June Baby

by Shannon Garvey

Some summers never leave you.

In this moving debut novel, set over the course of one transformative summer in the lush, beachy enclave of Block Island, a young woman reckons with love, loss, and the choices she must make to move forward.

At seventeen, Ruth lost her mother to cancer, and her father, unable to handle his grieving daughter, shipped her off to Block Island with nothing but a name scribbled on the back of a Diana Beckett. Diana, a renowned photographer, took Ruth in for the summer, and Block Island became Ruth’s refuge, a place of beauty and creativity, a place where she could nurture her dreams of being a writer, a place where she could fall in love for the first time—with Diana’s nephew, Charlie. 

Now, at twenty-seven, Ruth has spent the last ten summers living and working among the lucky few who get to vacation in this wealthy beach town, and the rest of the year just scraping by, yearning to return to the place where she feels safe and unburdened. But then Ruth’s world is upended by tragedy again. Desperate for an anchor, she reaches for the person she’s been pining for since she met him—Charlie—who has his own startling revelation to share. And when another surprise comes in the form of a box left to Ruth by Diana, its contents raise questions about just how well she knew the two women who raised her. Torn between what to believe about her past, and what her future might hold, Ruth is faced with another choice: does she dare to rewrite her story entirely?

Both a heartfelt coming-of-age story and a tender exploration of love and grief, set against a backdrop of golden dunes and seaside sunsets, June Baby shows us what it might look like to embrace a life shaped not by loss, but by possibility.

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Coming Of Age, Summer, Contemporary, Romance, Summer Reads

Kindle Edition

Expected publication May 19, 2026

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book that deals with love and loss as it's both heartwarming and heartbreaking! Ruth goes to Block Island after her artist friend, Diana dies. She's tasked with cleaning out her studio But then she discovers her old boyfriend is engaged and she realizes she hasn't done much with her own life. The island is somehow magical as she begins to realize her own mistakes and the fact that life is never perfect, but she can control her responses to it!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

[Naya · Rating 4 out of 5]

for lovers of “writers and lovers” !

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’d like to send a thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this ARC


I was really excited to dive into Summer Baby, and while it had its moments, it didn't quite hit the mark for me. The story follows Ruth, who's navigating complex grief and loss after losing her mom as a teenager. Ruth ends up spending her summers on Block Island with her friend's mom, Diana. Ten years later, grief strikes again when Diana passes away where Ruth's journey continues.


The themes of grief, loss, and healing are definitely explored, and Block Island becomes a character-like refuge for Ruth. She's stuck in the past, and the island's where she keeps returning to process everything.


As this is a debut novel, I do have some thoughts. I thought the story was solid, but at times I felt like there was a lot of repetitiveness and over-describing. The book truly didn’t pick up until the last third, and even then, it had its ups and downs. The pacing was uneven - there were parts where it picked up and had me hooked, but then it would slow down again.


I wanted more from the ending of the book. I understand the symbolism behind it, but I did want more out of it. It felt a bit like a stopping point rather than a full stop. This debut has potential, but didn’t work for me.


Pub date. May 12th, 2026

[tei hurst · Rating 5 out of 5]

a wonderful, lilting, spun tale of a book. the flashbacks were used perfectly, and the lost love, mismatched family tropes were beautifully done. i loved this.

thank you netgalley for the arc!

[Brittany Burrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Wow. Wow. This debut novel was incredibly well written, emotionally relatable, attention sucking, heartbreaking, hopeful, depressing, realistic. I absolutely loved it. I just know this one is going to be a huge hit in 2026.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

[Elizabeth Ann Hurt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually don't know how I am going to be able to put my thoughts in an orderly fashion but let's try! Thank you Net Galley, Shannon Garvey, and Random House for this advanced readers copy of June Baby. I don't say this lightly but this may have been added to my top 10 books ever and for sure a great kick off to 2026. June Baby is a beautiful, bittersweet, realistic story of navigating life through the mess of love, loss, confusion, and grief.

