Waiting for June

by Joyce Sweeney

Sophie has dreams. A college-bound honors student, she has aspirations to be a poet. But an unplanned pregnancy changes everything. Suddenly, she isn’t so sure her life will go the way she wants. Then, she starts receiving threatening notes and wonders who is trying to destroy her. As the due date approaches, secrets come to life and events spiral out of control. Is Sophie losing her mind? Or is she finding her soul?

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Teen, Realistic Fiction

Paperback

First published October 1, 2003

About the author

Joyce Sweeney captured the attention of the YA book world when her novel Center Line was chosen as the winner of the first Delacorte Press Prize for an Outstanding First Young Adult Novel in 1984. Since that auspicious beginning she has continued to publish appealing novels for teens on a variety of topics, among them friendships, family relationships, and self-discovery. Four of those novels have been named Best Books for Young Adults, four have been Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, and Booklist included Players among its Top Ten Sports Books in 2002.

Reviews

[Tahleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sophie is a high school senior, trying to save up enough money for her college education and get through her final year so she can work toward her goal of becoming a poet. She also happens to be pregnant. This does not make her life easy, as she is constantly harassed in school, gets in bitter fights constantly with her mother (who refuses to share the identity of Sophie's own father), and tries to avoid everyone's questions and suspicions of who has fathered her child. Yet Sophie deeply loves her unborn daughter, whom she names June, and is nothing but confident and calm when thinking of her future with her. But to make matters even weirder, Sophie has been having dreams about a pod of whales, dreams so vivid that she is sure they are more than just dreams, that they (and her daughter) are trying to tell her something. The closer the due date approaches, the more secrets are revealed to both Sophie and to the reader.

This slim volume packs a lot of issues into a poetic and lovely story. The only way I can describe the prose is floaty and calm. Nothing ever seems rushed—Sweeney takes her time telling the story, even through the tenser moments and action scenes. As we get deeper into the story, the mysteries get more and more intriguing. Sophie's dreams kick up a notch, to an almost supernatural level, and despite her sleuthing she cannot guess the meaning of them until the end, leaving us to make our guesses and hang in there, waiting to find out if we were right.

That said, I found the issue of June's father pretty predictable—yet that didn't really detract from the story for me. I was more interested in why Sophie was having the dreams, and finding out about her own past. Her mother is very bitter and angry about the pregnancy, even though she herself has a somewhat sullied past. She is a single mother, and gives no indication of how she got there. Sophie is haunted by the fact that she doesn't know her own heritage or where she came from, and uses her pregnancy and the need to know her family's medical history to figure this out.

In the end, this book is about women's solidarity and independence. It is full of strong women who do what needs to be done and take care of each other. All of them band together when it comes down to it, though some take longer than others, and everything is done with as much dignity as possible. It's a quick read, but gave me that happy feeling you get after reading a good story.

[Kerry Cerra · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story filled with magical realism, pregnancy, and determination, Waiting for June is a fabulous read. Sophie has never felt comfortable in high school. When she learns that she is pregnant during her senior year and begins having strange dreams, Sophie is convinced the baby is sending her messages. Struggling to deal with the death threats she’s suddenly receiving and trying to find her way in the world, you will find yourself cheering for Sophie as she untangles the web of dreams and threatening letters before delivering a beautiful baby. A short, but wonderful read with an unexpected ending.

[Tena Edlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a cheap Kindle deal, and it got my attention, so I read it. It was a decent book with a few surprises. It wasn't a story about the horrors of a future-ending teen pregnancy. It was a story about a smart teenager trying to do the right thing after making a (huge) mistake. It focused on the teen's life and school and family/friend relationships, but it didn't specifically center on the pregnancy. The pregnancy was a catalyst for events and changes in relationships. There was also a tiny mythical/dreamy element that at first annoyed me but that I actually ended up liking. The book definitely did not present teen pregnancy as a positive thing, but it showed some positive ways to handle it.

[Javier Trost · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised with how this book ended. It is a simple read and I can see why young adults would enjoy it. They could relate to being an outcast. The characters were drawn enough to be different and to have depth. I would have liked to see more poetry worked in with the prose but other than that it was an enjoyable read. I don't know what age groups Young Adult covers but I can see 16-20 year old females enjoying this book.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a surprising gem of a novel- a story of an overachieving high school senior who is pregnant but refuses to name the father of her child-- it could have been a cliched YA book to get lost in the fray, but it was so much more than that. The imagery and poetry and diction Sweeney uses to tell the story of Sophie in these weeks of her life, tie the story to themes of heritage, nature and culture, are breathtaking and special. For a free kindle read, this book was spectacular. The author has a true gift with language and I can't wait to read more.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A special read

Really enjoyed this book. It is based on the difficult relationships of high school. Poor Sophie never really fitting in, then she becomes pregnant and has an even harder time. Lucky for her the one guy she is actually close to is one of the most popular kids in school. Sophie struggles to fit in; but when secrets are revealed she understands so much more about herself.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book I have read by this author. I read her first book, centerline back in the late 80s.
You can find this authors books on NLS.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing Magical Tale

Loved how June is the true heroine through her family’s heritage. Writer has given depth to all her characters as well.

