I was so so excited to read this book, but the formatting was so bad that it was not easy to read. I read a few chapters, as much as I could without the distraction of the random words / links /characters scattered across the page. I am happy to rate 3 stars based on the little that I did read.

Just got a bit confusing at times - the whole loss of her sister and the grief combined with the letter and the index that she uses felt like too many things circling at the same time.

With thanks to NetGalley and Julie Israel

Juniper Lemon's Happiness index is a book that deals with how a girl copes (or doesn't) with the loss of her sister. Although this is a YA novel I really enjoyed it.

Unfortunately I no longer wish to review this book as the first few chapters did not reel me in. Thank you for the opportunity.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

A Young Adult novel that had a lot of potential but seems a little flat at times. Its a cute story and the idea of a happiness index is a fun one but feels a bit like a cognitive behavioural therapy test. I'm probably not the target audience for this one.

I love the idea of a happiness index! Logging positives about each day, what a great way to stay positive and record the good stuff we experience. If I got nothing else from this book it would be to get positive!

That been said lets only focus on the positives for this book.
The characters were the best part of this book. The friend circle around Juniper while she goes through her grief and her journey were amazing, we would all be as lucky to half the friends she has.
And school. My school was nothing like hers. Her school almost made me want to go back to my teenage years and re do high school there.

And that is were it stops. It isn't a bad book, but it is a little flat.
Be careful of giving it to anyone too young as there are a few curse words and a slew of Fbombs.

Grab this book for a pool side read, maybe during your school holidays. And when you finish start your happiness index :)

This book was lovely, from start to finish. It was just what I needed. I usually read thrillers, but I sometimes find after reading about one psychopath after another, I desperately need a little humour and optimism in my life, and a reminder that not everyone is a potential serial killer, ha! Juniper deliver ten-fold!

I do enjoy a good YA book and this one was jam-packed with with heartwarming moments, not to mention a seriously adorable main character. If you love YA, then this is the book for you!

I loved this book so much. I had no idea I was going to love it this much… I saw some mixed reviews on it, people either absolutely love it or it’s just an okay book. Well… I freaking loved it! It’s beautiful, touchy and extremely gripping.

Since the very first page, I couldn’t put this down. This book is about Juniper. Sometime after her sister’s death, she finds a letter in her sister’s bag dated with the day she had the accident. It’s a breakup letter, but Juniper didn’t even know her sister was dating…

In all the rush with finding that letter, Juniper ended up losing one thing of her own. A Happiness Index – which she did every day – with a secret she can’t let anyone find out. Trying to find her card and her sister’s secret lover, she ends up changing her life completely.

This book talks a lot about grief. It made me cry 45% of the book, while the rest 55% my heart was tense as a rock trying to hold itself together. The characters are really easy to connect with and really fun to read about. I loved Juniper’s witty answers and how much she cared about the people around her. I connect with her in terms of grieving but it did seem pretty realistic to me.

Another character I really enjoyed was… Well, to be honest, I enjoyed all of them. They are all very different and interesting. I love the friendship in this book, how connected the characters were, how much they helped each other and how much fun they were. There’s some diversity in this book too, which I thought interesting.

I also enjoyed how we had different characters reacting differently to grief in this book, I liked to see how different people cope with the same type of matter. And something as huge as losing a family member can change your life forever, and how not everything has to be bad.

For a contemporary book, this was a hell of a surprise. Normally I find them pretty easy to find out the end, but this kept me hooked until the very last page and I didn’t expect anything of it!

The writing was also really fluid and fun. I really enjoyed the humor and the whole rollercoaster of emotions. It was the first book I read from the author but I will for sure keep an eye open for more!

This book contains some physical and psychological abuse, bullying and grief. Some are more represented than others and I didn’t find theme particularly trigging, but we are all different, so I just wanted to mention it.

This book was incredible, it was emotionally beautiful, it had amazing characters that I will never forget and I couldn’t recommend it more!

This was the point I realised my ARCs weren’t all misses and those reads I’d put off because of bad reviews or simply because I’d not heard enough about them was judgey of me and I needed to do better.

Was this book a totally original YA contemporary? No. Did it matter? Not really. I may have felt like I'd seen some of these characters in one form or another in various YA but it didn't once bother me because this book was about much more than romance or friends (although, those things played significant roles within the story) this book, at it's heart, is about loss and grief and that was what was important with this one.

