Review: June by Miranda Beverly–Whittemore

 

  Title:  June
  Author: Miranda Beverly-Whittemore (Website)
  Genre: Mystery/Thriller
  Publisher: Broadway Books; Reprint edition (February 14, 2017)
  Length: 432 pages
  Source: Broadway Books and Blogging for Books

 

 

About the Book: (From 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.

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.

My Review: June by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore takes place in St. Jude, Ohio.  The story weaves between present time and 1955, when a Hollywood file crew came to town to film Erie Canal.  The star of Erie Canal is Jack Montgomery, a Hollywood heartthrob. The crew takes quaint little St, Jude by storm.  There are parties and community members working for the film. 

June and Lindie are best friends.  June is engaged to marry Arthur, who is schedule to be coming to town soon.  Lindie is a young lady, who secretly is in love with June.   June lives in an elegant mansion called Two Oakes.  Lindie and June have grown up together.  June’s mother Cheryl Anne has great ambition for her daughter to marry well.  There are a lot of twists and turns following the story line that takes place in 1955.  There is murder, secrets and the cover up.  June is a very strong woman who is able to make some difficult decisions. 

In the present day,  Cassie the grand daughter of June comes to Two Oakes after her grandmother’s death.  Cassie is struggling with functioning day to day.  She has inherited Two Oakes, which is in great despair.   Two Oakes is a living breathing character in the story.  This works sometimes and other times seems out of place.  One day, Nick arrives at her door.  Nick is the assistant to Tate, who is the daughter to the Hollywood star, Jack Montgomery.   Nick informs her that she has been left a large amount of money from Jack Montgomery, who she does not know.     The mystery begins to unfold as the truth is slowly revealed between the dual narratives from 1955 and present day. 

Initially June by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore did not grab me.  Towards the middle I was invested in the story and the story continues to gain momentum to the ending.   I really enjoyed a number of the characters, especially the relationship between June and Lindie as well as Two Oakes.  I found it interesting that the house was an actual character in the story. 

I rate June by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore as 3/5.  I didn’t lose any sleep to read June, but the ending had me and I had to finish before my day could continue. 

My Rating Scale: 1 – didn’t like it; 2 – it was ok; 3 – liked it; 4 – really liked it; 5 – it was amazing

June by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore was also reviewed by Mockingbird Hill Cottage, Cover2Cover Mom, the Smug Cloud, Perfectly Ambitious and Becky Renner.

Happy Reading!

**Disclosure – June by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore was received from the Blogging for Books Program in exchange for a fair review. All opinions are my own.  This post contains affiliate links.