June by NYT Bestselling Author Miranda Beverly-Whittemore + Giveaway

June 09, 2016

Title: June

Author: Miranda Beverly-Whittemore
Publisher: Crown Publishing

Release Date: May 31, 2016
Genre: Contemporary Fiction / Suspense Thriller

From the New York Times bestselling author of Bittersweet comes a novel of suspense and passion about a terrible mistake made sixty years ago that threatens to change a modern family forever.

Twenty-five-year-old Cassie Danvers is holed up in her family’s crumbling mansion in rural St. Jude, Ohio, mourning the loss of the woman who raised her—her grandmother, June. But a knock on the door forces her out of isolation. Cassie has been named the sole heir to legendary matinee idol Jack Montgomery’s vast fortune. How did Jack Montgomery know her name? Could he have crossed paths with her grandmother all those years ago? What other shocking secrets could June’s once-stately mansion hold?

Soon Jack’s famous daughters come knocking, determined to wrestle Cassie away from the inheritance they feel is their due. Together, they all come to discover the true reasons for June’s silence about that long-ago summer, when Hollywood came to town, and June and Jack’s lives were forever altered by murder, blackmail, and betrayal. As this page-turner shifts deftly between the past and present, Cassie and her guests will be forced to reexamine their legacies, their definition of family, and what it truly means to love someone, steadfastly, across the ages.

I've always been intrigued by stories with a family mystery, searching a backstory or how an ancestor lived their lives. And June by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore fits that perfectly. The dual timeline aspect of relaying the story within a story makes it interesting, and it's as much Cassie's story as it is her grandmother, June's. From the very beginning, the lyrical prose of the family home, Two Oaks makes it dreamlike, with many fantasy moments, but it's not that kind of story. It's relaying emotions felt by a "home," not necessarily the actual house. And from there we are introduced to the characters in the novel, beginning with Cassie, then June and Lindie, and eventually those that make their appearance. Rich in history of the 1950s Hollywood film-driven America versus small town life and throwing in the twists of life in general, June was beautifully written and a welcome read. A steady pace throughout may discourage some readers, but I urge readers to continue you, because the story reads well as a whole, and makes the various twists understandable. Plus, only by following June and Cassie's story in its entirety will we truly understand the final revelation. In all, despite the twists and turns, and the complexity of certain characters, the simple message of family, of living, of happiness, and mind as well throw in patience, manifested blatantly as you close on June. If you like historical romance, Hollywood drama and a mystery of lives past, you'll find all that and more in June.

For my clean readers, there are some intimate scenes, but tastefully written.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book through TLC Book Tours for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own. For my review policy, please see my Disclosure page.

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MIRANDA BEVERLY-WHITTEMORE is the author of three other novels: New York Times bestseller Bittersweet; Set Me Free, which won the Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize, given annually for the best book of fiction by an American woman; and The Effects of Light. A recipient of the Crazyhorse Prize in Fiction, she lives and writes in Brooklyn.

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