Title: Honest June
Author: Tina Wells
Genre: Middle Grade, Contemporary
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: November 9, 2021
Rating: ★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
For June Jackson, middle school is hard enough–but it’s even harder when a fairy godmother grants her the ability to only tell the truth ALL THE TIME! Is it a blessing… or a major curse? June’s charming story will inspire big laughs and even bigger love for a new heroine for our times.
June Jackson is an expert at exceeding people’s expectations. She can’t help it; she’s a people-pleaser! She’ll do everything she can to be the perfect student, daughter, and friend, even if it means ignoring her own feelings sometimes. Cue Victoria, June’s secret fairy godmother, who blesses June with the ability to never tell a lie in the hopes that June will finally be honest with her loved ones. Instead of telling them the truth to their faces, June turns to a secret online blog–the only place she can write out her true feelings without hurting people.
When all of her responsibilities start to pile on–field hockey, the school paper, family responsibility, her friends–June begins feeling so overwhelmed that sometimes it feels hard to breathe. Not to mention June is desperately trying to figure out how to overthrow the spell at the same time! When the pressures reach new heights, will Honest June finally be able to break free and tell whole truth and nothing but?
Review:
Sixth grader June is always focused on pleasing everyone around her. That means that she often tells white lies to impress and please her friends and family. However, her own feelings get pushed aside as she tries to make everyone else happy. One day, Victoria, June’s fairy godmother, arrives and puts a spell on June that forces her to tell the truth. She can no longer lie about liking her mother’s cooking or wanting to follow in her dad’s footsteps to become a lawyer. June tries to get around this by creating a private blog to type up the truth so that she doesn’t have to speak it. June must learn the importance of the truth so the spell can finally be lifted.
This story had an important message about telling the truth, that is for adults as well as children. It’s so easy to tell little white lies that end up snowballing into bigger lies. Even just saying “I’m fine,” when you aren’t, is a lie that June was caught up in a few times.
June felt a lot of pressure from her family to do well in school. Her father had her entire life planned out for her when she was eleven-years-old, but she didn’t know what she wanted to do in the future. This could be very relatable for many readers. Once she finally spoke the truth and talked to her parents about what was bothering her, she was able to begin to solve her problems.
Honest June is a great middle grade novel!
Thank you Random House Books for Young Readers and TBR and Beyond Tours for providing a copy of this book.
What to read next:
Clean Getaway by Nic Stone
Where to buy:
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/honest-june-tina-wells/1138802892?ean=9780593378298
Book Depository: https://www.bookdepository.com/Honest-June-Tina-Wells/9780593378298?ref=grid-view&qid=1636044627003&sr=1-1
Indigo: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/honest-june/9780593378298-item.html?ref=isbn-search
IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780593378298
About the author:
Tina Wells is the founder of RLVNT Media, a multimedia content venture serving entrepreneurs, tweens, and culturists with authentic representation. Tina has been recognized by Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business, Essence’s 40 Under 40, Cosmopolitan’s Fun Fearless Phenom, and more. She is the author of nine books, including the best-selling tween fiction series Mackenzie Blue, its 2020 spinoff series, The Zee Files, and the marketing handbook, Chasing Youth Culture and Getting It Right.
Tour schedule:
December 27th
Stuck in Fiction – Promotional Post
Cindy’s Love of Books – Review
December 28th
Mocha Girls Read – Promotional Post
Kait Plus Books – Journal Spread
Rajiv’s Reviews – Review
December 29th
Confessions of a YA Reader – Promotional Post
PopTheButterfly Reads – Review
December 30th
Whispering Stories – Review & Favorite Quotes
Peruse With Coffee – Review & Top 5 Reasons to Read Honest June
December 31st
The Book Dutchesses – Promotional Post
The Bookish Coven – Review & Favorite Quotes
January 1st
Nine Bookish Lives – Promotional Post
Jill’s Book Blog – Review
Phannie the Ginger Bookworm – Review, Playlist & Favorite Quotes
January 2nd
Fictionologyst – Review
The Nutty Bookworm Reads Alot – Review
Have you read Honest June? What did you think of it?
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