We meet Ruth, a typical, at least in my experience 28 year old, grappling with what life means, where she is going, and everything she doesn't have at almost 30. We begin the novel, at 17, Ruth has just lost her mom to cancer, and with her dad seeing no way to help, he ships her off to Block Island with nothing but a name and a phone number. That summer she spends with Dianne, an artist, and friend of her later mother, and Charlie, Dianne's nephew changes her mind, body, and spirit.

Now, 10 years later facing the loss of Dianne, Ruth is forced to sit in the truth and deal with complicated feelings she's been running from the past decade of her life. This novel tugged at my heart strings in a million different ways. The characters, flaws and all, drew me in from the prologue, we watch Ruth navigate the complications of life, and a jam packed summer full of huge life altering decisions. The rawness and realness of the characters is something that really drew me in, but the novel being set in block island is every summer persons dream, life myself. Last, but most definitely not least, the words, the emotions, the writings of Shanon Garvey blew me away, so beautiful and so rich.

There were so many important take aways from this novel, but the way we discover grief in every form and every way was so relatable; grief in the textbook term, but also grieving your mistakes, your friendships, your relationships, your many different pathways you could take in life, those are all a huge part of coming of age, in your teens and twenties, and so on. This novel will stick with me for a very long time, and is a 6 star in my eyes. Thank you again Net Galley and Random House!

[kellieb_reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

This wonderful debut novel is about a young woman named Ruth, who has had her share of loss. It follows her emotional journey through life, love and friendships, with her underlying grief omnipresent.

One chapter in, and I was giddy with joy and anticipation. Shannon’s descriptive writing style, which drew me in immediately, held me captive throughout. At no point, did I willingly want to put it down.

I loved her character development, felt the raw emotion and became immersed in the world of Block Island. While Ruth didn’t always make the best decisions, it came with understanding and not a place of dislike or detachment. Each character interaction wove perfectly together.

While a few parts were predictable, this didn’t hamper the overall story. The different timelines coordinated flawlessly, never leaving me overwhelmed or scurrying back to previous pages. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed it - it’s a book I’d highly recommend.

A huge thank-you to NetGalley, Shannon Garvey and Random House for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced reader copy.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you, NetGalley, for this uncorrected ebook ARC of 'June Baby' by Shannon Garvey - expected release date of 05/12/2026

ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a solidly written, well paced debut novel. I love the Easter egg of when the reason for the book title comes to light! I know we were supposed to be rooting for everything to work out for the FMC Ruth, and I know I'm in the minority here but I think she was quite an unlikeable character. She had a very woe-is-me attitude and was a user of everyone in her life. She had a decent support system (minus her clueless dad) and a lot of people who cared for her but she found ways to sabotage, find fault in and not appreciate every relationship with everyone her life. Her friends and family were all there for her in so many ways yet she disregarded all their offers of help and support to lead a mediocre, miserable, empty life. I really liked the descriptive storytelling and premise of the story though!

[Cristina De lamar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was beautifully written,. The language was very rich and descriptive. I felt like I was with Ruth on Block Island. “June Baby” is the story of a young girl named Ruth who is struggling to find her way after losing her mother at a young age and then losing her good friend, Diana, years later. After Ruth’s mother died, her father didn’t know how to handle his grief and hers. He sent her to spend the next few summers with Diana, her mother’s friend. Ruth had many rich experiences on Block Island and met her first love, Charlie.

Years later, Diana died and Ruth goes to her funeral. Ruth hadn’t spoken to Diana for some time and never knew she was sick. She discovers that still has feelings for Charlie after all this time. A series of events take place that help Ruth grow out of the funk she is in. Along the way she discovers things about Diana and her mother, her parents’ marriage, and her own life.

It is a well-paced, exquisitely detailed story of love, growth, and grief. I want to thank NetGalley and Random House for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC. Please read June Baby when it is released in May 2026.

[Nicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this copy as an ARC and couldn’t put it down. I’ll admit the first couple chapters had me wondering if I’d like it, but I am SO happy I stayed with it. This is a coming of age story about Ruth, a 17 year old girl who loses her mom. Her dad sends her to Block Island for the summer to stay with an old friend of her mom’s. We follow Ruth over the next 10 years as she navigates deciding where she wants her life to take her. Beautifully written and character driven, I really enjoyed this coming of age novel. Thank you NetGalley and Random House for this advanced reader copy.

[Jane Perron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read. Perfect by the ocean this summer. I felt like I was on Block Island. The author captured some of the idiosyncrasies of island life.

[Mindee Bacon · Rating 2 out of 5]

A novel full of sadness, abandonment and incredibly bad decisions.

When Ruth is a teenager, she loses her mother to cancer and her father abandons her by dropping her off on Block Island with a note with the name of a woman that Ruth has never met. Ruth ends up living with this lady, who becomes her guardian and mentor. As Ruth becomes an adult, she is still obsessed with Block Island and the teenage love that got away. Not able to go forward in life, Ruth is very stuck in the past, living her late twenties just like she did as a teenager. When her young love finally comes back to the island, Ruth makes bad decision after bad decision.

The author is a fantastic writer weaving the heartbreaking story among each character, but I was very irritated and angry at the main character and how she did not seem to want to change her life. This book left me rooting for other characters to go far away from Ruth.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. This book was released May 12, 2026. #NetGalley #JuneBaby

[Jodi Schulz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC. I really wanted to love this book because I loved the setting but I thought it had way way too many characters and was way too long and just dragged. 2.5 stars rounded down.

[Emma Cathryne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am always thrilled to see my most favorite place in the world represented in fiction. I was even more excited to see a book (ostensibly) covering the sharp contrast between the ethereal beauty of the locale and the broad wealth/class divides that separate the four essential types of block islanders (service workers who are either working class or nepo babies, rural year-rounders, ultra-wealthy summer elites, and miscellaneous day trippers). Perhaps my expectations were overly high, but I was disappointed to encounter a heavily introspective New England version of Normal People centered primarily around the working class main character and her wealthy, on-and-off again summer lover. This will certainly appear to fans of Sally Rooney and similarly person-centered fiction, but wasn't what I was looking (or hoping) to find.

I think one of my big issues is that the class commentary, while present, is not anchored in the genuinely complex social and geographical features that set Block Island apart from other wealthy New England coastal enclaves. It's hard to describe the phenomenon to folks that haven't spent significant time on the island or aren't deeply involved in one of the first three categories listed above. The tiny size of the island, a huge percentage of which is protected, undeveloped land, combined with a year-round population numbered in 4 digits who have an average salary numbered in 5, results in a local culture and overall social ecology that are pretty significantly different than those of neighboring Nantucket or Martha's Vineyard (in a way would take far too long to get into with a single book review). The result, as is often the case with books set on Block Island, is a novel that falls back on familiar, digestible stereotypes that attempt to meet outsider expectations of BI rather than identify and interrogate what actually makes the social dynamics of the island unique (and truly worth exploring/critiquing).

My other, bigger issue (driven by no small amount of bias) is the criminal negligence of using such spare, introspective prose to describe the most beautiful place on planet earth. It was consistently hard to visualize the locale even as someone who knows the island intimately. Ruth's inner monologue is the unwavering focus of the prose, with only the most cursory attempt made to describe the environment or build the atmosphere. This total absence of place makes it difficult to buy Ruth's supposed affection for the island, even as someone who can deeply relate to her feelings. This frank, dispassionate style of prose (also a hallmark of Rooney's) is far less effective in books where the environment places a pivotal role in the plot. Perhaps cliche, but I view this as a a textbook example of why "telling" will always be weaker narrative approach than "showing".

[Susan's Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the writing and even the storyline - up to about the one-half mark of this novel.

But after a while, I felt that the main character was fatally self-focussed. Very few of the supporting cast of characters get fleshed out or felt real to me. I was locked inside young Ruth's head and after a while I wanted to tell Ruth to snap out of it (where is Cher's Moonstruck character when you need her?!!)



