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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.
13 pages, Audiobook
First published May 19, 2026
About the author
Shannon Garvey
1 book90 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 472 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)
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 14, 2026
For the Lily King lovers. Felt totally transported by this book. My favorite kind of affirming, sad-girl-summer read.
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.
February 9, 2026
for lovers of “writers and lovers” !
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
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
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 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 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.
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.
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...
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.
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…
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!
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!
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.
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.
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)
March 18, 2026
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
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
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.
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.
May 26, 2026
Spoiler warning: This review discusses plot points and themes from the whole book. Please don’t read this review if you want to go in unspoiled!
3 stars and I’m still not fully sure how I feel about this book. The first part worked best for me. I thought the portrayal of grief, guilt, numbness and emotional stagnation was strong. Ruth’s life is not falling apart in one dramatic, obvious way. She works, pays her bills, gets through the day and still feels completely stuck. I liked that question a lot: are you really standing still just because you are not fulfilled, don’t have big goals, or are not actively building something? Or can surviving day to day already be enough? The book also touches on caregiver guilt in a way I found very human. Ruth feeling guilty because part of her felt relieved when her mother died was one of the more honest emotional ideas in the book. Watching someone you love slowly disappear through illness is brutal.
So there are strong ideas here. The writing is beautiful in many places and the book raises questions that are absolutely worth discussing. But the further the story went, the more it started to lose me. At some point, it felt like the book kept adding more and more heavy material without always giving each theme enough room to breathe. Grief, cancer loss, depression, guilt, infidelity, complicated family history, religious pressure, pregnancy, abortion, emotional dependency, substance use, bad decisions, career uncertainty. It is a lot and while messy lives are real, the story eventually started to feel overloaded to me rather than layered.
There were also a few scenes in the second half where the tone felt off to me. One scene involving Ruth checking whether she had started her period felt strangely explicit and uncomfortable in a way that did not quite fit the rest of the book for me. The focus of the scene felt oddly placed. Around the same part of the book, the writing also started to feel more sexualized in moments that were not actually sex scenes, which threw me off. Meanwhile, the actual sex scene is mostly fade to black, so the balance felt strange. Also and this is only half a joke: contraception has a terrible track record in this book. At some point the repeated pregnancy related setup felt less subtle and more like a flashing sign.
I also struggled with Ruth as the book went on. I could understand her grief and her sense of being stuck. That part made sense to me. What became harder to accept was how often other people seemed to carry the consequences or structure her life for her. Diana gives her opportunities and eventually, a way out. Lucy steps in and handles things. Ethel helps with her writing and contacts. Nadia gives her far more grace than I personally think Ruth earned. Even by the end, Ruth’s future feels less like something she has built and more like something she has been handed.
That bothered me because I wanted more accountability from her. I did not need her to become perfect. I actually like flawed, messy women in fiction. But I wanted the book to sit more with the harm she caused, especially around Nadia. The relationship with Charlie never really worked for me. He is engaged. He lies. He cheats. He makes terrible choices and I never fully understood why I was supposed to root for him as a romantic possibility. Nadia deserved better and I never quite got over that. What bothered me most is that Ruth says she is sorry but never regretted what she did. For me, there is a difference. You can understand why something happened and still take full responsibility for the harm it caused. I missed that from her. A lot of the time, it felt like the story wanted me to see her pain more than her accountability. That connects to my bigger issue with the ending. Ruth is stuck for most of the book but even when her life starts moving again, so much of that movement comes from other people again. Diana gives her opportunities and eventually an apartment. Lucy handles practical things for her. Ethel helps rescue the writing situation. Nadia gives her grace. Joel gives her closure. Lynn gives her context. Ruth has realizations, yes but I wanted to see her actually do more herself. By the end, I didn’t feel like she had fully earned the new beginning the story gives her.
Lynn ended up being one of the most interesting characters to me. She is harsh and I understand why people may dislike her but she also felt like one of the few characters with real backbone. She sees things other people don’t want to look at. I wish the book had used her more.
The abortion storyline is another place where I had mixed feelings. I am glad the book did not turn it into melodrama but I also felt like such a heavy topic was moved through very quickly. It became part of Ruth’s emotional realization about her mother, which I understand in theory but I am not sure the book gave the topic enough space for how sensitive it is. This is also one of the reasons I really wish the book had included a content note. There are several themes here that could hit readers very personally. That brings me to the summer read framing. I know the book takes place around summer and has a beach setting but I personally would not call this a summer or beach read. It is much heavier than that label suggests. If someone is picking this up expecting something soft, romantic or easy to read by the water, I think they may be surprised by how much grief, loss, infidelity and reproductive trauma is inside.