[donna sharp · Rating 2 out of 5]

Different

Not sure how to review this. I wasn't sure how to identify with the characters. But I probably won't read this again.

[Delaney Clare · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel like this book was trying to be too many things in such a short period. Was also very predictable. Maybe I’m too old to have really enjoyed it 😂

[Betty · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Waiting for June” is a very gratifying book. Sophie, a high school senior, is pregnant and is going to have a baby girl. She has strange dreams about whales and someone is sending threatning notes to her to kill her and her baby.She has a really good friend who is always there for her and who cares for her a lot. I would recommend this book to anyone. My favorite character is her best friend Joshua because he is always there for Sophie and he is a loyal friend. All of the mysterys and secrets in this book kept me reading it.I felt like I wanted to know what would happen next and more mysteries kept coming up. The portion of the book that captivated my attention was when she had her baby.I really didn’t expect her daughter to be african american.My least favorite character was Blanca because she tried to do something really bad to sophie. This book made me feel sad sometimes because of all the things Sophie has to go through because of her teenage pregnancy. I think the author wrote this book so girls can see what teenage pregnancy is like and all the struggles that come with it. If this book was made into a movie I would choose to be Sophie because shes the starJ I kind of expected and didn’t expect the ending because I knew she would end up having her baby and her mom would end up loving her grandaughter. But I didn’t expect who turned out to be the babys father.

[Anne Slater · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't an earth-shattering story, but a mind-nudging one.
High-achieving, college-aspiring daughter of a single mother, Sophie's plans are knocked off balance by her pregnancy. Her mother's world is shaken, too, but her daughter's unwillingness to name the baby's father does not make her willing to reveal Sophie's father's identity to her...

The important parts of this too-short novel are
friendships, how they are formed and grow
the importance of being true to one's self
the vagaries the teen experience

I look forward to reading more of Joyce Sweeney's work.

[Haydee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the story of Sophie, a high school student with big dreams of going to college and becoming a writer, all while dealing with an unplanned pregnancy. The story takes place during Sophie's senior year. Sophie lives with her mom, who was a young single mother herself. There are a lot of questions throughout the story, all of which are answered by the end. Even though this was a short book, I really enjoyed it.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very short book in comparison to what I am used to. Around 150 pages. But is was a beautiful story. Sophie is a pregnant teen in her third trimester who is trying to find out the secret of who her father is while at the same time keeping the secret of who her babies father is. It all comes full circle at the end and even though things seem a little weird throughout the book at times it comes together beautifully at the end.

[Allyson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read that definitely went off in a direction I did not expect. The lore aspect caught me off guard and generally didn't sit well with me, despite being a lore reader. However, Sweeney did a great job bringing it all together in the end. Once I had read the entire story, all the "huh?" pieces fell into place and I was able to appreciate the entire package.

[Gina Basham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I needed a break from some of the thriller and mystery novels and this was a great choice. Loved the characters, the plot and it was very well written. Sophie handles herself with a maturity that exceeds her age. It reminds us that our parents have their own life with their own secrets. The ending surprised and satisfied me. I would recommend this book.

[Kirby Lamar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn't put this book down because I wanted to find out who the father of the baby was and who the main characters father is. I also wanted to see who the person sending the threating notes was. The ending was good, didn't leave you hanging, but kept you thinking. Great book!

[Tria Keys · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Even though it was kind of weird because the main character had crazy dreams about whales and stuff, it was still great. The ending was overpowering to me because you start to wonder who did what. And when that person was revealed, I screamed.

[Wynter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was book was about a young woman who gets pregnant an while she pregnant she deals with her stalker sending her evil letters. Also while she pregnant she learns deep secrets behind her family. She also dreams an pictures whales or sea creatures having her worry what he baby is thinking.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Waiting For June was a relaxing read. I enjoyed how the pregnancy and high school life was not glamorized. Too many times, high school pregnancies and home lives look fun. Sophie's story was more relatable. While the book was short and simple, I enjoyed and related to it.

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Can't say I was a fan. I really didn't believe the characters but I wanted to. Some of the story was OK the rest was simply eh...I am just glad it was short and I didn't have to force myself into reading more.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good book.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

An unusual and elegant examination of the teen pregnancy experience.

[Jordyn B · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has a lot of potential to be an amazing read. But honestly I wasn't a fan of it. The plot was everywhere and the ending was lame

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sophie is pregnant, a senior & waiting for her baby in June. She has strange whale dreams, problems w/her mom & won't say who is the father. Josh & Acacia are her true supportive friends. - Good

[Tristin Willis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a high school pregnancy and a little mystery. It moves pretty fast but wouuld make for a good Indie film.

[Tracie Chapple · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book with a unique storyline - very enjoyable read.

[Tiredartfriend · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was magical. I loved every word, vivid, and such beautiful character development.

[Suzanne Forster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read

it was a quick and easy read. I wanted to read to the end where I typically get bored quickly.

[Adele · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, quick read with likable, well-developed characters, and with the touch of supernatural often found in Sweeney's books.