At first I was captivated by the juvenile "back and forth/will they or won't they" between Ruth and Charlie... up until it threatened to evolve into a Fifty Shades of Grey "obsessive fascination" type of drama.



"She loves me, she loves me not" - poor Charlie must have felt like a yo-yo! Run, Charlie, run, I wanted to shout at one point. The middle and end portions of this novel felt very much like a romantic melodrama: all that simmering, unresolved sexual tension and angst....



After a while, I began to share a bit of Diana's frustration. Diana tried to help Ruth gain a foothold in the publishing industry, but Ruth preferred to take waitressing jobs rather than work her way up the low-paying literary/publishing ladder after college. This said a lot to me about where Ruth's priorities were. In fact, right up until the very end, when Ruth is given another gift from Diana - yet another break of a lifetime - Ruth still can't make up her mind: about Charlie, about where she will live, or whether she should stay on Block Island after all... Good grief!



What more could Diana have done for Ruth? Even after her death, Diana had asked an editor friend to allow Ruth to write Diana's memorial article for her magazine - and Ruth once again makes the article all about - well, Ruth and her experiences of living with Diana....

This novel started off strongly, but Ruth can't get beyond her own roiling emotions. At twenty-seven, Ruth still has a lot of growing up to do, and hopefully Diana's final gift will help Ruth mature into the author Diana believed she could be....

I'm rating this a 3 out of 5 stars. My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

[Shelby Ann Noel · Rating 4 out of 5]

June Baby centers on Ruth, a 28 yearold woman standing at the crossroads of who she thought she would be and who she actually is. As she approaches 30, she feels the heavy weight of expectations, both her own and those she’s internalized over the years. She measures her present life against the future she once imagined and is painfully aware of the ways she believes she has fallen short. That quiet self-critique and restless reflection felt deeply relatable, mirroring the way many of us evaluate our own paths.

The novel moves between past and present, layering emotional depth into Ruth’s story. At 17, she loses her mother to cancer. In the aftermath of that loss, her grieving father sends her to Block Island with little more than a name and a phone number, hoping the change of scenery might help her cope. There, she spends a transformative summer with her mother’s friend Dianne, an artist, and Dianne’s nephew Charlie. Over the course of that season, Ruth begins to confront who she is beneath her grief. The relationships she forms and the experiences she has reshape her understanding of identity, love, and belonging.

A decade later, Ruth is faced with another profound loss, Dianne’s death, which forces long-buried emotions back to the surface. Feelings she has avoided for years can no longer be ignored. As readers, we witness her wrestle with complicated relationships, past decisions, and the slow, often uncomfortable process of accepting herself and her journey.

Shannon Garvey crafts her characters with remarkable rawness and authenticity. The novel’s slower pace allows space for reflection, highlighting not only the sharp ache of losing loved ones, but also the quieter griefs we carry, friendships that fade, relationships that only last a season, and the bittersweet process of growing from adolescence into adulthood.

Reading this story felt like being invited to examine my own life with greater tenderness. Like Ruth, I found myself reflecting on the seasons where I was hardest on myself and learning to extend grace to those earlier versions of who I was.

Thank you to NetGalley, Shannon Garvey, and Random House for the ARC. I would recommend this novel to anyone seeking emotional depth, thoughtful reflection, and a story that feels achingly real.

[she_loves_books · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, Net Galley!
**this review contains spoilers

The story started off slow and full of tropes - I considered putting it back on the (digital) shelf. I am glad I stuck it out because I really loved how the main character ended up in a reality parallel to her mother’s past. They both find themselves in the same corporeal predicament, unsure if she should go with the person they are in love with, or the man who is in love with them. A quote that took my breath away came from a flashback when Ruth, the main character, is asking her mom for advice: “One day, you’ll have your first love and it will end and it will hurt. You’ll see them move on, get married, become a stranger, and you’ll be sad, but it’ll be okay. You will be okay.” (Chapter 10)

Ruth is an anti-hero. She is aimless, selfish, fully woe-is-me, does not appreciate what others do for her, has no sympathy for other people suffering from loss, sleeps with someone who is engaged , and treats the guy who actually likes her like a toy. Eventually, she does admit she needs to grow up and the reader comes to realize Ruth is most likely uber depressed. However, it is hard to feel bad for her when she does nothing to help herself and hurts the people who care about her. Who wastes away a free, open shot to write a major article for Vogue?! Props to Garvey for penning such a complex character cause, in the end, I still wanted her to be happy.
The love interest? He lacks redeeming characteristics, leads more than one person on at a time, and I don’t know what Ruth sees in present-day him.

