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June Baby
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.
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.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published May 19, 2026
About the author
Shannon Garvey
1 book106 followersShannon Garvey is the author of the debut novel June Baby. Born in Rhode Island, Shannon now lives on the New Hampshire coastline. She received her MFA from the University of New Hampshire where she taught undergraduate classes. Shorter work of hers has been published by The Saturday Evening Post.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 867 reviews
May 31, 2026
i don't know much about book publishing. but if i made the rules, and i would like to, this would be released in june
(thanks to the publisher for the arc)
(review to come)
(thanks to the publisher for the arc)
(review to come)
June 6, 2026
3.5 🌟 good summer vibes & I like it at times, but it was a little boring
May 14, 2026
A coming of age story.
Love, loss, and island summers.
Ruth’s mother died when she was 17 and she was so broken with grief that her dad sent her to Block Island to stay with Diana, a close friend of her mother’s for the summers.
Diana and Ruth grow very close.
Diana has a nephew, Charlie that also spent his summers there and they were constant companions.
The story is mostly about Ruth now, at 27.. spending what would be her last summer on Block island.. her love for Charlie intense, she is about to tell him she loves him this summer, but he arrives with a fiance in tow.
We learn of Charlie and Ruth’s growing up there and all their memories and meet some other great characters.
We learn a big family secret and why Diana was close to Ruth’s mother.
There is also another huge loss for Ruth involving Diana.
This was a good story and I love island settings!
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House/Thousand Voices for the gifted ARC in return for an honest review.
Love, loss, and island summers.
Ruth’s mother died when she was 17 and she was so broken with grief that her dad sent her to Block Island to stay with Diana, a close friend of her mother’s for the summers.
Diana and Ruth grow very close.
Diana has a nephew, Charlie that also spent his summers there and they were constant companions.
The story is mostly about Ruth now, at 27.. spending what would be her last summer on Block island.. her love for Charlie intense, she is about to tell him she loves him this summer, but he arrives with a fiance in tow.
We learn of Charlie and Ruth’s growing up there and all their memories and meet some other great characters.
We learn a big family secret and why Diana was close to Ruth’s mother.
There is also another huge loss for Ruth involving Diana.
This was a good story and I love island settings!
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House/Thousand Voices for the gifted ARC in return for an honest review.
May 20, 2026
"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."
Such heartache is felt in this literary fiction. Ruth lost her mother to cancer when she was only 17 years old, a critical age for needing a parent. Her father is grieving selfishly with no regards to his daughter's pain and ships her off to an island with her mother's friend Diana. Diana lives on Block Island off the coast of Rhode Island, a wealthy beach town. Diana nurtures her and encourages her to be a writer. While she is there, she falls in love with Charlie, Diana's nephew, against his mother's wishes.
Ruth experiences detachment from everyone and appears selfish, never allowing her heart to give freely. Each summer she returns to the island. Ten years have passed when she finally decides to tell Charlie she loves him. More heartache comes to the island you must read in order to find out the sadness of it all and the family's secrets that she learns from her mother's past.
This was written beautifully by Shannon Garvey and would make an awesome beach read.
Thank you NetGalley and Random House for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
"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."
Such heartache is felt in this literary fiction. Ruth lost her mother to cancer when she was only 17 years old, a critical age for needing a parent. Her father is grieving selfishly with no regards to his daughter's pain and ships her off to an island with her mother's friend Diana. Diana lives on Block Island off the coast of Rhode Island, a wealthy beach town. Diana nurtures her and encourages her to be a writer. While she is there, she falls in love with Charlie, Diana's nephew, against his mother's wishes.
Ruth experiences detachment from everyone and appears selfish, never allowing her heart to give freely. Each summer she returns to the island. Ten years have passed when she finally decides to tell Charlie she loves him. More heartache comes to the island you must read in order to find out the sadness of it all and the family's secrets that she learns from her mother's past.
This was written beautifully by Shannon Garvey and would make an awesome beach read.
Thank you NetGalley and Random House for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
May 31, 2026
firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc!!
3.5 stars — unfortunately, i was not totally destroyed by this book in the way that i hoped i would be from mutual reviews.
june baby follows a our fmc ruth who is grieving the loss of her mother due to cancer, and when her father can't help ruth with her grief, ships her off to spend the summer with a photographer by the name of diana, and falls in love with her nephew charlie.
ruthie was destroyed by the loss of her mother as a teenager, and then again by the loss of diana as a young woman, and i felt she was rather self-destructive in her behaviors and relationships. of course, i’ve never lost a parent or parent figure, but ruthie frustrated me in her lack of ambitions or growth as a young woman.
i also did not appreciate the cheating aspect; just because your life was not what you intended does not mean you destroy the lives of others.
i also listened to the audiobook on libby and the narrator did a good job!
while i didn’t enjoy this as much as i thought i would, I’m glad this book has reached its audience!
