Just Until

by Joseph Moldover, Amy Hutchins (Narrator)

Hannah must choose the impossible—put her nephews into foster care so she can stay true to her dream, or take them on and lose everything she’s worked so hard to achieve.

17-year-old Hannah Lynn has just one goal: to get out of Evans Beach, Maine. It’s where she lost her mother to cancer. Where her estranged sister, Pauline, fell apart before moving out. Where her father, Larry, holds court as a local legend who once played twelve games for the Red Sox. Hannah has never fit in, but that doesn’t matter now that she is finally on the cusp of escape. All she needs is a little help from her chemistry tutor, Richard, a fellow junior who she finds equal parts compelling and infuriating.

Then, one winter night, Hannah’s life is turned upside down. Pauline’s two sons are taken by the state, leaving Hannah and Larry the only people standing between the boys and the child welfare system. Her father promises that it will only be for a little while, just until Pauline gets back on her feet, but Hannah knows nothing is that simple when it comes to her troubled older sister.

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Coming Of Age, Family, Fostering

1 pages, Audio CD

First published October 29, 2024

About the author

Joe Moldover is a writer and clinical psychologist who lives and works in the Boston area. He has written a number of short stories (often under the name Joseph Sloan), as well as works of nonfiction focusing on issues of health and disability. He is the grandson of the novelist Sloan Wilson, author of The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit.

Joe's second novel, Just Until, will be available through Holiday House in October 2024. His debut, Every Moment After, was published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in 2019.

Reviews

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of, Just Until, by Joseph Moldover, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Hannah is 17 and wants to get out of her hometown, but something always happens to make her stay, this time its her nephews, who have been taken away from her sister. After losing her mother to cancer, Hannah just wants to do what other normal students do. Hannah is a great character, I really felt for her. This was a really good read.

[Laura A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hannah can't wait to leave her small town. When her ni8and nephew are neglected by her sister, she has a difficult decision to make. An emotional read.

[Fernanda Granzotto · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Thank you, Netgalley, and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book for review. All opinions are my own*

I thought I would like this book, but I was surprised by how much I actually liked it.
It is very different from everything I have ever read.
At first, I wasn't enjoying it that much because I thought the author was moving the story along too quickly and that instead of showing us what was happening, he was only describing it through our protagonist.
But I got used to this way of telling the story. This is not a book for everyone.
In fact, I don't know who I would recommend it to, but I loved it.
I liked the plot twists, the emotions that the story made me feel, and our protagonist.
I think she grows a lot with it, and we also feel a lot of sympathy for her and want everything to work out in the end.
For me, this was a very real book.
If you told me that this book was based on a true story, I would believe it because it has a lot of that vibe.
If you are interested, read it.
I highly recommend it.

[Brie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not a sweet story of family.

Hannah lost her mother, her sister is troubled, and her father Larry asks her, at 17, to be the safe home for her nephews Henry and Simon while her sister tries to get her life back in order, just for a few months.

This book has such layers to it. On the surface, we are taken along with Hannah as she navigates this huge disruption to her life; Henry and Simon coming to live with her and her dad for a few months. As we progress through the story, we read about her frustration, her resistance, and watch how she processes everything. However, this story has an undertow that rips at your heart! If you have ANY awareness into this type of situation, you can clearly see how much is left unsaid and open for multiple perspectives, and yet on full display under the surface. There is so much emotion Hannah doesn't have the capacity to exam as a 17 year old girl. The pacing was great, we never idled on filler story, everything had a purpose, everything was another pieces to this huge picture of what Hannah's life is becoming.

I was not prepared for the emotional roller coaster of this book, and the heart ache of everyone we meet. I dont want to say I "loved" this book because its not a wonderful, sunshine read; but I loved the power of this book and I was totally captivated and invested, and if you are ready to cry, this is the book you need right now!

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is exactly my kind of sad book. This wasn't on my radar at all, but I saw it on NetGalley and thought it sounded up my alley. I'm so glad I picked it up.

This is the story of Hannah, an independent teenager with a dead mom and a local hero dad who is a bit absent and oblivious, even though he obviously loves his child. Hannah's life changes forever when her much older sister loses custody of her two boys and Hannah and her father agree to watch them just until. Just until her sister cleans up. Just until the end of the school year. Just until. The untils stretch on and on until some very difficult decisions have to be made.

Recently, I've been enjoying the books I've read, but it's been a minute since I was hooked instantly. This was a "just one more chapter" book for me, and I loved it.