Another emotional barrier I identified has to do with Diana’s death. The book opens with her death and people gathering for her funeral, and then explores their relationships. One of the connecting strings is how the characters loved Diana. The readers meet her mainly through the existing characters’ stories and memories. I think it would be much more emotionally engaging for the reader if there were more scenes to get to know Diana on our own so we could relate to the character on our own terms.

I am rating this book three stars because the setting and character relations mirrored each other well, and the story kept me emotionally engaged, both rage and curiosity. The ending is satisfying and most characters get what they seemingly deserve.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was excited to receive an early copy of June Baby, another Thousand Voices novel—and for a debut, this is genuinely impressive. I was honestly surprised by how quickly I became immersed in the story. From the start, I found myself turning pages faster than expected, even when the plot veered into territory I could see coming. Ruth is not an easy character to love—she’s often selfish, impulsive, and frustratingly childlike in her thinking—but that complexity kept me engaged rather than pushing me away.

The 2013 setting in the beginning didn’t feel fully convincing to me. Some plot elements, particularly the lack of curiosity or basic research on Ruth’s part, and the conveniently broken phone, felt a bit outdated for a seventeen-year-old, even allowing for grief. That said, the emotional context does help explain some of those choices, and once I settled into the story, those details mattered less than the journey itself.

Garvey’s writing is undeniably beautiful, though at times it leans a little too heavily into description. I occasionally found myself skimming longer passages that could have benefited from more dialogue or action to keep the pacing tight. Still, there’s a lyrical quality to the prose that will work especially well for readers who enjoy being fully immersed in mood and atmosphere.

One of the biggest surprises for me was the romantic element. While it isn’t marketed as a romance, it easily could be, and that thread added a layer of warmth and emotional pull I wasn’t expecting.

I flew through this book, even though Part Three didn’t fully land for me. Ruth, and several of the side characters, became harder to connect with as the story progressed. Even so, the choices these characters make lingered with me, and I found myself thinking about the book long after I finished. I can easily see June Baby becoming a strong book club pick, with plenty to unpack and discuss.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the early copy.

[Kristina O’Brien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher for inviting me to read and review June Baby before its publication date. This tale of grief, love, growth, and renewal is intriguing and lovely.

When teenage Ruth’s mother passes from cancer, grief overtakes Ruth’s life. In a last ditch effort to help his daughter, Ruth’s father sends her to Block Island to live with a woman named Diana. Diana, a famous photographer, takes Ruth under her wing, encouraging her to explore her talents in writing as her assistant. Years later, when Diana passes, Ruth finds herself at the crossroads of grief once again, this time learning more than she ever anticipated about herself, Diana, and her mother.

Overall, I loved the premise of this story. I loved the setting, the details of Diana’s life as told through her home and belongings. I loved the imagery in the photographs that helped build the parts of the story. I loved the underlying themes of art that heals, and growth through grief.

However, I felt the character development in this book could have been stronger. I wish the reader had been able to feel Diana’s feelings rather than being told what she was feeling or what decision she was going to make next. With so many different important relationships happening at once between herself, her dad, Diana, her mom, Charlie, Louis, Lucy, and even Lynn, it was hard to feel deeply about any one. I found myself wishing this was written in the first person so I could understand Ruth better - to feel her pain, her love, and her growth. Instead, I felt little connection to her and found myself always wanting a bit more on the emotional side as a reader.

Overall, this was a strong debut novel, with an interesting story, and I feel it will do very well once published. Thank you again for the opportunity to read this story and give feedback!

[Sabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful debut novel about first love, grief, and the lives we choose for ourselves. 'June Baby' by Shannon Garvey, is a coming-of-age story following Ruth after the loss of her mother at seventeen. Ruth is sent to live on Block Island with her mother’s friend Diana, where she spends her summers helping with photography and growing closer to Diana’s nephew, Charlie. Over the years, their deep bond quietly evolves into something more, shaped by timing, distance, nostalgia and longing.

As Ruth drifts through her twenties feeling stuck and stagnant, Diana pushes her to want more. A painful argument is left unresolved when Diana’s cancer diagnosis is revealed too late to her, and Ruth once again copes with loss by running from it. At the funeral, she learns Charlie is engaged, forcing her to confront not only her grief over Diana, but also the life she hadn’t pursued - the "what could have beens".

Beyond personal loss, this novel thoughtfully explores the grief of unrealized futures, the quiet mourning of the different paths life might have taken. It tenderly captures the ache of missed chances, lost relationships, and the evolving versions of ourselves as we grow. Watching Ruth finally choose herself and step toward the creative future Diana and her mother envisioned is both heartwarming and empowering.

The vivid depiction of Block Island adds an atmospheric charm that makes the setting feel magical and alive. I, myself, having visited Block Island found that the author perfectly captured the magic and essence of the island. This is a story I know I’ll be thinking about for a long time.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House and Shannon Garvey for sharing an eARC of 'June Baby' in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

4.5 ⭐️

Pub date: 12 May 2026

[Rachel Foster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Shannon Garvey, Random House Publishing Group, and NetGalley for an advance copy of June Baby! This debut novel was thoughtful, evocative, and at its best when tenderly exploring the characters and setting.

June Baby delivers a rich emotional atmosphere, anchored in Ruth’s story of love, loss, and self-discovery among the golden dunes and salty breezes of Block Island. The writing often feels lyrical and evocative, drawing you into both the physical setting and Ruth’s inner world with a gentle, reflective pace. I love books that transport you to coastal New England through their words, and this book is no exception.

What stands out here is not just the coming-of-age elements, but the way Garvey handles grief and the choices that shape a life. Ruth’s yearning for connection, with the place that feels like home, with the people she’s loved, and with her own creative aspirations, gives the book a grounded emotional core. It’s a book that rewards readers who enjoy stories about personal growth and the sometimes messy, but very human, navigation of heartbreak and hope.

That said, there were moments where the pacing felt a bit uneven for me. Parts of the narrative lingered a touch too long in introspection, and some plot beats didn’t land. Still, these are relatively small quibbles in the context of a debut that clearly showcases Garvey’s strengths as a writer.

In the end, June Baby is a warm, thoughtful read with beautiful moments of insight and plenty of heart. I’d happily recommend it to readers who appreciate character-driven fiction and seaside settings that feel almost like another character in the story itself.

[Rebekah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ruth is a 27-year-old woman, living a nomadic life, working seasonal job in Maine during the winter and on Block Island in RI during the summer, having fallen in love with the island as a 17-year-old when she was sent to spend the summer with her mom's friend after her mother died from cancer. Diana Beckett is a famous photographer, and she takes Ruth under her wing and nurtures her love of the island and encourages Ruth to her pursue writing. Ruth finds herself stuck, unable to picture herself as a writer, and instead is working as a waitress and bartender, when she gets the call from Diana's nephew Charlie that Diana is dying of cancer as well. The main plot of the book takes place the summer immediately after the death of Diana, on Block Island as Ruth founders to find her way while dealing with her loss.
Ruth is very much in a state of arrested development as the book opens, and the main plot is sold as a coming-of-age story, as she lives and works on the island. The coming of age seemed overall lacking, as Ruth continues to make very poor choices throughout the book. By the conclusion of the book, despite the fact that Ruth didn't really exhibit much growth, we're left supposed to believe that she is turning over a new leaf and will finally move on from the loss of both her mother and Diana. Personally, I felt that conclusion was a bit of stretch, and I'm not entirely sure Ruth will succeed after the conclusion of the book. That said, the book was very easy to read and enjoyable overall.
Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the electronic ARC of this novel for review.

