Julie Israel

"Juniper Lemon's Happiness Index" was an enjoyable read about a young girl dealing with the tragic death of her sister. The writing was solid with strong characters, although they were fairly stereotypical - the bad boy, the shy girl, the nerdy boy and so on. However, I did like how their friendship formed and developed.

I also liked the format of the book with Juniper writing a card to each night to indicate the good that happens to her every day. Struggling with her grief, she finds it almost impossible to find anything that makes her happy, especially at the start. I also liked the mystery of YOU and trying to discover who he/she was. As for the twist near the end involving Nate, totally surprised me. Didn't see it coming at all!

My biggest issue with this book was the romance; it was never truly believable. Whilst I liked Brand, I didn't feel the connection between him and Juniper. I also had a problem with Juniper's parents, especially her mother. I wish they were more supportive and sensitive towards her. I know they lost their eldest daughter, but Juniper also lost her beloved big sister. Grr!

However, considering this was a debut novel, the author did a satisfying job writing about friendship, first love, grief and moving forward.… (meer)