Overall, I think June Baby has beautiful writing and some interesting ideas. The first part especially had emotional weight for me, but the second half felt rushed and overstuffed. By the end, I did not fully believe in the healing or character development the story seemed to want me to believe in. I wanted more accountability, more consequences, and more of Ruth actively choosing her life instead of having the next step placed in front of her.
PS: Small side note, as someone who has had some first responder training: please do not romanticize this kind of rescue attempt. If you see someone in trouble in the water, call emergency services first, get other people’s attention, and use anything that can help from a safe distance if possible. Water rescues are dangerous and a panicking person can pull you under with them. Running into the ocean alone may look heroic on the page but in real life it can very easily turn one emergency into two.
3 stars and I’m still not fully sure how I feel about this book. The first part worked best for me. I thought the portrayal of grief, guilt, numbness and emotional stagnation was strong. Ruth’s life is not falling apart in one dramatic, obvious way. She works, pays her bills, gets through the day and still feels completely stuck. I liked that question a lot: are you really standing still just because you are not fulfilled, don’t have big goals, or are not actively building something? Or can surviving day to day already be enough? The book also touches on caregiver guilt in a way I found very human. Ruth feeling guilty because part of her felt relieved when her mother died was one of the more honest emotional ideas in the book. Watching someone you love slowly disappear through illness is brutal.
So there are strong ideas here. The writing is beautiful in many places and the book raises questions that are absolutely worth discussing. But the further the story went, the more it started to lose me. At some point, it felt like the book kept adding more and more heavy material without always giving each theme enough room to breathe. Grief, cancer loss, depression, guilt, infidelity, complicated family history, religious pressure, pregnancy, abortion, emotional dependency, substance use, bad decisions, career uncertainty. It is a lot and while messy lives are real, the story eventually started to feel overloaded to me rather than layered.
There were also a few scenes in the second half where the tone felt off to me. One scene involving Ruth checking whether she had started her period felt strangely explicit and uncomfortable in a way that did not quite fit the rest of the book for me. The focus of the scene felt oddly placed. Around the same part of the book, the writing also started to feel more sexualized in moments that were not actually sex scenes, which threw me off. Meanwhile, the actual sex scene is mostly fade to black, so the balance felt strange. Also and this is only half a joke: contraception has a terrible track record in this book. At some point the repeated pregnancy related setup felt less subtle and more like a flashing sign.
I also struggled with Ruth as the book went on. I could understand her grief and her sense of being stuck. That part made sense to me. What became harder to accept was how often other people seemed to carry the consequences or structure her life for her. Diana gives her opportunities and eventually, a way out. Lucy steps in and handles things. Ethel helps with her writing and contacts. Nadia gives her far more grace than I personally think Ruth earned. Even by the end, Ruth’s future feels less like something she has built and more like something she has been handed.
That bothered me because I wanted more accountability from her. I did not need her to become perfect. I actually like flawed, messy women in fiction. But I wanted the book to sit more with the harm she caused, especially around Nadia. The relationship with Charlie never really worked for me. He is engaged. He lies. He cheats. He makes terrible choices and I never fully understood why I was supposed to root for him as a romantic possibility. Nadia deserved better and I never quite got over that. What bothered me most is that Ruth says she is sorry but never regretted what she did. For me, there is a difference. You can understand why something happened and still take full responsibility for the harm it caused. I missed that from her. A lot of the time, it felt like the story wanted me to see her pain more than her accountability. That connects to my bigger issue with the ending. Ruth is stuck for most of the book but even when her life starts moving again, so much of that movement comes from other people again. Diana gives her opportunities and eventually an apartment. Lucy handles practical things for her. Ethel helps rescue the writing situation. Nadia gives her grace. Joel gives her closure. Lynn gives her context. Ruth has realizations, yes but I wanted to see her actually do more herself. By the end, I didn’t feel like she had fully earned the new beginning the story gives her.
Lynn ended up being one of the most interesting characters to me. She is harsh and I understand why people may dislike her but she also felt like one of the few characters with real backbone. She sees things other people don’t want to look at. I wish the book had used her more.
The abortion storyline is another place where I had mixed feelings. I am glad the book did not turn it into melodrama but I also felt like such a heavy topic was moved through very quickly. It became part of Ruth’s emotional realization about her mother, which I understand in theory but I am not sure the book gave the topic enough space for how sensitive it is. This is also one of the reasons I really wish the book had included a content note. There are several themes here that could hit readers very personally. That brings me to the summer read framing. I know the book takes place around summer and has a beach setting but I personally would not call this a summer or beach read. It is much heavier than that label suggests. If someone is picking this up expecting something soft, romantic or easy to read by the water, I think they may be surprised by how much grief, loss, infidelity and reproductive trauma is inside.