[Stanley McShane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read my full review on Rosepoint Publishing.

Ruth returns to Block Island following the death of Diana Beckett. She had been sent to live with Diana following the death of her mother and her father, lacking the ability to deal with his own grief, fell short of supporting his daughter.

It’s on Block Island that first summer that she meets Charlie. Ten years later, now at the age of twenty-seven, she returns to clean up Diana’s home and studio but finds herself lost and no more capable now than when she left.

She learns that Charlie is engaged, which throws her into another tail spin. She exhibits obsession and intense longing for Charlie while fending off the suitor who loves her with the same intensity she exhibits for Charlie.

I hate what she does with Charlie and later, when presented with opportunities cannot decide on a direction. The writer builds tension, but even with morbid curiosity to see if she’ll prevail, might be too late to care.

The whole novel begs the question: Can she ever move forward? Will she try to write again or continue waitressing the rest of her life?

If you appreciate slow-moving, deeply angst ridden novels of lost persons, you’ll understand better where this book shines.

This was an Advanced Reader’s Copy from NetGalley and the publisher and I appreciate their providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

[Madalynne Bridge · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25⭐️ The winning feature of this book is the description of the setting. Block Island, just off the coast of Rhode Island, is the perfect summer getaway. Beaches, dunes, lively downtown area with restaurants, and beautiful coastal homes. The interesting part of this book is seeing Block Island from the lens of a somewhat local who works in the service industry as a seasonal worker. We get to see the parts of Block Island that the average tourist might not usually notice.

Our main character Ruth is experiencing grief throughout the book. She arrives at Block Island while beginning the grieving process for her Mother who has passed away. Her dad sent her to spend the summer with Diana, her mom’s long lost friend. The summer with Diana sets Ruth on a life path through her 20s that is a bit of a rollercoaster ride. Ruth is lost. Period.

The book mainly focuses on one summer when Ruth is 27 and really at a loss for how to move forward in life. I really struggled to read about Ruth at times. She is dealing with so much grief, but she is not really doing anything to process it or seek help. She seems to really not know who she is. The end of the book seems to suggest a fresh start, courtesy of Diana, and the ending leaves the reader to guess at what she tries to do next. I appreciate endings like that.

I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy: atmospheric reads, books that are great to read at the beach or summer vacation, and books about grief.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the ebook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Barb Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

"June Baby" started out slowly. Too slowly. I was about 20 percent in, and the book still hadn't caught my interest. I nearly gave up. Instead, I pushed on and discovered a book that many describe as a coming-of-age story of a young woman reeling from grief.

Ruth loses her mother to cancer. Her father, unable to handle her grief, sends her to live on an island with a woman she has never met but who, apparently, was a good friend of her mother's. Another death, 10 years later, sends her spiraling deeper into her grief.

Grief is personal. I get it. Still, Ruth seemed to wallow.

Once the story finally got moving, I found myself caring about the choices and decisions Ruth made. Should she pursue the young man she has loved since she first came to the island as a 17-year-old, or should she consider the guy who has just been a good time and a friend? Should she take advantage of the opportunities presented to establish a career for herself or just continue serving food at diners on the island in the summers and on the mainland during winters?

I received a copy of this book prior to publication, thanks to Netgalley. I'm glad I had the opportunity to read it. It was a perfectly fine read. It just didn't set my world on fire.

[Celeste • Likely All Booked · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you @netgalley and @thousandvoicesmedia for this ARC! This book is set to release on May 12th.

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June Baby is beautifully written and tells such a compelling story. The author does a wonderful job exploring grief, loss, and love. It’s also a great coming-of-age story set on the beautiful Block Island. Your heart will break for the main character, Ruth, but her hope and determination to find her place in life is inspiring.