I received an eARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[CC Harding · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨Thank you to the publisher and author for the ARC✨

This is not a happy book. Hannah faces struggles throughout, with family, friends, school, and life choices that made my heart wrench. However, it is a realistic book. It highlights class disparities, the foster care system, addiction, and life in a single parent home. It was very well written.

[Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss for the e-ARC of this book.

This book absolutely broke my heart. I loved this book from start to finish, and can’t wait for it to come out so I can share it with others. This book is a true standout, and I hope it reaches a wide audience.

[Jan Raspen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my kind of book--a book where a teen has to take charge of their own life because of circumstances beyond their control.
Hannah is an 18-year old HS school student who lives with her dad in Maine, and she pretty much runs the household cuz her dad just doesn't take responsibility for much. Hannah's mom died when she was four, and Hannah also has an older sister, Pauline. Pauline's two boys are taken from her and placed with Hannah and her dad, originally just for a few months (at least this is what Hannah thought... the reader can see the writing on the wall and knows this won't be the case).
As things devolve at home, Hannah continues making plans for college, and also grows closer to her HS tutor, Richard. And then things go really bad, and everything Hannah thought her future would hold is suddenly.. on hold.
A great story about a teenager's resilience.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in two days, it was nearly impossible to put down. This was raw, and real, and sometimes painful, but I'm so glad that I picked it up. The ending had me in tears. As mentioned in the author's note, 'What do we do when children need care, and when those responsible for providing it are not able to respond?' In this book, the mc, Hannah endeavors to answer it in the best way that she can, in spite of maybe not always doing it perfectly. Rather than sitting on the sidelines, I think we should all try to do the same, in whatever way we can.

[Audriena Hernandez · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was cute. I liked it because it showed that life can be hard but good.

[Dena · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good, sweet story that has a happy ending. It makes you want the best for everyone involved.

[Amity Bunkofske · Rating 5 out of 5]

A captivating read. A reminder that neglect is more common than we realize and to have empathy for others

[Amber Wessies Owrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

What do you do when you are still in high-school but the only "adult" your nephews have left in the world? Hannah's nephews come to live with her and her father as part of a reunification plan for her sister. However, three months turn into six into nine and possibly more.
Although a ton of things happened that seem like too many for one person or family, this was a raw look at the struggles of kinship care. There was character growth that felt realistic and the author didn't sugar coat the struggles of any of the characters.

[Abby o · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not an easy read, but an important one. This book will make you tear up with various emotions. Hannah is a compelling character, and her interactions with her nephews and the other characters around her build a great setting for this book. Struggles commonly faced by foster kids are portrayed honestly yet gently. Highly recommend!

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good read from this author on an important topic. You will root for these characters

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

What do you do when you have no choice? When life throws things at you that you can’t steer away from. Hannah is placed in that impossible situation when her two nephews are placed with her and her father, because her sister is not taking care of them. Can’t take care of them. Is more interested in the bottle then their welfare.

So Hannah agrees, with her father that they will take the boys, just until her sister can take them bac, at most, three months, which grows to six months, which grows to, you get the idea.

And Hannah is going away to college in the fall. She figures her father can keep taking care of them, until that option is taken away too.

This is a story that tears at your heart, as Hannah keeps trying to do it all, not wanting to depend on anyone. That she can manage, she keeps telling herself she can do it all, until she can’t.

This is the book that I stayed up until 2am to try to finish, and when I fell asleep, I picked it up, first thing in the morning. It is that engaging.

The author said he knew about the foster care system, but he had to do more research to get the whole story.

This book made me cry, which is a good thing. I loved how the boys were aware what their mother had done, and what Hannah was doing. I loved that they werne’t goodie-two-shoes, that they had problems that had to be worked on.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book is coming out the 29th of October 2024.

[Vicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what a fantastic book about family, new beginnings, and changes as Hannah and her dad take in her sister’s two boys. Dad will have kinship care while their mother gets help. As time passes, the boys’ mom has very little contact with them, and Hannah’s dad wants to be a good grandfather. Hannah’s plans to attend Tufts University when she graduates in a year, but when her dad has a stroke, he needs rehab. Hannah calls her sister who’s moved far away to tell her but she doesn’t care and wants nothing to do with them. Then something happens and Hannah wonders what will happen to the boys. Will she keep them or end up going to college?
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

[Meghan Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hannah’s sister has once again hit a rough patch and is unable to take care of her two sons. She signs custody over, what should be temporarily, to her father, and the story focuses on Hannah and her dad trying to raise Simon and Henry.

This was a tough read that also ended up being heartwarming a way. The love that was felt between Hannah, her father, and the boys was just so palpable.

