Review: June by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore

June

by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore

Publisher: Crown

Pages: 400

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  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. 


Kritters Thoughts:  An epic family drama that spans generations and is written in two time periods - the past is 1955 and Lindie and June are in Ohio as a Hollywood movie comes to town and the present is Cassie who has inherited her grandmother June's home and has escaped into this home to hide out and put her pieces back together.  

With dual narrative books, I rate them first on if I like both time periods because I don't want to enjoy one over the other or then I would just prefer a book set in that one time period.  A great dual narrative happens with the reader feels like they can't have one without the other - this one was not that kind.  I completely and utterly loved the 1955 storyline and could have enjoyed a book just set in that time period with that story.  I loved the small town that was overcome by Hollywood and seeing the mega stars interact with the townsfolk.  I didn't care for Cassie's story, it was the necessary part to drive the 1955 storyline, but it just was ok for me.

As I have read in other reviews after finishing the book, I agree that the secrets weren't great secrets, but they were fine for me.  I don't always mind when I find something out early, it doesn't completely ruin the story for me.

This was my first Miranda Beverly-Whittemore book and I am still intrigued to read Bittersweet.  Has anyone read both?  Do you like one over the other?


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from TLC Tours.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.