3.5 stars — unfortunately, i was not totally destroyed by this book in the way that i hoped i would be from mutual reviews.
june baby follows a our fmc ruth who is grieving the loss of her mother due to cancer, and when her father can't help ruth with her grief, ships her off to spend the summer with a photographer by the name of diana, and falls in love with her nephew charlie.
ruthie was destroyed by the loss of her mother as a teenager, and then again by the loss of diana as a young woman, and i felt she was rather self-destructive in her behaviors and relationships. of course, i’ve never lost a parent or parent figure, but ruthie frustrated me in her lack of ambitions or growth as a young woman.
i also did not appreciate the cheating aspect; just because your life was not what you intended does not mean you destroy the lives of others.
i also listened to the audiobook on libby and the narrator did a good job!
while i didn’t enjoy this as much as i thought i would, I’m glad this book has reached its audience!
May 27, 2026
This was not for me. I should not have finished this, I really need to learn to DNF for my sanity. This had unlikeable characters + classic miscommunication trope (which I hate) left me sandy and dry. There was no one to root for here, and I just wanted to punch Ruth in the throat.
May 14, 2026
For the Lily King lovers. Felt totally transported by this book. My favorite kind of affirming, sad-girl-summer read.
June 6, 2026
Not every book is for everybody. This one didn’t ring enough bells for me. The pace was sluggish (could’ve been a short story, I think) and I kept hoping there’d be a big payoff at the end that would make the slow go worth it. But that didn’t happen, not for me anyway. There’s plenty of talent in the prose which is why I gave it 3 stars. But the story itself was just okay. I think it’s more about what I want in a novel these days than what this one ultimately delivered.
February 9, 2026
for lovers of “writers and lovers” !
January 28, 2026
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
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
May 7, 2026
"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."
Ruth is seventeen when her mother passes away from cancer. Reeling with grief and longing to be loved, Ruth's father sends her to live on Block Island with her mother's best friend, Diana. Ruth finds her summers with Diana one of refuge and restoration where she can focus on writing, sun drenched summers by the sea, and love. She falls in love with Diana's nephew Charlie who is charming and her best friend.
Now she is 27 and returning to the beautiful island hoping it will restore her once again. But things are different this summer. There is change, secrets that bubble to the surface, and important decisions to be made.
This coming of age story is one for the books! Full of sun, sea, sunsets, dunes, career and more, this story has something for everyone. Coming of age stories don't always resonate with me but this one is spectacular. The characters are layered and complex in dealing with career, love, loss and grief. It is somewhat atmospheric and fills your soul with summer warmth as Block Island itself becomes a character. There are some important friendships that come into play. Garvey writes with a level of emotional intelligence that is rare in a debut. I highly recommend adding this to your beach bag for the ultimate beach read!
The audiobook performance by Christine Lakin (12 hours) brings the emotions to life and animates the characters. Listening in tandem with the print copy made for an elevated reading experience.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Thousand Voices, PRH Audio, and Shannon Garvey for the gifted advance reader's copy and advance listening copy. All opinions are my own. 🎧📚
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."
Ruth is seventeen when her mother passes away from cancer. Reeling with grief and longing to be loved, Ruth's father sends her to live on Block Island with her mother's best friend, Diana. Ruth finds her summers with Diana one of refuge and restoration where she can focus on writing, sun drenched summers by the sea, and love. She falls in love with Diana's nephew Charlie who is charming and her best friend.
Now she is 27 and returning to the beautiful island hoping it will restore her once again. But things are different this summer. There is change, secrets that bubble to the surface, and important decisions to be made.
This coming of age story is one for the books! Full of sun, sea, sunsets, dunes, career and more, this story has something for everyone. Coming of age stories don't always resonate with me but this one is spectacular. The characters are layered and complex in dealing with career, love, loss and grief. It is somewhat atmospheric and fills your soul with summer warmth as Block Island itself becomes a character. There are some important friendships that come into play. Garvey writes with a level of emotional intelligence that is rare in a debut. I highly recommend adding this to your beach bag for the ultimate beach read!
