The idea behind the story? Ruby and Margaret's friendship? And that's where my praise ends. There were so many issues I had with this novel, it would be easier to discuss what I did like. Goodnight June sounded great, but the execution was anything but. Goodnight June sounded positively dreamy: a bookstore, an absolute classic work of children's literature (raise your hand if you had - or still have! - a copy of Goodnight Moon), and a treasure hunt! Nothing better, right? Sadly, this novel fell victim to the Matthew Pearl Effect (new friends to the blog, the MPE is where a story has an incredible premise, but the actual storytelling falls short - named after one-too-many disappointments following Matthew Pearl's works). Could she possibly learn to let go and move on? When she uncovers a secret Ruby kept hidden - her friendship with Margaret Wise Brown and the true story of how Goodnight Moon came to be - June finds herself enchanted. As much as June loved Ruby, returning home would mean facing things she's just not ready for. Including Bluebird Books, the children's bookstore Ruby owned for decades. She's carved out a new life for herself on the East Coast and never planned on returning to her past in Seattle until the day she received a letter her great-aunt Ruby passed away and everything was left for June. Let's revisit that summary: June Andersen is the vice president of a very lucrative bank in New York where she oversees foreclosures, even personally shutting down beloved businesses.

As June throws herself into the store and her great-aunt's items she stumbles upon letters between her great-aunt and the late Margaret Wise Brown amidst the store's papers - and steps into the pages of American literature.You know those books you hear about that sound AMAZING, those books you cannot wait to get your hands on and cherish, only to be horribly let down? Allow me to introduce you to Goodnight June. Ruby founded her beloved children's bookstore, Bluebird Books, in the 1940s and was always an inspiration to June as she began her own writing career. When she is unexpectedly called to settle her great-aunt Ruby's estate and determine the fate of Bluebird Books, June doesn't have a choice and it provides the perfect escape. 'Sarah Jio's writing is exquisite and engrossing' Elin HilderbrandĪ remarkable story of friendship, love, and the mystery behind a beloved classic.Īcclaimed writer June Andersen is professionally successful, but her personal life is marred by unhappiness. A sweeping story of friendship, love and family as told by the New York Times bestselling author of The Violets of March and Blackberry Winter.

Goodnight june by sarah jio