Overall, I think June Baby has beautiful writing and some interesting ideas. The first part especially had emotional weight for me, but the second half felt rushed and overstuffed. By the end, I did not fully believe in the healing or character development the story seemed to want me to believe in. I wanted more accountability, more consequences, and more of Ruth actively choosing her life instead of having the next step placed in front of her.
PS: Small side note, as someone who has had some first responder training: please do not romanticize this kind of rescue attempt. If you see someone in trouble in the water, call emergency services first, get other people’s attention, and use anything that can help from a safe distance if possible. Water rescues are dangerous and a panicking person can pull you under with them. Running into the ocean alone may look heroic on the page but in real life it can very easily turn one emergency into two.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 27, 2025
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.
June 3, 2026
3.5
Shannon Garvey's June Baby is the kind of novel that feels less concerned with plot than with atmosphere. Set over the course of a single summer, it unfolds at a deliberately slow pace, following a cast of characters as they navigate complicated relationships, old wounds, and uncertain futures. Readers looking for a tightly plotted story full of dramatic twists may find themselves frustrated, but I think it's important to approach this novel understanding the specific vibe Garvey is aiming for. This is a quiet, meandering story that wants readers to sit with its characters and their emotions rather than race toward a destination.
The novel centers on June and the people orbiting her life during a transformative summer. As the season progresses, family tensions, friendships, romances, and long-held secrets gradually come to the surface. Rather than building toward one major event, the narrative drifts from moment to moment, creating a portrait of a particular time in these characters' lives. The summer setting becomes almost a character itself, with long days and lingering conversations shaping the novel's reflective tone.
One of the biggest strengths of June Baby is the way Garvey captures the feeling of a summer that seems endless while you're living it. The pacing mirrors that experience. Days blur together, relationships evolve slowly, and seemingly small interactions accumulate into something larger. However, that same strength can also become a weakness. There were stretches where the story felt aimless, and I occasionally found myself wishing for more narrative momentum.
Unfortunately, I never fully connected with most of the characters. While Garvey spends a great deal of time exploring their inner lives, I often felt as though I was observing them from a distance rather than truly getting to know them. June herself remains somewhat elusive, and many of the supporting characters felt similarly difficult to grasp. Their motivations and emotional journeys are present on the page, but they didn't resonate with me in a way that made me deeply invested in their outcomes.
What ultimately kept me reading were two specific storylines. The first was the abortion storyline, which is handled with a level of nuance and emotional complexity that stands out within the novel. Garvey allows space for difficult feelings and complicated choices without reducing the issue to a simple moral lesson. These sections carried genuine emotional weight and provided some of the book's most compelling moments.
The second storyline that held my attention was the backstory involving Maggie and Diana. Their history adds depth to the novel and introduces layers of tension, regret, and unresolved emotion that I found far more engaging than many of the present-day scenes. As details of their relationship emerge, the novel gains a sense of purpose and intrigue that is sometimes missing elsewhere. I found myself far more invested in uncovering what happened between Maggie and Diana than in many of the contemporary storylines.
Because of its pacing and structure, June Baby is a novel that will likely divide readers. Some will appreciate its atmospheric approach and character-focused storytelling, while others may struggle with its lack of urgency. I fall somewhere in the middle. I admired what Garvey was trying to accomplish and appreciated the novel's willingness to linger in uncertainty, but I never became emotionally attached to the characters themselves.
Overall, June Baby is a thoughtful and introspective summer novel that prioritizes mood and emotional texture over plot. While the abortion storyline and the revelations surrounding Maggie and Diana provided enough intrigue to keep me turning pages, I finished the book feeling more appreciative of its themes than connected to its characters. Readers who enjoy slow-burn literary fiction and character studies may find a great deal to admire here, but those seeking a stronger plot or more immediately engaging characters may have a harder time connecting with it.
Shannon Garvey's June Baby is the kind of novel that feels less concerned with plot than with atmosphere. Set over the course of a single summer, it unfolds at a deliberately slow pace, following a cast of characters as they navigate complicated relationships, old wounds, and uncertain futures. Readers looking for a tightly plotted story full of dramatic twists may find themselves frustrated, but I think it's important to approach this novel understanding the specific vibe Garvey is aiming for. This is a quiet, meandering story that wants readers to sit with its characters and their emotions rather than race toward a destination.
The novel centers on June and the people orbiting her life during a transformative summer. As the season progresses, family tensions, friendships, romances, and long-held secrets gradually come to the surface. Rather than building toward one major event, the narrative drifts from moment to moment, creating a portrait of a particular time in these characters' lives. The summer setting becomes almost a character itself, with long days and lingering conversations shaping the novel's reflective tone.
