This is not a sweet story of family.

Hannah lost her mother, her sister is troubled, and her father Larry asks her, at 17, to be the safe home for her nephews Henry and Simon while her sister tries to get her life back in order, just for a few months.

This book has such layers to it. On the surface, we are taken along with Hannah as she navigates this huge disruption to her life; Henry and Simon coming to live with her and her dad for a few months. As we progress through the story, we read about her frustration, her resistance, and watch how she processes everything. However, this story has an undertow that rips at your heart! If you have ANY awareness into this type of situation, you can clearly see how much is left unsaid and open for multiple perspectives, and yet on full display under the surface. There is so much emotion Hannah doesn't have the capacity to exam as a 17 year old girl. The pacing was great, we never idled on filler story, everything had a purpose, everything was another pieces to this huge picture of what Hannah's life is becoming.

I was not prepared for the emotional roller coaster of this book, and the heart ache of everyone we meet. I dont want to say I "loved" this book because its not a wonderful, sunshine read; but I loved the power of this book and I was totally captivated and invested, and if you are ready to cry, this is the book you need right now!

My heart….excuse me while I go sob in a hole for all eternity. This book was beautiful and heart wrenching. It is definitely a must read.

Hannah’s sister has once again hit a rough patch and is unable to take care of her two sons. She signs custody over, what should be temporarily, to her father, and the story focuses on Hannah and her dad trying to raise Simon and Henry.

This was a tough read that also ended up being heartwarming a way. The love that was felt between Hannah, her father, and the boys was just so palpable.

The book does not shy away from how incredibly screwed up the circumstances are and how messed up the child welfare system in the U.S. is. It tackles the tough subjects in a really impressive manner.

Solid 4 stars from me. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

I received a free copy of, Just Until, by Joseph Moldover, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Hannah is 17 and wants to get out of her hometown, but something always happens to make her stay, this time its her nephews, who have been taken away from her sister. After losing her mother to cancer, Hannah just wants to do what other normal students do. Hannah is a great character, I really felt for her. This was a really good read.

I spent nearly an hour staring at this review box trying to come up with something that can perfectly describe how amazing this novel is, but I guess I failed. Here's my attempt:

1. This story is everything I expect/hope/love from young adult fiction. It's a complete package about growing up and the hardship that comes from it—of family, love, friendship, and figuring out life oneself. The beginning is hooking and the ending is tied up satisfyingly. It reminds me of Emma Mills' works, particularly "First & Then", because it includes essential coming-of-age elements that are linked to each other and they are all presented in an enjoyable way, even though the theme is different.

2. Hannah's voice is one of the strongest suit in this book. Beneath her chaotic mind and attitude, I can see she's very carefully crafted. First point of view is perfect for her story because then I could experience what it is like to be her, a girl living with a single dad who suddenly are responsible to two nephews, in a small beach town, without a mother since she's four. If that sounds like a lot, it's because it IS a lot, and I think Moldover succeeded in bringing her to life.

3. Another thing that's carefully crafted is the backstory and how sensitive contents here are handled. I taught elementary years ago and we cooperated with child psychologists to help students learn, especially the ones who have learning difficulties due to home situation. Reading about the boys and how they act and react, also Hannah's and her dad's attempts to understand them reminded me of what the psychologists said, and it left me bittersweet, heartbreaking, and heartwarming at the same time. Also, Richard Greene lives up to his name—as green as the forest 🌲

4. I... run out of words. Just read it yourself. Especially if your jam is YA contemporary and you want to hug (nearly) all characters after reading it.

ARC is provided by Holiday House and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of Just Until. Hannah must choose the impossible: put her nephews into foster care so she can stay true to her dream or take them on and lose everything she’s worked so hard to achieve.

A sweet story of choosing what is best for others only to find it is best for you as well.

Just Until is a compelling read. It shows the unique POV of a teenager who is suddenly thrust into a parental role. At first, Hannah is immature and naive. As the story progresses, she grows as a caretaker and in her own emotional maturity. The way she changes in the face of such responsibility is both believable and moving. I also absolutely loved seeing the growth of the nephews as they stabilize and grow as they find a home and love from Hannah.

Full of bittersweet and hard moments, with memorable life lessons. It’s a book that will make you tear up more than once, especially as you get to know the boys and understand their desperate longing for a home. The emails Hannah writes to her deceased mother are particularly heart-wrenching, offering a window into her grief and longing for guidance.

In the end, “Just Until” leaves you with a feeling of hope. Moldover has created a story that is both heartbreaking and uplifting. This is a book that will stay with you long after you've finished reading.

This book was approximately my third 5 star read of the year and as a fast reader I have read about 200 books so far

This book took a little bit getting into but
I am so glad I stuck with it. Hannah absolutely broke my heart.
There was so much growth with her character during this book, the responsibility. She undertook the past that she was finally able to let rest.! Her resiliency, Question and growth made this book for me!

What do you do when you have no choice? When life throws things at you that you can’t steer away from. Hannah is placed in that impossible situation when her two nephews are placed with her and her father, because her sister is not taking care of them. Can’t take care of them. Is more interested in the bottle then their welfare.

So Hannah agrees, with her father that they will take the boys, just until her sister can take them bac, at most, three months, which grows to six months, which grows to, you get the idea.

And Hannah is going away to college in the fall. She figures her father can keep taking care of them, until that option is taken away too.
This is a story that tears at your heart, as Hannah keeps trying to do it all, not wanting to depend on anyone. That she can manage, she keeps telling herself she can do it all, until she can’t.

This is the book that I stayed up until 2am to finish, and when I fell asleep, I picked it up, first thing in the morning. It is that engaging.

The author said he knew about the foster care system, but he had to do more research to get the whole story.