I began this book unsure of what to expect, to be honest, I was drawn in my the cover and the cool name. I needed little more than that for the story to appeal to me. I began reading and I was still uncertain what the book was about but with the mentioning of a sister that Juniper didn't wish to be reminded of and the various mentions of condolences it wasn't hard to tell this was a book which very much centred around less. It was heart-breaking to see Juniper struggle with the loss of her sister, especially as throughout the book you learn how close the two girls were. They were friends and Camilla played a major role in Juniper's life, pushing her out of her comfort zone to try new things and have new life experiences. The absence is never more obvious when you learn that as Juniper is still grieving and keeping herself separate at the start.

I enjoyed Juniper's quests within the book, especially with the lost and found things. I know some of the choices she made weren't right or fair but everything she did she with good intentions. She was never being cruel, she was just on a continual quest to make things right as she could never do that with her sister.

I enjoyed the friends Juni found along her way in the book. Kody was so sweet and I loved seeing her at the start, especially as she grew closer with Juni and Kody finally got to be herself and break from her old self. And Angela was so sweet with her love for unattainable men and how she was the most understanding for Juni. I wasn't as big a fan of Nate's, but I think that's because I easily saw that there was more to him than it initially seemed (nothing bad, I just saw things coming). It was Brand I loved, though. I know you shouldn't have a thing for bad boys, but I am a sucker for a fictional bad boy, especially when he was a real softie really. I do not forgive all of his actions in the book (there should have been grovelling) but I understood why he did as he did.

This wasn't a perfect read but it had me tearing up in all the right places and I didn't even notice the time as I read and those are really the signs of a good old enjoyable read

This was cute. It’s about a girl (Juniper Lemon) who was in a car accident that killed her older sister, which is very sad times. Every day Juniper fills in an index card detailing things she has to be happy for that day; it’s the one thing that’s been holding her together since her sister died. It all starts to fall apart though when one of those cards goes missing and she finds a letter her sister wrote before she died to someone only referred to as You. So begins the hunt – for You, for the missing card, for Juniper’s closure. I liked it. It was a good representation of grief and loss which I think is such a delicate and difficult thing to write about; it had a good representation of friendship; it was a not too tropey representation of high school. I liked it but I had issues with the ending mostly because I got a little bit invested and then was a little bit like ‘wait, what, where’s the rest of the book…?’

Juniper has lost her beloved sister in an accident, but she can't find closure especially now that she found a love letter written by her late sister for You. She can't stop looking for You in order to know more about her sister, and in order to persuade herself that instead of holes left by the loss there are still some things, people and places that will remind people of the sister. I must admit I stayed way past my bedtime just because it's so well-written that I physically couldn't put the book away. From the educator's point of view it give a lot for young adults to process on. The book conveys such topics as: death, loss, friendship, domestic violence, depression and love. It will keep you in suspense till the last page. The only small detail that made feel a small bit of disappointment that you won't get to who You is, but that's not really the point of this book. The most important is the journey towards acceptance and the people who are along for it.

Juniper Lemon's Happiness Index by Julie Israel is a wonderful story all about love and secrets, family and friendship, grief and guilt, art and music, the lost and the found.

Two months after her older sister, Camilla, dies in a car crash, Juniper finds a letter Camilla wrote to a secret boyfriend - a boyfriend only called 'You' - dated the day she died. Feeling guilty over how they had fallen out just before she died, Juniper wants to deliver the letter to the mysterious 'You', to do this one final thing for her sister. At the same time, Juniper loses card 65 from her Happiness Index - a ritual encouraged by Camie to think about the positives in each day and write them down. But card 65 has a secret Juniper can't bear for anyone to discover. In the search for ' You' and card 65, Juniper starts to find other secrets written by her fellow classmates. Juniper can't fix things with her sister, but maybe she can help those whose secrets she's found.

Juniper Lemon's Happiness Index was such a lovely, moving, heartbreaking read. Juniper is a complex characters, still grieving fro her sister, and feeling guilty about her death. Because of this, she wants to do some good - for Camie and for others. Through people and object lost, other objects and then people are found. Juniper is so set on trying to make up for the past that she doesn't quite see when helping someone becomes meddling, despite the several warnings she's given by Brand Sayers. And then there's the mystery of who 'You' is, plus the secret Juniper wrote on card 65 - though that part was pretty predictable. Over the course of the book, Juniper comes up with several theories of who 'You' could be as more clues come to light. The mystery element was so intriguing! I could see why Juniper suspected each person she thought of, but I also had my own theory, which was strengthen a little as more clues were discovered.