The audiobook performance by Christine Lakin (12 hours) brings the emotions to life and animates the characters. Listening in tandem with the print copy made for an elevated reading experience.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Thousand Voices, PRH Audio, and Shannon Garvey for the gifted advance reader's copy and advance listening copy. All opinions are my own. 🎧📚
May 12, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for inviting me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
1.5 stars.
The more I thought about this book, the more I had issues with it.
It had beautiful writing, but just because it has a pretty writing style doesn’t mean the story or the characters are well written. I thought it would be my type of book I like to read, but it just made me angry.
This was just too all over the place. It had a really strong start and I thought I was really going to enjoy it, but I did not.
I am not a huge fan of second chance romance, but this wasn’t even that to be honest. I wish the story was told chronologically. I thought we would see Ruth and Charlie spending the summer together and falling in love. We would see the build up of her dynamic with Diana. I thought it would be a linear storytelling. But no, it had a 10 year jump right off the bat. There weren’t even that many flashbacks. It would be one thing if the author wanted a time jump right away and then went back and slowly revealed their relationship, but all it did was move forward.
Everything was told to us. How Ruth felt about Charlie and Diana. I couldn’t really feel their connection. She had way more chemistry with Louis in my opinion. At least they actually spoke and had real conversations. I wasn’t rooting for Charlie and Ruth to get together.
Slight spoilers, but how am I supposed to root for a couple when there is so much emotional and actual cheating going on. If I am expected to be happy he is a cheater, I am not!! I felt so bad for Nadia. She didn’t deserve that.
Ruth was a bad person. I hate to be mean, but I did not like her at all. I feel for her and who she lost, but she really did nothing for herself. I’m not saying she can’t continue to grieve, because I think I would be a wreck, but she had no motivation to get out of the rut she was in. And she kind of treated people poorly because of that. I agreed with Lucy that she needed to move on in the sense that she can’t just sit and wallow.
I loved Louis. Part of me was rooting for him to be with Ruth because I liked them together much more than her and Charlie, but on the other hand I kept thinking to myself he is better without her! I would take him if she doesn’t want him. Charlie just didn’t have any personality other than us knowing Ruth was in love with him.
I wish the plot focused on one thing, then maybe I would have liked it better. Sometimes it was about Diana, sometimes about her mom, sometimes about Charlie, then Louis was thrown in. Then Ruth was going against Nadia, and having issues with Lynn. It was just a lot. I get that stuff can get hectic like that in real life, but it wasn’t very pleasant to read.
Spoiler: She had an abortion which was hard to read about. If you are sensitive to that, I would definitely not read this book.
The ending was just super abrupt too. There was no resolution with Charlie or Louis, or what Ruth was going to do with her life. You could kind of put the pieces together, but it just ended with no indicator what her future would look like. Which that could be a whole other book in and of itself, but I was still hoping we’d get a little more closure.
Also it makes me angry that this book is called June Baby and was released in May. But that is just a nitpicky me issue.
I thought this would be a good summer read, but you are better off looking elsewhere.
1.5 stars.
The more I thought about this book, the more I had issues with it.
It had beautiful writing, but just because it has a pretty writing style doesn’t mean the story or the characters are well written. I thought it would be my type of book I like to read, but it just made me angry.
This was just too all over the place. It had a really strong start and I thought I was really going to enjoy it, but I did not.
I am not a huge fan of second chance romance, but this wasn’t even that to be honest. I wish the story was told chronologically. I thought we would see Ruth and Charlie spending the summer together and falling in love. We would see the build up of her dynamic with Diana. I thought it would be a linear storytelling. But no, it had a 10 year jump right off the bat. There weren’t even that many flashbacks. It would be one thing if the author wanted a time jump right away and then went back and slowly revealed their relationship, but all it did was move forward.
Everything was told to us. How Ruth felt about Charlie and Diana. I couldn’t really feel their connection. She had way more chemistry with Louis in my opinion. At least they actually spoke and had real conversations. I wasn’t rooting for Charlie and Ruth to get together.
Slight spoilers, but how am I supposed to root for a couple when there is so much emotional and actual cheating going on. If I am expected to be happy he is a cheater, I am not!! I felt so bad for Nadia. She didn’t deserve that.
Ruth was a bad person. I hate to be mean, but I did not like her at all. I feel for her and who she lost, but she really did nothing for herself. I’m not saying she can’t continue to grieve, because I think I would be a wreck, but she had no motivation to get out of the rut she was in. And she kind of treated people poorly because of that. I agreed with Lucy that she needed to move on in the sense that she can’t just sit and wallow.