One of the biggest strengths of June Baby is the way Garvey captures the feeling of a summer that seems endless while you're living it. The pacing mirrors that experience. Days blur together, relationships evolve slowly, and seemingly small interactions accumulate into something larger. However, that same strength can also become a weakness. There were stretches where the story felt aimless, and I occasionally found myself wishing for more narrative momentum.
Unfortunately, I never fully connected with most of the characters. While Garvey spends a great deal of time exploring their inner lives, I often felt as though I was observing them from a distance rather than truly getting to know them. June herself remains somewhat elusive, and many of the supporting characters felt similarly difficult to grasp. Their motivations and emotional journeys are present on the page, but they didn't resonate with me in a way that made me deeply invested in their outcomes.
What ultimately kept me reading were two specific storylines. The first was the abortion storyline, which is handled with a level of nuance and emotional complexity that stands out within the novel. Garvey allows space for difficult feelings and complicated choices without reducing the issue to a simple moral lesson. These sections carried genuine emotional weight and provided some of the book's most compelling moments.
The second storyline that held my attention was the backstory involving Maggie and Diana. Their history adds depth to the novel and introduces layers of tension, regret, and unresolved emotion that I found far more engaging than many of the present-day scenes. As details of their relationship emerge, the novel gains a sense of purpose and intrigue that is sometimes missing elsewhere. I found myself far more invested in uncovering what happened between Maggie and Diana than in many of the contemporary storylines.
Because of its pacing and structure, June Baby is a novel that will likely divide readers. Some will appreciate its atmospheric approach and character-focused storytelling, while others may struggle with its lack of urgency. I fall somewhere in the middle. I admired what Garvey was trying to accomplish and appreciated the novel's willingness to linger in uncertainty, but I never became emotionally attached to the characters themselves.
Overall, June Baby is a thoughtful and introspective summer novel that prioritizes mood and emotional texture over plot. While the abortion storyline and the revelations surrounding Maggie and Diana provided enough intrigue to keep me turning pages, I finished the book feeling more appreciative of its themes than connected to its characters. Readers who enjoy slow-burn literary fiction and character studies may find a great deal to admire here, but those seeking a stronger plot or more immediately engaging characters may have a harder time connecting with it.
May 8, 2026
I was fortunate to win an advanced copy of this book. The story takes place during one summer on Block Island(off the Rhode Island coast),with some flashbacks to earlier times. Ruth is a young woman dealing with the trauma of her mother’s death. The novel explores themes of grief, loss, anxiety, fear, love, and friendship. The reader meets Ruth’s friends and family, seeing the complex relationships. We see the difficulties Ruth faces as she discovers hidden secrets, and the lack of communication even between family and friends. But we also see Ruth develop her self confidence and see her future with growing possibilities.
I enjoyed the author’s writing style, her descriptions of the Block Island setting, and the development of the characters. Though parts of the story dealt with sad themes, I liked the satisfying ending of the story. I was happy for Ruth, as she looked forward to the future. I would highly recommend this book to others.
I enjoyed the author’s writing style, her descriptions of the Block Island setting, and the development of the characters. Though parts of the story dealt with sad themes, I liked the satisfying ending of the story. I was happy for Ruth, as she looked forward to the future. I would highly recommend this book to others.
May 21, 2026
Ruth lost her mother at 17 and her father, not knowing how best to handle her grief, sent her to Block Island to live with an old friend of her mother's, Diana. She spends the next 10 summers there working temporary jobs and counting down the days until she returns until she is struck by another tragedy and this one summer is the bulk of the novel.
To start, the book is beautifully written and the descriptions of the island and the cottage really allowed me to visualize the story. Most of the characters are likable and well written with a good personal arc. Ruth, however, was not very redeemable. I know she was deep in grief, but she was selfish and did not treat those around her very well. She did start to become more self aware towards the end, but she never apologizes to anyone. She literally breaks up a marriage and says she doesn't regret what happened. It also felt like she was using her grief to excuse staying stuck in her rut of working as a waitress on the island every summer and as a bartender on the main land all winter.
I still think this book is worth a read and would make a great beach/vacation book. Thank you Random House and NetGalley for the advanced e-copy of this book.
To start, the book is beautifully written and the descriptions of the island and the cottage really allowed me to visualize the story. Most of the characters are likable and well written with a good personal arc. Ruth, however, was not very redeemable. I know she was deep in grief, but she was selfish and did not treat those around her very well. She did start to become more self aware towards the end, but she never apologizes to anyone. She literally breaks up a marriage and says she doesn't regret what happened. It also felt like she was using her grief to excuse staying stuck in her rut of working as a waitress on the island every summer and as a bartender on the main land all winter.
I still think this book is worth a read and would make a great beach/vacation book. Thank you Random House and NetGalley for the advanced e-copy of this book.
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