune and Jenny Han, and I could not agree more. I loved Caplan and Mina and felt like this was just such a sweet romance about personal growth and discovering yourself. There were some tough topics involved and I do think this book is for a more mature reader, but it was the perfect poolside read and I highly recommend this one. It was totally a bingeable read too and one you will not want to stop once you start!

My main critique is that I do think this book needs to be given a content warning or needs to be labeled as something other than YA due to the sexual content. Perhaps leans more towards the New Adult side of things. Besides that, I really did like this one!

🎧I LOVED this one on audio. I thought Georgia Garrison as Mina and Jesse Aaronson as Caplan were absolutely perfect and I could not get enough of these two on audio. I could not have picked two better people to narrate this audiobook. If you looking for a new YA audiobook, you need to check this one out.

☀️Friends to Lovers
☀️Coming of Age
☀️Personal Growth
☀️Young Adult/New Adult

Posted on Goodreads on June 10, 2024: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around June 11, 2024: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on June 11, 2024
**-will post on designated date

GENERAL INFO

Six More Months of June-a standalone

Publication date: 6-11-24, Read 6-10-24

Format: e-Book` and audiobook

Run time: 8:30

Narrators: Georgia Garrison(the author's sister) and Jesse Aaronson

The narrators' voices fit the characters and I could easily tell the difference between all characters. The reading style brought the story to life and the pacing flowed easily with the story. The narration and the author were in sync, and they fit together perfectly.

The audiobook's flow was pretty good. The narrators paused and announced every time a new chapter came. It was told in 1st person with dual POVs from Caplan and Mina. The book had a table of contents which helped me follow along with the e-book and audio.

Setting: Two Docks, MI

🙏🏾Source: Thanks to NetGalley, Flatiron Books, and Macmillan Audio for this ARC and ALC🩷! I voluntarily give my honest review and all opinions expressed are my own.

Genre: YA, Contemporary Romance

Tropes: small town, high school, in love w/ BFF, friendship, single parent, coming of age, opposites attract, mental health, friends to lovers

⚠️SA-mentioned but in the past, drug use, bullying, parental abandonment, death of a parent, grief, suicide ideation

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Synopsis/Plot Summary: Mina and Caplan have been best friends since third grade. Now their senior year is coming to end and both have to decide what they are going to do next. Caplan barely got into Michigan State and Mina has been accepted to Yale. Things get messy when Caplan kisses her forgetting his girlfriend Hollis. Can they remain BFFs or will everything change when they graduate?

Flashbacks: Mina and Caplan go back to when they met and Mina taught Caplan how to read. Mina discussed her father's death and Caplan his father's abandonment.

AUTHOR OVERVIEW

Daisy Garrison-debut author

PERSONAL OVERVIEW

Overall Rating: 3.5 ⭐

Do You Recommend This Book: yes

Will You Re-read This Book: no

Would You Read More Books by this Author: yes

COMMENTS/NOTES: The YA genre has been hit or miss for me. This one was half and half. There is plenty of angst, struggles with being accepted, and fear of the future. Caplan wanted things to stay the same with all his friends, especially Mina. She went through bad trauma and is still grieving for her father. Caplan got pretty jealous when his friend Quinn wanted Mina, but it pushed him to make a move. Mina had me confused at times because she was a self proclaimed introvert who doesn't like talking much, but kissed Quinn first and wanted to sleep with him. I'm not mad at her wanting to explore her sexuality, but it didn't seem like she was ready. Hollis was the MVP because she stood up for herself, was able to forgive Caplan, and embrace Mina. She admitted she was jealous of Caplan and Mina's friendship, but her and Mina were able to really bond.

Synopsis: Super popular Caplan and bookish Mina have been best friends since grade school. As they near the end of the senior year they discover they might have feelings for one another.

Thoughts: I don’t read a lot of YA romance, but this one was really cute! I was engaged with the plot and pacing, and I found the characters very likable. Mina was super relatable, and there were some great side characters. I was back and forth on Caplan, but I feel like he was maybe kind of a terrible boyfriend idk. I actually loved Mina’s friendship with Hollis way more than her romance with Caplan. There was a lot of fun nostalgia, and I feel like the author really nailed that feeling of high school ending and a new chapter of life beginning. I do have to say, though, that I think this may be misclassified as YA and should probably be NA. There was way more sex than I would want to see in a YA novel, so definite content warning on sex and alcohol. I would also include a content warning for sexual assault. A note on the audio: I mostly eyeball read this one, but I switched to audio during work for the last 30% or so, and loved it! Georgia Garrison and Jesse Aaronson were perfect choices for the narration. I would definitely watch this if it became a Netflix adaptation!

Read this if you like:
🎓 So High School
🎓 friends to lovers
🎓 teen romcoms
🎓 nostalgia
🎓 coming of age

This was a rom com, very cute story line. 2 friends since third grade, one is smart, the other is popular. The two end high school and see if there is anything more between them.

This is the perfect teen coming of age, romance story. I loved that it went back and forth between the main characters perspectives. It was honest, thoughtful and reminded me of Dawson's Creek if Joey would have ended up with Dawson. I think teen readers will love that it feels like high school but more fun. I think that anyone who has lost a parent will connect to this book. Perfect summer read for teens.

Six More Months of June is about Caplan and Mina, who grew up together and have always existed in space with tension between them, but never crossing over from friendship to a romantic relationship.

This is marketed as a YA novel, so I was a bit taken aback at how often sex was mentioned. Personally, I prefer my YA novels to be more "fade to black", so that detracted from my experience. I also found Caplan to be a bit insufferable.

Perhaps I was just a bit too told to appreciate this. Thank you to MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC!

Caplan and Mina are best friends. Caplan is the all-around golden boy and Mina is smart, shy and keeps mostly to herself. They are entering the summer before going off to college and Mina is gaining a new sense of confidence and is being invited (and says yes for the first time) to go out to parties with Cap and his friends. Mina starts dating Quinn and Caplan starts to realize that his feelings towards Mina are more romantic.

I love the relationship between Mina and Hollis. I think it's amazing when girls are friends instead of competing against each other. It's also nice to talk about hard things with other people to feel less alone and to ask for help if you need it.

Trigger warnings for rape, assault, panic attacks and underage drinking.