Reviews

I read this as part of the booktube-a-thon 2017 read-a-thon. It was chosen as the book of the read-a-thon, and I can see why! This book was pretty hyped for a while, but I never exactly knew the premise. Very quickly, a story about a girl who's lost a sister and who is adjusting and grieving turns into a story about hope for the future, secrets, friendship, making hard choices, and above all, a mystery. Although the mystery remains unsolved at the end (which I'm not as upset about as one would think), so much is learned in this book. You see Juniper grow in her mission to find out who YOU is. You see her struggle with grief and survivor's guilt. You see how sometimes having more information after the fact can make things harder. You learn about knowing when and when not to say something and how those choices affect those around you.

As a therapist, I personally really appreciated how grief is represented in this novel. Grief is something we all unfortunately experience, but it doesn't seem like it's talked about too much. And so we react like Lauren or Nate or Angela. There are so many ways to respond. Are any of them the "right" way? Following Juniper and her family throughout the novel demonstrates that yeah, detah really friggin sucks, but that doesn't mean that we can't remember our loved ones. It doesn't mean that we can't mend relationships. There's a section where Juniper describes the stages of grief and how it's not a picture-perfect process, where you cycle through emotions and then, ta-da, grief is over. That's exactly right. Grief is an enigma. Some days we think we're fine...some days we're angry as all hell...some days we can't get out of bed. It's not easy. I loved that this novel demonstrated that, and not just through Juniper but through everyone in her life too.

There are only a few things I would have wanted to know more about in this novel. First, I wondered a ton about Lauren. I know it was probably the point to keep her distant and it also gave Juniper more room to make new friends....but I still wondered about her and their relationship. I wondered about the elusive YOU. I wondered about what Juniper and Camilla's relationship was like at a deeper level (we got glimpses of it, but I wanted to know more). Finally, there was so much build-up to finding card #65, but I honestly felt like what was on the card was not much worse than the other information Juniper reveals throughout the book. This made the card reveal a tad bit underwhelming for me.

Overall, a wonderful, wonderful book that I will be recommending to my friends!

fiendfull's review against another edition

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4.0

Juniper Lemon’s Happiness Index is a moving YA novel about loss and friendship, about having secrets and knowing what to do with other people’s. Juniper Lemon is lost without her older sister Camilla. She writes a daily Happiness Index in her sister’s memory and doesn’t know how to get through to her grieving parents. When she discovers a mysterious letter written by her sister to “You” on the day of her death, Juniper starts on a path to try and solve this mystery, protect her own secrets, and find a way of keeping Camilla close as the days keep going on.

The novel has a vibrant cast of characters, following Juniper as she makes new friends and deals with old relationships in the light of recent tragedy. The way in which Juniper realises she has brought people together around her is particularly powerful and leaves a lasting message about the importance of connecting with other people even—and especially—when terrible things have occurred. The mysteries and secrets unfold in a satisfying way whilst all being relatable issues and ideas to a teenage audience and there is a wealth of understated detail, but it is the characters who really shine through and their emotions are what makes the book important. In particular, the highlighting of different points of view—how thinking you’re helping somebody might not actually be the help they need, for example—is significant, showing how Juniper’s actions are well-meaning but can have negative consequences too.

Uplifting yet not cloying, Juniper Lemon’s Happiness Index will appeal to anyone who enjoys YA books that balance friendship, love, and serious issues, with a tinge of mystery and ambiguity.