Six More Months of June by Daisy Garrison
Rating:4/5
Release Date: 6 June 2024

Caplan and Mina are the epitome of opposites attract. While Mina excels academically as the bookish valedictorian, Caplan thrives as the popular athlete, poised to claim the title of Prom King. As they navigate the final months of high school, a revelation shakes their dynamic: Caplan's friend confesses a crush on Mina.

As Mina integrates into Caplan's social circle and embarks on her first romantic relationship, Caplan finds himself grappling with unexpected emotions. Why does Mina's newfound love interest stir feelings of jealousy within him? Could his feelings for her extend beyond friendship?

Meanwhile, Mina wrestles with her own uncertainties about the future. Despite everyone's expectations for her to attend Yale, her late father's alma mater, she questions whether it aligns with her desires. As graduation looms, both Caplan and Mina must confront their aspirations and contemplate whether their friendship holds the potential for something more.

The characters in the novel felt incredibly authentic, and their actions and thoughts resonated with the reality of high school life. I found myself transported back to my own high school days, fully immersed in the engaging drama that unfolded throughout the story.

While the novel delves into themes of trauma, I would recommend checking for trigger warnings before delving in. However, I appreciated how the trauma plot line was handled with sensitivity and care, though I wished it had been given a bit more depth and exploration. I believe this could have been achieved without veering into overly dark territory, maintaining the overall tone of the novel.

This book was anything but boring, and I didn't encounter any dull moments throughout. I highly recommend.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Hachette Children's Group | Hodder Children's Books, and the author, Eve Ainsworth, for providing me with an ARC copy in exchange for an honest and fair review.

Unfortunately I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I thought I would, but it’s still a good recommended read for anyone who likes contemporary YA.

My main issue is that I struggled to like Mina, which is a shame as I actually resonate with a lot of what she’s been, and is still, going through. I liked everything about her on a surface level, but something just stopped me fully connecting with her. Caplan was similar, although I did like his chapters more than Mina’s.

Six More Months of June isn’t just a light, fluffy YA romance, as it does deal with some heavy themes. Loss, abandonment, grief, and depression are a few of the issues portrayed and discussed, and I really appreciated how author Daisy Garrison explores them all with kindness and sensitivity.

Six More Months of June may not be my personal favourite contemporary YA, but I did like it and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to people. If you’re a fan of good writing, darker themes, friends to lovers, strong friendships and alternating POVs, this could well be the perfect book for you!

2.5 ⭐️

I really enjoyed the writing style in this book and found it really easy to read with likeable characters and a very loaded plot line. This book was a lot of things but it definitely wasn’t empty and I didn’t find it to be slow at any parts. I really like the characters Mina, Quinn and Hollis with Mina saying some of the most funny one liners I’ve ever read in a book. Cap however was not it. He was both an emotional manipulator and emotional cheater and that’s not something I would typically look for in the main character of a book.

I genuinely did enjoy the authors writing style and characters but i am personally not a fan of cheating in romance books so this book isn’t for me but I definitely will read any future books she writes.

Thank you for the arc Net Galley.

Caplan and Mina are best friends but they couldn't be more different. Mina is a bookish valedictorian and Caplan is a popular athlete who's set to be Prom King. The two are navigating their last few months at high school when Caplan's friend admits to having a crush on Mina. As Mina starts spending more time with Caplan's clique and enters her first romantic relationship, Caplan's feelings about Mina are called into question. Why does Mina having a boyfriend make him jealous? Does he have feelings for her beyond friendship? Meanwhile Mina is working out what she wants for the future. Everyone expects her to go to Yale, her late father's alma mater, but she's not sure that's what she wants anymore. As graduation approaches, both Caplan and Mina have to work out what they want for the future and if their friendship could be something more.

This book is a hopeful love letter to the halcyon days of high school. I was fully expecting this novel to be a generic YA romance but it was actually a very well constructed friends to lovers (?) story that left me feeling fuzzy and hopeful. I read the whole thing in a matter of days and the story stuck with me after I'd finished it. It reminded me of what it's like to be young and in love, preparing for the future and all that holds.