I loved Louis. Part of me was rooting for him to be with Ruth because I liked them together much more than her and Charlie, but on the other hand I kept thinking to myself he is better without her! I would take him if she doesn’t want him. Charlie just didn’t have any personality other than us knowing Ruth was in love with him.
I wish the plot focused on one thing, then maybe I would have liked it better. Sometimes it was about Diana, sometimes about her mom, sometimes about Charlie, then Louis was thrown in. Then Ruth was going against Nadia, and having issues with Lynn. It was just a lot. I get that stuff can get hectic like that in real life, but it wasn’t very pleasant to read.
Spoiler: She had an abortion which was hard to read about. If you are sensitive to that, I would definitely not read this book.
The ending was just super abrupt too. There was no resolution with Charlie or Louis, or what Ruth was going to do with her life. You could kind of put the pieces together, but it just ended with no indicator what her future would look like. Which that could be a whole other book in and of itself, but I was still hoping we’d get a little more closure.
Also it makes me angry that this book is called June Baby and was released in May. But that is just a nitpicky me issue.
I thought this would be a good summer read, but you are better off looking elsewhere.
May 12, 2026
JUNE BABY
By Shannon Garvey
A Heartfelt Story of Love, Loss, and Possibility
3.5 rounded down
A layered debut following seventeen-year-old Ruth as she navigates grief after losing her mother to cancer. Hoping a change of scenery will help, Ruth’s father sends her to Block Island to stay with a woman named Diana, someone Ruth knows very little about. Over the years, the island becomes a refuge where she feels safe and secure, especially with Diana and her nephew Charlie in her life. But as Ruth grows older, she begins questioning how well she truly knows the people who helped raise her and what kind of future she wants for herself.
I really enjoyed the atmospheric Block Island setting with its sandy beaches, beautiful sunsets, and the blend of locals and summer workers that gave the story an authentic beach-town feel. Garvey’s writing is quiet and thoughtful, perfectly matching the reflective tone of the novel. This is very much a slow-burn, character-centered story that feels ideal for summer reading.
At times I found Ruth frustrating, though I was still rooting for her throughout. I also occasionally felt that Ruth and her friends seemed younger than their actual ages, which made it a little harder for me to fully connect with some of their choices and relationships.
A heartfelt coming-of-age story about grief, loneliness, identity, relationships, love, and second chances. I’ll be interested to see what Shannon Garvey writes next.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the eARC.
Publishing May 19, 2026
By Shannon Garvey
A Heartfelt Story of Love, Loss, and Possibility
3.5 rounded down
A layered debut following seventeen-year-old Ruth as she navigates grief after losing her mother to cancer. Hoping a change of scenery will help, Ruth’s father sends her to Block Island to stay with a woman named Diana, someone Ruth knows very little about. Over the years, the island becomes a refuge where she feels safe and secure, especially with Diana and her nephew Charlie in her life. But as Ruth grows older, she begins questioning how well she truly knows the people who helped raise her and what kind of future she wants for herself.
I really enjoyed the atmospheric Block Island setting with its sandy beaches, beautiful sunsets, and the blend of locals and summer workers that gave the story an authentic beach-town feel. Garvey’s writing is quiet and thoughtful, perfectly matching the reflective tone of the novel. This is very much a slow-burn, character-centered story that feels ideal for summer reading.
At times I found Ruth frustrating, though I was still rooting for her throughout. I also occasionally felt that Ruth and her friends seemed younger than their actual ages, which made it a little harder for me to fully connect with some of their choices and relationships.
A heartfelt coming-of-age story about grief, loneliness, identity, relationships, love, and second chances. I’ll be interested to see what Shannon Garvey writes next.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the eARC.
Publishing May 19, 2026
May 8, 2026
"She had been grieving these women, but now it seemed to Ruth that she didn't even know them, and that they hadn't wanted her to."
This book gave me very mixed feelings. Our main character, Ruth, lost her mother at age 17 and is emotionally and professionally stunted throughout the ten year span of the book. I felt frustrated at her lack of growth. But, somewhere around the 70% mark I realized that this debut may be kind of brilliant. Sometimes it takes a skilled writer to evoke emotion--even the stifiled irritation I felt toward Ruth's failure to thrive in adulthood.
I ended up giving this four stars, and I would enjoy reading Garvey's next novel. Unfortunately, this is being marketed as a commercial, beachy romance, and I think a lot of readers will feel slighted. If you enjoy literary fiction and morally gray characters with a brooding past, you may enjoy this angsty debut.