The book does not shy away from how incredibly screwed up the circumstances are and how messed up the child welfare system in the U.S. is. It tackles the tough subjects in a really impressive manner.

Solid 4 stars from me. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prepare for an emotional read. This book follows 17 year old Hannah as she becomes the primary carer for her older sister's children. I knew it was going to be tough going in, but this one made me cry. I was frustrated for Hannah and all she had to go through at such a young age. She was desperate to follow her late mother to university, but all her plans get left curbside. This story was well written, with the time jumps working smoothly. Hannah felt real to me, which I always appreciate. Her exhaustion and guilt was heartbreaking.
I highly recommend that readers check this one out.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Claire House · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book. It wasn’t a light hearted happy read, but it was captivating and tear jerking. I loved all the characters and thought they were very realistic and would definitely pick this book up again when I need a book that makes me cry.

[Shanna McClennen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t read much YA fiction but Joe Moldover is a friend of Wellesley Books and did his launch there and I picked up the book. This story is poignant and hard and lovely all at once. I couldn’t put it down!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again the author taps into life as a teen in complicated circumstances. The characters are deep and real, the plot is well paced and overall it’s a well done story about kids in tough situations.

[Kimberly Hensle Lowrance · Rating 5 out of 5]

A moving and important story about family, hard decisions, and foster care. Beautifully written with a compelling lead character and a well-developed story that grabs you from page one.

[Nicole Austin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley and Holiday House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

“Just Until” by Joseph Moldover is an emotionally powerful and heart-wrenching YA book that focuses on the complexities of family and the responsibility of becoming an unexpected caretaker. The story also shows the effects of the difficult choices life can force upon us. Set against the backdrop of a small town in Maine, this story follows 17-year-old Hannah Lynn as she faces an impossible decision that will change her life forever. This is a book I would highly recommend should go in high/middle school classrooms and libraries as younger readers may find themselves relating to Hannah as well as her younger nephews. One content warning I want to provide before going into the review is that there is child abandonment.

Hannah’s dream is simple: to escape Evans Beach, the town that has brought her nothing but pain and loss. It’s where she lost her mother to cancer and where her estranged sister, Pauline, fell apart before abandoning her two young sons. With her father, Larry, a former baseball player who is more of a local legend than a present parent, Hannah is left to fend for herself. All she needs to make her escape is a little help from her chemistry tutor, Richard, who is both infuriating and intriguing. But everything changes one winter night when Pauline’s two sons are taken by the state, and Hannah and her father are the only ones who can keep them out of the foster care system. Larry assures her that it’s only temporary—just until Pauline gets back on her feet—but Hannah knows that when it comes to her troubled sister, nothing is ever that simple.

What makes “Just Until” so compelling is the unique perspective it offers. Instead of focusing on the children or the struggling mother, Moldover tells the story from the point of view of a teenager who is suddenly thrust into a parental role. At first, Hannah is immature and naive, particularly when it comes to her understanding of the foster care and Child Welfare system. She acts and thinks younger than her 17 years, but as the story progresses, we see her grow not only as a caretaker but also in her own emotional maturity. The way she evolves in the face of such overwhelming responsibility is both believable and deeply moving. I also absolutely loved seeing the growth of the nephews as they were able to stabilize and grow as they finally found a home and consistent love from Hannah.

The relationship between Hannah and Richard, the love interest, is another highlight of the book. Their connection is slow-paced and sweet, providing a tender counterbalance to the heavier themes. Richard is the perfect match for Hannah, supporting her without overshadowing the main plot. Their relationship feels real and never detracts from the central plot. The plot itself provides a feeling of hope throughout, especially with the ending.

“Just Until” is a bittersweet story filled with hard moments and memorable life lessons. It’s a book that will make you tear up more than once, especially as you get to know the boys and understand their desperate longing for a home. The emails Hannah writes to her deceased mother are particularly heart-wrenching, offering a window into her grief and longing for guidance. The author’s note at the end, which discusses the Child Welfare System, is also incredibly moving and adds depth to the story’s exploration of these difficult issues.

In the end, “Just Until” leaves you with a feeling of hope, despite the many challenges Hannah faces. Moldover has crafted a story that is both heartbreaking and uplifting, one that resonates long after the final page is turned. This is a book that will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading.

[Stephanie A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

As much as you can kind of tell that this was written by an adult from their personal observations from working in (or with) the foster care system, it does read satisfyingly like a proper novel, lacking the self-published feel I had expected when I first saw it in the list of Goodreads giveaways. It's still a little different from the typical YA novel, but in a good way, I think -- kind of a retro feeling? The way teens in 80s novels often felt very much on the cusp of adulthood, but with that style transposed onto a much longer story.