I loved all of the characters in this book! I loved how sweet Nate was. I loved Sponge's quirkiness and his awesome memory. I loved Angela and how she was a huge fan of old school geniuses and classic literature. I loved Kody and just how nice she was - and I loved how things worked out for her, even if they started off not so great. And Brand! Oh, how I loved Brand! I loved how his bad boy reputation was simply that - a reputation - and that he was such a good guy underneath it all. I loved how complicated he was, how he could be so clever and intuitive when it came to other people, but stupid, if understandably so, when it came to himself. I loved how his and Juniper's relationship developed as they got to know each other - I just with a whole month after their first date wasn't left out, I would have liked to have seen their romantic relationship develop.

I also really loved all the appreciation for art, in all it's forms. Brand is in a band, Juniper used to be in the choir and had a solo in a musical, and Camie played guitar. Angela, as mentioned, is really into classic literature, Kody is really into the hue YA bestselling series that has been made into a movie. And Juniper really gets into her art class and creates thematic multi-media collages with the things she finds, plus the 'Camie was here' prints she makes and pins up around town. I really loved it all. It just gave the book this extra level, it made the characters feel more real, and it gives us readers something more to relate to. You could just feel Israel's love of creativity and art, and it was just wonderful.

Israel tackles some big issues in Juniper Lemon's Happiness Index, as well as grief and bereavement. She covers bullying, suicidal thoughts, and abuse, and I think they're all dealt with brilliantly - and, despite how heavy some of those issues are, she manages to writes about them in a way that doesn't take away from the general enjoyment of the book. The book itself isn't overly heavy - it balances the dark with the light.

Juniper Lemon's Happiness Index is such a great book, a wonderful debut, and I'm really looking forward to what Israel writes in the future.

Thank you to Penguin via NetGalley for the eProof.

Juniper Lemon's sister Camilla died two months ago, but the Happiness Index that they began together, where Juniper notes down all the positive things that have happened to her, helps her feel closer to her. When one of her cards go missing, one that holds a dark secret about the night Camilla died, it is as though Juniper's life has lost all semblance of balance once again, and to make things worse, she discovers a secret love letter from her sister to an unknown lover. Juniper sets out on a desperate journey to find her lost index card and deliver her sister's letter, one that brings new friends, more secrets, and possibly even the ability to find peace with herself. 

There was nothing wrong with this novel, but it just didn't hit the spot. Usually, stories about relatives dying set me off on a path of helpless sobbing, but for some reason this book didn't have that emotional power with me. I think that one reason for this was that the plot felt a little disjointed. For example, Juniper makes various friends throughout the course of the novel, and although I did enjoy some of their scenes, sometimes it felt like their storylines were diverting attention from the main story, whilst not being strong enough to justify it. Her new friends were fun to read at times, with wit and jokes, but with the exception of Brand, they were pretty flat and felt irrelevant, and frankly, I didn't really care about them. It felt like the story about Juniper's grief and recovery was not only being left on a back burner but being completely forgotten at some points. On the other hand, I did really enjoy Juniper and Brand's relationship. I am a sucker for bad boys who are actually not that bad, and Brand falls right into that category of a bad boy that is actually a softie. Their relationship felt sincere and loving, even if it did feel like it deepened a bit too quickly once it began. 

What really weakened this novel though, was the completely unsatisfactory ending. Now, beware, because this next paragraph will be spoilery, so read at your own risk!

Here we go. The ending. Not only were there loose ends, but the story was left completely wide open, unfinished, and fraying at the edges. The mystery of the identity of Camilla's lover was the driver of the entire plot, and after an entire book with Juniper hunting for clues, and us going along with her, at the end, we are simply not told. It felt like a betrayal to lead me along on a goose chase for answers only for the mystery to be left completely unanswered. I don't care if Juniper moved on and saw her duty to her sister has been dispatched, I don't care if she only cared about delivering the letter and not about finding out who the mystery person was, I WANT TO KNOW. I HAVE THEORIES. I HAVE SUSPICIONS. I DESERVE TO KNOW. Honestly, endings like this don't feel emotional or poignant, they just feel like the author couldn't figure out how to end their book. If a mystery is going be at the heart of your story, you should answer the mystery. Don't make me turn on my detective brain only to not answer my questions. 