This book gave me very mixed feelings. Our main character, Ruth, lost her mother at age 17 and is emotionally and professionally stunted throughout the ten year span of the book. I felt frustrated at her lack of growth. But, somewhere around the 70% mark I realized that this debut may be kind of brilliant. Sometimes it takes a skilled writer to evoke emotion--even the stifiled irritation I felt toward Ruth's failure to thrive in adulthood.
I ended up giving this four stars, and I would enjoy reading Garvey's next novel. Unfortunately, this is being marketed as a commercial, beachy romance, and I think a lot of readers will feel slighted. If you enjoy literary fiction and morally gray characters with a brooding past, you may enjoy this angsty debut.
May 20, 2026
June Baby had a strong premise and a beautifully atmospheric setting, but it ultimately didn’t work for me because I couldn’t connect with the main character.
The story follows Ruth over the course of ten years after she is sent to Block Island following her mother’s death, and the novel leans heavily into themes of grief, nostalgia, first love, and emotional attachment to a place. The island itself is vividly written, and there are moments where the mood and setting really stand out.
However, Ruth as a protagonist made it difficult for me to stay engaged. Her decisions often felt frustrating, and I struggled with how she treated the people around her and the way she remained fixated on certain relationships and memories without enough emotional growth or reflection to balance it out. Instead of feeling like a meaningful exploration of being stuck in the past, it started to feel repetitive and emotionally distant.
Because the story is so character-driven, my lack of connection to Ruth affected my overall experience significantly. I never felt fully invested in her journey, and at times reading felt more like something I had to get through rather than something I wanted to return to.
While I can see what the book was aiming for in terms of mood and emotional tone, it ended up being a 2-star read for me due to the disconnect with the main character and the lack of engagement that resulted.
The story follows Ruth over the course of ten years after she is sent to Block Island following her mother’s death, and the novel leans heavily into themes of grief, nostalgia, first love, and emotional attachment to a place. The island itself is vividly written, and there are moments where the mood and setting really stand out.
However, Ruth as a protagonist made it difficult for me to stay engaged. Her decisions often felt frustrating, and I struggled with how she treated the people around her and the way she remained fixated on certain relationships and memories without enough emotional growth or reflection to balance it out. Instead of feeling like a meaningful exploration of being stuck in the past, it started to feel repetitive and emotionally distant.
Because the story is so character-driven, my lack of connection to Ruth affected my overall experience significantly. I never felt fully invested in her journey, and at times reading felt more like something I had to get through rather than something I wanted to return to.
While I can see what the book was aiming for in terms of mood and emotional tone, it ended up being a 2-star read for me due to the disconnect with the main character and the lack of engagement that resulted.
May 24, 2026
It is rare for a debut novel to possess the steady, unflinching emotional gravity that Shannon Garvey displays in June Baby. Sent to the windswept shores of Block Island at seventeen following her mother’s death, Ruth finds refuge under the wing of a renowned photographer and falls into a consuming first love; a decade later, she must return to the island to confront the ghosts of her past and the shattering secrets left behind in a mysterious box.
Garvey constructs a narrative so intimately brilliant that you do not merely read about Ruth, you inhabit her. The prose places the reader squarely inside Ruth’s head, experiencing the claustrophobic ache of grief and the raw, seething undercurrents of desire right along with her.
What elevates June Baby into the realm of truly exceptional literary fiction is its atmospheric sorcery. Garvey doesn't just describe Block Island; she paints a literal, breathtaking canvas of watercolor skies, salt-washed air, and shifting dunes that leaves you deeply nostalgic for a place you may have never even visited. It is a masterfully executed, character-driven deep dive into the anatomy of heartbreak and second chances. For a first novel to be this structurally sound, emotionally intelligent, and evocative is nothing short of extraordinary. This book is nothing short of an epically emotional journey worthy of 5 stars.
Garvey constructs a narrative so intimately brilliant that you do not merely read about Ruth, you inhabit her. The prose places the reader squarely inside Ruth’s head, experiencing the claustrophobic ache of grief and the raw, seething undercurrents of desire right along with her.
What elevates June Baby into the realm of truly exceptional literary fiction is its atmospheric sorcery. Garvey doesn't just describe Block Island; she paints a literal, breathtaking canvas of watercolor skies, salt-washed air, and shifting dunes that leaves you deeply nostalgic for a place you may have never even visited. It is a masterfully executed, character-driven deep dive into the anatomy of heartbreak and second chances. For a first novel to be this structurally sound, emotionally intelligent, and evocative is nothing short of extraordinary. This book is nothing short of an epically emotional journey worthy of 5 stars.
June 17, 2026
Overall a fine read. Predictable most of the time, but had a couple little unexpected turns. Wouldn’t be a book I jump to recommend, but wasn’t displeased with it.
June 3, 2026
Ruth is seventeen years old, and her world is turned upside down when her mother dies of cancer. Her dad, unable to deal with it all, sends her to her mother's friend on Block Island. Diana is a successful photographer with her images in Vogue and other prestigious magazines. Ruth looks forward to the change of scenery and working with Diana on her upcoming book. Ruth has always aspired to be a writer, and after Diana's push, she wants to help her write her photography book. Ruth also has a transformative summer when she meets Diana's nephew, Charlie. Sparks fly, and their relationship crosses many years, all set against the backdrop of glistening Block Island. Years later, Ruth is still on Block Island, but she no longer has Diana as her anchor, and things with Charlie are strained. June Baby by Shannon Garvey is a compelling and emotional debut novel that is part coming-of-age story and part beach read.
Read the rest of my thoughts here: http://www.confessionsofabookaddict.c...
Read the rest of my thoughts here: http://www.confessionsofabookaddict.c...
May 16, 2026
A very heartwarming story and debut by Shannon Garvey that hooked me from the very first page. June Baby is about friendships, secrets, young love and so much more. I really enjoyed this story telling. I also love love love the cover of this book. It’s perfect! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.
December 10, 2025
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!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 17, 2025
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!
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!
May 16, 2026
4.5⭐️
Once again, another excellent book from @thousandvoicesmedia !! June Baby is the perfect emotional summer read to read on the beach, for Lily King lovers and those who want a beautifully written character focused book. Thank you so much to @thousandvoicesmedia x @randomhouse for the free early copy!! 🤍
June Baby follows Ruth, who lost her mother to cancer at 17 and was shipped off to Block Island, to live with her mom’s friend Diana. Since then, Ruth has spent her summers at Block Island and winters in other places, a nomad of sorts, taking her time at Block Island to focus on her writing. Block Island is where Ruth fell in love for the first time with Charlie, Diana’s nephew, who always came to visit each summer. Now, 10 years later, Diana has just suddenly passed away, and Ruth is forced to come to a reckoning on almost every aspect of her life.
I think I went into this book expecting more of a love story, and was pleasantly surprised when I found out it is more of a fiction book and a character study. June Baby focuses on Ruth’s life and her relationships with Charlie, Diana, her mother and father, her current lover and her best friend. As Ruth is heavy in her grief for the second time in her life, she is forced to examine her romantic and platonic relationships with her loved ones, while also discovering so much about Diana and her mom.
This book focuses heavily on grief, but I really liked the way the author wrote Ruth’s grief at different stages of her life for different people. I also loved the focus on writing and the creative arts, depicting Ruth’s struggles with finding her why and reigniting her love for writing. I REALLY could relate to Ruth’s struggles in her late twenties, trying to figure out her career, what she wants out of relationships, and where to live.
I could not believe this is a debut, it was SO well written!! I absolutely fell in love with this book and could not stop reading. It would be so perfect to read on the beach…
Once again, another excellent book from @thousandvoicesmedia !! June Baby is the perfect emotional summer read to read on the beach, for Lily King lovers and those who want a beautifully written character focused book. Thank you so much to @thousandvoicesmedia x @randomhouse for the free early copy!! 🤍
June Baby follows Ruth, who lost her mother to cancer at 17 and was shipped off to Block Island, to live with her mom’s friend Diana. Since then, Ruth has spent her summers at Block Island and winters in other places, a nomad of sorts, taking her time at Block Island to focus on her writing. Block Island is where Ruth fell in love for the first time with Charlie, Diana’s nephew, who always came to visit each summer. Now, 10 years later, Diana has just suddenly passed away, and Ruth is forced to come to a reckoning on almost every aspect of her life.
I think I went into this book expecting more of a love story, and was pleasantly surprised when I found out it is more of a fiction book and a character study. June Baby focuses on Ruth’s life and her relationships with Charlie, Diana, her mother and father, her current lover and her best friend. As Ruth is heavy in her grief for the second time in her life, she is forced to examine her romantic and platonic relationships with her loved ones, while also discovering so much about Diana and her mom.