What's most impressive, really, is I started the book -- and was determined for at least a solid quarter of it -- that I would end up thinking these ill-socialized brats were NOT worth it and should absolutely have been tossed to the winds to preserve Hannah's quality of life and disposable income...but by the end, he managed to make me come around on them (mostly). Sorcery!

A few spare/random thoughts:

* I really liked that Hannah worked part-time for the Department of Public Works, doing manual labor. You don't see high schoolers with that kind of job very often, at least in YA novels about college-bound girls, and I thought that was interesting.

* Related to that -- really good depiction of a solid working-class family overall, especially in a town/school district that is also home to considerably wealthier families.

* Richard. ♥ For a book with only the barest whispers of romance, I grew very fond of this love interest.

* Really appreciated the 5-page author's note at the end, where he acknowledges that this book is about white characters in a very white state, and that though he chose to reflect his lived experience**, the foster care system disproportionately affects families who are POC, oftentimes with more overworked and less ideal social workers.

[**He also mentions that while he took creative liberties to depict the story in a particular way, he repeatedly received feedback that in real life, the level of of neglect they experienced - i.e. not in imminent danger of serious injury or death - would not have been enough to trigger a removal from the home, due to lack of available placements.]

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seventeen-year-old Hannah Lynn is eager to leave her small Maine town behind when she starts college, hopefully at Tufts where her mother went but failed to graduate. Having lost her mother when she was four, Hannah has become quite independent and distant due to her father's less than organized way of life. When her troubled [and often troublesome] older sister, Pauline, gets in trouble one again and her two sons need a place to stay, Hannah reluctantly agrees with her father that they should take in Henry and Simon. Feeling guilty for the mistakes he made with his own girls, her father, a former baseball star, turns over a completely new leaf. But nothing is easy with the boys. They are anxious about their places in their new home, uncertain about how long they will be able to stay, and understandably confused. Hannah never planned for them to be with the Lynns for long, just long enough for her sister to be in recovery and come get them or until a different placement can be found. But along the way, no matter how hard she tries to harden her heart, Hannah falls in love with her two nephews as well as someone else who has become important to her. While her choices aren't easy and she questions her decisions constantly, there are rewards for those decisions. This well-written story, told from Hannah's perspective, is filled with hope, heart, and insight into the foster care system. With several passages describing how Hannah deals with enormous grief and falls apart at times as well as coping, t's a 3.5 for me. Because of her flaws, she is all the more relatable.

[Rachel Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just Until is a compelling read. It shows the unique POV of a teenager who is suddenly thrust into a parental role. At first, Hannah is immature and naive. As the story progresses, she grows as a caretaker and in her own emotional maturity. The way she changes in the face of such responsibility is both believable and moving. I also absolutely loved seeing the growth of the nephews as they stabilize and grow as they find a home and love from Hannah.

Full of bittersweet and hard moments, with memorable life lessons. It’s a book that will make you tear up more than once, especially as you get to know the boys and understand their desperate longing for a home. The emails Hannah writes to her deceased mother are particularly heart-wrenching, offering a window into her grief and longing for guidance.

In the end, “Just Until” leaves you with a feeling of hope. Moldover has created a story that is both heartbreaking and uplifting. This is a book that will stay with you long after you've finished reading.

[Chris G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Teen Hannah is used to mostly taking care of herself. Mom died when she was four, her much older sister Pauline has left after causing constant drama and trouble, and Dad loves his work buddies, the title of Coach, and memories of his brief time in Major League Baseball. It’s a huge inconvenience when the state removes Pauline’s thirteen and nine year old sons for neglect, but Dad assures Hannah the boys will only be with them until Pauline completes her reunification plan. Not surprisingly Pauline isn’t successful. What does it mean to be family? When and how can childhood trauma be mended? A compelling story about situations that impact so many kids. A helpful afterward provides perspective on and information about the disparate impact of child removal on families of color. EARC from Edelweiss.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just Until is an exquisitely written book about family and a young girl's dreams. This book broke my heart, over and over again, from the opening scene to the last page. As the mother of two teenage daughters, I wept for the motherless Hannah and her two incredible nephews -- three children who deserve so much more from life. This story will stick with me for a long time!


(I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really really enjoyed Just Until. The story line was fabulous and heart breaking all at the same time. Hannah lost her mother at a young age and has been being raised by her dad. As a junior in high school, she learns they have to care for her nephews to avoid their going in to foster care. My biggest complaint is the amount of curse words in the book, especially being a young adult book. If language doesn't bother you, definitely check the book out!