Daisy Garrison did a good job of bringing depth to the character's backstories and I felt very invested in both Caplan and Mina's stories. Mina lost her dad at a young age and lives with an emotionally distant mother and Caplan's father walked out on them. The book explored how this affected both characters and brought them closer together. Caplan and Mina's friendship is very well established and there are lots of wholesome details about them growing up together.

The characters felt very real and their actions and thoughts were believable. I was fully taken back to my high school days. The drama was very engaging and this kept me invested throughout the novel.

The novel also deals with themes of trauma so I would advise checking trigger warnings before diving in. This being said, the trauma plot-line is very well written and is explored very delicately although I would have liked it to get a little more air-time and be a bit more developed. I feel that this could have been achieved without the novel becoming too dark.

I also really enjoyed Hollis' character development. Hollis is initially presented as the popular girlfriend of Caplan who bullied Mina from a young age but as the novel progresses, we come to see her as a more nuanced character who isn't all bad. I appreciated that even the side characters were fully developed. However, I did feel that Quinn (Mina's boyfriend) could have had a bit more development as he lacked a bit of depth.

I related to Mina's character and I found her friendship with Caplan to be very authentic and endearing. The development of their relationship felt organic and I was rooting for them both to get together.

My one criticism of this novel is that it is a bit more spicy than you would usually expect of a YA romance. Although the scenes were fade-to-black and never explicit, there were quite a few references scattered throughout the novel. I felt that this was a bit unnecessary and didn't really add anything to the story.

Overall, this was a wholesome coming-of-age romance that was never corny or cringeworthy. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and I give it four stars. I would recommend this if you are looking for a light-hearted summer read. Six More Months of June comes out 6th June.

I'd like to express my gratitude to Netgalley and Daisy Garrison for providing me with the opportunity to review this ARC. This book offers a delightful tale of lifelong friends evolving into lovers, with a dash of enemies-to-friends dynamic, reminiscent of "If He had Been with Me" but without the dark undertones. Enter Caplan and Mina, an unlikely duo—Caplan, the affable popular boy, and Mina, the nerdy bookish girl who lives just across the street. Despite their differences, their friendship blooms, especially after Mina teaches Caplan to read, bridging the gap between them.

However, things take a turn when Hollis, Caplan's girlfriend, invites Mina into their circle, prompting Caplan's best friend, Quinn, to develop feelings for Mina. Caplan finds himself grappling with jealousy and his own emotions for Mina, compounded by her past traumas that have always made physical contact challenging for him.

The narrative delves deeper into their co-dependent relationship, with Caplan assuming a protective stance over Mina, while she seeks to discover herself beyond her past. The story pleasantly surprises as it unfolds, with Hollis emerging as a genuine friend who aids Caplan in confronting his feelings. Quinn also proves to be a supportive presence, adding depth to the group dynamic.

However, while the story captivates, it falls short in exploring certain issues more profoundly. Mina's trauma and her friendship with Caplan deserved more nuanced exploration, as did Caplan's unresolved issues with his father. These additions could have enriched the narrative without dampening its mood. Nonetheless, the ending is heartwarming, especially with the inclusion of Mina's college application essay, offering readers a satisfying conclusion.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette for granting me access to read this ARC of Six More Months of June.

I devoured this book. When I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about it! Such a perfect YA romance about two best friends realising the extent of their love for each other.

Filled with delicious moments of jealousy, yearning, and thoughtful affection, Daisy Garrison triumphs with this summer romance.

I look forward to seeing all the success that this book has!

Okay it is 2am and I have just finished this wonderful book. The perfect childhood friends to lovers story where they both trip into love. It was the perfect coming of age book with depth and lightheartedness. My only request would be for a second book!!!

I absolutely adore a good love story especially that takes me back to the YA days. It definitely looks like this one is going to be at the top of my list for sure. So excited to share my thoughts on Mina & Caplin and will definitely be sharing a full review and thoughts very soon. I apologize I’m a bit behind due to some unexpected health issues but please know I see you and I’m getting caught up as quickly as possible. I appreciate the beautiful content as I am trying to heal.