This book made me cry, which is a good thing. I loved how the boys were aware what their mother had done, and what Hannah was doing. I loved that they werne’t goodie-two-shoes, that they had problems that had to be worked on.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book is coming out the 29th of October 2024.

Just Until is about the foster care system and the lives of the children involved. Hannah is a high school student forced to help raise her sister’s kids because the state has taken them away from her. The story focuses on Hannah who lost her mother, was abandoned by her wild sister, and is being raised by a grief-ridden father. Hannah has been forced to grow up fast and make a difficult choice between her nephews and her own future plans . Teachers need to read this to get a glimpse into the lives of some of our students. Sadly, this book is a reality for many kids. I will definitely be buying for my school library.

I devoured the book in a single sitting, completely enamored by it. The characters leapt off the page, each with their own unique and compelling voice. Hannah, in particular, captured my heart with the author's fearless exploration of her complex decisions. While some might argue that her choice to help her family was straightforward, the narrative delves deeper, revealing Hannah's internal struggle with guilt, the upheaval of her anticipated future, and the daunting weight of newfound responsibility.

I read this in two sittings (with a sleep in between). I loved it. I loved the characters and how distinctive their different voices were. My only slight issue was with Simon. He is supposed to be a neglected, traumatised nine-year-old with significant additional needs but he feels much older. I work in a school and just couldn't see him in any of the nine-year-olds I know, even those in comparable circumstances.

I loved the character of Hannah and how the author doesn't shy away from the difficult decisions she has to make. I'm sure many people would claim hers isn't a difficult decision - family in need, you help - but I think the author is more honest about this and Hannah's feelings of guilt at feeling so inconvenienced by the boys, the loss of the future she'd planned and her fear of the level of responsibility.

I am excited to see what else this author has written.

Wow, what a fantastic book about family, new beginnings, and changes as Hannah and her dad take in her sister’s two boys. Dad will have kinship care while their mother gets help. As time passes, the boys’ mom has very little contact with them, and Hannah’s dad wants to be a good grandfather. Hannah’s plans to attend Tufts University when she graduates in a year, but when her dad has a stroke, he needs rehab. Hannah calls her sister who’s moved far away to tell her but she doesn’t care and wants nothing to do with them. Then something happens and Hannah wonders what will happen to the boys. Will she keep them or end up going to college?
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

As someone who had to take on family and adult responsibilities from a young age I could so relate to this book and thought it captures everything that comes wohh the that perfectly. Highly recommend

I was so excited for this book. The blurb sounded amazing and I loved the cover. However I find the way it was edited and the way it appears on my kindle makes it very difficult to read and follow. If this was re-edited I would love to try again. I got I think 15 percent in and was so annoyed the editing made me dnf

This book was an emotional rollercoaster but I would most certainly read this again!

Thank you for this copy, I will be recommending to friends and family as well as my media to purchase this book!!

Thank you Netgalley and Holiday House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

“Just Until” by Joseph Moldover is an emotionally powerful and heart-wrenching YA book that focuses on the complexities of family and the responsibility of becoming an unexpected caretaker. The story also shows the effects of the difficult choices life can force upon us. Set against the backdrop of a small town in Maine, this story follows 17-year-old Hannah Lynn as she faces an impossible decision that will change her life forever. This is a book I would highly recommend should go in high/middle school classrooms and libraries as younger readers may find themselves relating to Hannah as well as her younger nephews. One content warning I want to provide before going into the review is that there is child abandonment.

Hannah’s dream is simple: to escape Evans Beach, the town that has brought her nothing but pain and loss. It’s where she lost her mother to cancer and where her estranged sister, Pauline, fell apart before abandoning her two young sons. With her father, Larry, a former baseball player who is more of a local legend than a present parent, Hannah is left to fend for herself. All she needs to make her escape is a little help from her chemistry tutor, Richard, who is both infuriating and intriguing. But everything changes one winter night when Pauline’s two sons are taken by the state, and Hannah and her father are the only ones who can keep them out of the foster care system. Larry assures her that it’s only temporary—just until Pauline gets back on her feet—but Hannah knows that when it comes to her troubled sister, nothing is ever that simple.

What makes “Just Until” so compelling is the unique perspective it offers. Instead of focusing on the children or the struggling mother, Moldover tells the story from the point of view of a teenager who is suddenly thrust into a parental role. At first, Hannah is immature and naive, particularly when it comes to her understanding of the foster care and Child Welfare system. She acts and thinks younger than her 17 years, but as the story progresses, we see her grow not only as a caretaker but also in her own emotional maturity. The way she evolves in the face of such overwhelming responsibility is both believable and deeply moving. I also absolutely loved seeing the growth of the nephews as they were able to stabilize and grow as they finally found a home and consistent love from Hannah.

The relationship between Hannah and Richard, the love interest, is another highlight of the book. Their connection is slow-paced and sweet, providing a tender counterbalance to the heavier themes. Richard is the perfect match for Hannah, supporting her without overshadowing the main plot. Their relationship feels real and never detracts from the central plot. The plot itself provides a feeling of hope throughout, especially with the ending.

“Just Until” is a bittersweet story filled with hard moments and memorable life lessons. It’s a book that will make you tear up more than once, especially as you get to know the boys and understand their desperate longing for a home. The emails Hannah writes to her deceased mother are particularly heart-wrenching, offering a window into her grief and longing for guidance. The author’s note at the end, which discusses the Child Welfare System, is also incredibly moving and adds depth to the story’s exploration of these difficult issues.

In the end, “Just Until” leaves you with a feeling of hope, despite the many challenges Hannah faces. Moldover has crafted a story that is both heartbreaking and uplifting, one that resonates long after the final page is turned. This is a book that will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading.