Lina & June

by Genevieve Wheeler

From the author of Adelaide comes a bittersweet, deeply felt story that follows the start and unraveling of a seemingly unbreakable bond between two young women.

Lina and June’s friendship shouldn’t make sense. June has her future planned to a T; Lina takes life day by day, party by party. June’s dreams are color-coded and neatly filed, while Lina's are even too big for New York City, where she and June are students at the same university. But after a messy night out throws the two girls together, it seems like nothing can tear them apart.

Until June’s health takes an unexpected turn for the worse.

Until Lina jets off to Paris, leaving her best friend behind.

As Lina and June’s once-intertwined lives veer off on separate paths, they’re on their own to figure out how to fix their severed bond—and decide if it’s even worth repairing—or risk running out of time completely.

Are some heartbreaks too big to patch?

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Friendship, Literature, Mental Health, Coming Of Age

320 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication December 8, 2026

About the author

Genevieve Wheeler (she/her) is an American writer and communications director. Her bylines have appeared in publications like VICE, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Teen Vogue, Elite Daily, Bustle, Business Insider, and POPSUGAR, with her work and words cited in The New York Times, Vox, the BBC, Jezebel, and beyond. She holds an MA in marketing communications from the University of Westminster in London and a BS in advertising from Boston University. Genevieve currently lives in London with her husband their very cuddly Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Nellie.

Reviews

[ok zach]

Adelaide is one of my favorite novels can't wait to read this follow-up!

[cyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy. This book was an excellent portrayal on the ups and downs that friendships often have. Friendships are oftentimes just as consuming as romantic relationships and can be even more emotional. The relationships we have with those closest to us often shape everything about our lives and this book really showed that. Lina and June are both equally flawed but you can tell they really care for each other. Seeing the ups and downs of their relationships aswell as aspects of their personal lives made for a really great story. I wasn’t a huge of the italics for dialogue as opposed to quotation marks but it didn’t bother me too much. The story was also kind of boring at times specifically when the two girls were apart but it was still very enjoyable and sweet.

[summer⁎ ˚ ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆]

soft dnf at 13%

adelaide is one of my all time favorite books so i was so excited for this, but it doesn't even feel like it's in the same ballpark as adelaide or written by the same author; the voice is very different, dialogue jilted, and the pacing uneven. why is dialogue italicized but text messages are standard font? so irritating. i read as much as i did and enjoyed 0% of it so i'm putting it down. i might come back to it but i genuinely have no interest whatsoever.

thank you smp for the arc.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genevieve’s Adelaide is one of my favorite books and she delivered again with Lina & June. This novel explores the rollercoaster of friendships, the ups and downs, and the reality that is growing apart from people you love. Lina and June are two women who meet during their education at NYU. We watch as their relationship grows and dissolves, in and out, through life changes, boys, jobs, and more. It’s one of those books where you do see elements of your own friendships and maybe that’s what makes it so lovable. Of course it wouldn’t be a Genevieve Wheeler book if it didn’t have me crying (and whilst on an airplane at that). A beautiful reminder to treat the ones you love with love. Thank you NetGalley for this eARC!

[Amy Gironda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of advance copy received from NetGalley

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an early ARC of this beautiful novel. I was really excited to receive an early copy of this book after loving Wheeler's previous Adelaide. This novel is an exploration of platonic love and identity and what it means to grow alongside or apart from those you love. Wheeler's writing was strong and kept me invested. I liked the back and forth between the past and present timelines.

I enjoyed all of the NYC references as well as the Paris setting.
I wanted it a little more from the end. But definetly recommend.

[Emma Blanchet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adelaide was such a great read so I was so excited to get an advanced reader copy of this! It’s written in the same character driven tone as Adelaide and there’s parts where nothing really happens but it just works. I found a few pieces to be missing at the end which was the only reason I took off a star. I’ll continue to read anything this author puts out.

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC!

[Cordelia · Rating 3 out of 5]

SYNOPSIS
-Lina and June meet in college and become unlikely best friends despite having very different personalities.
-Their friendship becomes the most important relationship in both of their lives as they navigate young adulthood.
-Jobs, relationships, distance, and a scary diagnosis begin to pull them in different directions.
-As their lives diverge, both women must decide whether their friendship can survive the changes they've gone through.
⸻
MY THOUGHTS
-Their friendship is the love story.
-The novel explores themes of friendship, platonic love, and identity. It captures how our closest friendships can shape who we become, especially during the formative years of early adulthood.
-Lina and June are very different people, which made their friendship feel realistic and compelling. The book explores how difficult it can be to maintain a friendship when two people are growing in different directions.
-Neither character is perfect, and I appreciated that. Both women make mistakes and hurt each other at times, which made the relationship feel authentic.
-enjoyed following them from college into adulthood as they navigated careers, relationships, illness, and the process of figuring out who they are.
-I loved Adelaide and gave it five stars, so I went into this one with very high expectations. Adelaide remains one of my favorite books of recent years. While I enjoyed Lina & June, it didn't affect me as deeply as Adelaide. I connected more strongly with the characters and emotional journey in Wheeler's debut.
-Even so, Wheeler continues to excel at writing about relationships & the realities of life.
⸻
TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨Lina & June is a thoughtful and emotionally resonant exploration of friendship, platonic love, and identity. I admired its honest portrayal of a complicated female friendship and the ways people grow together and apart, even if it did not affect me as deeply as Adelaide. I would recommend it to readers who enjoy character-driven literary fiction centered on relationships.
⸻
THANKS: Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book will be published on December 8, 2026.

[Astrid Galactic · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a love story. Not in the traditional romantic sense. It's not about any sort of intimacy that lovers share. Instead, it's about two best friends. Two women who truly love and care for each other. Though the caring and nurturing seems to be imbalanced as often the case, be it with friendships or lovers, there is certainly a difference there as to what each provide in this relationship.

June is always there as the rock in this deep friendship, almost as a nurturing motherly type of support for Lina. Lina is vivacious and carefree which tends to lead her into problems for her own life. As can often happen in such a relationship, that imbalance tears and strains the deep bond that June and Lina share. This all happens as June finds her life path taking her down the road of having to contend with her own cancer diagnosis. At the same time, Lina, yet again, feels Paris calling her. What does one do? Tend to her dying best friend of follow what she believes to be her life's calling?

While we can easily see that these two completely different personality types and life directions can't help but pull these two apart, there is still that certain kismet that lingers on. June and Lina's relationship seems so imbalanced, yet when you step back and look at it as a whole, you can then see that what seems to be an imbalance is really just two different parts of the whole. That instead, one fills the needs of the other which ultimately creates its own balanced dynamic.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of the eBook in leu of a review.

[Rissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lina and June. 2.75 ⭐️

Meeting your future best friend at a frat party while so drunk you end up vomiting on yourself and having to be taken to the hospital for a concussion and intoxication… and yet you still end up best friends. They should be able to handle any problem thrown their way and a lot of problems were thrown their way.

I feel like every girl wants a friend. Someone that becomes like a sister to them. Someone that they can be completely themselves around. No judgement.
I dont know if this is going to be edited in the final copy but there was no “ “ conversations just happened. Hey there June said. Instead of “hey there,” June said. That took some getting used to. Also the amount of — those were very distracting. It seemed like every paragraph had an — and it just didn’t seem necessary to add in all those extra adverbs.
The characters and idea were decent but the writing style was lacking for me.

“Thank you, Lina said. For the clothes, the directions; for staying by her side, despite being a complete and utter stranger.”

“ In another life, and under different circumstances, it’s possible—likely, even—that Lina and June’s paths never cross. That they remain students at NYU, one year apart, with different majors and friend groups and extra-curriculars—their academic and social calendars never thrusting them into the same shared space. But, in this life, it begins like this….”
Thank you to netgalley for this digital copy all opinions are my own.

[Jessica Goodman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Because I loved "Adelaide" so much - a top book of the year when I read it - when I heard that the author had a new book coming out soon, I had to get my hands on it. Without a doubt, "Lina & June" was my most-desired book for this year so I was thrilled when the publisher sent me an advanced copy.

I loved the premise: two women become best friends in college - platonic soul-mates - but then have a devastatingly painful "friend break-up".

Though I enjoyed the writing and was never bored, I wished for more depth. I felt like the author was doing more telling than showing and I never fully understood why Lina and June were so deeply enmeshed - what was so special about their friendship? I wished for more stories of their connection and their history but instead we just had to rely on their rituals of croissants and watching "Drag Race". The story took a dramatic turn about midway and the stakes got higher in their friendship but I didn't feel we had earned enough of a foundational understanding of their friendship to face this huge challenge. Toward the end of the book, the author chose to give us the brief point-of-view of two side characters which felt gratuitous and unnecessary.

In spite of those concerns, I'm still glad I read this book and look forward to reading more from this author.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved Genevieve Wheeler's debut novel Adelaide, and even though this one is also very well-written, I just could not relate to the intensity of Lina and June's friendship. I would never want this kind of friendship in my life and it actually made me feel uncomfortable. NYU undergraduate students Lina and June meet at a Halloween frat party where Lina is passed out from drinking and June swoops in to rescue her even though they have never met before. This is where the weirdness started for me - June spends the night at the hospital watching over this complete stranger. I'm not sure what it was in June that needed to mother Lina so much because she seems to come from normal loving parents. Maybe as an only child, June was looking for a pseudo-sibling. June is as responsible as Lina is flighty and they seem to be polar opposites, but they become closer than any friendship I've experienced in my life or seen from others around me. It's basically a platonic love affair. Lina and June's story spans from their college days in 2012 to their present adult life. I really can't elaborate further without getting into spoilers. If you haven't read Adelaide, I would recommend reading it and skipping this one. Thanks to #Netgalley and StMartinsPress for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Amanda’s_Good_Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘢 & 𝘑𝘶𝘯𝘦
𝘣𝘺 𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘳
𝘙𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘵𝘦 12/08/2026

Lina and June met in NY attending college in 2012 at a Halloween party , and were thick as thieves from
Day 1.
June is the serious steady friend who’s grounded , Lina on the other hand was the friend who “if it was going to happen , it happens to her.
(I understand that lifestyle way to much 🫣)…
June didn’t drink , Lina did. June had a life plan, Lina was a dreamer.
However opposite they were they loved each other and had each other’s backs throughout college and after.
June has a stready job after graduating and begins to feel a little off, after visiting the doctors and have an exploratory surgery she is dealt a hand no one would ever like to receive.
But this is where friendship can be tricky - how do you watch your wild , carefree , healthy friend live her life while your days may be numbered ? It can harbor resentment and bring up things from the past that has no business here in the future
Reading this book made me really miss having close friends! Hug your besties👯‍♀️❤️
4.5 ⭐️𝕊𝕋𝔸ℝ𝕊
#smpinfluencer #smpearlyreaders
#genevievewheeler #linaandjune #bookrecommendations #stmartinpress#macmillianpublishing
#grabthetissues

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of Uncorrected Digital Galley

NYU freshman Lina Arquette met NYU sophomore June Carmichael at Halloween when she collapsed at a frat party and June stepped in and took care of her. When she was released from the hospital, June took Lina home with her . . . and thus began their friendship.

Over time, however, actions are taken, words are spoken; June’s health unexpectedly deteriorates and Lina interviews for a job in Paris.

Is their relationship doomed to be a “once upon a time” sort of friendship?

=========

This is a story of friendship: the ins and outs and everything in between and dealing with whatever comes along. June and Lina are as different as night and day and while it seems that nothing could draw them into friendship, who really knows what sparks that feeling between two people?

Despite their differences, the two young women really care for each other . . . and this is their story. Readers who enjoy stories of true friendship, of trials and difficulties, of unexpected roadblocks tossed up by life will find much to appreciate here.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving this review.
#LinaandJune #NetGalley

[Ally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lina and June by Genevieve Wheeler is a heartfelt exploration of sisterhood, grief, and the complicated ways people try to protect the ones they love. At its core, this is a story about two sisters navigating life after loss, each carrying their pain in very different ways.

Wheeler does an excellent job capturing the messiness of family relationships. Lina and June feel like real people flawed, frustrating, loving, and deeply human. Their bond is the emotional anchor of the novel, and watching them struggle to reconnect while carrying the weight of their shared past made for a compelling read.

The writing is thoughtful and emotionally resonant without becoming overly sentimental. While the pacing occasionally slows, the character development more than makes up for it. This is the kind of book that focuses less on dramatic twists and more on the quiet, meaningful moments that shape a family.

If you enjoy character-driven stories that explore grief, healing, and the enduring strength of sibling relationships, Lina and June is well worth picking up.

[Stephanie Peterman · Rating 5 out of 5]

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC! 4.5 stars rounded up.

Lina & June beautifully captures the complicated devotion between two best friends whose bond is as tender as it is imperfect. June is the steady, dependable, protective, and almost maternal figure in Lina's life, whereas Lina is as impulsive and free-spirited as it gets. their friendship is full of love but even as a reader, you get the sense that it's not entirely equal, and i loved how Wheeler writes about this precarious imbalance with honesty, nuance, and tremendous emotional care.

Lina and June might seem like a mismatched pair, but what this book does exceptionally well is illustrate how their differences create a rhythm that has room to be messy and sometimes painful, but also profound, enduring, and real. this was such a heartfelt, memorable read about the kind of platonic love that shapes us, challenges us, and never fully leaves us.

[Katie Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Received an Advanced Reader Copy*

I really enjoyed this book. It was my first book from Genevieve Wheeler and so I didn’t know what to expect. I think I related a lot to this book and the writing because the timelines of graduating college and entering into a career were my exact timelines too! I haven’t read a ton of other books about female friendships so this was refreshing, with a dash of romance involved too! It was truly gut wrenching at times too with the complexities of female friendships.

The one thing that even until the end I had a hard time with was the italicized dialogue. Sometimes it was difficult to follow along with who was talking, etc…

Overall, it was fun getting an advance reader copy and it was a good read!

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Adelaide and was excited to get this arc. While it did not hit me as hard as Adelaide, I enjoyed it. This tells the story of Lina and June's friendship and their platonic love story. Lina and June are both very different and very flawed. I will say, I struggled significantly more with Lina than June. The end though gutted me. I think there could've been more depth to the characters and their friendship and other relationships. It took me a minute to get used to all the dialogue being italicized, but if I remember correctly, Adelaide also did something different with the dialogue.

thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Corrina Rubio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. This is my first read by Genevieve Wheeler. It was a good read. A little slow paced for me but kept me wanting to see how it ended even with knowing. It had some teary eyed moments but I struggled with Lina’s parts of the story. I felt more for June’s character and story. Maybe intentional, but I felt a little anger towards Lina’s character and story. I knew June’s fate but still felt it was just skimmed over towards the ending. Not in a morbid kind of way, but I wanted to read the final goodbyes to each other before June’s final days. I probably wouldn’t do a re-read but I would recommend it.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this story of best friends, Lina & June. I absolutely loved the author’s first book, Adelaide, and this one was also wonderful. You will fall in love with Lina & June and relate to the ups and downs of their friendship. Follow the girls from Jacksonville, NYC to Paris and DC from college to their early 30s through parties, boys, jobs, Thanksgivings, moves and illness. Anyone with a long time best friend will appreciate this story of what it means to be friends through it all. I will continue to read anything that Genevieve Wheeler writes!

[Estee · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book about the friendship between Lina and June. Beginning in college and spanning their young adult life which includes jobs, Paris, boys, and cancer.

It took me a long time to finish this book. The last half especially. I can’t put my finger on what it was. I felt like the book never got deep. I never really knew June or Lina. And I feel like the problems and issues, even the cancer, were not emotional enough.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an advance copy of this book.

[Lillie Kay]

Adelaide has stuck with me since I read it so I was eager to read Wheeler's follow up! I find her writing to be full of heart. The friendship in this book reminded me of the female friendships represented in both Firefly Lane and my Brilliant Friend. Lina and June's friendship and traditions were memorable. This is a coming of age story about their friendship and growth together and apart across varies locations and phases of life.

[Jayne Evangelista · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Wheeler's debut, Adelaide, and now she's written a new novel with a friendship story at its center. This bittersweet, deeply felt book follows the start and unraveling of what seems like an unbreakable bond between two young women, Lina and June. If you love character-driven stories about friendship, identity, and what it means to grow alongside (or apart from) the people you love-this is for you.

[Allison Olawsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved Adelaide so I was very excited when I learned Wheeler was publishing another novel! Lina & June is a story of friendship and the title character’s commitment to one another as they navigate romantic love, loss, and growing up. Some parts really dragged for me, but overall, I really enjoyed the story and the way Wheeler portrayed college-aged relationships growing and changing into adulthood. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced e-copy!

[Brittany Gerberich · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the authors debut novel, “Adelaide”, so much. I was ecstatic to get approved for her latest novel, Lina & June.
This was such an emotional book about the power of female friendships and what it means to be a good friend. This was hauntingly beautiful and I will be thinking about this book for a long time.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this E-ARC

[jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

**Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!**

This was a touching story of both friendship and grief. However, the lack of quotation marks made it slightly difficult to follow, and I also wasn’t quite sure why Lina’s mom, Lucy, was such a large part of the story. All in all, though, this was an enjoyable and well-written book.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite being told over and over what best friends these women were, it felt like something was missing to show how close they actually were. Maybe it was the sudden 10 year time jump? I did get super invested in the story.

Also how can you not crave a croissant after the 100th mention of pastries and croissants.....

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful, heart wrenching story! This was a wonderful, inspiring and emotional story about a friendship spanning decades between two best friends. Their relationship, this precious bond, lasts through so many trials, fights, arguments, adventures, adversity and beyond.

It is warm, it is funny, it’s sad, but it’s oh so true! If you’ve ever had, or have, a BFF, this story is for you.

[Noah Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the character development, but some of what happened in the book felt very unrealistic. Dialogue is written in italics instead of quotes. I never felt immersed in the story, more like an observer.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lina and June was one of those books that I read and thought, “it’s fine.” No strong emotions either way. I felt like it could have been so much more, but for me it skated on the surface and never deeply developed the characters.

[Lindsay Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Genevieve wheeler’s writing!!! This book was so sweet and such an authentic and thorough look at female friendship. I loved every moment of it and didn’t want it to end. Glad the follow up to Adelaide was just as good (if not better, imo)