So, this book was neither here nor there. I would have given this book 2 stars instead of 3, but the reality is that for the most part, this book wasn't boring and it wasn't bad. It was a little disjointed in tone, and the plot was disappointing, but mainly it was the ending that ruined it for me. Yes, I feel disappointed and misled by the book, but there were positives and until I began to suspect that the ending would disappoint, I was enjoying reading this book.

I knew before beginning this book that this was going to be an emotional read. What I wasn't expecting was how utterly it would affect me

This book opens with Juniper preparing to go back to school, but hiding from her best friend to avoid an awkward meeting with her since she has been avoiding Juniper since her sister Cammies death. Juniper is reeling from both losses, add to the fact that everyone at school is whispering about her, some not as discreet as others. Within the first few pages of the book Juniper writes her secret on an index card and tucks it away inside her book, only to realise later that she's lost it and cant find it anywhere. This leads to her looking in the school dumpster where she finds someone elses secret and vows to help them. When she uncovers more secrets she begins to build a group of people who she hopes to help, but who end up helping her instead.

I loved these friendships. She may have had ulterior motives when she sought out these friendships, but it came from a good place, from the heart. Not because she was trying to trick someone. So watching this secret being discovered and people misunderstanding her intentions made my heart ache, especially considering the other issues she had going on..

When Junipers index card is revealed this is pretty much where I lost control and the tears freely flowed from my eyes, there was no holding back, and the lump that had begun to form with the loss of her friend group had taken up permanent residence. Israel has done a fantastic job with this book, she has written this amazing story which is built on an awful thing, and she shows the characters living with their grief, she shows the ugly truth of it rather than trying to sweep it under the carpet.

This is the first time i have read anything from Julie Israel, but it wont be my last.

I simply cannot describe to you how much I loved this book it's so beautifully written and so full of emotion ...tissues at the ready ...well it was for me .

Another blank space.

I am haunted by them: the pause at Camie's name. The gap in my Index. The sidesteps where she should be in conversations, but isn't. Her empty chair at dinner; her toothbrush and her shampoo; her shoes from the entryway, her keys from the kitchen hook, her tea and favorite cereal from the cupboard.

I started reading this completely blind - I had heard the title mentioned in book blogging circles but avoided reading any reviews so I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

I was immediately drawn in by Juniper's voice and I loved the idea of the index cards for tracking each day. It is clear very early on that she is muddling through handling grief, and so are her parents - but they are all dealing in such different ways that Juniper is left almost unsupported.

The friendships developed in this book were a real strong point for me, although I wasn't convinced by Lauren's reasons for disappearing after so many years of friendship. Brand, as a character, was extremely fun to read especially when he was saying one thing but doing another. I liked watching Kody develop her confidence too.

The mystery of the secret Camie was keeping before her death was, for me, never the main point of the book - yet it was the device through which Juniper gradually began to deal with her grief and move on.

Overall, a thoughtful contemporary novel with realistic, flawed characters, some beautiful turns of phrase that will make you think more deeply about what makes us human, what holds us together and tears us apart and what heals us after losing someone important.


What I liked: Juniper's voice, her relationship with her sister, the friendships and how they were developed realistically.

Even better if: The romance was fine (I did love Bran and Junper's snarky conversations!), but I was a little uncomfortable with Brand dealing with all of his problems on his own and everyone around him not helping.

How you could use it in your classroom: Rather than using this as a class reader, it could be recommended to readers who might enjoy it. Books dealing with grief can be helpful and cathartic if someone has suffered a loss, but each person deals with it differently - as we see with Juniper, her parents and her classmates. For that reason, the most important thing is to know your pupils before making a recommendation for any book dealing with grief.

(Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin UK for my review copy)
(Review will go live on my blog on August 29th 2017)

I’m not going to say I loved it as I didn’t but it was okay.

I kinda feel like it wasn’t anything special, don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the romance a lot and everything but it lacked a good story line which made this book less interesting.

It’s a great book to read in the summer when you’re on holiday and want something light to read. The characters are very nice (none annoyed me) but I do have to warn that one character has a physically abusive parent and another has thoughts of suicide.

I must say that the main character, Juniper Lemon (What a weird name though) has a great personality and her heart on the right place. I loved the fact that she has quite a few flaws. Despite the fact you can feel her sadness on many times I can say this book is a very optimistic and hopeful story.

I only regret the lacking story line that doesn’t make me want to reread it, which is why I could only rate it 3 stars.