June First, Jennifer Hartmann

★☆☆☆☆ Emotionally scarring, deeply disturbing, and I didn’t even make it halfway.

I picked this up because my friend wanted to read it together so we could talk about it. Sorry to her guess we won’t be able to talk about it, because I couldn't even make it past 46%. And honestly? I wish I had quit sooner. This book made me feel sick.

Let’s talk about it

She calls Brant her brother… then hooks up with him. Are we seriously doing “siblings or dating” in a book that’s trying to be romantic? This isn’t shocking it’s just gross. I don’t care how much “they’re not really siblings” the vibe is disgusting.

Honestly, Brant, what are you doing with your life? You’re looking at June when she's in her pajamas and you’re like wait my non biological sister is kinda hot. like she's 6 years younger then you get out. Another scene i guess she had a nightmare or something so she goes into his room and is like Brant I'm scared. so the great brother he is, is like sleep with me tonight. k so if that isn't bad enough he has some wet dreams about her that night. Honestly this isn't romantic and if you think it is you probably should look at yourself and ask why.

Where are the parents?? Like seriously, do they have zero awareness? Your kids are looking at each other like a Wattpad fanfic gone wrong and you’re just...making breakfast? Be serious.

Even the side characters know this is weird. The woman at the ice cream shop thought they were together. Brant’s ex says the same thing. How is everyone in this fictional universe clocking the inappropriateness except the author?

He dreams about hooking up with her when she’s like TWELVE. That was the moment I knew I wouldn’t be finishing. That scene alone made me want to burn the book. There’s no excuse for that. None.

He is obsessed with her. It’s not romantic. It’s suffocating. Possessive. Creepy. There’s no chemistry, just fixation. The power imbalance, the age gap, the weird “I’m your brother” angle I felt like I was reading a psychological horror.

I stayed up until 2AM trying to give it a chance, hoping something would redeem it. It didn’t. I crashed out in anger and woke up my whole family. They thought something was wrong and there was: this book.

If you’re looking for a book that makes you feel genuinely unsafe, here you go. If not? Avoid this like the plague.

What was the author thinking?