This book focuses heavily on grief, but I really liked the way the author wrote Ruth’s grief at different stages of her life for different people. I also loved the focus on writing and the creative arts, depicting Ruth’s struggles with finding her why and reigniting her love for writing. I REALLY could relate to Ruth’s struggles in her late twenties, trying to figure out her career, what she wants out of relationships, and where to live.
I could not believe this is a debut, it was SO well written!! I absolutely fell in love with this book and could not stop reading. It would be so perfect to read on the beach…
June 17, 2026
June Baby is an impressive debut that completely drew me in. Shannon Garvey crafts an emotionally rich story about grief, first love, family secrets, and second chances, all set against the breathtaking backdrop of Block Island.
The is beautifully atmospheric, making the island feel alive on the page, while Ruth's journey feels intimate, authentic, and deeply moving. Immersive, and emotionally resonant, this is a character-driven novel that lingers long after the final page.
A stunning debut and an easy 5 stars.
The is beautifully atmospheric, making the island feel alive on the page, while Ruth's journey feels intimate, authentic, and deeply moving. Immersive, and emotionally resonant, this is a character-driven novel that lingers long after the final page.
A stunning debut and an easy 5 stars.
June 21, 2026
3.5 stars. Pretty one note but very summer’y!
May 25, 2026
very authentically block island in a way that almost surprised me that i didn’t know the author. enjoyed the block summer vibes but overall this made me sadder than it made me happy. would do just abt anything for a bagel shop muffin rn (closer to 3.5)
February 26, 2026
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!
thank you netgalley for the arc!
June 21, 2026
this was so infuriating to read. it’s unfortunate because it was pretty well written, it’s a solid debut from a writing standpoint, but the author shot herself in the foot by forcing the reader to be in the head of one of the biggest losers i’ve ever had the misfortune of coming across.
the main character, Ruth, is the main reason why i have to rate the book so low. this depiction of grief came across whiny and pathetic—Ruth has a severe case of arrested development and behaves as her teenage self for a majority of the book despite being a grown woman. i understand grief is complex and difficult, but there comes a time where you need to stand up, move on, and carry the pain with you in a dignified way. Ruth did the opposite and it was just embarrassing to read about.
Ruth spends the entire book with a horrible, woe-is-me, selfish attitude that was extremely grating on my nerves. she squanders every opportunity provided for her and spends her days focusing on all the wrong things, letting life pass her by. it was honestly just disgusting to read about, by the end i pictured Ruth as a total slob with greasy hair who never showers because that’s how useless and lazy the author decided to portray this person. i wondered for awhile if the author thought this behavior was actually acceptable, but there were about 4-5 characters over the course of the book that said to Ruth exactly what i was thinking about her, so i know the author is aware the character’s behavior was abhorrently embarrassing for a 27-year-old woman. and yet it continued on until the last 20ish pages. and even in the end i still found her to be a fucking loser. i can only stomach reading about a privileged white woman complain about the lack of opportunities she actively avoids and fucks up for herself for so long.
i think Ruth’s idiocy particularly struck a nerve with me because i know a few people in my life who behave this way and their inability to get out of their own way ultimately destroyed the relationships i had with them. one was a lifelong friend and the other was a romantic partner. i have very little patience or empathy for people like this after experiencing how this behavior plays out in real life, so i think i struggled to connect with Ruth because i couldn’t realistically feel any pity for her.
like, sorry, you’re a white woman who has an uber-famous older woman trying to give you opportunity after opportunity—even beyond the grave!—and your misplaced self importance and self-deprecating narcissism has put you into the situations you act as though were thrust upon you unwillingly, meanwhile you made every single poor and wrong choice that put you here and you refuse to take any outs from those who try to give it to you. you’re a deadbeat loser! sorry! i don’t want to read about women like this!
i also found the plot to be generally a bit boring and weirdly executed. i didn’t really understand the whole “romance” subplot with Charlie as it only seemed to serve as a way to make Ruth seem even more delusional, weird, and self-centered than she already was. i think the most powerful part of the book was Ruth dissecting her mother’s life and ultimately changing her opinions over the course of the book as more things happened to her and she gained more experience. i liked that, and that’s really the only positive thing i can point to besides the writing.
i would consider picking up the author’s next book but i would really need to see a huge change in the character work. i would have DNF-ed this had i not been listening on audio.
the main character, Ruth, is the main reason why i have to rate the book so low. this depiction of grief came across whiny and pathetic—Ruth has a severe case of arrested development and behaves as her teenage self for a majority of the book despite being a grown woman. i understand grief is complex and difficult, but there comes a time where you need to stand up, move on, and carry the pain with you in a dignified way. Ruth did the opposite and it was just embarrassing to read about.