Ruth’s mother passes away when she is seventeen. Grief takes over her life, and her father isn’t sure how to help her cope. He sends her to Block Island for the summer with the name of someone from her mother’s past to contact—Diana. Diana takes her in, and Ruth spends her summers on Block Island working, healing, exploring her passions, and even falling in love.

Ten summers later, Ruth’s life is struck by tragedy again. At twenty-seven, she returns to Block Island to mourn the loss of another woman who meant so much to her. She is left with a box of photos that begin to unravel the truth about her mother. As Ruth spends time on the island that summer, she begins to uncover the truth while also discovering the path her own life might take.

[Candy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was invited by the publisher to review this book. After losing her mother at seventeen, Ruth is sent to Block Island, where photographer Diana gives her refuge—and where Ruth discovers creativity, belonging, and first love with Diana’s nephew, Charlie. Ten years later, Ruth is still pulled to the island, spending her summers among its wealthy visitors while barely scraping by the rest of the year, unable to let go of the place that once saved her. A new tragedy strikes and Ruth turns to Charlie. Then long-buried truths emerge through a box Diana left behind, Ruth must confront what she believes about her past and her future.

This book thoroughly covers all ranges of emotions, from loss and grief, to hope and family. It is a perfect mix of all aspects of the human experience. The book had a great lesson to teach, which was we cannot change the past or what happens in our lives, but we can control how we respond. Kudos also to the great summer setting - it felt like I was on the island in those hot summer days.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

settle in and allow shannon garvey’s debut novel to transport you right onto block island. set in the present day with trips back a decade, we watch ruth go from a broken seventeen year old girl to a young woman who is doing exactly what we all are doing - trying her best to figure it out. mourning the loss of her mother and hesitantly moving onto the island to stay with a woman named diana that she’s never met before, ruth is at a low point. her relationship with her father is strained and she hasn’t started to process her grief. she’s floating through life like an untethered anchor. enter charlie - diana’s nephew who visits the island each summer. their connection is instant. fast forward ten years and ruth is still a bit of a wild card. we witness her experience young love, loss, confusion, lust, big life decisions, and, ultimately, growth. i found myself rooting for ruth even on her toughest of days.
i devoured this book because of the idyllic setting but ruth’s story kept me engaged throughout the entire duration.

thank you to random house publishing for providing this book for review consideration via netgalley. all opinions are my own.

[Madae · Rating 2 out of 5]

When Ruth was 17 her mom passed away. Her dad didn't know how to handle her grief so he dropped her off at Diana's house, an old friend of Ruth's mom who she's never heard of or met. Ruth spends the summer with Diana on Block Island, where she meets and bonds with Diana's nephew, Charlie. The teen summers on Block Island are skimmed over and soon it's 10 years later, and Diana is dying. She leaves Ruth a box that reveals some long hidden secrets.

After reading the description of June Baby, I thought it'd be right up my alley. Unfortunately, it was a miss for me. Ruth was so unlikeable. She was negative and constantly hurt people/cut them off when they disagreed with her or tried to help her. She self sabotaged and romanticized her time as a teen/young adult on Block Island and is stuck in that mindset. The writer is extremely verbose and some of her sentences and descriptions could easily be edited. The book was slow paced and while there was redeeming ending, I found it was too little too late.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House, for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I finished this book I thought wow I loved it, On further reflection I amended that to I liked it a lot.
It is a coming of age novel about Ruth who lost her mother to cancer at a critical age and had a father who was also grief stricken and had trouble connecting with his daughter. His solution is to send Ruth to spend a summer with Diana who knew her mother and is a professional photographer living on Block Island. Ruth becomes her assistant and so much more. There is a romantic entanglement with Diana’s nephew Charlie.
When Diana also dies Ruth and Charlie return and try to process their loss.
I found both Ruth and Charlie to be difficult characters and I found following their interaction frustrating. 2 troubled and mixed up people.
I did very much enjoy the other characters and learning more about Ruth’s parents and Diana. Lots of twists and surprises I did not see coming.
The setting was also a plus for this book. The summering island seemed charming and perfect for the story the author told.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC. I really liked this one and would recommend it to readers!
4.5 stars