Ruth spends the entire book with a horrible, woe-is-me, selfish attitude that was extremely grating on my nerves. she squanders every opportunity provided for her and spends her days focusing on all the wrong things, letting life pass her by. it was honestly just disgusting to read about, by the end i pictured Ruth as a total slob with greasy hair who never showers because that’s how useless and lazy the author decided to portray this person. i wondered for awhile if the author thought this behavior was actually acceptable, but there were about 4-5 characters over the course of the book that said to Ruth exactly what i was thinking about her, so i know the author is aware the character’s behavior was abhorrently embarrassing for a 27-year-old woman. and yet it continued on until the last 20ish pages. and even in the end i still found her to be a fucking loser. i can only stomach reading about a privileged white woman complain about the lack of opportunities she actively avoids and fucks up for herself for so long.
i think Ruth’s idiocy particularly struck a nerve with me because i know a few people in my life who behave this way and their inability to get out of their own way ultimately destroyed the relationships i had with them. one was a lifelong friend and the other was a romantic partner. i have very little patience or empathy for people like this after experiencing how this behavior plays out in real life, so i think i struggled to connect with Ruth because i couldn’t realistically feel any pity for her.
like, sorry, you’re a white woman who has an uber-famous older woman trying to give you opportunity after opportunity—even beyond the grave!—and your misplaced self importance and self-deprecating narcissism has put you into the situations you act as though were thrust upon you unwillingly, meanwhile you made every single poor and wrong choice that put you here and you refuse to take any outs from those who try to give it to you. you’re a deadbeat loser! sorry! i don’t want to read about women like this!
i also found the plot to be generally a bit boring and weirdly executed. i didn’t really understand the whole “romance” subplot with Charlie as it only seemed to serve as a way to make Ruth seem even more delusional, weird, and self-centered than she already was. i think the most powerful part of the book was Ruth dissecting her mother’s life and ultimately changing her opinions over the course of the book as more things happened to her and she gained more experience. i liked that, and that’s really the only positive thing i can point to besides the writing.
i would consider picking up the author’s next book but i would really need to see a huge change in the character work. i would have DNF-ed this had i not been listening on audio.
May 22, 2026
Love the block island details and I liked how it resolved but found the prose painfully verbose and Ruth an incredibly frustrating character.
Read
June 2, 2026Heads up on content:
In the summer, I love a good contemplative book and June Baby fit the bill. It felt a bit like a darker/literary Carley Fortune (a seaside setting on Block Island, a young woman who has had a lot of grief and loss in her life, a friendship with a guy that always felt like it could be more, and some messiness around that.)
Ruth is June Baby (her late mother’s nickname for her) a woman in her late twenties. After the devastating loss of her mother when she was a teen, she’s cobbled a life together in Maine. Then she gets a phone call telling her that Diana, her mother’s closest friend and the person who helped her weather the loss of her mother, is also dying. She heads to Block Island, where Diana lived, and is drawn back into her past, including her close friendship with Charlie, Diana’s nephew.
June Baby is a quiet and lyrical book, told by Ruth as she ’s forced to comes to terms with her relationships with Diana and Charlie. Diana was a talented and famous photographer and, because Diana wanted Ruth to write a piece about her for Vogue, Ruth needs to go through Diana’s office, giving her more insight into the true nature of Diana’s relationship with Ruth’s mother.
In the summer, I love a good contemplative book and June Baby fit the bill. It felt a bit like a darker/literary Carley Fortune (a seaside setting on Block Island, a young woman who has had a lot of grief and loss in her life, a friendship with a guy that always felt like it could be more, and some messiness around that.)
Ruth is June Baby (her late mother’s nickname for her) a woman in her late twenties. After the devastating loss of her mother when she was a teen, she’s cobbled a life together in Maine. Then she gets a phone call telling her that Diana, her mother’s closest friend and the person who helped her weather the loss of her mother, is also dying. She heads to Block Island, where Diana lived, and is drawn back into her past, including her close friendship with Charlie, Diana’s nephew.
June Baby is a quiet and lyrical book, told by Ruth as she ’s forced to comes to terms with her relationships with Diana and Charlie. Diana was a talented and famous photographer and, because Diana wanted Ruth to write a piece about her for Vogue, Ruth needs to go through Diana’s office, giving her more insight into the true nature of Diana’s relationship with Ruth’s mother.
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